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The Rise for Sustainable Remote Jobs and how to get them

Part 1 of a 3 part series

If you’ve been looking for a job that isn’t just about money or the ability to travel (once that’s a thing again!), but rather, you are after a job that is both fulfilling and makes a positive impact, well, you’re not the only one. 

Over the last few years there has been an increased focus on climate change, ocean pollution and deforestation - essentially the ways in which we are destroying our planet. And as such more leaders are shining a light on the need to protect planet Earth than ever before. Thanks to the likes of Greta Thunberg, David Attenborough, Isra Hirsi, Autumn Peltier and Asha de Vos, to name a few, you could go as far as saying it has become cool to support sustainability.

To put it simply, the focus on the desperate need to change things has meant a growing number of people want to contribute in more ways than simply how they spend their money. They want to make their money doing something that matters too.

Recently our founder Natalia Komis hosted a session at the Thriving Nomads Summit, on getting sustainable remote jobs. The session covered why more people are looking for not just any remote job, but a job with impact, the key factors to consider while searching for one and how to go about it.

In this 3 part series we will be sharing some of the main points from this session to support you with your search too.

But first, why are sustainable remote jobs becoming more desirable?

The world of work is changing at a rapid pace. For the past decades, remote work has been a growing trend, with more and more jobs being performed from home or within geographically distributed teams. Digital nomads have become part of the employment and entrepreneurial scene and an increasing number of people want to go location independent and be more flexible in the way they work. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated these changes. A large part of the workforce has now experienced working from home and this trend doesn’t look like it’s going away, even after the restrictions are lifted and offices reopen.

However, this is not the only thing that has changed in the world of work. People don’t only aspire to be free to work from anywhere, have more flexibility and freedom in their work, they also want to do work they care about and that can make a difference in the world - especially amongst the younger generation.

This is what sustainable, or perhaps we shall call them purpose driven, remote jobs are about: impact, fulfilment and freedom! They matter to more and more people. They are good for the planet, for those who work in them and for society! They are part of the new paradigm of work.

So you might be wondering, how you might actually go about getting one of these great sounding sustainable remote jobs. Well, there’s a few things to bear in mind before you even start.

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The key points to help you stand out from the crowd when looking for a sustainable remote job 

The most important thing to remember when applying for impact driven remote work is your approach. There’s no point applying for all and any job, you need to know what you want and go after it with focus and passion! Think of it as if you are pitching your services rather than simply answering a traditional job application.

In order to do this, you need to have reflected on a few things first :

  • Who you want to be and the life you want to live
  • What you stand for, what values you hold and what’s important to you
  • Who you want to serve or what cause you want to support
  • How you want to give and what skills you want to use 
  • And lastly, what is fulfilment for you!

How? Here is Natalia’s approach:

First of all, jobs for impact are about impact first – so a big part of finding a fulfilling job is showing those you want to work with and that can hire you that:

you care

you have similar values,

you have the skills

you understand their mission and, last but not least,

you are a nice human being!

One of Natalia’s favourite mantras is this :

"Never underestimate the power of being a nice human being.”

In the impact sector building relationships based on trust and mutual respect is possibly one of the most important things you can do. Offer your services and a helping hand, let your values shine through what you do and the way you do it and you’ll soon realise that people start to come to you. That you get noticed for not only what you do, but for who you are and what you believe in.

That is the true value in the rise of mission driven work and sustainable remote jobs.

Want to know the next steps in your sustainable remote job search? Check out Part 2 of this series here. 

If you liked this article and are ready to start your search, download the free discover your mission workbook and sign up to our free newsletter to get bi-weekly listings of amazing sustainable remote jobs.