5 Steps to Remote Work

I remember very well when working remotely was only an entertaining daydream for me. I worked a traditional job as a marketing rep for an insurance company, which required that I travel weekly to visit with clients. I’d be in the car driving for long stretches from meeting to meeting. While in the car, I’d listen to Youtube videos about living life on your terms, executing goals, and what it takes to have a happy career. I thought about what my life would be like when I no longer had to travel for work and only travel when I wanted. But, there I was, driving to a meeting states away from home, and no where near my goal to work remotely.

After various coping mechanisms to find happiness in my marketing job, and many unsuccessful attempts to remove my desire to quit, I had to make a decision. I could stay and deal, or I could leave and go for what I really wanted: working from home. I chose to leave. But first, I needed a plan.

Since then, I’ve had the pleasure of working with hundreds of students who’ve purchased my course, How to Find A Remote Job. I can tell you with certainty that you ABSOLUTELY must have an exit strategy to transition to working remotely from a traditional job. The steps listed are in the exact order and detail that I recommend.

Step 1) Make up your mind.

This may come as a surprise, but of all five steps, this one is the hardest. Making up your mind that you are going to work from home/remotely is a decision that you’ll need to be 100% sure about before you’ll be able to fully commit to the process. Once you’re sure, it’ll be easy to move forward because you know it’s what you really want.

Step 2) Learn the ins and-outs-of working from home.

This includes where to locate legit remote jobs, how to create your resume and cover letter, interviewing skills, etc. Getting professional remote training will help you avoid the many pitfalls of the online job world, which, unfortunately, include scams.

I referred to an online professional before I began my remote career, and I suggest you do the same, too. Fortunately, you now know an online career professional, and can refer to my digital courses about remote work HERE.

And before ignoring this step and skipping to step 3, just know a BIG mistake remote job seekers commonly make is failing to do any of what I suggested, and opting to learn from their own experience. In return, only landing a low paying opportunity that’s less than desirable to them.

Step 3) Start applying to jobs

Once you’ve learned the who, what, when, where, why, and how of remote work, it’s time to apply to jobs. You’ll have the career skills to confidently do so, and this will allow you to be competitive for the jobs and pay that you really desire. Make sure you apply to as many jobs as you can. Putting in 1-3 applications a week won’t cut it. You’ll want to put in several applications a day. The more applications, the greater your odds of being hired faster.

Step 4) Put in your 2-week notice

You finally get to place your 2-week notice because you’ve been hired!

Step 5) Get work from home ready.

This is the final and funnest step! You get to outfit your new home office space with the latest tech and cute office supplies. This step is best saved for last, because you’ll know what you need only after getting hired. Also, because every opportunity requires something different, and many companies will even provide equipment for you. So save your office shopping until you get to that point, and you’ll avoid purchasing unnecessary items . But once you are ready, you can get inspiration and all your office needs in my online store HERE.

So that’s it; those are the 5 steps to transition to remote work. The first few involve the most work, but after those steps, it gets easier. Also, you’ll have that knowledge for whenever you decide to move on to your next online opportunity (because we don’t work the same job forever), so the process will be considerably easier the next time around.