I Want to Work From Home—How Do I Make My Goal a Reality?
Ever since my first job out of college, I knew I wanted to work from home.
Why? Did I not make awesome friends working an office? Yes, I did. Did I not have unique opportunities because I had in-person jobs? Well, the answer to that is also yes.
So why didn’t I want to continue going into an office? Because I knew a home office would allow me greater freedom, more time with my family, and less stress. And honestly, it’s given me all those perks and more.
Why do people want to work from home, anyway?
Besides the obvious perks of remote jobs—no commute, more time to rest, greater childcare or animal care flexibility—working from home has well-studied benefits.
Job seekers value having autonomy over their location and schedule (McKinsey)
People with flexible work options report better mental health (Mental Health America & FlexJobs)
77% of remote workers say they’re more productive (CoSo Cloud)
94% of employers said productivity remained the same or improved with remote work (Mercer)
Remote work is often better for those with disabilities (CNN)
Remote work can save employees thousands each year (TECLA)
The environmental strain of data centers is often less than commuting to work (Forbes)
86% of workers said remote work would allow them to be more present with family (Owl Labs)
What are the arguments against working from home?
Lack of collaboration (Lucidspark)
Feeling disengaged from the broader team (Time)
May cause a lack of creativity and innovative thinking (New York Times)
Difficulty separating work from home (ResearchGate)
When arguing that employees should work in an office, people often cite things like social interaction and team culture. There are also those largely unspoken factors for in-office work, like leases and building utilities—costs that management may be stuck with.
Some people even think working in an office promotes a sense of “family,” while working from home promotes “feeling like a worker.”
For some, these factors may be dealbreakers; they’re the reasons people continue going into an office multiple days a week, and that’s totally fine! Personally, though, I don’t feel any less creative working remotely, and I’m not interested in having a family-dynamic with any of my coworkers (besides my sister, of course).
For me, the benefits of remote work largely outweigh any cons. So, if you feel the same way, let’s get into how you can make it happen for you.
How to start working from home
Choose the right industry
Make sure you’re set up for success
Tailor your resume
Apply, apply, apply
Choosing the right industry: The best industries for remote work
Not all jobs can be done from home, and some jobs—like educating and therapy—may have complex requirements in a remote environment. So, what are the best industries to pursue if you want a work-from-home gig?
According to CNBC, here are some of the industries with the most remote opportunities:
Sales; manufacturing, wholesale, technical products, and scientific products
Marketing and market research
Software development
Computer network architecture
Fundraising
Computer programming
Computer and information systems management
You can see the full list of job types here:
Making sure you’re set up for success
What if you don’t have experience in any of the industries above? If that’s the case, you’ll need to take a few extra steps; luckily, there are a number of ways to get into the work-from-home market.
Using social media to learn skills
It’s no secret that you can use online classes like LinkedIn Learning or Udemy to learn skills, but these classes often cost money. If you’re on the job hunt, you may not want to spend your resources on multiple courses.
If you have more time than funds, consider perusing Reddit for tips from other people like you. For instance, the /learnprogramming thread is specifically for people who want to learn computer programming, and it has over 3 million members!
There’s also the /freelanceWriters community, which provides insight for people who want to get into content writing. Although content isn’t an industry mentioned above, it can be lucrative if you’re a quality writer. You can build your own freelance business, or freelance enough to build a portfolio, which you can then leverage into a full-time position.
Whatever field you’re interested in, Reddit is a great place to explore and ask questions. Because of the sheer size of its user-base, you’re likely to find helpful insights.
If you’re not on LinkedIn, you could be missing out. LinkedIn is an ideal way to connect with coworkers, friends, acquaintances, and people who are hiring.
Plus, LinkedIn is a free platform that offers job listings and posting capabilities. You can find the people you want to work for, then craft your brand or write content targeting them. And unlike a website, you don’t have to worry about building organic traffic to your posts. Your connections will likely see them already.
What’s more, you can freely ask for advice on LinkedIn by posting statuses or messaging connections. I’ve gotten helpful tips, been asked for references, and had recruiters reach out to me, simply because I have an active LinkedIn.
Other ways to advance
So, let’s say you’re already on Reddit and LinkedIn. Now what? There are other sites you can check out, like Upwork, Remote.io, and Meetup.
Upwork
You can use Upwork to browse available freelance jobs. Be sure to do research on best practices, red flags, and what your skills are worth.
Remote.io
Remote.io is a job board with exclusively remote opportunities. This is a great site if you already know what you’re looking for, or you can use existing job listings as research for what you need to learn.
Meetup
With Meetup, you can network with likeminded individuals. In-person Meetups may even have a lunch-and-learn style, where you can organically meet people over food, then watch a presentation.
Free classes
Some entrepreneurs offer free classes on coding, writing, and more. Search for courses and email nurtures that can give you insights and valuable information.
Tailor your resume
Resumes are reviewed for an average of 6-7 seconds. In some cases, resumes are even put through software that simply checks keywords. This means your resume may not even be seen by a real person if it’s not up to par.
Lying isn’t the answer
So, what can you do? First, remember, do not make up impressive lies for your resume. Adding flair is one thing, but don’t say you graduated from college if you didn’t. Don’t say you worked at Google unless you have a legitimate paystub to prove it.
It’s not difficult for employers to check whether or not you worked somewhere. What’s more, if you lie and get the job, it will be obvious you don’t have the skills needed.
But finessing is the answer
Let’s say you worked in a call center from November of 2021 - May 2022, and now you’re going for a junior developer role. You may be wondering, is it bad that the roles are unrelated? Should you put that first job on your resume if it only lasted six months?
First of all, it’s okay that the roles are unrelated. Secondly, go ahead add the experience to your resume. This position still counts, and experience is better than a gap. Plus, since you worked there from 2021 into 2022, you’re allowed to list the dates as such.
This format (2021 - 2022) looks more impressive than 6 months, but you’re not being dishonest. Finally, you can list the skillsets that would specifically apply to the job you want, like, “Used company-specific software to process customer data.”
And if you’re still not sure if your resume is up to snuff, you can always review examples online.
Things your resume should be:
Clear and concise
A single page in length
Experience-forward—skills and education can come after!
Easy to read
Finally, you can compare your resume to job listings using this tool. It will show you how much of a match you are for the job, especially if resume scanners are involved.
Apply, apply, apply
“It takes 21 to 80 job applications to get one job offer, on average.” (Zippia)
Applying for jobs can be boring and overwhelming. Unfortunately, getting a job can often be a numbers game. That’s why it’s important to apply to as many places as you can. If you’re not sure about a place, you can still apply—a job interview can easily tell you whether or not it’s a good fit.
And now that so many people want to work from home, it’s easier than ever to restrict search results so you only see remote options.
In order to streamline the application process, create a few different resumes that highlight different skillsets. You can use these resumes to apply for a variety of opportunities.
Conclusion
If you want to work from home, you can! There are several ways to create a remote working environment you love. All it takes is some research and a little elbow grease, but you can definitely find a path that works for you.
