How to Get a Digital Nomad Job with No Experience
Want to be a digital nomad but don’t have much work experience? It’s still possible. Here’s how to get a digital nomad job.
The digital nomad lifestyle sounds amazing for a reason: It is amazing. And it doesn’t take years of being in a certain career to know that it’s right for you. Even when you’re fresh out of school, you know if you want to be a digital nomad.
Becoming a digital nomad with no experience or little experience is more challenging than if you had years of work under your belt, but it’s definitely not impossible. Here’s how to make it happen.
Consider the kind of work you want to do.
Entry-level remote jobs exist, and they can usually be lumped into one of a few categories:
- Doing gig economy jobs. Entry-level gig economy jobs, where you do temporary work for a company or person, are generally low-paying, but sites like Upwork have plenty of them.
- Being a virtual assistant. As a virtual assistant you’d help handle basic assistant-type things, like scheduling meetings, booking travel, and handling ad-hoc assignments for your boss. Often, these don’t require much, if any experience. Bosses also don’t usually need someone full-time, so you can double-up on these. A great way to get started is Hannah Dixon’s Digital Nomad Kit
- Working for a remote-only company. Job sites like Remote.co and FlexJobs are filled with job openings that fit the bill, and they exist in a range of fields and industries.
What are some examples of digital nomad jobs I can get with no experience?
Backing up a sec: “no experience” is a relative term. You might think you have no experience because you haven’t had a 9 to 5 job, but the odds are pretty high that you have some other skills that you can use to translate for work.
That being said, these are just a few jobs you might find during your searches:
- Data entry
- Social media management (if you have social media accounts, this is definitely one worth looking into)
- Copywriting
- Transcribing
- Website design
- Graphic design
- Editing
- Email outreach
- Customer service
Start applying to the jobs that look the most interesting to you and see what happens.
By the way, if you’re okay with the option of putting your digital nomad dreams on hold for a year, you could apply for non-remote jobs, take one if the offer presents itself, save up, and then go remote in a year.
You’d have a little money saved up by that point and would have some experience under your belt, two factors that would make it even easier to segue into the digital nomad lifestyle. It’s not a requirement, but it’s worth considering.
How do I actually land one of these jobs?
People who are looking for candidates to fill these jobs know that you’re not going to have a ton of job experience in advance (or any, really). So, don’t sell yourself short or apologize for your lack of experience. In your resume and cover letter, list out any relevant experience you have (things you did at school count, too), and make sure you tailor it toward the job you’re applying for.
If you’re applying for a social media or copywriting job, include links to work you’ve done in the past, even if it’s only to your own social media feeds or blog work. Being able to show future employers concrete examples of what you can do, and the fact that you can intelligently string a sentence together, is key.
I got a job…now what?
You could start traveling right away, but it’s usually best to give it a month or so to get used to your new gig and save up a little money before you start exploring the world. You can spend that time planning where you’re going to go first (NomadX has some great options in Portugal if you’re interested…just saying), how you’re going to get there, and basics you’ll need to get you started.
After that, head on out and enjoy your new career as a digital nomad.
Read also: These Are the Top 100 Companies for Remote Jobs
ABOUT NOMADX
NOMADX is a real estate technology platform developed to meet the needs of the rapidly growing global community of location-independent remote workers, or “Digital Nomads”.
As Digital Nomads ourselves, we know what the market is looking for: trusted, affordable accommodations in highly-attractive locations worldwide at 45% less than AirBNB. We also offer educational masterclasses to help master the lifestyle as well as community events to help foster new friendships.
Please join our community of Digital Nomads and remote workers from around the world:
Instagram: nomadx.experience
Facebook Group: Support Community for Remote Workers
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dave Williams is the CEO and Co-founder of NOMADX with his base in Lisbon, Portugal. Dave is a US pioneer in the digital marketing, advertising, and ad tech industries as a serial digital entrepreneur over the past 20+ years with multiple exits in the early formative stages of the search engine marketing, social media, and ad tech industries.
