If you’re in the market for a new job, there are a few things you need to consider first. One of the most important is the question of location. Are you willing to relocate for the right job? Job search sites typically let you search by location as well as by job type, and with today’s challenging job market, you may need to compromise on where you work to get the position you want.
Of course, there’s also an additional option that’s becoming more popular in the tech industry – remote working. This means that your company is located in one place while you’re in another. As tech innovations are rapidly increasing our communal connectivity, distance ceases to be quite so important. Tech companies in particular have the advantage as they are typically on the cutting edge of such technologies.
No More Town Square
It used to be that when you wanted to go shopping, you headed into town. Today, however, many companies offer e-commerce as one of their transaction options. Whether you work for an established e-commerce company or are considering starting one yourself, the whole experience tends to feel remote. Your supplier and shipping chains may be in one city, while you’re in another, and your web designer is in a third location. Impressively, today’s technology can erase all of these distances and allow e-commerce businesses to run smoothly.
Start-Ups’ Reliance On Remote Workers
Start-Ups are known to be willing to experiment, and that certainly holds true when it comes to their engagement with remote employment. So while you’ll still see remote working as an option at big companies like Xerox or Aetna, at start-ups like Basecamp, they don’t even hire for on-site positions. Every one of their employees works remotely. This would have been impossible just a few years ago.
The Global View
By hiring remotely, tech companies are embracing several key issues. First, great talent can be found anywhere, so why restrict yourself by region? Second, many other countries have stronger tech education sectors than the United States. Companies like Intuit work hard to make sure that training and expectations match for remote workers. This requires different forms of management than your traditional desk job, but it also ensures that the company can recruit wherever the talent is. That’s a powerful tool in such a competitive industry.
Remote work doesn’t suit everyone, but when seeking a tech job it is an option that you should keep open. You’ll need to consider things like your ability to remain accountable to a schedule and your level of self-motivation. Do you thrive on a buzzing workplace or can you accomplish the most when left to yourself? By answering these questions before you apply for a job, you can better determine what environment will work best for you and skim right past the jobs that wouldn’t be a good fit.
