If you have been looking for a job recently, you might have noticed that “Remote” is now an option filtered by many sites such as Indeed, LinkedIn, Glassdoor, etc. Covid has given employers the leisure to work from home, and commuting into the office is no longer the norm. With a new way to work comes new ways for companies to take advantage of people looking for opportunities to work remotely. This article will guide you with some green and red flags to look for when on the hunt for a remote job.
Green Flags:
- Paid time off
Paid time off allows you to choose when you need to take a break from work. PTO is great for increased work-life balance. Especially with remote work, sometimes being able to log off for a day is all an employee needs to do to enhance productivity and efficiency. Companies should want their employees refreshed and energized at work. PTO allows some flexibility to call off from work and not be reprimanded by not getting paid and, therefore, one of the biggest green flags to look out for in remote work.
- Application and review process
When looking at a job posting, the first thing you look at is the job description. Remote work should be detailed with qualifications and specific work you will be doing. If there is a specific section on what remote work might look like for someone who hasn’t worked it before, this is an automatic green flag. The more detailed the post the better. Jobs that highlight the company’s culture, values, and overall goals are great and gravitate toward individuals who carry those same values.
After applying, your recruiter should be reliable and communicate back and forward with you if you have any questions or updates. The best companies will always be the most transparent. Having multiple people from the company be part of the job interview is also a green flag. That means you can get various perspectives and have questions answered by more than one person. Multiple stages of interviews also means you are being evaluated to see if you will be a great fit which means the company truly cares about who they are hiring.
- Communication tools
Now that going into people’s offices or asking questions 1:1 in person with coworkers located feet away is not available with remote work, your future job needs to have communication tools streamlined. Communication at a remote company might look like using communication tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, GroupMe, etc. Everyone must be able to share their thoughts and be able to ask questions. Subgroup channels of communication like chats based on teams, location, year, similar interests,etc are great to meet people similar to you.
Jobs that make an effort to ensure that remote workers have the right equipment to succeed, like laptops, monitors, etc., just like they would at a regular office, are green flags. Remote work should not hinder communication or be a burden on costs for equipment.
- Employees are celebrated
One of the best ways to feel valued and respected as a person at an organization is to be celebrated either for hard work or a birthday. Praise and celebration should be embedded in company culture even if everyone works remotely. Special virtual events, Kudo boards, messages or verbal praise during team meetings are some of the things to look for in remote jobs.
- Upward career path
Remote companies with opportunities to climb the ladder show that they value their workers and want them to succeed beyond their current roles. The goal should always be an upward career path. Companies who invest in their workers and give them opportunities like mentorship programs and leadership development want their people not to stay stagnant and grow within the company. A plus is if a company is willing to invest in your education.
Red Flags:
- Vague job descriptions
In this new age of remote work, job descriptions need to be as specific as possible since the probability of onboarding in person is not likely, and all of your questions will have to be answered virtually. If a job employer can’t describe what the role entails, they lack structure and goals for you, which is a huge red flag. What you don’t want to do is sign up for a job that is sketchy and misleading. Now that you can’t physically be at the office to better understand what the company is, job descriptions and qualifications must be specific.
- Company’s online presence is sketch
When you are interested in a company, the first thing you should do is look at their website and social media to gain perspective on how they present themselves. If a company cannot appeal to you right away or has an outdated website design, they are lacking in the marketing department and are not a good sign for company growth. Avoid companies with sketchy links and social media.
- Stagnant career path
Signing up for a role that you can get very good at and does not gain challenges/difficulty as you progress should never be the end goal. If the upper team in your company has stayed stagnant, that might mean the company does not encourage climbing up the ladder and limits opportunities to increase pay and move up to senior roles. Working towards a dead end is not pretty.
- Bad glassdoor reviews
Glassdoor will be your best friend in your job search. By reading company reviews, you can better gauge potential salary, benefits, and overall employee satisfaction. If most people are trashing the company, avoid the company at all costs. No one would willingly write a bad review unless their time was so bad it deserved the bad press. Tip! You can filter out what people say about their time working remotely since it might be different from the in-person experience.
- No flexibility
Remote work’s biggest perk is the flexibility it gives employees. If there are no PTO, bad travel policies, and unwillingness to accommodate different time zones, you are signing up for the wrong remote work.
Starting a remote job is a really exciting new chapter in anyone’s professional life. You’ll get the opportunity to meet lots of new people and pick up some new skills through remote work. Be sure to embrace your job hunt and stay enthusiastic. Most important of all the advice is that you remember to continue being your authentic self, even during this time when so much may feel unnatural and unfamiliar. For even more information on remote jobs and remote opportunities, visit bettsrecruiting.com.