Remote Work Guide: How to Find Work-From-Home Jobs

In recent years, more employees prefer jobs that enable them to work from home full- or part-time. A 2022 survey from McKinsey & Company found that, when offered, 87 percent of workers opt to work remotely, and finding a flexible work arrangement is a top three motivator for job seekers, behind greater pay or hours and better opportunities [1].

Although remote work has become increasingly common across many industries, flexible work options tend to be most common in occupations that rely on digital innovation, like computer-related fields, business and financial operations, and engineering.

In this article, we’ll discuss how you can structure your job search to find a remote job that aligns with your skills and goals.

Read more: Job Search Guide: Resources for Your Next Career Move

How to get a remote job: 4 steps

Getting a job that allows you to work from home is similar to how you’d get any job. However, for remote work, you may need to tailor your job search further, highlight remote-friendly skills, or consider alternative job functions or fields. Here are four steps for getting started:

1. Consider your goals.

One way to focus your job search is by centering it on your career goals. When your job enables you to live in alignment with your values, you may find that you feel more fulfilled and happier across all areas of your life.

Think about the type of life you want and how your next job can impact your ability to live that life. In addition to a flexible work environment, you may consider skills, specific functions, or long-term achievements.

Read more: 6 Common Career Goals + Examples

2. Assess your skill set.

In addition to what you want, think about what you already have. Regardless of your experience level, chances are you already have a solid transferable skill set that encompasses both technical skills (sometimes referred to as “hard skills”) and workplace skills (also known as “soft skills”).

List out the skills you feel most confident in and that you enjoy using in your daily role. In particular, consider your skills that translate well to remote work, such as effective communication, time management, and other interpersonal skills. Along with your goals, this list can help guide your remote job search. 

Read more: 7 High-Income Skills Worth Learning in 2024

3. Research the roles you want to get.

Since remote work is available across a wide range of fields, narrowing your job search to specific roles of interest can help you find the right job quicker than you might with a broad “remote work” search.

With your goals and skills in mind, consider the types of remote jobs you are interested in. Here are some fields to consider as you begin your remote job search:

• Sales

• Marketing

• Project management

• Finance

• Design

• Writing and editing

• Web development

• Data analytics

• Cybersecurity

• Information technology (IT)

As you research your roles of interest, update your resume to showcase your relevant skill set and consider filling any skill gaps by taking an online course or earning a certification.

Read more: Upskilling: What It Means and How It Can Help Your Career

4. Apply for relevant roles.

With clarity about your desired roles and your updated resume in hand, you are ready to apply for jobs. Most online job boards will allow you to search for remote positions—simply select the search option for “remote only” or write “remote” into the location. Some websites to search for remote jobs online include:

• LinkedIn

• Google

• Indeed

• ZipRecruiter

• Monster

• FlexJobs

• Remote.co

If you are interested in working for a specific company, you can often search for open positions via the ‘career’ tab on the company's website. Many large companies enable you to tailor your search by location.

10 remote work-from-home jobs

As you search for remote work, you’ll notice a range of opportunities available. Here are 10 examples of remote work-from-home jobs that tend to pay well, along with average US salary data, according to Glassdoor as of November 2023:

1. Computer support specialist ($60,427)

2. Social media marketer ($49,688)

3. Project manager ($92,111)

4. Data analyst ($76,819)

5. Information security analyst ($115,411)

6. Web or software developer ($86,782; $105,555)

7. UX designer ($88,046)

8. Sales representative ($65,150)

9. Data scientist ($128,921)

10. Translator or interpreter ($57,410)

Learn more about these high-paying remote jobs and how to qualify for them.

For specialized remote work options, take a look at these additional resources:

• 5 High-Paying Entry-Level Remote Jobs (and How to Land Them)

• Getting a Remote Sales Job: Your 2022 Guide

• 12 Work-from-Home Health Care Jobs

Take the next step towards a remote job with Coursera

Prepare for a remote job in data analytics, project management, social media marketing, cybersecurity, and more with a Professional Certificate from industry leaders like Google, Meta, and IBM. Here are a few recommendations to get you started:

Earn a Professional Certificate in project management from an industry leader in technology with Google's Project Management Professional Certificate. This self-paced, beginner-friendly online program focuses on fundamental project management concepts such as strategic thinking, organizational culture, and project execution.

Become a software developer certificate holder in just four months with IBM's Full Stack Software Developer Professional Certificate program. Designed to equip you with job-ready skills, this course series exposes you to industry-standard technologies such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React, and GitHub.

Become data science job-ready in just six months with Google's Data Analytics Professional Certificate program. Concepts you'll master include data visualization, cleansing, and aggregation with tools like SQL and R Markdown.