The Ultimate Guide to

GETTING A
REMOTE JOB
YOU LOVE
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YOU LOVE

WHAT IS remote WORK?

A decade or two ago, working from home might have

consisted of answering customer service calls for a
company a thousand miles away, doing data entry
for a huge medical conglomerate, stuffing envelopes
(were any of those job “opportunities” legit?), or selling
makeup out of a minivan.

Sure, you can still find jobs doing the kind of work
we remember from the early days of telecommuting,
but today you can also find remote work as a visual
designer, data analyst, front end developer, content
marketer, product manager, and any number of other
roles perfect for remote work.

And it’s not just that there is more variety in remote

work. The sheer number of available remote jobs is
booming. In 1995, just 9 percent of employees in the
U.S. worked remotely. By 2015, that number had more
than quadrupled to 37 percent, and experts have
estimated that at least half the workforce will work
remotely at least part of the time by 2020.

It’s easy to see why. The flexibility and other perks that
go along with remote work are significant. Just ask
anyone here at Skillcrush, a company founded on an
all-remote philosophy, with employees in almost every
time zone!

That’s why we created (and continue to update!) this

guide—to make it easier for you to find your way to a
flexible job that suits your lifestyle and career goals.

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IN THIS GUIDE YOU’LL LEARN:

The top 5 reasons to work remotely

The best industry for finding remote work (and why)

The skills you need to work remotely

The tools you must learn to use to work remotely

How to find the best remote job listings

What a day in the life of a remote worker is like

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WHY MORE PEOPLE ARE

CHOOSING remote WORK

There are so many reasons to choose remote work

over sitting in a stuffy office all day that you probably
don’t need convincing. But in case you’re completely
new to the idea of remote work, here’s the argument
for making the jump out of the cubicle.

YOU CAN WORK FROM ANYWHERE

Take your pick: a home office, the front porch, your favorite coffee
shop, your coworking space, an RV traveling across America, an exotic
beach somewhere, camping in the woods (thank you, 4G hotspot), or
pretty much anywhere else you can connect to the Internet.

YOU CAN SET YOUR OWN SCHEDULE

While not every remote job offers flextime, most have at least some
flexibility around when you work. So if you’re most productive from
5:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. (or midnight to 4:00 a.m.), you can roll with it.
Beyond productivity, a flexible schedule means you can fit your life—
like picking up kids from school, going for your mid-afternoon run, or
simply knocking off a doctor’s appointment—into your workday more
easily, instead of trying to cram in everything after hours.

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YOU CAN SAVE MONEY

Work wardrobes don’t come cheap—and you can put a stop to

updating your closet with expensive workwear. (At the most, you’ll
need a few nice shirts for video meetings.) Avoiding a commute is also
money in your pocket. And if you’ve been dreaming of leaving your
big, costly city but couldn’t because of the work opportunities, now is
your chance. Your paycheck will go farther outside the city, and you
can finally live in the peace and quiet you’ve dreamed of.

YOU CAN BE MORE EFFICIENT

This one might come as a surprise, but meetings done via Google
Hangouts or Skype always seem to stay on task and operate more
efficiently than those that happen in person. Plus—here’s a dirty
little remote work secret—you can multitask during a lot of meetings
(especially if you’re only needed for one small part).

And these are just a few great reasons to work remotely!

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IS REMOTE
for YOU?

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IS REMOTE WORK right FOR YOU?

Maybe working remotely sounds like a dream come
true, but can you thrive remotely? Will a flexible job
make you happy and productive? There are a few
characteristics common to highly effective remote
workers, and personalities that are especially good fits
for ditching the office.

You don’t have to be a natural at all of these to enjoy

remote life, but keep in mind that these are the
characteristics you’ll need to cultivate in yourself to stay
productive and effective in a remote job.

The great thing about most of these skills, though, is

that there are tools and techniques you can use to
help keep yourself on track. You can use gamification
apps for keeping yourself motivated and project
management tools to keep yourself organized and
managing your time, for example, to set yourself up for
remote work success.

Here are the questions you need to ask yourself before

going remote.

