7 Steps to Your First Remote Dev Job

It looks like you are about to make a life-changing decision. Congratulations on taking this exciting next step in your career! With the right guidance, you can have the freedom and flexibility of remote work. Don't worry, I’ve got you covered. In just 7 simple steps, you'll be well on your way to working remotely and living the lifestyle you've always wanted. Picture yourself bouncing between coffee shops in the morning, exploring new places in the afternoon, and never setting foot in an office ever again, and I mean EVER.

These 7 steps will help you perfect your resume, build an online portfolio, apply to the right jobs, and make a stellar first impression so you can start your new remote adventure. Let’s start with the most obvious.

Get your hands dirty

By that I mean polish your skills. Shocker! But seriously, you've got to show off your skills! Work hard to polish your hard skills and build a nice and simple portfolio of your best work.

• Pick a programming language and become an expert. Really dive in and master a language like Python, PHP, or Javascript. Then build some sample projects to show your proficiency
• Create an online portfolio. A GitHub profile or a website that displays your featured works should get the job done. I don’t recommend building the portfolio website yourself. You may waste a lot of time designing the website and actually never finish it. Upload only your best projects and some code samples, then let your work speak for itself!
• Solve coding challenges. This process can get extremely boring if you don’t have a passion for programming. Sites like Codewars, HackerRank, and LeetCode offer challenges that will test your skills. Complete a few challenges in your language of choice and link your achievements in your portfolio and in your Linkedin profile.
• If you can, try to contribute to open-source projects. What better way to gain experience and build credibility? Find an open-source project that interests you and submit some useful code. Your contributions will be a great addition to your portfolio.
• Build your own apps or websites. Come up with an idea for an app, tool, or website and build it yourself. A fully functioning product in your portfolio will prove your ability to code from start to finish. The hard part is finishing those projects 🥲. I’m drowning it the sea of unfinished projects, but I’m sure you will keep reading. 😶‍🌫️

With a polished set of coding skills and an impressive portfolio to showcase your work, you will be ready for the next step. Any guesses?

Create a Compelling Resume Highlighting Your Experience

To land that first remote gig, you need a great resume that shows off your tech skills and experience. Building a great resume can be tricky. You need to focus on relevant experience and highlight any freelance work, side projects, or remote internships you've done. Emphasize skills like communication, time management, and self-motivation - key for remote roles, and if you are lacking any of these, try to work on them.

Including metrics and outcomes is quite important. Try to quantify your major accomplishments and the impact you made. For example, "Increased web app speed by 50% in 3 months" or "Built web app prototype that gained 1000 users in the first month." Numbers stand out in plain text, and you need to use them to your advantage.

Emphasize remote-friendly tech skills. Call out proficiency with collaboration tools like Slack, Trello, and Zoom. Mention experience with remote development tools such as GitHub, Jira, and Stack Overflow. Those are gonna be your buddies. 😁

Sell your remote work style. Discuss how you stay on task without direct oversight and your strategies for effective virtual communication. For example, "Proven ability to work independently and maintain productivity. Over 5 years experience leveraging web-based collaboration tools to seamlessly work with distributed teams."

Round it out with accomplishments. Include awards, key certifications, and side projects that showcase your skills. Passion for continuous learning is attractive for remote roles.

With the said resume highlighting your superpowers, you'll be landing interviews in no time, hopefully. 😁

Search for Legitimate Remote Developer Jobs

Start with the big ones

Don’t worry—there are tons of great remote developer jobs out there! Start your search on major job sites like Glassdoor, Indeed, LinkedIn, and Remote.co. These sites have huge listings of vetted remote jobs.

When you find a listing that interests you, go straight to the company’s website to apply. This shows your enthusiasm and allows you to learn more about the company culture to see if the position is the perfect fit. In your application try to ask some questions or point out some stuff that interested you. Many companies love motivated self-starters who do their research!

Tap Into Your Network

Don’t be afraid to tap into your professional network either online or offline. Reach out to former colleagues and mentors and let them know you’re on the hunt for a remote developer role. Word of mouth can be much more powerful than you think. They may know of unadvertised jobs or be able to provide a reference to help you land an interview. Use LinkedIn to connect with new people at target companies and join relevant industry groups and forums.

