If there’s one lesson that’s clear from COVID-19, it’s that the world of making money online is here to stay.
According to a 2020 report from Upwork, the number of remote workers in the next five years will double from pre-pandemic numbers. Even before Covid-19, telecommuting was a viable career option. There’s been a rise in jobs that let you work remotely as global infrastructure improves and companies adopt remote workers.
Thankfully, if you want to find full-time remote work opportunities, you have plenty of options to begin your search. There’s a number of remote job websites and strategies you can use to increase the likelihood you find a full-time remote job in a field you love.
The Best Remote Job Websites and Tips For Finding Work
For many, making money remotely involves freelancing or starting an online business, not full-time employment. Although this arrangement can be lucrative and flexible, everything comes at a cost. Being an independent contractor generally means you don’t have benefits, work long hours, and have numerous tax implications to manage.
Full-time jobs that allow you to work from home can provide the best of both worlds. If you’re looking for full-time remote opportunities, it’s important to use the right website and job hunting strategy to land a job with ideal working arrangements.
1. Working Nomads
As the name suggests, Working Nomads caters to job searchers who want to work from anywhere in the world. However, you don’t have to be a digital nomad and live abroad to benefit from this website; there’s a range of full-time and contract remote job opportunities across every time zone.
Working Nomads lets you start your search by filtering by job role, which includes:
- Developers
- Writers
- Customer service agents
- Administrative workers
- Consultants
- Legal experts
- Marketers
- Health care experts
- Designers
Most categories have hundreds or thousands of jobs. You can also use the search bar to find specific roles. All postings have tags that indicate the skills they require, such as specific programming languages or more general skills like writing. You can click on a tag to filter for other jobs that require the same skill.
If you prefer to passively find job opportunities, subscribe to have postings for specific job categories emailed to you on a daily or weekly basis. Working Nomads is free for job searchers, and you’ll find Fortune 500 companies and thousands of other businesses on the platform.
With a minimalistic interface and thousands of job opportunities, Working Nomads is one of the best websites if you’re only looking for remote work and want to keep your job search simple.
2. FlexJobs
FlexJobs is another remote job website with over 25,000 remote job opportunities across more than 50 job categories, including:
- Data entry
- IT
- HR
- Marketing and business development
- Writing and editing
- Customer service
- Consulting
- Call center jobs
There are also fairly unique categories you won’t find on many job boards, like math and economics, wildlife, and fashion jobs.
You can find part-time, freelance, and full-time roles on FlexJobs. Jobs can be completely remote, require you to live in a specific country, or offer flexible working arrangements that require minimal office time or the option to work in-office.
The main difference between FlexJobs and most remote job websites is that you need to pay to view all of the information in job posts. There are four paid plans available:
- 1 Week: $6.95
- 1 Month: $14.95
- 3 Months: $44.85
- 1 Year: $179.40
Once you become a FlexJobs member, you unlock complete listing information, skills testing modules that let you highlight your proficiencies on your profile page, and job posting email alerts. You can also customize your profile with your resume and work samples to attract employers. Finally, FlexJobs offers job search resources to help you learn more about the world of remote work, which is useful if you’re new to online work.
If you struggle to find work on other platforms, FlexJobs can be worth the cost because you get a support system. There’s even a career coaching service that provides resume and cover letter advice plus interview tips. Coaching costs $64 for a 30-minute session, but it’s worth the price if you need help writing a great resume or acing your next interview.
If you’re a veteran of remote work and are just in-between jobs, FlexJobs’ resources won’t be very useful. However, the platform also hand-screens job listings to ensure legitimacy, so you won’t encounter scams, multilevel marketing schemes, or expired postings.
3. We Work Remotely
We Work Remotely claims it’s the largest remote work community in the world, with more than 2 million job seekers visiting the website per month. The platform has thousands of job listings at any given time, with a focus on:
- Customer support jobs
- Sales and marketing
- Programming
- Copywriting
- Design jobs
- Management and finance roles
As a job seeker, you can search using a top 100 remote companies list, which includes jobs from companies like GitHub, Zapier, ConvertKit, and You Need a Budget. Alternatively, search for specific remote companies or use the advanced search tool to filter for specific job keywords, industries, locations, and part-time or full-time work.
Unlike some job boards, you don’t create a job seeker profile that highlights your skills and resume. When you find a job you’re interested in, simply click the apply button to get redirected to an application page. This keeps the process simple, although it means you have to do all of the outreach work because companies can’t discover your profile.
We Work Remotely is free for job seekers, and you don’t even create an account to find jobs. Ultimately, this makes We Work Remotely one of the fastest ways to begin your job hunt and lets you avoid membership fees and spending time creating a professional profile.
4. Remote OK
With over 44,000 remote jobs, Remote OK is another robust platform where you can find full-time remote opportunities for free.
Job postings largely focus on programming and software engineering. However, there are also jobs in marketing, customer service, and design. Remote OK has a non-tech section and top remote company category as well.
