How to Get a High Paying Remote Job in 2024 [Detailed Guide for intending remote workers]

A decade ago getting a remote job (not to talk of high paying ones) was never much in the conversation or plan for majority of the world's workforce. Remote jobs were not this mainstream. Sure companies and people were already working remotely but it was not something a lot of people deliberately looked for.

Fast forward today and remote work is fast becoming a religion. More people than ever before are looking to get remote jobs that enable them work from anywhere, work while travelling around the world.

There's lots of advice out there on how to get a remote job. Some are pretty solid. So what new thing can we write about getting a high paying remote job that has not been written before?

We will attempt to make this blog post a detailed but simple guide that can help anyone who has never held a remote job before to land their first remote job.

Because we understand the challenges facing an intending first time remote worker we will try to break this into actionable steps that will help anyone land their first remote job this year.

So first steps.

Identify Your Best Targets (areas/specialisations/industries)

You know how intending entrepreneurs are advised to forget ideas and identify the market first? Getting a remote job isn't much different.

An intending startup business owner will do well to first research and find potential problems with significant addressable market around him/her. Then look for a solution for the problem that enough people are willing to pay for.

While getting a remote job has to do with your talents and what you have affinity for, it is equally important you look at what fields/areas/industries/specialisations are likely for you to succeed in getting a remote job (depending on your location).

So this brings us to the question - What are the high potential areas/skills that will enable you get a remote job quicker?

Here are a list of some of the high income, decent volume skills/specialisations for remote job search based on data

• Software development/programming (frontend, backend, fullstack)
• Data engineering/analysis/science
• Machine learning/artificial intelligence
• DevOps/System Admin
• Android/iOS development
• Product design
• Product marketing
• Product management
• UX/UI design
• Digital marketing
• Technology sales
• Business intelligence/analysis
• Tech recruitment
• Content development/marketing
• Finance/accounting
• Project management
• Cloud computing

Matching Your Interests, Areas of Passion and What Motivates You with Your Current Skills

Getting a remote job is not much different from getting a regular job. This means you will still have to factor in where your current skills, experience are and where they need to be in terms of the kind of job(s) that interest you.

Getting this right will help you focus on the exact areas/types of jobs that are best suited for you. It is not enough to want to get a remote job.

You have to consider the following;

• your current skills - what areas do you have skills enough to be of value to employers? what skills can you improve on quickly enough to be of value to employers?
• your experience - do you have enough relevant experience to enable you get noticed? what ways can you build up your experience?
• Your passion/interest - do your interests, passion align with your skills? are you have the skills to match with the job areas you are interested in?

Decide Which Niche areas to Focus on for Your Job Search

The previous sections were to enable you (in case you are a fresher for instance) decide which specific areas to focus and pursue for your remote job search.

Like in most things you will be well served to focus on only a couple related areas for your remote job search. Trying to be a jack of all trades will likely hurt your chances. If you focus on getting a remote content writer or remote product designer job for instance, you will have higher chances of success than when you try to get any type of remote job

Identify the Major Requirements for the Kind of Remote Job You Want

The first advantage of picking an area of focus is that you can quickly find out the major requirements of employers.

What are the key skills, experience, tools etc required for the type of remote job you are looking to get.

Let's say you have narrowed down your search to Technology Sales or Data/Business Analysis for eg. It becomes easier for you to search through tens or hundreds of similar job postings to glean what employers usually look out for.

Create a simple spreadsheet for your Strength and Weakness analysis. Enter major requirements you find occurring in most of the job postings for your remote job of interest. This will include specific skills, software tools, experience etc required in majority of the job postings you analysed.

Next on the right column of your spreadsheet check which of these requirements you currently have. This lets you know generally where you are in terms of meeting the requirements of most employers.

Now you know what skills and tools you are lacking to be able to get the type of remote job you want.

Upgrade Your Employability

If you have say less than 50% of the major requirements for your type of remote job (based on the previous analysis we showed above) then the first thing to do is to - improve your employability.

• Take courses and trainings to acquire the skills you lack
• Practice to learn the key tools necessary for the specific remote job(s)  you are interested in
• Volunteer for internships, get involved in projects/tasks (paid or unpaid) to give you the necessary experience for the kind of remote job(s) you are targeting

Prepare a Professional Resume/CV Tailored for Remote Opportunities

Your resume or CV is a major tool for your remote job search. From the design/look to the content of your resume it should project to the prospective employer your suitability and promise for the job

We have written a detailed guide to preparing an impressive resume or CV for remote job search. But the key tips are to ensure the following

• choose the best format/design for your resume/CV
• Use simple, proactive language
• Emphasise, project skills and abilities that align with the job
• Show that you are a problem solver
• Showcase instances where you delivered value
• Indicate your ability, experience or interest in working remotely

Start Applying for as Many Remote Jobs as Possible

You do not have to wait till you have all the skills, tools, experience required before applying for remote jobs. As soon as you have a decent portion of the requirements for a remote job we advise you apply for it.

As you upgrade your employability you should be applying for jobs. Depending on the competition for the king of remote job you want, it may require hundreds of applications or less for you to get a solid offer.

If you ever thought getting a well paid remote job was easy, think again. It took some people hundreds or even thousands of applications to get their first remote job. For some they got their first remote jobs with less than 50 applications.

Different strokes for different folks they say?

Key thing is to decide to do everything you have to do. Stick at it, keep improving based on your research and feedback. And you'll get a pretty good remote job before you know it.

Prepare Well for Remote Interviews

Remote jobs definitely will require you undergo remote interviews. Interviewing well is definitely a skill, more especially remote interviewing.

There are instances of people who get invited to dozens of interviews and end up not getting a single offer. There could be several reasons for this.

• poor preparation: In my previous job as a recruiter I lost count of how many candidates we interviewed who clearly did not prepare or prepared poorly for their interviews. The least you can do to improve your chances after getting an interview invite is to read up/research the company and know all you can about them (the team/management, products/services etc).
• poor speaking skills: Chances are that your interviewers may come from a different country than you. It is very important that you speak clearly and slow enough for your interviewers to hear and understand you.
• distractions: Ensure you have a quiet place where you can take your remote interviews. Distractions will likely create a bad impression of you with the interviewers plus when you are distracted you will find it more difficult responding to the questions you get asked.

Getting a remote job can be demanding sometimes but if you follow the above tips you could get yourself a good remote job before you know it.

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