Remote Job Postings

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Along with all the key elements of a good job description, a remote role position announcement will need to include the following additional information:

• Clarity around geography. As we’ve already seen, there is no single flavor of remote. You will want to make clear in the description whether the role is fully remote, whether there’s an office they can/will need to go to occasionally, and any other details (for example, “U.S. remote only” or “time zone agnostic”).

• How remote works at your company. Strong remote job descriptions clarify the values and practices around distributed work. They make clear that skills like communication and collaboration are required. This is your chance both to sell applicants on the premise of the role and to make clear how you expect them to work with the rest of the team.

• Specific keywords. People searching for remote jobs are more likely to find you if you include terms that applicants are likely to search for:

  • Remote

  • Distributed

  • Work at home

  • Work from home

  • Work from anywhere

​important​In the title of the job post title, it’s best practice to list “Remote—(geographic region)” in the location field of the job posting. For example, where a non-remote job posting might advertise “QA Analyst, Atlanta GA,” the remote version would be “QA Analyst, Remote within the USA,” “QA Analyst, Remote within Eastern Standard Time,” or “QA Analyst, Remote (global).” The geographic region indicates where the employee would be located, not where an office location might be.

In the case where a role could be either in-office or remote, some companies have two separate listings. Many candidates who prefer in-office work won’t reply to a remote position, and of course, candidates who aren’t in that location won’t apply unless the remote option is obvious.

Having separate listings for the remote version of a position also allows you to tailor the job requirements to include the different skills that a remote position demands, and for you—the employer—to customize perks and benefits (for example, instead of “catered lunch,” perhaps you offer a lunch stipend).