The 4 Job Search Levers You Need to Land A Remote Job
Here are the 4 “job search levers” you need to land your next remote job (and continue to grow throughout your career).
Table of Contents
If landing a remote job feels harder than ever: trust your instincts.
The number of fully remote job postings on LinkedIn has dropped by 57% from its peak, even though these positions still attract half of all job applications.
More and more companies are issuing Return-to-Office (RTO) mandates. Only 20% of the workforce works hybrid or fully remote.
In other words, the demand for remote work outpaces the supply of remote roles in the market.
So just wanting a remote job is not enough.
But if you’ve been on the job search these past couple years, you probably also noticed traditional job search strategies aren’t working anymore, like:
- “Updating” your resume and cover letter
- Spray & pray on sites like Indeed, LinkedIn, and FlexJobs
- Posting on LinkedIn to build your brand and “put yourself out there”
- Sending half-hearted, awkward messages to “network” even though it gives you the ick
Imagine a different job search approach. One that relies on a proven system and behavioral psychology. So you don’t just land any job, but a remote job where you can work from anywhere, make more money, and build your career.
This is the approach I use with my clients to help them land remote jobs. It’s made up of 4 levers that anyone can use. Once you understand (and execute) these levers, you can craft your own powerful remote job search process. A process that you can methodically follow while everyone else scrambles trying random tactics and “seeing how it goes”.
If this has been your approach thus far, no more. “Seeing how it goes” is not a strategy.
Let’s dive into the 4 job search levers.
Lever 1: A Remote Job Search Roadmap
Tell me if any of this sounds familiar:
You’ve carved out time for your job search. You’re at your desk, the coffee’s fresh, and your desk is clear. You open your computer, launch your browser, and then…
Where do you start?
You should update your resume, right? Or work on that cover letter? But you should be networking too. Who do you email first? What do you say?
But wait, you should submit a few applications today. Otherwise, you’ll feel like you wasted the day. So you browse remote jobs on LinkedIn. You find a great role… that 327 people already applied to.
Do you still apply? Even if you did, you don’t feel great about your resume. You should update that first, right…?
On and on the cycle repeats, wearing you down like a bad hangover. No wonder why the job search process is so stressful. Most of us don’t know where to start, what to do, and when to push through (or move on).
Instead of this haphazard approach, imagine following a job search roadmap that breaks down, step-by-step, what you should do today, tomorrow, and next week. No more random tactics, no more guesswork.
Well, here you go: this is the 6-step roadmap I teach my clients, so they stop second-guessing themselves and focus on exactly what they need to do.
One thing you’ll notice: we work backwards from your strategy and getting specific on target companies and roles, before we touch our resume, apply for jobs, or even think about interview questions.
Step 1/ Setting Your Strategy. Define what your remote life looks like, and what is the first step that gets you there. Here’s what that might look like:
> I’m looking for a Tech-focused company in health, education, or productivity. Financially stable, has at least 50 employees, and a runway of at least 36 months. Mostly remote, but hybrid is OK (I just need the flexibility to run errands or go to doctor.)
Step 2/ Reverse Engineer Role & Company. Once you’ve defined that first step, it’s time to get your hands dirty. You’ll define specific roles and companies that would land you close to that outcome. The research done here sets the foundation for the rest of the roadmap. It shapes:
- The exact language you use in your resume and LinkedIn profile
- Who you message for advice (and what you’ll say)
- What jobs you apply for
- Which stories you tell in interviews
Brainstorm roles and companies you’re interested in, do deep research, then write down who can help you learn more about those roles and companies.
Step 3/ Polished Marketing Materials. You have a clearer picture of your outcome and target roles and companies. This will drip through your remote job search process, starting with your marketing materials. Update your resume, write cover letters, and optimize your LinkedIn profile based on your work in steps 1 and 2.
Step 4/ Application Accelerator. You have a resume you’re confident in, steeped in deep research. Now you’re ready to play the volume game with your applications, focusing on a handful of sources for open roles. My clients typically use LinkedIn, Google, and a niche job board specific to their industry.
