How do you find the best remote company for your work style, values, and career growth? Use this checklist during your job search to uncover your perfect match:

How do you find the best remote company to work for?

Do all remote companies work the same way?

If you’re ready to find remote work, it’s easy to compare job ads based on salary, job titles, necessary experience/education, and more.

But how can you tell the difference between one remote company and the best remote company for you?

Since they’re not all created equally, we’ll give you a checklist to help you find your perfect match in this guide. 

And it starts with learning: 

These days, anyone can throw together a professional-looking website and create job ads for remote workers.

With remote work growing in popularity, many people unknowingly fall victim to various work-from-home schemes.

Fortunately, there are three ways to decipher whether the remote company you’re considering is legitimate and trustworthy:

When you see a job ad you’re interested in, it’s always smart to give the company’s website a deep dive.

Go through each page on their website to read and check out their content.

Does it seem specific and focused on a single topic or industry niche? Or is everything more-or-less vague fluff that leaves you questioning what they really do?

Check out the About Us page next. 

What’s the company’s history? Can you see who else is on their team? If you can, are there short bios or links to help you verify their credentials further?

A new startup may not have all these built out yet. But every company should provide enough substance here to give you a better idea of their mission.

If these areas are lacking, it may be a sign of a very new company or one trying to mask their illegitimacy.

After your website sleuthing, migrate over to the company’s social media pages. 

Do they have an established presence on the most popular platforms in their industry? Have they tried to engage with their followers recently?

Once again, a newly-launched company may not be able to post much or brag about their number of followers. But they’ll at least make an attempt to have an active, well-represented presence.

If a company’s missing this, or it seems like they have a bunch of fake followers, you may have a red flag to consider.

Social media pages are ideal for checking out a company’s online legitimacy and seeing how employees interact with their customers and other businesses.

Do you notice other companies or professionals talking about the remote company you’re eyeing?

When people feel compelled to write about a company or remote brand, it’s a good sign they’re legitimate.

We routinely update a list of the best remote companies, for example, to highlight employers worth getting to know.

Run a quick search on the brand you’re interested in to see all their mentions on social media, other websites, etc. that make them stand out.

If you find this, and the results are positive, you have another checkmark in the legit column. 

If you don’t come across this, try not to be discouraged. This “rule” shouldn’t be a deal-breaker as some remote companies may still be trying to pave their way in a crowded space.

When you find a remote company that’s the real deal, use the telltale signs up next to determine whether you should spruce up your resume.

You like their mission and their product/service, but will you like working there?

Stellar remote companies are not shy about taking care of their employees (and letting this show!). So see whether your potential employer offers:

#1. A People-First Environment

"People-first" is a bit of a buzz word in the business world, but it still holds meaning. The best remote companies look at their employees as people, not resources. The leadership team instills trust and transparency as their main principals in how they communicate and interact with their team, and action on things that show they care, which lead us to:

#2. A Competitive Salary

The best remote companies value their team members and pay them market value or better for their skills/expertise. 

However, if you’re used to commuting to an office, don’t ignore remote salaries that may be slightly below your current income. Telecommuting from home will save you money on gas, lunch, office attire, and much more, so you may still come out ahead.

Most remote companies will add their company perks right to their job ad to entice the best candidates. You can also find them listed on their website or HR portal during the application process.

These benefits also show a company that cares for its team:

Many remote companies reward their teams with quarterly or annual trips in beautiful, exotic locales. Here, everyone can meet up to bond and get to know each other.

Some remote companies like to share a piece of the pie by giving back to their employees. If employees earn a form of profit sharing or bonuses, it encourages everyone to work together for the greater good.

And all that should lead to… 

Check your network to see if you know anyone who may have worked for the remote company you’re researching. If you can’t, run a search or check sites like Glassdoor to see what previous and current employees think of the experience. 

Positive testimonials are ideal but don’t automatically discount negative reviews. One employee’s dream could be your nightmare and vice versa.

That’s why before you can decide whether a remote company would be awesome to work for, it’s best to be totally clear about what you want.

Before falling in love with all the perks offered by a particular company, you have to nail down what’s actually important to you.

If you can’t or don’t like to travel internationally, for instance, retreats or work trips abroad may not be a perk you’ll enjoy.

So write down a list of perks, salary requirements, ideal work hours, and anything else you’re hoping a potential employer will offer. If you’re really focused, you can even rank this list based on each item’s importance in your job search.

When it’s all set, you can evaluate your options objectively without getting lured in by a high salary or perks you may have no use for.

If a company ticks off these boxes, you’ll know you’ve found the best remote company for you:

Learning more about a company and the employees from their About Us page or social media will give you a better idea of who you’ll be working for and alongside.

While this doesn’t give you a complete picture, it may help you find common ground and shared interests to connect over.

If you learn they named the office dog Yoda, and you’re a huge Star Wars fan, it may be a good sign that you’ll have a few things in common with your potential remote co-workers.

Now, you might not get this lucky, but it doesn’t hurt to check.

Usually, a company portrays its culture through its Career page. Pay attention to the way they communicate their values and benefits -- the language should make you feel excited and enthusiastic. If the company doesn't have a Career page, feel free to reach out to them and ask a few questions about their culture and see if their values align with yours.

Would you rather work a strict 9 to 5 schedule or work flexible hours to take care of errands, child care, etc. during the weekday?

Some remote companies allow employees to work whenever they want as long as they meet their deadlines. Others make everyone virtually show up at the same time despite being in different time zones.

Figure out your ideal work schedule, and check the job ads or company perks to make sure it aligns with your work-life balance goals.

Write down your top must-haves and then see how each company you’re eyeing delivers on them.

Create a scoring system for perks where:

2 = a perk you’re already paying for

1 = one you’d take advantage of if you could

0 = a perk you’re not sure about yet

-1 = one you’d never use

So let’s say you’re already paying for a gym membership. If a potential employer offers a wellness stipend to cover it, that’s +2. 

But let’s say that same company also offers childcare. Since you have grown kids, this perk subtracts 1 because you’ll never use it.

However, another company may provide gym membership reimbursement (+2) and also offers continuing education classes, which you’re definitely interested in (+1). 

Now you’re at +1 with the former company and +3 with the latter.

Do this with each remote company you’re seriously considering to find out whether their perks are truly fit for you. Since there are plenty of remote companies to choose from, you’re sure to find one best aligned with your values and wishes.

The tips in this guide should help you evaluate whether a remote company is legitimate, awesome to work for, and right for you.

So now it’s up to you to find remote companies hiring for your skills. Browse our current remote work openings today! And use this checklist to compare all your options.

Not sure how to find a remote job? Check out this guide first, and you’ll have more success landing the dream job you were meant for.