With the rise of remote work over the past few years, more and more people are looking for ways to work from home, even if they don’t have much previous job experience. The good news is that there are plenty of entry-level remote jobs out there, if you know where to look. Here are some tips on how to find and land remote work with no experience.
Leverage Your Existing Skills
First, make an inventory of the skills and experience you do have. This includes both hard skills (like computer proficiency) and soft skills (like communication and time management). You likely have more abilities than you realize that could apply to remote roles.
For example, things like:
- Social media skills from managing your own accounts
- Writing experience from schoolwork
- Organizational skills from coordinating with groups and teams
- Artistic talent from personal hobbies and interests
- Web savviness from being an active internet user
All of these can potentially be assets for various remote jobs. The key is learning how to convey them as valuable skills on your resume and in interviews.
Search for Entry-Level Remote Positions
Once you have an idea of your skills, start searching for remote roles that require little to no experience. Entry-level remote jobs may include things like:
- Customer service representative
- Virtual assistant
- Administrative assistant
- Transcriptionist
- Chat agent
- Data entry clerk
Look on mainstream job sites, but also check out sites specifically geared towards remote work like Remote.co, We Work Remotely, and FlexJobs. Read through the job descriptions closely to find roles that match your abilities.
Highlight Your Soft Skills
For remote jobs, soft skills are often valued just as much (if not more) than hard skills, since you’ll need to be self-motivated and organized. Bring up examples of your communication, collaboration, time management, and other soft skills on your resume and in interviews. For instance, if you maintained the calendar for your school club, mention how that required coordination and planning.
Do Free Online Courses
Taking a few free online courses can quickly give you some additional hard skills to add to your resume. Sites like Udemy, Coursera, and LinkedIn Learning offer thousands of free classes on topics like:
- Social media marketing
- Graphic design
- Web development
- Writing and editing
- Bookkeeping
Even completing a few courses can equip you with valuable beginner skills to land your first remote gig.
Volunteer Virtually
Virtual volunteering is another great way to gain remote work experience, even if unpaid. Look for opportunities with flexible virtual volunteering programs from organizations like:
- United Nations Volunteer
- Smithsonian Digital Volunteers
- Virtual Volunteer
- Catchafire
- VolunteerMatch
Roles like social media ambassador, graphic design helper, research assistant, and more can help you try out different remote roles while also serving a good cause.
Start Your Own Online Business
If you have a passion, skill, or hobby that you think you could monetize, consider trying out working for yourself as a side hustle to gain experience. For example, you could:
- Sell handmade crafts on Etsy
- Offer digital services on Fiverr like graphic design or data entry
- Monetize a blog through ads and affiliate links
- Become a virtual tutor online
- Sell printables, stock photos, or courses online
Successfully running your own online business, even as a side project, will give you valuable skills and experience to point to when applying for remote work.
Join Remote Work Communities
Lastly, join some online communities centered around remote work to start making connections in the industry. Great options include:
- Remote Work Subreddit
- Remote Work Facebook groups
- Remotive Community
- Wireless Commune Slack
- Nomad List Forum
In these groups, you can ask questions, get advice, network with professionals, find job leads, and learn the ropes of working remotely before actually landing a remote job.
Conclusion
With some hustle and creativity, you can definitely find remote work opportunities even if you don’t have much prior experience. Focus on transferring any skills you do have to a remote environment, taking online courses to build your hard skills, volunteering virtually, trying out your own online business, and connecting within remote work communities.
With the right combination of persistence and patience, you’ll be ready to start your own rewarding remote work career from home.