As you apply, you’ll iteratively improve your marketing materials. This gives you the reps to improve your application before moving to the next step, Inside Track Applications.
Step 5/ Inside Track Applications. This is where you escape the raucous queue everyone else is in to apply for high-demand remote jobs. Instead, you’ll connect directly with employees, hiring managers, and even CEOs of your target companies.
By using an “inside track” you’ll stay top of mind, skip the line, and get first crack at open roles, before they’re even publicly available to everyone else.
Step 6/ Interview Like A Natural. You got your foot in the door. Next, you have to confidently share why you’re the best fit for the role (and get them pumped about working with you). This is about preparation, not charisma. There are three ways to prepare:
- Craft perfect answers to questions everyone asks
- Research questions a company is likely to ask
- Practice your answers until they’re perfect
This is the roadmap my clients use to land 6-figure remote and hybrid roles. The best part: if you need to pause, or restart your search again, you know exactly where to pick it up and what to work on next.
Lever 2: Fast Feedback Loops
The roadmap tells you where you’re going. But you’ll still encounter wrong turns, fierce weather, and bad roads. I call these the “speed bumps” of the job search, slowing you down from your destination.
Common speed bumps when landing your next remote role:
- It says 5 years of experience. I have 3. Should I apply?
- How do I get my resume down to 1 page?
- How can I write my cover letter faster?
- Should I include “X” in my resume?
- Which jobs boards should I use?
- What about this gap in my resume?
- Should I create a website or portfolio?
- How should I ask for a referral?
The funny thing about speed bumps: one or two won’t slow you down much. You can course correct. A bunch of speed bumps will send you veering off course, though. It only takes one wrong turn to send you spiraling in the wrong direction. This can cost you weeks, even months in your search.
The worst part? Instead of asking for help, most of us try “figuring it out” ourselves. We keep our search to ourselves. We keep the job search part of our lives completely walled off from friends, family, and colleagues, refusing to ask for help.
How do you solve for speed bumps? Fast feedback loops. Most speed bumps only take a few minutes of thoughtful feedback to push through. An outside perspective and a firm hand on the steering wheel can guide you in the right direction.
If you create fast feedback loops for your remote job search, you’ll continuously course-correct, saving yourself months of heartache and frustration.
Lever 3: An Accountability System
You know the exact steps to land your remote job, and fast feedback loops to keep you on course. But even in the best market conditions, this process takes time. One question I hear from job seekers:
“Staying motivated during a job search is a challenge I constantly grapple with. How do I keep up my motivation?”
The answer: don’t rely on motivation.
The problem with motivation is it’s fickle and inconsistent. Motivation is too closely tied to the short-term results of your job search. Landing interviews? Motivation is through the roof! But when no one’s responding to your applications, even sending a simple email feels like pushing a boulder uphill.
You need a system tied to the inputs of your job search instead of the short-term results.
I discovered this for myself after years of trying to create a habit of working out. I used different schedules, a dozen different weight training protocols, and joined a handful of gyms. What finally solved the problem? Hiring a personal trainer.
He showed up at 1pm, no matter what. He didn’t care about my typical excuses (poor sleep, big work deadline, etc.) He showed up. And because he did, so did I.
I didn’t need motivation. I needed accountability.
Extrinsic accountability > intrinsic motivation
So how do you create extrinsic accountability in your remote job search?
First, find a person or group of people you trust. These are your accountability partners. It might make sense to work with someone else who is job searching (but not a requirement).
Next, share your goals with them on a specific cadence. I recommend once a week, but once every other week or even once a month can work, too. Keep it simple. Here’s the format I recommend:
- Share what you accomplished last week, e.g. I finalized my resume, researched 2 companies, and completed one recruiter screen.
- Share what you’ll accomplish next week, e.g. By next week, I’ll email 3 people at target companies and start applying to more roles (I’m aiming to apply for 6 roles per week).
Finally, decide on the medium. You can do this over video call, phone call, or via messages. Pick one that’s easy and works. Getting feedback is not a requirement (although partners certainly can). You just need a way to publicly share what you did and what you will do.
