Landing a remote job now: is it easier or harder than before?

It was the first time I spoke to this person over Zoom. He had been referred to me by his wife and had been following me on LinkedIn for a while, but it was actually the first time we spoke.

One of the initial questions he asked me was very direct: is landing a remote job now easier than before?        

My reply was: “No, it's harder.”

But let me give you some more details and context, just like I gave him - and, if you are searching for a remote job, this information will be important to you.

If we compare landing a remote job now with landing a remote job during the pandemic, it's much harder now.

Why? Because during the pandemic, most companies had no other choice than to offer remote jobs. So, of course, the availability of remote job offers suddenly increased.

Around the years 2022 - 2023, the situation started to change.

The mandatory return to the office (RTO) started being implemented by some companies (the ones that actually never really embraced remote work, they only "accepted" it temporarily).

When the mandatory RTO happened as a “big wave,” a significant number of people were already aware of the possibility and benefits of working remotely - and they were not willing to go back to the office anymore.

Those people also started searching for remote jobs, so the competition for remote jobs increased even more.

If we compare landing a remote job now with landing a remote job before the pandemic, it's also much harder now.

I've been working remotely since 2014, but I am far from being the pioneer in doing that.?

In other words: remote work was already available and effective before the pandemic, but fewer people were considering it, paying attention to it, or even applying for remote jobs. Before the pandemic, the competition for remote jobs was much smaller, and now, "everybody" wants a remote job - so it makes the job market much harder to land those kinds of jobs.

This is my realistic overview of the situation. No sugar-coating and no polite replies. Sorry if I disappointed you.

Considering all of that, the next logical question probably is: Does it still make sense to search for a remote job now?        

In my humble opinion, if you are still here, reading, and assuming that landing a remote job was in your plans, you have only two options:

Option 1: You sit and cry.

In other words, you give up having a more flexible job because it's really hard to land one now. You stop trying and settle for a job that doesn't make you happy anymore because the chances of landing a remote job are limited. You remove yourself from the situation and stop considering landing a remote job.

Option 2: You remain "in the game".

You choose to do whatever is in your power to land a flexible job that allows you to live the lifestyle you want. You commit to not giving up before you have tried everything available (including learning from others who were successful in landing a remote job). You change your mindset from "it's hard" to "I'll do all it takes, so it'll be a matter of time for me.”

Adult life can be hard, even unfair. I wish I could say it was easier to land a remote job now than it was when I started my remote journey 10 years ago... but that would not be true.

Now, back to you:

Make a choice, and go with it. Time will pass anyway, so if you choose to stay on the “remote jobs side,” the sooner you start your remote job search, the faster you'll get there.        

If landing a remote job is your priority, let's talk. I might be able to make your process faster and more effective. Start here .

Who is Juliana Rabbi?

Juliana is a recruiter-turned-career coach. She is also a keynote speaker for international audiences.

Over 15 years experience in Human Resources and Recruitment in multinational companies, Juliana has been working remotely since 2014 (yes, way before the pandemic).

For + 4,5 years, Juliana has managed her own career coaching business, providing services, coaching, consulting and mentoring to +430 clients in +2.700 consulting/coaching sessions.

She helps senior professionals to land a flexible job faster, make better career choices and create the lifestyle they want.

Her background is in Psychology, with a Master Degree in Human Resources.

She is also a Digital Nomad who has been to 56 countries, can't resist playing with dogs, tries different animal poses in yoga and enjoys acting in improv comedy.

+72.000 candidates interviewed as a Recruiter over 15 years.

191 recommendations and 5 star reviews on LinkedIn.

76 nationalities impacted from different continents over her career.

14 companies (mainly multinationals) directly benefited from her services.

+440 clients in +2.400 consulting/coaching sessions.

Bachelor Degree in Psychology with a Master in Human Resources.

Trilingual (English-Spanish-Portuguese).

Follow Juliana on other social media platforms

YouTube | Instagram

#career #mindset #job #jobsearch #leadership #remotejobs #homeoffice #workfromhome