How To Land a Remote Job as a Web Developer

How To Land a Remote Job as a Web Developer

How To Land a Remote Job as a Web Developer

Introduction.

You are welcome to this blog once more, and I know you came for a reason which is to be explained in this article.

There is this trend of Nigerians landing tech jobs overseas while in Nigeria, at the same time getting paid in US dollars.

I am shocked that most Nigerians still think it is not true, I don't blame such persons, the sneaky nature of Nigerians does not allow us to share top secrets.

So if you are wondering, how possible is it to get a remote job overseas, then your question is about to be answered here in this article.

The truth is that companies seek cheap labour to cust the cost of running their business, most times when searching for these labours they look out for low-income countries across the world.

Once upon a time, It was India, then it moved to the Chinese, Latin America also benefit from these, and now the world is looking at Africa.

A web developer living in the USA earns nothing less than $80K annually, which some startups cannot afford, so all they do is look to low-income countries in Africa with cheaper costs of living and a weaker currency to help subsidize these wages.

So instead of paying you $80k/ annum, they pay $24K or even less annually, so when converting that to your local currency, then you know what you get.

Mind you, they don't pay per year, all you need do is divide that annual fee into a monthly split and you get your salary each month.

Getting a remote job is not as hard as you think, you may think Nigeria has a bad image globally, Yes, but a lot of people know that Nigeria has talents.

Now you may be asking, how do I get interviewed, most times this process is carried out on Zoom most preferably.

This article is going to be a comprehensive guide on how you can land a remote job while living in Nigeria.

The truth is that, you don't have to seek greener pastures in a foreign country to earn good money, you can do that in your home country, with enough access to the internet and power, just like I did.

What is a Remote Job?

Remote work is a working style that allows professionals to work outside of a traditional office environment.

It is based on the concept that work does not need to be done in a specific place to be executed successfully.

Most times, employees are outside of the host countries, but constantly converging and communicating via a preferred software tool.

Why you should get a Remote Job as a Nigerian. Remote jobs, allow people to enjoy their flexibility so that their professional and personal lives can be experienced to the fullest potential. Here are some of the reasons why you should get a remote job as a Nigerian.

1. Flexible lifestyle.

The most obvious reason why people want to work remotely is that it offers them a more flexible lifestyle.

When they aren’t required to be in an office during a set time frame, remote employees can focus on the things that matter to them outside of the office.

Working remotely allows an individual to focus on their personal life and ambition such as marriage, Family and education. You can even build a business while working remotely.

2. Working Remotely Renews Better health and wellness.

Remote employees are notably less stressed and have higher morale than their in-office counterparts.

Remote work helps By eliminating that commute and letting remote employees work in an environment where they’re comfortable.

Just imagine living in a city like Lagos, where it’s as busy as anything, and then you start to appreciate the importance of getting a remote job.

3. Working Remotely Helps To Renew passion for the job.

Remote employees tend to do their best work outside of the office. They are more inspired by their surroundings and can filter out environmental distractions as they see fit.

Most people prefer working in a secluded environment, one where they can be without distractions.

4. Remote Work allows for Location Independence.

Most people desire to earn and work abroad, may not have that kind of money, but can do so with the rise of remote jobs.

One of the considerable benefits of telecommuting is having access to a broader range of job opportunities that aren’t limited by geographic location.

This can be especially helpful for job seekers living in rural communities and small towns where there may not be many available local positions.

5. Remote work allows you to save money.

The minimum wage here in Nigeria is less than $300, but you can earn more than $3K with remote jobs, and spend nothing less than $200 every month.

People who work from home half time can save around $4,000 per year. Gas, car maintenance, transportation, parking fees, a professional wardrobe, lunches bought out, and more can all be reduced or eliminated from your spending entirely.

These savings add up and put more money back into your pocket. Now calculate that saving, over a given period and you know what you have.

How To Get a Remote Job as a Nigerian.

It was discovered that 7% of remote workers report greater productivity because they deal with fewer distractions

The rise in number of remote workers is up exponentially in the last few years, since the inception of Covid-19, which is pretty clear proof that companies are seeing positive results.

Here are some tips I have put together to help you land your next remote job as a Nigerian.

1. Develop a Tech Skill.

Remote jobs do not require you to be present, hence they need soft tech skills such as web development, Digital marketing, mobile app developer and a whole ton of others.

There is always so much to learn in the IT space and whether it is a new programming language or a different type of framework you want to learn, books and online tutorials can serve as a great resource.

If you are broke, you can check out a few YouTube channels to help you develop your skills for free.

In addition, sites like codeacademy.com or codeschool.com provide a great supply of video tutorials on learning different programming languages.

I wrote a comprehensive guide on how to get started in tech with no experience, check out the article below to learn more.

2. Create an Online portfolio.

Owning an online portfolio with spot-on website design is the modern-day version of a business card, a resume and a project showcase all in one.

Creating a portfolio website is an opportunity to make something that shows off your skills and conveys your unique voice.

With the right tools, you can go beyond technological constraints and artistic compromises, and build a powerful online presence.

Having an online portfolio is proof that you have actual tech skill without doubt and will land you tons of interviews without stress.

