Fully Remote

 


When Ann and I decided to do something different, but didn’t know where we would end up, I started looking at fully remote jobs. There are a lot of them out there, and many pay very well. Unfortunately, most fall into one of the following categories:

1. Flat Out Fraud: The jobs aren’t real. The employer might be fictitious, or someone might be copying a real employer with a fake post and fake contact information. They may have a scheme to steal money directly, or they may just be trying to steal Personal Identity Information.

2. Companies That Should Know Better: A lot of these are real, legitimate private businesses, charities and non-profits. They post a high-paying, fully remote job that sounds fun and has rather light criteria for applicants. You apply, and quickly get a response back thanking you for the application, telling you that you’re a great candidate, and while you wait, perhaps you’d like to subscribe to their publication or become a member of their organization. I’ve seen some of these positions posted for about a year. Guess what? They haven’t hired anyone yet, but they are still seeking applicants.

3. Other Jobs that Don’t Seem Real: Like the job above, but not asking for donations, subscriptions or membership. But still, they have the same job posted for several months, and still no hire. I’m wondering if perhaps they are selling the information they gather. 

I’ve lost faith in the fully remote positions. When they can hire anyone in the country, or the world, and they don’t have specific credentials that they require, I don’t believe they are really paying the salaries they say they are. Unless it is to someone’s brother-in-law. 

There are also government jobs that which are fully remote and allow you live anywhere. I applied for one on a site and then noticed they had received 7,000 applications. Another one that I applied for received 11,000 applications. Most are now wisening-up. One that I saw posted last week said the application period would close as soon as they received 200 applications, which puts you in a position of feeling like you need to constantly check for new positions and apply immediately. If I had been a little more ambitious, I would have applied and then sent in 199 fake applications in order to make myself the only real candidate in the pool. 

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