130 - How I'd find a remote job part 2 - High volume applications

🔎 Find a remote job today: Part 2

June 13, 2023

The Connection | 2022.06.13 | Issue 130

In this series, I'm covering the exact process I'd follow to find a remote job.

Last week, we covered quality applications for specific companies.

This week, we're diving into high-volume applications at general companies.

Next week, I'll go over one-off applications for opportunistic openings.

It's important to have a focused job search strategy to optimize your career trajectory.

But there are plenty of reasons to have a high-volume approach as well: 

  • You don't have the luxury of time to wait for your dream job

  • You want to improve your cover letter and resume

  • You want reps at interviewing

In a high-volume strategy, your goal is to apply to as many good-fit roles as possible, as efficiently as possible.

Let's jump in.

For high-volume applications, LinkedIn is the best platform for two reasons:

1. High quantity of job postings

2. Automatic alerts on new roles

Here's how to use it:

1/ Pick perfect filters

Go to LinkedIn Jobs.

Select "All filters".

For many of these filters, it's self-explanatory. We'll touch on the ones with nuance:

  • Keyword: Remote

  • Location: Start at the country level (e.g. US, Ireland, Portugal, etc.). You want a wide net here to start. The broader, the better. * (If you are open to relocation to a specific place, you can narrow in on specific cities.)

  • Sort by: Most recent

  • Date posted: Past week (later, adjust to past 24 hours)

  • On-site/remote: Remote

  • Job function: Select appropriate

  • Title: Select appropriate

  • Under 10 applicants, In your network, and Salary: Don't use.

Once you're done with your first country, experiment with others. You'll see different results and salary ranges depending on the country and industry.

2/ Turn on job alerts

LinkedIn has a simple job alert feature, that makes it easy to stay on top of the most recent job postings.

  • Alert frequency: Daily

  • Notifications: Email

  • Notified of similar jobs: Yes

Why email notifications? I create a filter in my Gmail inbox, which I save as a bookmark.

Then, when I'm reviewing job postings, I triage them directly in my inbox.

3/ Evaluate open roles

Review the job description for critical criteria:

First, is the job truly remote (if that's what I'm looking for)? Or is it hybrid, disguised as remote (e.g. in office 2-3x per week)?

Second, is it Work From Anywhere? Typically, this is a policy where employees can work abroad for a certain number of days due to tax laws. They are still based in the same country as their employer for tax reasons.

Or is it fully remote? This usually means you can work from wherever you want, in the country you reside in.

Next, are you eligible to work there? For example, some companies will mention they're not able to process H1Bs for applicants at this time.

Then evaluate the job itself. Is the company doing work you're interested in? Are you aligned with the mission?

Finally, some job descriptions will include a "mention this word" in your application, to make sure you read the job description. Watch out for that.

4/ Fine-tune your resume

Before applying, fine-tune your resume.

You should have a resume that is 90% ready for 90% of your roles.

Spend an extra 20 minutes getting it to 99%.

For example, if I'm applying for a core product role? I'll highlight net new feature work.

Growth product? I'd focus on my experiments and optimizations.

Keep a separate file for every iteration of your resume. You'll accelerate your time to complete an application.

5/ Write your cover letter

Always add a cover letter.

Sometimes, this will be in the "Additional Information" section of the application.

Use ChatGPT to draft your first pass. Here's an example prompt you can use:

ChatGPT will spit out a first draft. This is your starting point.

Edit it and make it yours.

6/ Apply daily

You've got notifications, resumes, and cover letters set.

You're ready to run your process. Do it daily.

Schedule a 1-hour block to apply to jobs, every day, 5 days per week. I prefer to schedule this in the afternoons (and leave higher cognitive work like high-quality applications for the AM).

One question I hear: "Should I use the "Apply with LinkedIn" feature?"

The answer is: It depends.

Using this feature means recruiters see only your LinkedIn profile.

So if your profile is locked in: great headline, keyword optimization, and relevant experiences, then go ahead.

If not, skip and use the regular application process.

7/ Repeat

Finally, choose 1-2 other job boards. You're going to run the same process there.

Try out the job boards below (or any others you discover).

You're evaluating two factors:

  • Unique roles (from what you find on LinkedIn)

  • Volume

In other words: use job boards featuring the best-fit roles that are unique from the roles you find on LinkedIn.

Conclusion

In the last issue, we covered how to create high-quality applications for remote jobs. My preference is to focus on this strategy at my highest cognitive ability. For me, this is in the morning.

In this issue, we covered a high-volume strategy for remote jobs. I'd spend my afternoons working this strategy.

In the next issue, we'll discuss creating a process for one-off, opportunistic roles that come up (and how they should fit in with your overall job strategy).

See you in 2 weeks.

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