Additionally, a search bar on the homepage lets you filter for job keywords. Remote OK organizes your search results into new jobs, jobs postings for the month, and all previous job postings. Each posting shows whether it’s active or fulfilled, the date of posting, and if you have to live in a certain country to apply. You can also sign up to receive a daily or weekly email with a list of new remote job postings.
One perk of using Remote OK is joining its freelancer directory. Joining is free, and your freelancer profile page lets you include:
- A profile photo
- Your location
- Links to your social media profiles and website
- A bio and list of your skills
- Languages you speak
- Work availability and preferred time zones
- Your minimum salary requirements
You can also upload side projects, previous employment information, and education level to your profile.
Remote OK is most effective for remote programmers and software engineers. However, the platform is free for job seekers, so it’s worth adding to your list of remote job resources. Plus, you can always create a freelancer profile to join the directory to see whether companies reach out with job offers.
5. Jobspresso
Jobspresso is a slightly smaller remote job website with several thousand job postings at any given time.
What makes Jobspresso unique is that every job is hand-picked by a Jobspresso team member to ensure it’s a quality remote job that’s worth applying to. FlexJobs does this as well but for a monthly cost.
Popular job categories on Jobspresso include:
- Programming
- Marketing and sales
- Customer service
- Writing and editing
- Design and UX
- DevOps
- Product management
You can sign up for a weekly email blast of the latest remote job postings. You can also create a free profile and post a resume to help employers find you first.
Additionally, Jobspresso partners with Zety, an online resume builder. Zety lets you quickly create or update your existing resume using over 20 resume templates. Furthermore, it provides suggestions for resume sections to include, skills to mention, and specific wording you should use depending on your previous work experience. However, you have to pay $2.70 to unlock Zety for 14 days, which isn’t apparent on Jobspresso.
Ultimately, if you want a free remote job website that hand-screens every listing to maintain quality standards, Jobspresso is worth using. Zety is a nice afterthought, although you can always use Zety alongside other remote job boards, not just Jobspresso.
6. Dynamite Jobs
A common problem with job aggregation websites is that it takes time to sift through jobs that aren’t worth your time. That’s why Dynamite Jobs is a refreshing option to start your search for remote work.
Dynamite Jobs is another smaller job board that aggregates jobs from its own network and across the web to compile a list of high-quality remote jobs. Hundreds of new jobs get posted weekly, and categories are slightly more specific than many other websites, including roles like:
- Admin and virtual assistant
- Internships
- Business development
- Data analyst
- Accounting
- HR
- Paid advertising
- SEO
- Teacher and coach
- Technical support
- UI and UX design
You can search by category, Dynamite Jobs’ favorites, time zone, salary range, experience requirements, and job type. If you’re only looking for full-time remote work, you’ll be happy to know there are hundreds of listings to begin your application process.
If you struggle to find work, you can accelerate your search by uploading your resume and answering a brief questionnaire about the type of work you’re looking for. Dynamite Jobs then sends you relevant jobs and shares your resume with companies that are a good fit.
Dynamite Jobs is free for job seekers. While there are only a few thousand active listings, specific job categories and sharing your resume with potential employers makes Dynamite Jobs an excellent resource for beginning your remote job search.
7. ZipRecruiter
ZipRecruiter is one of the largest job search websites. With millions of listings and an easy-to-use interface, it’s clear why this job board is so popular.
ZipRecruiter lets you search for jobs by title, keyword, city, state, and zip code. It’s not dedicated to remote work opportunities. However, a quick search for “remote jobs” or “home based jobs” brings up thousands of results. You can also search for more specific remote jobs and there’s a strong chance you’ll find results due to the sheer size of the platform.
ZipRecruiter also lists the most popular companies, industries, and job roles for your search. If you want daily job listings, ZipRecruiter sends a curated email to help you stay on top of your job application process. There’s also comprehensive salary estimates for most job roles, which is useful if you’re considering a career change and want to do some research.
Overall, ZipRecruiter is a robust job website that has everything you’d want in terms of search functionality. However, where the platform shines is in your profile options. Once you create an account, you can update your profile with:
- A profile photo
- Resume
- A list of skills and references
- Highlights of previous work experience and education
- Social media links and your LinkedIn profile
If you want, you can also add your minimum pay requirements and years of experience. ZipRecruiter employers can find you through your profile, so this feature can save you time by taking the outreach work off of your plate.
8. LinkedIn
Although Linkedin is largely for professional networking and keeping up with industry news, the platform has grown into an effective job hunting tool.
With LinkedIn Jobs, you can search for job titles and companies in your area or for remote positions. You can also create job alerts to notify you via email when new listings match your search criteria. Another benefit of LinkedIn jobs is that many jobs include a salary expectation.
However, LinkedIn’s greatest strength is that job listings show if people from your network are currently working at the company. You also see how many other employees are fellow alumni from your school. According to LinkedIn, the main way people land a job is through referrals. Therefore, if you spot a remote position at a company that already employs someone in your network, you can reach out to them to ask for advice or to refer you.
