Sudden changes can be overwhelming, but here are five simple steps to get back on track.


“The times are a’changing” would be an understatement right now. As we emerge from the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, millions have to adapt to a new work reality. Here’s what we already said about What the Corona Virus means to the workforce.
Perhaps you are struggling right now, too. Today’s workforce is suddenly sent home in masses to work or worse yet, laid off. Many are scrambling to find a new job with whatever they can find just to keep the lights on. According to Maria Vultaggio, Managing Editor of Statista, a website specializing on personal finance, “Almost 70% of Americans have less than $1000 in the bank.” This is not much cushion if job loss occurs. If this sounds like you or someone you care about, here are 5 steps to your new remote job.
Working from home or remotely is nothing new. Millions around the globe have adopted this workstyle for several decades now. This can range from the solopreneur running their home business, to work at home (WAH) employees, to globetrotting digital nomads who work anywhere while travelling. The following five steps will help you get focused, get a plan and act upon it for the quickest results. Just to be clear, this is not a get rich scheme, but practical steps you can put into action now.
Step One: You now have a new job
The first of the five steps to your new remote job is the most important. It is to understand you are not alone, millions are now in the same boat. You were not singled out by the universe, but you now have to do something, anything, to change your circumstances. You can do this, and will. Even though it may be very demotivating right now, you can stay strong. You made it this far, and you still have the skills that got you this far. You have a new job, it is looking for a new job, start a new business, or find new clients. We have a quick read What you need to know to work remotely which could be a big help right now.
I used to work with someone in IT, his cousin had an office in the North Tower during the 9/11 tragedy. Luckily he was out surfing on that horrific day. Only 3 people beside him in the company survived. In a few hours the company was completely lost. Out of that tragedy, he decided it was a sign to start a surf shop. That is exactly what he did and it flourished. The point here is, even though your circumstances changed out from underneath you, now you have to get focused on your new job of finding a new situation. Get up like you are going to work, and work like you never worked before until you get results. Need help staying motivated, see our article 10 Super Easy Ways to Stay Motivated or Turn on Your Happiness Now.
Step Two: Make a Plan
Now we know we can do this, we need to figure out what “this” is. Take 10 minutes and write down (and I mean write them down) ten things you can do right now. I am not talking pie in the sky what I would like to do 10 years from now, what you can do right now that someone will pay for.
Maybe you start consulting in your field of expertise, write for magazines or blogs (and get paid) to simply temping (at every level from entry level to executives). See 10 FREE Ways to Find New Business helps find new clients, but also could apply to finding a new employer with the same techniques.
Perhaps you have a skill you wanted to put to use “someday” like writing or web design. Perhaps “someday” is today. Likely you will have a combination of what you have to do to pay some bills and what you want to do long term. Don’t discourage any revenue coming in right now, even if it means mowing a yard or something not necessarily in your wheelhouse. If it’s money coming in the door right now, it’s all good. Need help getting a plan together, we have a free download to help you, get our FREE Remote Minded 12-Month Success Planner.
Step Three: Get updated
If you don’t have a resume, now is the time. If you have a resume now is the time to update it with the most current information. Don’t be afraid to say you were laid off, it’s not your fault. Again, millions are affected the same way. If you are not sure of how to format a resume, there are literally thousands of free templates on the internet for any industry you are pursuing. Just make sure if you pick a template pick one saying it is scannable. This means if you submit a resume, the important parts of your resume is scanned into a resume tracking system (RTS) used by many employers to qualify candidates.
Perhaps now may be a good time to update skills. There are hundreds of thousands of free courses on the internet to help you get marketable skills in your industry. A word of caution here, it is easy to fall into the trap of taking course after course, but you still need to find a job or a new client. Use a calendar like Google Calendar or the calendar in Microsoft Outlook to budget your time. Try to limit taking classes to an hour a day so you can put deep effort into job search. When you take a course and get a certification, immediately put it on your resume and if there is a badge, put it on your top 5 job search websites (more on that next).
Step Four: Know where to look
There are so many websites out there with jobs listed, where do you start? Start in a manageable but logical way. Instead of just plowing through random websites, define which websites would work best for you. If you are a baker, then Dice.com, dealing with primarily IT jobs, would probably not be the best fit. The issue with major job boards like Monster, CareerBuilder and Dice, although they have thousands of job, they have millions of applicants competing with the same job pool. While it is still good advice to sign up on the major job boards, explore other job boards as well.


Still not sure where to look? Consider the RemoteMinded Remote Power Pack, a guide packed with information on jobs easily done at home or remotely, hundreds of websites and employers who hire remote workers now. Get the details here. Also our article Ten FREE Ways to Find New Business should prove useful.
Step Five: Automate
The last of the five steps to a new remote job is to now “get out of the way of it.” In other words, you have identified what you want to do and where to look, now automate your efforts. This way you don’t have to search the same websites with the same criteria over and over. Almost every website has a provision for you to set up alerts for specified criteria. What this means to you is you no longer have to comb hundreds of websites every day, you get leads on jobs or projects you want to see and they come to your email account.
For example, you go a job or gig website and register and upload your resume. Let’s say you are a writer, and you want leads on jobs that involve writing social media posts. Set up an alert that will cover those types of jobs. Put the keywords “Social,” “Content,” and “Writ” in the alert. Note I didn’t spell out writing or writer so the alert will cover both of these. You can do a quick internet search for tips on setting up alerts on almost job board.
This will allow you to focus on a handful of websites you find most relevant to check more often and let the rest come to you. Sooner than later, you will see certain websites have more opportunities for your situations than others. Develop the top 5 websites to focus most of your attention on, but still take less time to explore others. Keeping a list of the most valuable websites for your search. There are so many out there, so being able to focus your effort on those websites that are the most useful will save you time. Time is definitely of the essence here.
Book meetings to yourself on your calendar.You can also make these meetings reoccur automatically on a daily basis so you don’t have to create new blocks of time each day. This is not to be rigid, but to make sure you get what you need done. If you send a resume today, set an appointment to follow-up in a few days (and be consistent) with the person you sent the resume to. If you tell them you are going to follow up on a certain day and time, do it. It shows commitment and attention to detail and you can be counted on. Even if you get voicemail, it still shows you are making the effort. See our article Here Are 10 Tips To Use Voicemail To Your Advantage. When you are ready to take this to another level, our article Five ways to automate your life now.
Summary
While big changes are happening all around all of us, we don’t have to be overwhelmed by them. If we focus on where we want to be and are taking actionable steps every day to get there, we won’t have time to worry about the present. Staying healthy and motivated may be difficult, but with the information presented here, it is not impossible. Get a plan and work it, you will get there. Just focus on what is working and do more of that. You will get there. We hope our five steps to your new remote job will be invaluable to you in your new career.


Wondering what type of remote or telecommute jobs are waiting for you? Looking for companies hiring remote workers? Then check out our RemoteMinded Remote Power Pack and see! This insider’s guide is packed with
- 100 careers you could do anywhere
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- 100 websites listing the hottest telecommute and remote work jobs.
- Next, learn about the 10 FREE applications you need to work online or run an online business.
Now click here to get our RemoteMinded Remote Power Pack today!
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Hi! I’m Bill Wheeler
Writer and remote workstyle evangelist, I have worked remotely for over 17 years now. I can honestly say it is absolutely possible to work anywhere, anytime, I’ve done it from cruise ships, Caribbean islands, and finer European hotels. It is my passion and mission to help others reclaim their time and lifestyle by teaching others how to work remotely.