Why go to the source
Most large employers run their careers site on an applicant tracking system such as Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby or Workday. That page is the real posting. When it closes, the role is gone, even if a board still shows it.
How to search a careers site
- Search "remote" in the location field, not only the keyword box.
- Add your country. "Remote, UK" and "Remote, US" are different jobs.
- Read the first paragraph. Office days are often mentioned there.
- Save the search if the site lets you, so new roles come to you.
The shortcut
We read the careers sites of 163 companies every day and keep only roles marked remote. Filter by region, function or company, then apply on the employer's page.
Red flags
If a "recruiter" contacts you by text or chat, skips the interview, or asks you to pay for anything, stop. The FTC says honest employers never ask you to pay to get a job.
Know the common careers-site systems
Most careers pages are built on a handful of applicant tracking systems. Once you know them, every site feels familiar.
- Greenhouse: addresses often contain "boards.greenhouse.io" or "job-boards.greenhouse.io". Filters for department and office sit at the top; "Remote" is usually listed as an office or location.
- Lever: addresses contain "jobs.lever.co". You can filter by location, team and commitment (full time, part time).
- Ashby: addresses contain "jobs.ashbyhq.com". Many newer companies use it; remote roles often show "Remote" plus a country.
- Workday: addresses contain "myworkdayjobs.com". Use the location filter, and search for "remote" in the keyword box too, because some employers mark remote only in the title.
Build your target list
Pick 15 to 25 companies you would like to work for. A good list mixes sizes: a few large employers with many roles, and some smaller companies where your skills stand out. For each, note the careers page address and how they label remote roles. Our companies page lists every employer we track, with the number of remote roles each has open today.
Search words that work
- "Remote" plus your country, for example "Remote Germany" or "Remote - Canada".
- "Home-based", "work from home", "distributed" and "anywhere in" are other labels employers use.
- For field roles: "field-based" or "territory".
- For your level: "associate", level numbers such as "I" or "II", "senior", "staff".
Read the posting before you apply
Remote labels are not always accurate. Check the first paragraph and the end of the posting for office days, travel, and the countries where the company can employ you. If the role says "hybrid" or names office days, it is not fully remote. We drop roles whose text says they are on-site, but always read it yourself.
Track what you find
Keep a simple sheet with five columns: company, role, link, date found, status. Add a sixth for "next step" with a date. It turns a vague search into a weekly task list, and stops you applying twice to the same role.
Let new roles come to you
Many careers sites let you create a job alert by email. Set one for each target company with a location filter. On our site, the jobs page is refreshed every day, so a quick visit twice a week covers all 163 companies in one place.
A one-minute check before every application
- Can I legally work in the location named?
- Do I meet most of the must-have requirements?
- Are the hours workable for me?
- Is the role still open on the employer's site?
- Have I changed the top lines of my CV to fit this role?
A worked example
Say you are a data analyst in Spain. Open our Europe page and choose the Data & AI function. Set the Seniority filter to mid level. You now have a short list. Open each role and check three things: that Spain is named or the role covers all of Europe, that the hours work for you, and that the requirements are mostly a match. For any company that appears more than once, open its company page and look at its other remote roles. Then go to the employer's own careers site through the link on the role, and apply there.
Where job boards still help
Boards are useful for discovering companies you have never heard of. Use them to find names, then go to the company's own site to check the role is still open and to apply. If a board's posting differs from the employer's page, trust the employer's page.
Common mistakes
- Applying to roles in countries where you cannot work.
- Searching only by job title and missing roles with different names, such as "specialist" instead of "analyst".
- Sending the same CV to every role.
- Applying to dozens of roles at one company at once. Pick the two that fit best.
- Missing roles because the employer labels remote only in the title or description. Search both.
How much time to spend
An hour of focused searching twice a week is enough for most people once the target list is set. Spend the rest of your job search time on applications and preparation, which matter more.
Summary checklist
- List 20 to 40 target companies.
- Bookmark each careers page with filters set.
- Check new roles twice a week.
- Confirm location, hours and level before applying.
- Apply on the employer's own site.
Keep the list alive: add companies you discover, remove ones that never hire where you live.
FAQ
Why search careers sites instead of job boards?
The employer's own page is the source. Boards copy it, sometimes late, and sometimes keep roles that have already closed.
How do I know if a role is really remote?
Read the location line and the first lines of the description. Words like "hybrid", "in office" or a number of office days mean it is not fully remote.
How often should I check?
A few times a week. Our jobs page rereads the careers sites every day.
Further reading
Books we think are worth your time if you want to go deeper. We have not been paid to include any of them.
Sources
All links opened and checked on 5 Nov 2026. Figures are as published by each source on the date shown; we did not run our own benchmarks.
- Remotely Scaled: remote jobs (live data from employers' careers sites), checked 4 Nov 2026
- FTC Consumer Advice: Job scams, checked 4 Nov 2026