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How to land a high paying remote job as a frontend developer 1

How to land a high paying remote job as a frontend developer

Getting that dream job as a remote frontend developer becomes easier when you are armed with these 10 super efficient tips.

Landing a high-paying remote job with numerous perks such as paid vacation, fat bonuses, etc. is the dream of many frontend developers – pros and newbies alike. 

Are you one of them? Have you been fantasizing about getting a remote developer job that pays you over $100k a year and allows you to travel the world?

Luckily, that dream is quite possible. 

And that’s what this post is about. To show you practical tips for landing that remote developer job you’ve always dreamed of. 

A note of warning, though: there’s nothing magical about these tips. And they won’t be so easy. As such, if you are looking for quick fixes or shortcuts, you are better off looking elsewhere. But if you are ready and willing to put in the needed work and persist, this post is definitely for you. 

Let’s get started already. 

In-Demand Skill Sets

Before setting out to find a remote frontend developer job, you need to pick up the right skillset. Or at least decide which skill to focus on first. 

The thing is, front-end development is very wide, and the programming languages are nearly endless. React, Angular, Sass, jQuery, Vue.js, Typescript, CSS…the list is endless.  Unless you are Albert Einstein, mastering all these languages is as good as impossible. The good news is that you don’t have to. 

Just pick one or two languages and run with them. For example, you can pick React and then complement it with CSS or Sass (or both), and you are good to go. Not sure which language you can take up? Start with React. It is not only very popular but also in demand. 

Need proof? As of right now, there are over 56,000 React Developer jobs on Indeed.

With that said, here are easy, practical steps to getting a remote job as a front-end developer. 

“A goal without a plan is just a wish”….Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

What are your plans for securing that dream job? If you don’t have one yet, the tips below can help. 

Tip 1: Focus on high-paying companies

If you are going to be well-paid as a developer, the best thing to do is apply to clients willing to pay you handsomely. This set of clients understand your worth and are willing to pay you nicely. 

How do you find such clients? The key is searching for them in the right place. And one good place to start is AngelList. On AngelList, you will find lots of vetted, well-funded startups that don’t shy away from paying developers nicely. Other online platforms to find high-paying clients include Workable and Stack Overflow

Regardless of the route you choose, keep in mind that the goal is to pitch high-paying clients. These include well-funded startups, established organizations such as Salesforce, Oracle, Google, and big agencies. 

Tip 2: Know your salary expectation

Try and get a rough estimate of how much front-end developers make on average. Knowing this will help you adjust your salary expectation appropriately. Looking at different job postings, as well as websites like Glassdoor is a good idea.

Tip 3: Establish credibility to make people want to pay you more

There are lots of crappy developers out there that make finding good ones a bit hard. That said, it’s important to establish credibility as a developer to get the attention of a potential employer. In other words, a mere glance at your profile should assure a client that you are indeed a pro. 

Here’s how you can begin:

  • Contribute to discussions – both online and offline – within your industry.
  • Share your thoughts on established online directories such as Quora, Medium, Forbes, etc.
  • Share testimonials of past clients you’ve worked with on your portfolio website or social media handles.
  • Volunteer for a charity cause.

These are just a few suggestions to help you get started!

Tip 4: Target countries and cities where developers are paid well

Like real estate, location also matters a lot when it comes to landing a high-paying front-end development job. You will want to target clients located in countries and cities with a high standard of living. Vancouver, Copenhagen, London, Raleigh, are some of them. 

You should also keep your job search in countries with high demand for developers with good wages. The United States, The United Kingdom, Central Europe, Singapore, etc. are good examples. 

Tip 5: Target the right job sourcing platform

There are a ton of websites where you can find remote work. However, not all of them were created equal.  The right job sourcing platform should be able to connect you with a wide range of potential employers, and also give you the flexibility of choosing between long and short term projects, like Talent500. You could also try platforms like Upwork, AngelList, Stack Overflow Jobs, etc. 

These are platforms you will find enterprise clients looking for talent like you. 

Tip 6: Work on lots of freelance projects

You don’t necessarily need to work as a full-time developer for a company to rake in $100k a year. Chasing freelance gigs can even make you more and in a shorter time. 

Should you aim to do ten projects of $10k, five projects of $20k, or two projects of $50k a year?  Well, it all depends on how skilled you are at finding freelance projects. You can leverage websites such as X-team, Gigster, etc to find remote freelance projects. 

Alternatively, you could ask for referrals from your network. You never know where it might lead you. If those aren’t working, consider running ads on Google to market your skills. 

Tip 7: Work from cities with low taxes

One of the major benefits of remote work is that you can work from any corner of the world. Nevertheless, some countries and cities have unfavorable tax laws, and you will want to avoid them. They include Los Angeles, Washington, Illinois, Seattle, and a host of others. You might end up blowing up your earnings on taxes if you work from these cities. 

What to do?

Move abroad to tax-friendly countries to maximize your earnings. They include the Cayman Islands, Monaco, Bahamas, etc. Surprisingly, the cost of living in these places is anything but costly. 

Tip 8: Get help from established developers

What better way to become a highly paid developer than to learn from already established developers who are making it big time? 

So, we scoured the internet to find tips and advice from high-earning developers. Here are some that we found:

  • Continually invest in your development. Most importantly, invest in skills that pay.
  • Master the art of marketing your skills.
  • Get certifications.
  • Get used to doing things differently.

Tip 9: Send cold pitches to startups

Is there a startup or organization you’ve always wanted to work for? Why not send them an email introducing yourself and stating what you can do for them?

For one thing, sending cold pitches saves you the trouble of competing with other developers for a job role.  If you don’t have any particular startup in mind, head over to Crunchbase or AngelList. There, you will find a ton of companies you can pitch to, together with the contact details. 

Better yet, you can check out websites such as The Muse or Venturefizz. You will also find a list of companies you can contact for a remote job role. 

Tip 10: Attend startup events

Even though it is a remote role that you are looking for, you don’t have to keep your job search exclusively remote. It is always a good idea to connect with real people by attending startup events within or without your city. 

Attending startup events affords you the opportunity to meet with startup founders and recruiters looking for talents like you. Not sure how to find such events? 

Head over to Meetup.com or Eventbrite and plug in your city. You will find lots of upcoming events you can attend.  

Landing a high-paying remote job as a front-end developer is anything but hard or complicated. By following the tips we’ve shared in this post, you are halfway to getting one. 

Another way to get there reliably is to sign up for Talent500. Join a global network of developers, upskill efficiently, and position yourself for success amongst the top Fortune 500 companies. Get started today and sign up now!

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Girish

Girish

Girish is Talent500’s architect for systems software. His experience in backend development has helped him convert visions of many a product into reality. From his days at BITS-Pilani, he has always dreamt about beating AplhaZero at chess.

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