To accelerate your job search, you can also sign up for LinkedIn Premium. This feature highlights jobs you’re a competitive applicant for, lets you message recruiters directly, and also informs you who has viewed your profile.
LinkedIn Premium costs $29.99 per month for individuals. However, you can still find full-time remote work without paying just by searching for jobs. Plus, LinkedIn usually offers one month of premium for free, which is helpful if you plan on spending the month writing numerous job applications.
Ultimately, you should have a LinkedIn profile to start expanding your network regardless of your current employment status. That way, if you’re ever looking for remote work or another job, you’ll already have an expansive professional network to turn to.
9. Indeed
Indeed is another leading job search website with millions of listings. It’s also a general job board, not a website that’s dedicated to full-time remote job opportunities.
However, searching for “work from home jobs” or “remote jobs” presents thousands of opportunities. Alternatively, you can search for regular job titles and apply a remote filter. You can also filter for full-time remote work, salary, experience level, company, and skill requirements.
Indeed also has an advanced job search tool that lets you find listings with specific phrases in the description. If you’re looking for a technical role, this is the best way to narrow your search.
To help employers find you, Indeed lets you create a profile page. This page includes your resume, previous work experience, skills, and any relevant awards and certifications. You can hide your profile or list it as “ready to work” which lets employers find you on the platform.
If you want to maximize your chances of finding a full-time remote job, create a profile on Indeed and explain what you’re looking for. By marking yourself as ready for employment and filling out all of your professional information, there’s a higher chance an employer reaches out with an interview request.
10. Industry-Specific Job Boards
When companies want to hire for a specific role, they often post jobs on websites that cater to a single industry. Applicant competition on these websites is typically high, but you can find many senior roles, higher salaries, and more specific job postings than relying on general job websites.
Popular industry-specific job websites include:
- Gun.io: Caters to elite software engineers, designers, and remote project managers. You complete a technical assessment to become a Gun.io member. Gun.io then matches you to companies that require your skills.
- Stack Overflow: An open community for developers. Stack Overflow has a robust forum and extensive job board to help you find remote developer work.
- Mediabistro: Ideal for writers, marketers, graphic designers, and business development roles. If you work in marketing and content creation, this job board is for you. Media Bistro also has many remote full-time listings.
- JournalismJobs.com: There’s a variety of listings on JournalismJobs.com, including editors, reporters, and production managers. You can filter for telecommuting jobs to find full-time remote work.
- Dice: Another job board that helps companies find top tech talent. Telecommuting jobs are common on Dice.
If you’re beginning your career, it might be difficult to find entry-level positions on industry-specific job boards. Additionally, websites like Gun.io require passing a skill assessment to join the platform. Therefore, general remote job websites are a better choice if you lack experience.
However, if you’re a leading candidate in your field, prioritize industry-specific job websites. If you can stand out from other tough candidates, you have a higher chance at scoring a remote position and competitive salary.
11. Negotiate With Your Existing Employer
It used to be common to take a pay cut in exchange for greater work-life balance and fewer responsibilities. However, with companies becoming more remote-friendly, this often isn’t necessary anymore.
If you’re stuck in the office but want to shift to working remotely, there’s a chance you can do so without finding a new job. If your role is compatible with remote work, negotiate with your employer to make the change. If the company you work for wants to retain you, you can likely find a compromise that keeps everyone happy.
You never know what’s possible unless you ask. If you can’t start working remotely, you can always begin searching for a new job while holding down full-time employment.
12. Freelance Marketplaces
For many, becoming a freelancer is a way to boost their monthly income while still enjoying the benefits of full-time employment.
However, if you can secure enough freelance work to match or surpass your day job’s salary, freelancing can be your ticket to full-time remote work. Freelance websites like Fiverr and Upwork are examples of marketplaces where you can find clients for jobs like:
- Programming
- Content writing and editing
- SEO
- Marketing
- Graphic design
- Video editing
- Data analysis
- Web design
It takes time to grow your freelancing network into a position where you can go full-time. However, freelancing is flexible and typically remote-friendly.
Plus, some companies hire internally from their pool of freelance talent rather than turning to a job board. If you currently freelance but are open to the idea of working remotely for a company, keep a lookout for job postings from your client. Alternatively, reach out to your clients and inquire about full-time staff positions. Your client might prefer a freelancing arrangement, but it pays to put the idea of full-time employment on the table for the future if that’s your goal.
Final Word
If you’re currently working in-office, remote work might sound like the dream life. However, in reality, working from home has its pros and cons. A lack of commuting and increased productivity are major perks of remote work. On the other hand, it’s easy to stay on the clock and lose sight of work-life balance.
Thankfully, if you know that remote work is the right arrangement for you, it’s never been easier to find full-time employment. Companies become more accepting of remote workers every year. As long as your resume and skills are up to date, there’s no reason why you can’t make a living working from home or while traveling the world.
Just be wary of work from home scams. Legitimate job posts never ask for upfront investment or make unrealistic claims about compensation. Stick with trusted remote job websites if you want to reduce the risk of encountering scams and you won’t have problems with your job search.
