Since quitting my office job of 24 years, my remote work journey has taken me through 7 years of working as a quality assurance specialist.

Focusing on the WordPress ecosystem made sense because one of my passions is, building websites using this software over the last 15 years.

Over the last 7 years, I have successfully landed 4 remote jobs. Mistakes were made when my remote job search started. Over time these strategies resulted in me getting hired.

Here are 4 ways to find remote jobs in Quality Assurance.

Remote Job Boards

The first route for many will be applying for QA opportunities on remote job boards and, this is where my journey started. On my remote work resources page, you will find a list of recommended sites.

If you are on Twitter, follow this list, which highlights the latest opportunities on my favourite remote job boards. When they post new jobs, you will find them on this feed, saving you time scouring the sites.

Bear in mind that companies use many creative job titles for Quality Assurance roles, so this is something to look out for. You are going to find a wide range of QA roles that require experience in different areas.

More companies are looking for applicants with an engineering background or experience using automated software like Selenium.

To save yourself time, scroll down to essential requirements in the job listing because they may be looking for an applicant who has a particular skill set that you do not have.

Product familiarity

Is there a third-party product you have used in previous employment that you have a high level of knowledge in? Let me give you an example:

While working for your last employer, you spent a lot of your time using Mailerlite, email distribution tool. Maybe, you have suggested improvements and engaged with the company on social media?

Do you feel being a QA tester on this product would be the perfect fit? I do. You are not new to the product, so the company will not have to spend time and money helping you learn it.

Here is how to approach this:

• For the resume, you really need to focus on your experience using this product and showcase your level of knowledge. In the cover letter, tell them why they need to hire you.
• Tell them that you have used the product as a customer. Reference any suggested improvements and engagement on social media.
• Go to the company career page and look for the email address of the recruitment team. Or, go to LinkedIn and search for the company. and search for the founder and reach out to them.
• Ideally, you want to send your resume and cover letter directly to an employee within the company rather than a generic email address. Read my guide on how to reach out and engage with companies.

GIve the company two weeks to get back to you, and if you do not hear from them, reach out again. You have to be persistent but professional.

Get creative and stand out from the crowd

When applying for remote jobs in Quality Assurance, you need to be creative. How can you stand out amongst all of the other candidates? Here’s a strategy that worked for me that you might want to use.

Look into the software you will be testing and see if you can get access by signing up for a free trial or paying for one-months access.

It will be worth it. Then spend an hour or two going through the software to identify bugs, accessibility or UI/UX issues. Make a note of what you find in a Google Sheet and make it available for people who have the link.

This might sound like a lot of work but, you’re going to have to put in more effort when there is competition. In your cover letter, tell them you found issues with the software and link to the sheet.

Having done this myself, it does work.

As a Quality Assurance specialist, you need to have attention to detail, so it’s essential to read the job advert thoroughly to spot any typos and errors. Identify these within your cover letter because it could be a trick.

Be part of a community

As mentioned earlier in this guide, WordPress has been my focus. Being an active member of this community helped secure remote jobs in Quality Assurance. For 10 years before quitting my office job, as a hobby, I built websites using WordPress, attended WordCamps, participated in the support forums and reported any bugs on Github.

I was active, and the contacts I made within the community helped me find remote jobs in the future.

Think about your passions and experience.

Are there any communities you can become active in? Could that community directly help you land remote jobs in the future? Can you focus on a niche? Become specialised in No Code software, SAAS, or another application that is widely used.

Networking and showcasing your skills

Leading on from being part of a community. Another way to find remote jobs in Quality Assurance is to network with companies you would like to work for. LinkedIn is the perfect place to do this because it’s very likely that the companies are active here. You can use LinkedIn to find people within the company to build a relationship with.

Find the company page and then use the people search to find the head of Quality Assurance, the founders, or recruiters.

Another reason to focus your networking on LinkedIn is that you can create content that showcases your skills. Use three hashtags that are popular within the niche you want to work in and also within QA.

Take time to read a guide we wrote on how to create content on LinkedIn. This will help you get content found by potential employers.

Hopefully, this guide offers ideas to help you find remote jobs in quality assurance. For more advice, check out the recommended guides below, or sign up for our free Remote work email, sent every Sunday.