This is an anonymous post from an Elpha member.

I want a remote job but I don't feel confident with my skills

Rachal60·Jan 18, 2024

Hi! Everyone

I've been job hunting for the last month, I want a remote job since I'm looking for more job/life balance. Recently, I was told I had diabetes, and it's mostly because in my current job I don't have time to exercise or have a healthy diet. I work more than 45 hours per week, plus commuting in Latin American cities is so horrible, plus I also try to spend some quality time with my partner.

But in this quest, I've found myself responding to cognitive tests and having awful results, as, for instance, "the cognitive aptitude test score is higher than that of 70% of native English college graduates," when jobs require a score of 10%, 20%, or even 30%.

This is repetitive in some positions I'm applying for, and I quite understand that they are looking for the best profiles, but, I also feel like it's a barrier that I may have since I don't come from a high-quality educational system like in developed countries. So I'm feeling that I should give up remote job searching, since I don't feel competitive enough... Any suggestions to improve my skills or job searching? thank-you

kaitlingraham·Jan 18

Rachal, I know the job search is really tough right now. To narrow down your options and possibly get better results, you can filter your search by the state or even city that you're in. That might help level out the educational gap.

Rachal60·Jan 19

Thank-you Kaitlin, sadly in my country there are few more remote or even hybrid opportunities 😪

natmorawska·Jan 19

I've looked for a new remote position a couple of months ago, and haven't been asked to do a cognitive test. Maybe this is something role-specific for you, but if not, I can assure you that not all companies will ask you to go through such tests. If you really care about having a remote job, I'd encourage you to keep trying! It did take some time of polishing my CV and LinkedIn and lots of applications to land a job, so I totally understand it's not easy, but it'll get easier and easier with time :]. Also, make sure you research which soft skills are important for remote roles. Skills like adaptability, for example, can be bonus points for a remote employer. And you can find a lot of online courses to improve any skills you'd like to expand.

prettycold·Jan 22

Hello,Have you checked out job sites that are focused towards remote jobs only? Here's a few:https://dynamitejobs.com/https://weworkremotely.com/https://weworkremotely.com/https://remoteok.com/