Most importantly: stick to the schedule you agree to. Don’t miss days, even if the update is: “Didn’t make progress this week because work was crazy and the kids got sick.”
Lever 4: Your Board of Advisors
You have the first three remote job search levers:
- A roadmap, so you know where you’re going
- Fast feedback loops, to continuously course-correct
- Accountability, so you’re always making progress on the search
But to build a successful remote career beyond this particular job search, you need to navigate hundreds of ambiguous decisions, like:
- What do I optimize for in my career?
- How do I negotiate my offer?
- What if I got an offer that I’m not excited about?
- I landed a job, how do I succeed in the first 90 days?
- How can I prep for this case study interview question?
- I decided to target a new role or industry. How do I get started?
Your decisions here can have consequences for a lifetime:
General advice from the internet — even “expert advice” — is hard to apply. There’s not enough context. Answers are rarely one-size fits all.
What you need: a board of advisors, who are invested in helping you navigate the gray areas of your career to help you grow.
I’ve used a board of advisors for years. Not just when I’m looking for my next role, but throughout the “messy middle” of my career. My board of advisors is a key tool in building my remote life. I give them detailed content on my challenges, and what I think I should do. They help me:
- Look around corners
- Play devil’s advocate
- Evaluate risk
There’s a reason why companies use a board of advisors. They lean on them for advice, support, and resources. Successful companies are built as a team. So are successful careers.
So how do you build your board of advisors?
First, decide who. Who’s going to be on your board of advisors? People I recommend:
- Current mentors
- Former colleagues
- Former managers
- Professional friends
Who I recommend you avoid:
- Your partner (you need an outside perspective)
- Family members (often mean well but biased and lack expertise)
Next, enlist their help. Joining your board of advisors is an informal position. A formal board of advisors — with regular meetings, minutes, and governance — would be overkill, not to mention expensive. In fact, done properly, these people might not even know they’re part of your board!
How you enlist their help:
- First, ask if it’s OK to get their advice on a specific question
- If they say yes, ask the question, proposing 2-3 ways you’d solve it
- Listen to their advice, follow it, and then report back
Lastly, continue to follow up. This is where most people fall short. They follow up once and then fall off the face of the planet. Continue to deepen the relationship on a professional and personal level. There are so many ways of doing this:
- Keep them posted on how things change in your career on a semi-regular basis. Anywhere from quarterly to every 6 months.
- Add value by following them across social media, then reading and engaging with their content. Let them know you’re doing so.
- Proactively think about ways you can add value to them, then do it. It could be sending them an article, making an introduction, leaving a review for their product, etc.
There is no secret here. It’s just the basics of being a good person and friend.
Using a board of advisors is a critical lever. They’ll give you unbiased feedback and push you to do the hard things to build a meaningful career.
Now, knowing the 4 levers job search levers is one thing. But putting these levers into place — not just for this remote job search,but for your career — is another. It took me the better part of 10 years to understand the roadmap, create feedback loops, build an accountability system, and assemble my board of advisors.
If you want the same results, but in a fraction of the time, that’s where we can help.
Hi, I'm Chris Ming
And I help ambitious professionals land remote jobs and go remote.
I’ve been working remotely for the last decade, starting in Los Angeles as a Hollywood writer’s assistant. Since then, I’ve worked for startups and technology companies like I Will Teach, Reforge, Noom, and Persefoni. I’ve transitioned from entertainment, education, health and wellness, and climate tech — all in remote roles.
Using the strategies that worked throughout my career, I coach others on landing remote jobs so they can live their remote life: whether that means living abroad, traveling frequently, or just spending more time with their families. My clients have landed multiple 6-figure offers in as little as 3.5 months.
Want to see how you can accelerate your job search, stand out in the sea of applicants, and land your next remote job?
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In a tough job market and looking for a remote role from outside the US but for a US company, Chris helped me land a Sr PM role that I’m very excited about within 3.5 months of working with him.
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