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ARE YOU SELF-MOTIVATED?

When you work remotely, you don’t have a boss looking over your
shoulder to make sure you’re doing your work. You don’t have a time clock
to punch at the beginning and end of your shift. Maybe no one will notice if
you take an extra hour for lunch. You have to be able to motivate yourself
to get your work done each day.

ARE YOU GOOD AT MANAGING YOUR TIME?

It’s super easy to get distracted when you work from home, and suddenly
it’s 10:00 p.m. and you realize you still have four hours worth of work to get
done and a 9:00 a.m. meeting. Oops. You have to be able to manage your
time effectively so that you aren't constantly rushing to meet a deadline.

ARE YOU AN ORGANIZED PERSON?

Now, everyone has their own organizational system. If your version is

organized chaos, and it works for you, then that’s fine. But if you have no
system and can never find anything, that’s going to make most remote
jobs rather difficult.

ARE YOU GOOD AT SETTING BOUNDARIES?

Don’t worry, a lot of remote workers struggle with this. But when your
“office” is eight feet from your bed, knowing when to unplug, stop working,
and take some personal time can be tough. Knowing how to turn it off is a
valuable skill to have if you want to be a happy remote worker.

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WHAT REAL remote JOBS LOOK LIKE

Remote jobs fall on a spectrum, and can differ vastly
when it comes to the everyday experience.

For example, some remote jobs allow you to work at

any time of day (even the middle of the night), while
others have set schedules (customer support roles
come to mind, although that is not always the case!).

And when it comes to location flexibility, you might be

able to do a marketing job from anywhere with a 4G
hotspot, while a design job that involves working with
large file sizes might keep you more rooted to your
broadband Internet.

The point? Find out exactly what “remote” means

before taking a job. Here are a few models of what
remote jobs can look like.

100% REMOTE
You are never (or very rarely) required to go to an office.

REMOTE A FEW DAYS A WEEK

Maybe you work from home 1 or 2 days per week. The structure around this setup can be
more rigid, with restrictions on when, where, and how you work outside of the office.

FLEXTIME
Flextime itself can range, from being expected to only show up for a few online meetings
per week, leaving you to structure the rest of your work time, to something like “Flex
Fridays,” where you have one day week that’s yours to schedule.

FLEXIBLE WORKPLACE
You are expected to work at the office, but you don’t need to ask permission to take a day
off or take a long lunch.

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WHERE TO FIND
remote WORK

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REMOTE job BOARDS

Now that you know what kinds of remote jobs are out
there, it’s time to start seeing what’s actually available.
Here are twenty leading job boards that are either
dedicated to remote jobs or have a sizable collection of
remote job openings included.

FLEXJOBS

FlexJobs has over 50 career categories, with positions

ranging from freelance to full-time, entry-level to
executive. The best part? They screen the jobs before
posting, so you don’t have to dig through shady
opportunities. The site currently hosts more than
20K job listings including part-time and freelance
opportunities.

WE WORK REMOTELY

Sponsored by Remote, the book by famed 37Signals

founders, this job board is a catch-all of remote jobs
from customer service to web design to programming.
With the catchy subtag “Office not required,” and the
cache of the 37Signals brand behind it, this site is sure
to host remote opportunities at some of the hottest
tech companies.

WORKING NOMADS

Working Nomads delivers a curated list of remote jobs

right to your inbox. Choose daily or weekly emails to
make the remote job search come to you.

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REMOTIVE

Remotive is a bi-monthly newsletter for remote

workers that also has a robust listing of remote jobs.
They break it down by job type—sales, support,
product, engineering, marketing, etc. to make it easy to
find the kind of job you’re looking for.

SKIP THE DRIVE

With a great name, a easy-to-navigate resources tab,

and a solid bank of remote jobs, this site is true to its
eponymous mission. Use what the site provides, you
can completely skip that ugly morning commute.

VIRTUAL VOCATIONS

This job board features only telecommuting jobs

from technical writers to paralegals. Started by a
stay-at-home mom frustrated with the job search for
legitimate remote jobs, the company is still run by an
entirely remote team. Plus, the blog has great tips,
such as this article on how to take on a remote gig for
the holiday season.

