How To Get Your First Work-From-Home Job (And 3 Promising Online Job Portals To Get Started)

We are almost to the end of the first quarter of 2021. Have you have been toying with the idea of starting a side-hustle but maybe starting a dropshipping business isn’t your cup of your tea?

With companies continuing some form of remote/flexi work which looks like these work-from-home jobs are to stay in Singapore, you may be seriously wondering how to get started. This is my suggested quick-start guide for the average working Singaporeans aspiring to get into a full-time remote job.

Step 1 – Tweak your resume and make it suitable for work-from-home jobs

In securing a work-from-home job, know that the only way a hiring manager will know you is through your CV resume.

Thus the first thing you need to do is to update your professional LinkedIn profile or create one if you have not.

Make sure you have the following:-

State that you are open to remote work all over the world.
Highlight your experience and transferable skills, even if you have not work remotely before.
Better yet, show that you are comfortable working with remote working tools such as Zoom, Airtable, Google Sheets, Trello, Slack, Asana, etc.

Hiring managers want to know that you are able to work comfortably on your own while keeping communication and organization on-point. They WILL also do an online search on LinkedIn about you to find out more. So ensure you have covered all the online bases, so to speak.

Step 2 – Create your own professional portfolio website

If you are serious about getting a work-from-home job, it’s time to elevate your CV with your own professional portfolio website. And it does not need to be fancy.

A simple website, with your name as the domain URL, usually suffices.

An example of your domain URL can be www.johnlimxiaoming.com, if that is your name.

To get your website, Squarespace is a wonderful place to get all your ready-designed templates. They have portfolio templates designed for job-seekers too. And it costs just $12 per month that comes with web hosting. Domain will cost about $10 per year from GoDaddy. Their templates also cater for design and non-design professionals.

*Gif credit: Author’s own video screen from Squarespace (chef sample)*

Step 3 – Create a video digital resume (optional)

If you are ready to give yourself a bit of challenge, make yourself stand out further and show that you are ready to rock the remote working culture.

Record a 3-min short and simple video (headshots are enough) telling your hiring manager about who you are, your work experience, and why you like to apply for that job. Nothing beats a resume that comes alive, especially if you have a knack for storytelling too.

*Image credit: screenshot YouTube Video, ‘Short Video Resume’*

Step 4 – Start networking… from home!

Yes, I hear you sigh, sulk and frown. Most of us do not enjoy in-person networking activities, as it takes up a lot of energy to socialize or we simply just feel “pai-seh”. This is an exception for the super extroverts, who are usually excellent networkers too. Full respect to them!

But in finding a work-from-home professional job, it definitely helps to “network”. And in the world of remote work, nothing beats better than the many Facebook (FB) Closed groups of independent workers, freelancers, and work-from-home jobs.

The best part is these groups are open to worldwide, so you get to discover more about how these international work-from-home professionals truly operate. Two of such reputable groups I can share are:

Digital Nomad Jobs – Remote Work From Anywhere

Remote Work & Jobs for Digital Nomads

And if you have already prepared your CV, website, and/or video resume, you may also start posting your services in these groups, if the moderators allow.

Be also on the lookout when other freelancers or hiring managers are looking for your services there. Some of them might be outsourcing and looking for professional freelancers to team up on projects.

Step 5 – Get on international work-from-home job portals

If you just look through the usual Singapore-based job portals such as Jobstreet or MyCareersFuture, you probably may not have much success in securing a work-from-home job.

It is time to change the game in this era. Cast your net wide and get on international-based reputable and reliable job portals. Fortunately for you, I have managed to filter tens of portals in the last year and narrow these 3 legit remote job portals for you to get started.

By the way, LinkedIn is also a great resource except that I have not had any success so far, but perhaps you may have better luck than me so give it a try.

Step 6 – Check for credibility of companies

Unfortunately, there are quite a number of online scam companies preying on remote job seekers.. As much as we may be eager to get started with our first remote job, we also have to do our due diligence in checking the credibility of hiring companies.

If the company is based in Singapore, there is at least the protection from Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower (MOM) should a dispute arise. But if it is based overseas, things can get a little tricky. You will have to exercise common sense to discern then.

Some red flags of a possible fake company can include:

The remote job offers high salaries for not much work required (this is not the same as free lunches provided by your company),

or the email address is from a generic mail server such as Gmail or Hotmail.

And if you get the job just based on a CV application without having at least a couple of phone interviews, just be prepared it’s also bogus. You can also solicit opinions of other remote job seekers on the various FB closed groups mentioned above.

Conclusion

All in all, getting a work-from-home job is actually just like job-hunting in the traditional sense. It can be challenging since the world has never really quite function this way before. But the great news is, with so many digital collaborative tools and resources, one can indeed maximize them to their own advantage as we usher into this new era of work. And if full-time remote work is not your thing, you can consider this as a side-income, especially once you have your professional site and digital resume done up.

Have you found success with any remote jobs yet? Tell us about your experience.