About the author

Darren Cronian, the author of this guide, has spent nine years securing remote jobs and building a successful freelancing business. His goal is to help people find remote work. Read more >
Last Updated: 16 May 2024

Before commencing the search for a remote job, remember you are competing against talent from around the world. The chance of being shortlisted for an interview is considerably lower.

Standing out from your competition by being multi-skilled will make you more employable. Be creative when applying for remote jobs by considering what you can bring to the company to achieve its goals.

Common Mistakes When Applying For a Remote Job

If you have applied for a few vacancies and were unsuccessful, here are the common mistakes when applying for a remote job.

Not Focusing on Quality

When applying for remote jobs, your initial response will be to contact as many companies as possible.

If you are lazy and apply for remote jobs with the same resume and cover letter, will you cut corners when performing in the role you are applying for? Think about it from an employer’s perspective.

Designate a time of the day, or day of the week, when you focus on applying for remote jobs. Ensure there are no distractions or plans that will make you want to rush the application.

Focus on applying for one remote job at a time.

Take time to look at the required experience and skills for the job. Make sure you feature these requirements within your resume and cover letter. Failure to do so will result in you not getting through the shortlist phase.

Proofread your resume and cover letter before sending it. Use a service like Grammarly to check for spelling and grammar mistakes. Ensure the brand name is spelled and written correctly, e.g., don’t type WordPress when the brand is WordPress.

Not Researching the Company

As previously stated, standing out when applying for a remote job is essential. The best way to do this is to research the company. Search for information about the founder and the history behind the brand.

Read reviews on sites like Glassdoor to learn about the work culture. Find interesting facts about the business to include in your cover letter. Search for the company or its founders on social media and engage by asking and answering questions.

Is the company running any campaigns or initiatives you can get involved in? Dig deep into their services by browsing the company website and thinking about how you can help with your skills and experience.

How can you improve the business? For example, you’re applying for a customer service role and browsing reviews. Several people are unhappy because of a specific feature or service. In the cover letter, you would suggest improvements to deal with the common issues that customers are having.

Sending a Mudane Resume and Cover Letter

Tailor your resume and cover letter for each remote job to increase the chance of being interviewed. When writing up your previous roles, read the job description, and include the skills and experience that match the job.

The cover letter should focus on what you offer the business. How can your skills help increase revenue, attract more customers, or improve the experience for current customers? Also, include the small nuggets of information you’ve found while researching the company to show attention to detail.

Using the No-Go words

Remember that you’re applying for a job, and it just happens to be remote. It’s okay to mention that you have experience working remotely, but don’t mention that you want to work from home or you love the idea of traveling while working.

It sends the message that you’re only applying because it’s remote.

Putting in Minimal Effort

You should have noticed a common trend in all of these mistakes.

You won’t be able to get away with putting in the minimum amount of effort when applying for a remote job. Rather than applying for vacant positions in bulk, take your time and focus on one.

These are a few of the more common mistakes that people make when applying for remote jobs. Implementing these changes will increase the chance of being shortlisted for an interview.

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