POWERTOFLY

This site is a Skillcrush dream come true. PowerToFly is

focused on matching women in tech with work-from-
anywhere jobs. Join the talent database, go through
the vetting process, and get matched for a “paid trial,”
a 2-4 week test period to make sure it’s a good fit for
both you and the employer. Started by two moms with
serious tech chops, this company is perfectly poised to
make your remote job dream a reality!

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[Link]

[Link] hand-curates their list of remote jobs. They

include customer service jobs, design jobs, developer
jobs, recruiter and HR jobs, sales jobs, and other
remote jobs (things like writers, managers, etc.). You
can search or browse by type.

JOBSPRESSO

Jobspresso has expertly picked jobs in tech, marketing,

customer support, and more. You can search their job
listings or post your resume to be seen by potential
employers.

EUROPEREMOTELY

Want a job working in European time zones

(whether you’re from Europe or not)? Then check out
EuropeRemotely, full of job listings from companies
that are happy to work with remote developers in
European time zones.

JOBSCRIBE

Jobscribe sends you a daily email with remote job

listings at tech startups. You can specify whether
you’re looking for design, front end development,
back end development, mobile app development, or
marketing jobs.

[Link]

[Link] focuses exclusively on remote digital and tech

jobs. They include listings in product management,
software engineering, web engineering, customer
support, marketing, and more.

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OUTSOURCELY

Outsourcely pairs up remote workers with employers

seeking both full and part-time employees. You can
browse for jobs by category: design & multimedia, web
development, writing & content, customer service,
sales & marketing, and more.

GITHUB JOBS

GitHub has a category devoted to remote jobs on

their website. Because it’s GitHub, the jobs are all
development-focused, with listings from all over the
world. (GitHub also posts their own openings on this
board.)

[Link]

[Link] doesn’t have a huge remote job board,

but they do carefully curate their listings. Unlike most
job boards, though, they let you filter for jobs that
are fully remote, partially remote, or remote within
commuting distance.

AUTHENTIC JOBS

The job board for web professionals. Just click the

“wireless logo” and filter by remote jobs. It’s beautifully
designed and easy to use, as you’d expect from a job
board for creatives and developers.

DRIBBLE

Dribble is a great site for designers to find their next

gig. There’s a location tab right on top where you can
click “remote anywhere” and be off to the races.

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ANGELLIST

Always dreamed of working for a startup, but don’t

live in a startup city hub? Head over to AngelList, a
top site for startup jobs. When you search for a job on
AngelList, click on “Job Type” and choose “Remote OK.”

STACK OVERFLOW

Stack Overflow is a go-to jobs board for many top tech

talent, especially web developers. Type in “remote” in
the location field and you’ll bring up a list of more than
2,000 jobs that fit the bill.

REMOTE OK

Remote OK tags all of their job listings to make it easy

to filter for just the listings you want. You can filter
jobs posted by recruiters, the level (junior, senior,
etc.), the type of job (sales, marketing, design, dev, and
more), and even whether they’re tech or non-tech jobs
(though even the “non-tech” jobs—things like analysts
and marketers—will benefit from some basic tech
skills).

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REMOTE work SKILLS

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TECH IS THE best OPTION FOR

WORKING REMOTE

Here’s something you’re probably going to notice

as soon as you start poking around on those job
boards—there are a lot of remote tech jobs available.
And, there are tons of options to work in tech that
aren’t web development.

Visual designers, content marketers, data analysts, and

customer support specialists, for example, can all work
in the tech industry without taking on highly technical
roles. But understanding the basics of code—things
like HTML and CSS—are a critical asset even in those
roles.

And if you’re into problem solving or you like

puzzles, then code is perfect for you. Learning front
end development, WordPress development, or a
programming language like Ruby might lead you to
your dream job.

In fact, one of the most in-demand tech jobs out

there right now is web development. In 2014 alone,
web developer jobs grew by 4 percent. That’s huge!
And tech jobs in general are among the highest paid
(especially for those without a degree).

