The No BS Guide to Getting a Remote Job with No Experience

By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter

1. Ditch the Mass Applications and Get Niche

Stop looking for generic “Remote Customer Service” jobs. That’s a volume game you’ll lose to AI applications and veteran job seekers.

• Target Specific Industries: Focus on sectors that always need entry-level, remote help: SaaS (Software as a Service), EdTech, and Health Tech. These companies are often fast-growing and structured for distributed teams.

• The “Foot-in-the-Door” Roles: Go after roles that are inherently remote-friendly and serve as excellent stepping stones. Think:

  • Data Entry/Annotation: Basic, tedious work that companies need done remotely. It proves you can be reliable and manage your time.

  • Virtual Assistant (Specialized): Don’t just offer general VA services. Offer Niche VA support, like “Podcast Scheduling Assistant” or “E-commerce Product Listing Manager.”

• Proof Over Experience: Your experience gap must be filled with proof of competence. This means creating a portfolio of skills, not a portfolio of past jobs.

2. Build Your “Remote Readiness” Portfolio

Since you don’t have job experience, you need to prove you have the remote work skills companies demand.

• The Skills: Highlight soft skills that translate directly to remote success: Asynchronous Communication, Self-Management/Time Blocking, and Digital Tool Proficiency (Slack, Asana, Notion, Google Workspace).

• Project-Based Proof:

  • Volunteer: Do pro-bono work for a local non-profit or small business (remotely, of course). Offer to manage their social media scheduling or organize their database. This is a real project, with real deadlines, that serves as a reference.

  • Certifications: Get a free or low-cost certification in a tool relevant to the job. HubSpot Academy for marketing/sales, Google Analytics, or a Project Management course on Coursera. These show initiative and verifiable skills.

• Use the Right Tools: Be fluent in the tools remote teams use. List them on your resume and talk about them in your interviews. Example: “I used Asana to manage my volunteer project timelines…”

3. The “Contract-to-Hire” Gateway

The biggest risk for a company hiring someone new remotely is commitment. Reduce their risk by accepting a contract role.

• The Pitch: Search for “Contract,” “Freelance,” “Temporary,” or “Intern” roles. Many remote internships now pay and are offered year-round.

• Why it Works: A company is far more willing to take a chance on an entry-level candidate for a 3-month contract than a full-time, permanent position. Once you are in, you prove your value, and you get converted to a full-time, permanent employee. This is how many experienced remote workers actually got their start.

4. Leverage Remote-Specific Job Boards

Stop drowning in LinkedIn’s general pool. Go where remote jobs are exclusively posted.

• Specific Remote Boards: Check sites like We Work Remotely, Remote.co, and FlexJobs (though the latter often requires a small fee, it filters out a lot of garbage).

• Reverse Search: Find a company you admire that is known to be 100% remote (e.g., Automattic, GitLab, Zapier). Go directly to their careers page and look for their lowest-level roles. They often hire for entry-level “Assistants” or “Specialists” since their entire culture is already built for remote onboarding.

Bottom line: No experience doesn’t mean no skills. It means you need to show your skills, prove your reliability, and target companies that are structured to train entry-level people remotely. Now go do the work.

Ⓒ The Big Game Hunter, Inc., Asheville, NC 2025  

“Looking for Remote Work”

ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER

Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter is a coach who worked as a recruiter for what seems like one hundred years. His work involves career coaching, as well as executive job search coaching, job coaching, and interview coaching. He is the host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 podcast in iTunes for job search with over 3100 episodes.

Are you interested in 1:1 coaching, interview coaching, advice about networking more effectively, how to negotiate your offer or leadership coaching? Schedule a discovery call at my website, www.TheBigGameHunter.us

Connect with me on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/thebiggamehunter Mention you listen to the podcast or watch my YouTube channel.

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