How To Find Programmer Remote Jobs
Remote Job Hunting
These 9 pro tips will help you find the best programmer remote jobs and land your dream role. Accelerate your search for remote jobs in programming now:
What’s the best way to find programmer remote jobs?
Programmers are some of the most in-demand candidates the top remote companies are hiring. There are thousands of ads for front-end programmers, back-end programmers, full-stack programmers, remote contract programming jobs, and more.
So finding remote jobs in programming isn’t the challenge. What you really need to learn is how to find and land a remote programmer job you actually love.
And unfortunately, that’s a bit tougher.
Programming is one of the best paying remote jobs, and you can land a remote programming job with little to no experience.
Most programmers earned a median salary of $93,000 per year in 2021 [*]. The highest-paid 25% averaged $116,220, while the lowest-paid 25% still took home $67,370 [*].
Competition for these high-paying roles is fierce, and the global remote talent pool only makes it more competitive to land them. So let’s talk about how to gain a leg up on your competition.
Looking for a remote job in 2024? Check out the ultimate guide to landing a remote job in 2024 here.
Looking for a remote job in 2024? Check out the ultimate guide to landing a remote job in 2024 here.
How To Find Programmer Remote Jobs (+ Land the One You Want)
Use this 9-step checklist to find remote computer programming jobs and stand out from the millions of other applicants vying for an interview:
1. Brainstorm Your Remote Programmer Job Search Keywords
It doesn’t take an SEO wizard to know the right keywords are the secret to unlocking a seemingly tailor-made role for you sooner.
So take a minute before you officially hit the job boards to brainstorm a list of job search keywords based on your:
- Previous job titles and positions
- Roles you’re interested in and “stretch” jobs
- Remote companies you’d like to work for
- Education, certifications, hard and soft skills, and experience
Adding specifics will help you narrow down the more general programmer remote job category to only front-end programmer, remote Python jobs, or senior full-stack developer jobs, for example.
Think about similar roles and stretch roles you can grow into with more certifications under your belt too.
Though programmers and software developers have different responsibilities and duties, you may be able to qualify for jobs under both job listings as the core skills generally overlap.
So add all the programming languages you know, day-in-the-life functions of these roles (i.e., coding, debugging, testing, etc.), and potential job titles to your keyword list.
You’ll use these to refine your search andbeat the applicant tracking systems (ATS) later.
2. Determine Your Availability and Ideal Employee Status
How much time do you want to spend programming each day? Do you want to live the gig life and code as a side hustle? Or do you want a cushy employee benefits package? Here’s the difference:
Freelance or Remote Contract Programming Jobs
As we mentioned earlier, programming roles are one of the best high-paying remote jobs you can land with no remote experience or formal education.
You won’t be a company’s official employee if you land a freelance or contract gig. Remote companies typically advertise for another set of hands during a new product launch, when they need legacy code updated, or when a full-time employee goes on extended leave.
Part time programming jobs at remote companies are ideal for picking up extra cash and experience/new skills to add to your resume. Remote programming jobs are also wise for college students who want to pass on unpaid internships.
Check out our guide on How To Land a Remote Job with No Experience for more tips in this department.
Full-time Remote Jobs in Programming
Become a remote company employee, and you’ll have access to the best company benefits and employee perks offered by that organization. These generally include health insurance, vacation time off, and other goodies companies use to show they value their team.
So consider the type of company you want to work for. Are you looking for entry level programming jobs at remote companies or senior-level titles at organizations that allow employees to work off-site? Do you want to be part of an exciting new startup or a more established player?
Your preferences go hand-in-hand with our next tip:
3. Prioritize Value Alignment
Job hopping isn’t necessarily bad when you work remotely, especially if you’re leaving one role to advance your career or boost your annual salary. But because it can take so long to find the right role, you never want to land somewhere you’ll be unhappy.
The importance of value alignment for job seekers and remote companies cannot be understated here. Value alignment is when your values align with a company’s culture, mission, and work philosophy.
If you don’t believe in a company’s reason for being or ways of doing business, you’ll never be able to give 110%. Same goes for their company culture.
Instead, learn how to tell when a remote company is right for you. Keep an eye out for problematic language that may clue you into a competitive work environment (more on this next). And add these signs a remote company is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion to your radar too.
Psst! When you browse programming jobs on We Work Remotely, you can click on Company Profiles to learn more about what they do, their company culture, employee benefits, and their posted jobs. This is how you find companies that align with your values before you spend time applying.
4. Learn How To Decode Job Descriptions
What are employers looking for when hiring remote developers? It’s not uncommon to see interpersonal skills, collaboration, problem-solving, attention to detail, and time management in a remote programmer job ad.
But when a job listing calls for a guru, Jedi, or rockstar able to multitask in a faced-paced work environment, you might wind up with more work pressure and tight deadlines than you’re prepared for.
Decoding the secret language of remote job descriptions will help you read between the lines and separate your top choices from those you’d rather not apply to.
5. Use the Best Remote Job Board
Skip the mega job boards that don’t cater to the remote work life you’re seeking. You’ll have to wade through heaps of on-premise roles to find a handful of remote positions, and those may not even be worth applying to.