Here are the steps you should take if you're ready to

start learning the most in-demand tech skills.

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STEP 1: LEARN HTML & CSS

HTML & CSS are the building blocks for everything
on the web. Every website out there uses HTML, and
virtually every modern website uses CSS, too.

Knowing HTML & CSS skills alone can be the basis for
a tech career, like a web designer or content marketer.
If nothing else, HTML & CSS allow you to better
understand the way the internet works.

HTML & CSS skills also make it easier to understand

other coding languages in the future. They give you a
solid foundation to every other tech skill you’ll learn.

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STEP 2: LEARN DESIGN SKILLS

& SOFTWARE

True, there are tons of tech jobs out there that don’t
fall under the umbrella of “designer,” but even the
ones that aren’t design-focused can benefit from
knowing the basics of good design and commonly-
-used design software.

If you’re a developer, for example, you’ll be getting files

from designers all the time. Knowing how to use the
programs those designs are created in makes your
life much easier if you need to dive into the way those
files are set up (and saves you having to go back to
the designer to ask for help). It’s also nice to know the
underlying design theory that might have led to some
aesthetic choices in a design.

Or let’s say you’re a content marketer. Knowing how

to add text to images (and have it actually look good)
so that you can use them in a blog post or share them
on social media is handy, even if you have a designer
available for bigger projects.

The main programs to familiarize yourself with are

Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and Sketch, though
learning to create your own designs in any program
(even a phone app!) is better than no design skills at all.

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STEP 3: LEARN A PROGRAMMING

LANGUAGE

HTML & CSS are solid foundations, but if you really

want to dive into web development, you should
consider expanding on those skills and learn things
like JavaScript, PHP, Ruby, and others (get the full
run-down on which programming languages to learn
for which kinds of projects in How to decide which
programming language to learn).

Think about the kinds of projects you want to work on.

Websites? Learn JavaScript. Web apps? Check out Ruby
or Python, too. WordPress websites? Gotta learn PHP.
Mobile apps? That would be Swift (for iOS) or Java (for
Android)—though there are tools that let you build
smartphone apps with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and
convert them to native formats.

The best part about learning a programming language

though: You don’t have to stop at just one. You can
start with JavaScript, then learn Python, then Ruby,
then PHP (in any order you want) and pretty soon
you’ll be able to pick up almost any project out there
and run with it.

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QUESTIONS TO ASK before YOU’RE

HIRED

Here’s something to remember now that you’re

stressing about getting all those tech skills: When
applying for a remote job, it’s not just about being
qualified—you also want to use the hiring process
to find out if a remote job will work for you. After all,
this is all about finding a job that fits your life.

While you’re going through the hiring process,

you’ll want to ask all the usual questions you’d ask
of any employer before you accept a job offer, like
what the company culture is like, your expected job
responsibilities (and what the metrics for success
look like).

But there are some additional remote-specific

questions you should find out the answers to before
you accept. You can ask some of these during the
interview itself, or wait for a job to be offered to you.
The key is to ask before you accept a job, so there
aren’t any unwelcome surprise responsibilities or
expectations once you get started.

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ARE THERE SET TOOLS YOU’LL BE EXPECTED TO USE?

If the entire company is using Sketch and you’re a die-hard Photoshop

user, you’ll want to be prepared to make the switch. Same goes for things
like Google Hangouts vs. Skype, HipChat vs. Slack, etc.

IS THERE AN ALLOWANCE FOR TECHNOLOGY OR OFFICE

PURCHASES?

Some companies offer their employees a set starting or yearly allowance

for things like new computers, office furniture, and other things that make
working from home easier.

ARE THERE SET MEETING TIMES YOU’LL NEED TO BE

AVAILABLE FOR?

Or set hours you’ll need to be working every day?

IS THERE ANY TRAVEL REQUIRED?

Some distributed companies have yearly retreats or other in-person

meetings you’ll be expected to attend. Better to know this upfront.

IS THE COMPANY TRAVEL-FRIENDLY?