Consider Recruiters

For some remote tech jobs, companies work with recruiting agencies to help source candidates. Don’t dismiss recruiter messages on LinkedIn or calls about new roles. Recruiters have connections with lots of companies and can match you to jobs based on your skills and experience. Be upfront about your salary expectations and the type of remote work environment you’re looking for. The right recruiter will help find you the perfect role.

Create your own luck

The key is using proactive, multi-channel approaches. You can’t just wait for jobs to come to you—go out and find them! The whole internet is literally at your fingertips, you have so many opportunities to uncover. Start blogging as early as possible, write about the things you learn or like, and create any content about the stuff you do to help grow your online presence.

You got that interview

Smile and make eye contact

During your interview, you worked so hard to get (😶‍🌫️), be sure to smile, make eye contact with the camera, and maintain an enthusiastic tone. Your positive energy and passion for the role will shine through, even remotely!

Answering the “Tell me about yourself”

They will first want to know you, but are you self-aware? Speak clearly and confidently about your relevant experience, skills, and interest in the company. Language can be a barrier. If you will not communicate in your native language, write down and memorize a short intro to help you focus and boost your confidence.

Have examples ready

Come prepared with specific examples of challenges you've overcome and projects you've worked on. Discuss times you took initiative, learned new technologies quickly, improved processes, or built something from scratch. Quantify your key results and impact. Your examples should demonstrate how you're a strong candidate for a remote position.

Ask good questions

Understand that the interview is also your chance to make sure the role and company are the right fit for you. Ask questions about day-to-day responsibilities, technologies used, opportunities for growth, company culture, and work-life balance. The hiring team will appreciate your thoughtful questions.

Test your tech to avoid the awkwardness

Double-check that your internet connection, camera, microphone, and any online collaboration tools are working properly before the call. Log into the interview platform a few minutes early to ensure there are no technical difficulties. If issues arise, panicking must be the last thing you do 😅 - just let the interviewer know as soon as possible and try to troubleshoot. Remaining flexible and solution-focused in the face of tech challenges shows your ability to solve a problem under pressure/stress.

Follow up appropriately

Send a thank you email within 24 hours to show your strong interest and enthusiasm for the role. Mention one or two specific points discussed during your interview and express how you're a great fit. This will keep you at the top of the interviewer's mind and can have a good impact on your follow-up. With the growing number of interviews, you will become a lot more comfortable with the process.

The part where you get what you want

You’ve made it this far—can’t stop now! As remote developers, we have skills that are in high demand. Use that to your advantage to negotiate a compensation and benefits package that you feel good about.

• Do your research to determine the typical salary range for your position. Check sites like Glassdoor, Djinni, Wellfound, and Indeed to see what other remote developers with your experience and skills are making. Use that information to set a target salary in mind.
• Discuss the key details upfront, like hours, responsibilities, salary, paid time off, health insurance, retirement benefits, etc. Take notes or get everything in writing to avoid confusion later on.
• Ask for what you want and don’t feel guilty about it. Employers expect candidates to negotiate, so go in with confidence. Say something like “Based on my experience and skills, I’m looking for a salary in the range of $X to $Y.” Then provide examples of your relevant experience and accomplishments to support your case.
• Be willing to compromise without settling. Maybe the initial offer isn’t quite what you wanted, so you counter with a number in the middle that you’d both be satisfied with. But don’t feel pressured to accept an offer that you don’t feel good about.
• Talk about growth opportunities. Discuss how your role and compensation may evolve over time based on your performance and experience. If you are planning to stay at the company long-term make sure there are opportunities for career advancement and salary increases.
• Get the agreement in writing. Once you’ve come to terms, ask the employer to provide you with an official offer letter outlining all the details of your new remote position. Be sure to sign and return it to formally accept the role.

Well, looks like you did it. Should I be proud?

Conclusion

Believing is half of the work you need to do! If I can do it, so can you. With hard work and perseverance, you'll be well on your way to landing an exciting new career as a remote developer. Think of the possibilities - working from anywhere, setting your own schedule (waking up 3 mins before the daily stand-ups), and getting paid to do what you love. The opportunities are endless. Never get discouraged. Yes, it will be hard and painful. It should not stop you. You will thank yourself at the end.

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