See, many organizations saw the perks of remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic. But that’s their only experience setting up and managing a remote team, which means they could still be going through some growing pains.
Further, you may not know how to tell a legitimate remote job from a scam on these sites.
Fortunately, the We Work Remotely job board is your solution to all those roadblocks.
As the largest remote work community on the planet, we only list legit roles for remote positions -- and we’ve been doing so ever since 2013. Many of the top remote companies hiring in 2022 have nearly a decade of experience in the remote work space like us.
So here’s where you can put your job search keywords to good use:
The Advanced Search feature on We Work Remotely allows you to fine-tune your job search by entering specific keywords and filtering results by job category, region, time zone, company, or job type.
You’ll have laser-focused results in a jiffy. But you can also let our remote job board do the heavy lifting of searching for roles on your behalf.
6. Try a Curated Job Search To Find Better Remote Programming Jobs, Faster
Hunting for remote computer programming jobs can be tedious and noisy. So that’s why WWR’s new Curated Jobs For Remote Job Seekers may be right up your alley. Its techno-wizardry finds the best remote opportunities tailored to your job search.
To curate and accelerate your remote programmer job search, all you have to do is:
1. Create an account here. WWR has always been gate-free. While we don’t require you to sign up to access jobs, creating a personal account allows you to set customized job search preferences.
2. Set your job search preferences. Personalize your criteria for remote job listings based on their region, time zones, and job categories.
3. Go through the quick onboarding tutorial. Our team will walk you through the new Curated Jobs feature and how to best set your preferences. Check it out ➡
4. Opt-in for mail alerts so you get the jobs you're interested in right in your inbox!
4. Opt-in for mail alerts so you get the jobs you're interested in right in your inbox!
Once you’ve earned your onboarding patch, you’ll be dropped into your own personalized dashboard. Now you’ll receive tailored remote jobs quicker with your own bespoke view. And remember, you can always get those notifications in your e-mail.
7. Create a Resume Template (+ Keep It Handy)
With all those curated jobs making their way to your inbox, the last thing you want is a hot job listing to close before you can apply. So have an updated resume and cover letter template ready to go at all times.
Using templates staves off that stressful blank-page syndrome. And its aesthetics can help you catch the eye of hiring teams. After all, only the top 2% of candidates pass the initial resume screening phase and move on to an interview [*].
Check out these top sites for free resume templates for developers and programmers to get the basics down first.
Then you’ll want to tailor your resume to your dream remote job. To do that, jot down all the major keywords in each job ad you want to apply to. Make sure your job search documents contain these and save the final version under a new name.
ATS will be crawling your cover letter and resume for those keywords, along with must-have tech skills for remote work and asynchronous communication experience. Go back to your template each time you apply for a new role.
Pro Tip: After applying for roles, keep track of your progress with a job search spreadsheet. Add the organization’s name, the job title, the date you applied, which resume version you submitted, etc., to different columns to keep everything organized.
8. Give Hiring Teams the Best First Impression Online
One of the best simple yet effective tips to strengthen your remote job search is to create an online brand.
When recruiters and hiring teams Google your name (ps: they totally will), you want to give them the best first impression of who you are, where you excel, and why they should add you to their team.
Update all your social profiles with this in mind. Then consider creating a website where you can show off your personality, coding projects, showcase your portfolio, and really stand out from your competition.
Add your certifications, freelance or volunteer experience, conferences you attended, associations you’re in, languages you speak, etc.
This intel should impress and show what you bring to the table. It can prove you have the goods, especially if you’re looking for entry level programming jobs and don’t have much experience.
Pro Tip: Sprinkle your site with industry-specific keywords to attract traffic (hiring teams, recruiters, etc.) via organic programmer searches.
9. Don’t Let Your Job Search Dominate Your Life
Finding a programmer remote job may take longer than you expected, even with the tips in today’s guide. Avoid job search burnout by setting strict time limits on your search, such as once in the AM and once in the PM.
Save these guides for more help on this topic:
- Why Job Hunting Depression Is Real (+ What To Do About It)
- How To Overcome the Hardest Parts of Landing a Remote Job
There could be tons of reasons you’re not landing that online interview, but tell yourself that you’re doing the best you can every day. Remember: what you’re seeking is seeking you.
Now You’re Ready To Find Programmer Remote Jobs and Land Your Dream Role
Despite being well-equipped to snag a programmer job at a remote company, don’t quit your job without a plan. As we outlined today, you’ll need to have all your ducks in a row before hitting that apply now button.
Step one: Do some journaling to uncover what you’re really looking for. What type of remote programmer job do you want? Which remote companies do you want to work for? Where do you excel? Use these answers to fill out your job search keyword list.
Step two: Sign up for Curated Jobs, so better remote roles come to you, faster. Get in the habit of seeing what’s out there on the best remote job board.
Step three: Make yourself a candidate hiring teams can’t wait to interview. Update your resume and cover letter. Create an online showcase of your skills. Learn how to ace a virtual interview.
Follow this game plan, and you’ll land the remote job in programming that’s perfect for you. Good luck!
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