If you want a remote job so that you can have the freedom to travel, make
sure the company hiring you is happy with that. Will they be okay if you
need to change around your schedule for flights? Or change up working
hours when you’re in a wildly different time zone?

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IS THAT remote JOB LEGIT?

There are a few ways to make sure that the remote job
you’re applying for is actually legit (and some red flags
that tell you it isn’t).

Start by looking at reputable job boards (like the ones

we listed on page 11 of this guide). Aim for sites that
vet every job listing, giving them an extra layer of
credibility.

When you get into the interviewing process, in all

likelihood you’ll have a phone and/or video interview
with whoever is doing the hiring (or possibly with
more than one person at the company). While some
companies do everything entirely via text-based
communication, a phone call or video chat with a real
person is a good sign.

Look for reviews for

any company you’re
considering applying to
(whether that’s an actual
employer or a recruiter).
Check out sites like
Glassdoor for general
employer reviews. Or check
out site like FairyGodBoss
or InHerSight for female-
specific reviews of what
it’s like to work for certain
companies.

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GET ready TO GO REMOTE

Getting a remote job isn’t all about your hard technical

skills, like HTML & CSS. In fact, if you have a video
interview, you better believe they want to see how well
you can handle a video call.

If you want to prepare yourself to be a flexible remote

worker (with hiring managers eager to add you to their
team), these are some tools and habits to get a feel for
now.

START TRACKING HOW YOU SPEND YOUR TIME

You need to be able to tell hiring managers how great

you are handling your schedule without someone
looking over your shoulder to keep you on task.

Programs like Harvest and Toggl can tell

you how many hours you spend working,
and how many breaks you take to watch
videos of kittens.

EXPERIMENT WITH MANAGING PROJECTS

DIGITALLY

When you’re working remotely, there’s no bulletin

board for managing projects—make sure you can keep
projects rolling, no memos required.

Give programs like Asana, Trello, or Jira

a try for delegating tasks and checking
items off your to-do list.

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PRACTICE COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR TEAM

DIGITALLY

Remote workers rely on email, but that doesn’t mean

they want more of it. Start honing your communication
skills so that you embody the “less is more” principle.

Communicating as a remote team

involves a delicate balance of chat, email,
and other media, and learning to avoid
overwhelm while keeping everyone
informed is major.

LEARN TO USE VIDEO CHAT PROGRAMS

Did I mention communication? When you’re not in the

office with your team, you need to be efficient when
you do catch each other on video.

Play around with Google Hangouts and

Skype, and make sure you’re up to speed
on best practices.

Even if you’ve never had a remote job before, knowing

how to answer questions about your workflow,
communication, and time management strategies
is critical when it comes to landing you the remote
job you’re after. If a hiring manager mentions Asana
(hint: it’s project management software) and you think
they’re talking about their morning yoga class, they
might not think you have what it takes to join a remote
team.

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THE tools OF THE TRADE

Let’s delve a bit deeper into the programs from the
previous section. You’ll need a solid understanding
of the technologies specific to the job you’re after in
order to succeed.

For a designer, that means knowing how to use

programs like Photoshop, Illustrator, Sketch, or
Affinity Designer.

For a content marketer, it might mean social

media tools, plus WordPress or another content
management system (CMS), plus software for
customer management, data analysis, and email
automation (like Hubspot, Moz, and Mailchimp).

But almost every remote job will require you to be

comfortable using things like video conferencing apps
(Google Hangouts or Skype), team chat programs (like
HipChat or Slack), and the obvious ones, like email.

You might be wondering how you’re supposed to

learn to use all these remote work tools before you
find a remote job. Good news! You can use most
of them solo, and if you want to try out things like
Google Hangouts or Skype, grab a friend to give it a
test run!

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VIDEO CALLING

The big ones here are Google Hangouts and Skype. Pro tip: Make sure
you have good headphones to avoid annoying echoes while you’re on
calls.

TEAM CHAT

The two most common team chat apps are Slack and HipChat, though
there are others.

TIME TRACKING SOFTWARE

Just because you’re not punching a clock doesn’t mean you don’t need
to track your time. Harvest and Toggl are two popular options.