All you need to develop an online portfolio is a few coding skills if you are learning to become a web developer or better still you can leverage a website builder to help you achieve that.

I wrote a comprehensive guide on some of the best website builders that can help you develop an awesome portfolio website, check out the link to the article below to learn more.

3. Create an Eye Catchy CV.

Just before you win an interview with the desired company, you need to present a CV for a brief overview of yourself, skills and experience.

CV means “Curriculum Vitae” and it’s a Latin phrase meaning “course of life” a brief account of your education, qualifications, and previous employment.

Recruiters see hundreds of CVs every day. But they don’t read them all. Some of them they can’t even bear to look at. The funny thing is that recruiters are just waiting for something to finally catch their eye.

Creating a CV requires lots of creativity, which is what most job applicants do not have under their belt, this is why you need to check out samples of what works.

Here are tips to help you in creating a comprehensive CV.

  • Section 1: The title of your CV, at the very top of the CV, should be your name, professional title and contact details.

  • Section 2: email address and contact number(s) are all that is required now. An address is not required, and do not add your age, nationality, date of birth or marital status. These are NOT required.

  • Section 3: This is simply a few lines about you, who you are, what you hope to achieve, and your goals. Make it fit the job you are applying for if you can.

  • Section 4: Set out your previous roles, experience, volunteering, placements or internships. You should list these in reverse chronological order, that is, the most recent first. Your most recent role should be of most importance to your prospective employer.

  • Section 5: Set out your previous roles, experience, volunteering, placements or internships. You should list these in reverse chronological order, that is, the most recent first. Your most recent role should be of most importance to your prospective employer.

  • Section 6: Things like experience with a particular piece of software or application, courses you have attended; or anything that will help you secure your dream role, should be stated too.

  • Section 7: Try and keep this section of your CV interesting, if you use it. Include unusual hobbies, ones that add to your suitability for the role. Try to avoid really common hobbies and interests, such as reading, walking, etc.

4. Create and Optimize your profile on LinkedIn.

LinkedIn is a social network like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, but unlike other social networks that allow people to share things and connect.

LinkedIn is designed to help people make business connections, share their experiences and resumes, and find jobs.

LinkedIn is one platform that is used by a lot of recruiters when seeking for qualified candidates to fill a position.

Users seeking jobs can also apply to jobs on LinkedIn by submitting their respective profiles to a company or a recruiter via the job section.

There are lots of people applying for jobs on LinkedIn, so you have to seek out ways to optimize your profile so it stands out from others.

It all starts with the keywords. Your keywords are how you are going to structure the content of your profile.

We’ll include these keywords in relevant parts of your profile where it makes sense.

But we’ll make sure to maintain readability so you don’t sound like a robot and still appeal to the humans looking at your profile.

Some keywords you might want when optimizing your profile can be GraphQL, React JS, GitHub and Node if I’m going for a full-stack JS developer position.

At the same time, there’s a balance here. You can also go too narrow and put things that not a lot of people are going to be searching for.

An example of something too narrow might be Next, Firebase, and Tailwind.

Those are very specific technologies and the likelihood of someone searching specifically for those in less than React.

5. Position yourself via Social Media platforms.

The next step is to position yourself across every other social media platform such as Facebook, and Twitter Medium, and make sure your profile is optimised.

Next is to keep creating content about what you do, because recruiters are going to ask about various Link to your social media profile.

Social media is now a critical part of the way people in most walks of life communicate and a key part of how work gets done.

Social media allows you to do at least four important things:

  • Discover new ideas and trends.
  • Connect with existing and new audiences in deeper ways
  • Bring attention and traffic to your work.
  • Build, craft and enhance your brand.

The fact is that it’s impossible to separate the personal use of social from professional, and everything you say online can and will be used against you.

So, the more seriously you can take your social media activities, the better.

Make sure to become conscious of what and how you post on social media because it can make or mar your career and potential recruiters.

I wrote a comprehensive guide on how you can grow your business across various social media platforms, check out the link to the article to learn more.

6. Start applying to job websites.

Finally, it’s time to start applying to those jobs. Before you start looking for jobs and completing online job applications, you’ll need an updated version of your resume ready to upload.

You may also need a cover letter to apply for some jobs, LinkedIn is one platform that helps you take care of all these.

Having a LinkedIn profile, allows you to apply for jobs, extract your Resume as PDF and also get the latest update when a new job is posted.

This can be done by turning on job notifications on your most preferred job category, that way you get an alert when a new job is posted.

Conclusion.

Finally, as I round up, just a few things that could help you damage imposter syndrome are stated below.

The remote job market is growing: By 2028, it’s estimated that 73% of all teams will have remote workers.

The web development job market is thriving: The BLS estimates that the employment of web developers will grow 8% from 2019-2029.

The average web developer’s base salary is around USD 67,442—and remote developers can expect to earn just as much as their in-house counterparts.

Finally, there is plenty of jobs recruiting websites to get started with and I am going to post them in the section below, also make sure to follow this article, connect with me and follow my blog.

I wrote a comprehensive guide on how you can become a web developer as a beginner, check out the link to the article below to learn more.