GOOGLE DRIVE

Sharing files by email is so 2006. Drive lets you share and collaborate
on documents in real time.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE

There are so many options out there for project management. The
most common you might see, though, are JIRA, Basecamp, Trello, and
Asana.

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REAL remote
WORKERS

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A DAY IN THE LIFE OF

REAL remote WORKERS

If this information feels like a lot, don’t be

overwhelmed. Within a few weeks of working in a
remote job, most of these behaviors and tools will be
second nature. And you don’t need to learn every skill
in this guide.

To help you find your way, here is a breakdown of

what seven real remote workers do on a daily basis.

HERE’S WHAT IT MIGHT LOOK LIKE

TO WORK AS A:

• Customer Support Rep

• Educator

• Content Creator

• Digital Marketer

• Digital Designer

• Web Developer

• Product Designer

If one of these careers stands out to you, focus on

learning what they know.

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CUSTOMER SUPPORT REP

REAL LIFE EXAMPLE:
Kelli, Customer Support Manager

Traditionally, customer support involves:

• In person or phone interactions
• Noting customers’ problems and passing them on to others to fix
• Communicating in a clear, competent, approachable way

Remotely, customer support involves:

• Communication via email, online chat, or social media
• Accessing the information and systems to help customers right away
• Community management, or moderating forums

HER DAILY TASKS:

• Checking support email and delegating tasks to the team

• Researching fixes and communicating with sales, product, and education teams
• Checking social media and community circles for user questions
• Fixing user problems with online payment processing

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Online payment processing, like WooCommerce or Stripe

• Online membership software, like MemberPress
• Social media management systems, like HubSpot or Buffer
• Community support management tools, like Help Scout
• WordPress basics and HTML for editing content

KELLI’S REMOTE WORK STYLE:

Living abroad, but working at home (often late at night!)

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EDUCATOR
REAL LIFE EXAMPLE:
Ann, Course Instructor

Traditionally, educating happens:

• In a classroom, lab, or lecture hall
• With class sizes limited by the space available
• At set times in set locations
• Using textbooks, worksheets, and other physical tools

Remotely, educating happens:

• Often via the web
• With larger class sizes limited only by teaching staff available
• Anywhere in the world and any time of day
• Using online media and interactive exercises and projects

HER DAILY TASKS:

• Supporting students via email, chat, and video

• Monitoring community platforms like Google Groups or Slack
• Working with instructional designers to research and create new courses
• Planning and hosting master classes using YouTube Live

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Help desk and community management tools, like HelpScout

• Communication tools like Google Groups, Slack + Google Hangouts
• Google Drive, for real-time collaboration with product designers

ANN’S REMOTE WORK STYLE:

Working from home and wrangling kids (and a puppy!)

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CONTENT CREATOR
REAL LIFE EXAMPLE:
Cameron, Managing Editor

Traditionally, content creation involved:

• Fact finding with physical media or in-person/phone interviews
• Writing entire pieces before submitting to editors for review
• Planning around long deadlines
• Relying on others to tell you if your work was successful or not

Remotely, content creation involves:

• Researching online or interviewing via video chat or email
• Collaborating on work, sometimes in real time
• Quickly changing topics and facing shorter deadlines
• Creating content of all types — blog posts, images, ebooks, interactive material, videos,
social media updates, etc.
• Analyzing data like traffic and click rates

HER DAILY TASKS:

• Writing content for email newsletters on HubSpot

• Writing + editing articles in Google Docs
• Managing contributors
• Looking at content data with Google Analytics

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Google Drive for editing and collaborating in real time

• Google Analytics for checking out your data
• WordPress for managing content, plus HTML + CSS for formatting
• Communication tools like HipChat and Google Hangouts

CAMERON’S REMOTE WORK STYLE:

Living in a cabin on a tiny island, working from home with a dog and a bunny

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MARKETER
REAL LIFE EXAMPLE:
Libby, Digital Marketing Strategist

Traditionally, marketing was:

• In print and traditional media (radio, TV)
• Slower-paced
• Initiated by the seller
• Local/regional/national
• Difficult to measure

Remotely, marketing is:

• Online and media-rich
• Fast-paced
• Initiated by the customer looking for more information online
• Global
• Social and shareable
• Data-rich and analyzable

HER DAILY TASKS:

• Creating landing pages and email workflows to support marketing campaigns

• Collaborating with other teams on paid ads, social campaigns + editorial strategy
• A/B Testing and tracking analytics like email subscribers and conversions

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Email automation tools like MailChimp and HubSpot

• Tools for creating and editing landing pages, like LeadPages and WordPress
• Google Analytics + SEO

• HTML + CSS for formatting emails and landing pages

LIBBY’S REMOTE WORK STYLE:

Switching from coffee shops to her home office, with a flexible daytime schedule.

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 REMOTE JOB
YOU LOVE

DESIGNER
REAL LIFE EXAMPLE:
Lizu, Digital Designer

Traditionally, design was:

• Print-based
• Created using analog tools (like pen and paper)
• “Set” once it was printed
• Divided into different disciplines (layout, typography, photography, etc.)

Remotely, design is:

• Multimedia-based
• Created using tech tools
• Fast-paced and constantly iterating
• Often all handled by one designer

HER DAILY TASKS:

• Mocking up designs in a wireframing program, like Axure

• Creating logos and graphics in Illustrator, Photoshop, or Sketch
• Designing for the web with HTML and CSS
• Communicating with team members on HipChat and Google Hangouts

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Traditional design software like Photoshop, InDesign, Sketch

• Wireframing and prototyping software, like InVision and Balsamiq
• HTML, CSS, JavaScript + jQuery for turning designs into code
• Google Drive, Git + GitHub for collaborating in real time

LIZU’S REMOTE WORK STYLE:

Living abroad, working from home in the daytime.

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 REMOTE JOB
YOU LOVE

WEB DEVELOPER
REAL LIFE EXAMPLE:
Emily, WordPress Developer

Traditionally, development was:

• Slower
• Very specialized, with coders working with specific technologies

Remotely, development is:

• Handled by a small team (or even just on person)
• Fast-paced, with frequent iterations of code
• Coders have expertise, but they’re familiar with the full stack
• Done with frameworks and libraries to streamline common components

HER DAILY TASKS:

• Writing lots of PHP & JavaScript

• Reviewing pull requests & maintain the codebase using Git and GitHub
• Overseeing site quality assurance
• Deploying new features & bug fixes

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Expert knowledge of User Experience Design

• Wireframing and prototyping software, like InVision or Balsamiq
• HTML, CSS
• Git + GitHub
• WordPress + PHP
• Expertise in a programming language, like JavaScript, Ruby, or Python

EMILY’S REMOTE WORK STYLE:

Working from home with flexible daytime hours (and a baby!)

The Ultimate Guide to Getting a Remote Job You Love 35

 REMOTE JOB
YOU LOVE

PRODUCT DESIGNER
REAL LIFE EXAMPLE:
Adda, Product Manager/Designer (and CEO!)

Traditionally, product design was:

• Slower, with defined stages for research, prototyping, testing, and iterating
• Spread out between several different departments: research, design, development, etc.

Remotely, product design is:

• Part of a faster cycle of designing, testing, and iterating that reflects the digital environment
• Handled by a product design team or manager who works with designers and developers
throughout every stage
• For something people use (like email), not something people own (like a couch)

HER DAILY TASKS:

• Scoping projects and managing a team

• Analyzing data and market research
• Testing products through interviews and surveys
• Working with designers and developers to design and build products

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Expert knowledge of User Experience Design

• Wireframing and prototyping software, like InVision or Balsamiq
• HTML + CSS
• WordPress + PHP
• Expertise in a programming language, like JavaScript, Ruby, or Python

ADDA’S REMOTE WORK STYLE:

Living in the city and working from home...all day and all night!! (CEOs…).

The Ultimate Guide to Getting a Remote Job You Love 36

 REMOTE JOB
YOU LOVE

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