₦airaland Forum

I see a lot of posts here about remote jobs, and one thing I think many people overlook is that remote work is not only about software development.

There are remote roles now in marketing, customer support, operations, community management, research, content writing, sales, finance and many other areas. The difficult part is usually finding companies that are actually open to hiring internationally.

For anyone looking, a few places worth checking regularly are:

* LinkedIn Jobs – probably the most obvious, but still useful if you filter properly.

* Wellfound – particularly useful for startups and smaller tech companies.

Company career pages directly – sometimes jobs appear there before they get reposted everywhere else.

One industry I think Nigerians should pay more attention to for remote work is crypto/Web3.

And no, you don't necessarily need to be a trader or blockchain developer.

Crypto companies still need normal business functions like SEO, social media, partnerships, customer service, content writing, design, compliance, operations, research and community management.

I was looking through some crypto companies recently and noticed that many of the larger exchanges hire internationally for different roles. MEXC is one example, but you can also look at companies like Binance, Coinbase, Kraken and other Web3 startups.

One thing I would recommend before applying to any company is actually understanding what their product does.

For example, if you're applying for a marketing, content or customer support position at a crypto exchange, you should at least understand things like:

* What BTC/USDT means
* Difference between spot and futures
* How an order book works
* Market orders vs limit orders
* Basic crypto terminology

You don't even have to put money into anything to learn this.

For example, you can open something like the Bitcoin BTC/USDT market on MEXC and just spend some time looking through the interface. Look at the chart, order book and buy/sell section and try to understand what everything means.

Same thing if you're applying to other industries.

Applying to a SaaS company? Try their software.

Applying to an e-commerce company? Go through their website and understand their customer journey.

Applying to fintech? Understand how their product works and how the company makes money.

I think this is something many applicants underestimate.

Imagine two people applying for a content role at a crypto exchange.

One person just says, "I'm good at writing and social media."

The other person understands Bitcoin, knows the difference between spot and futures, has looked through the company's product and can suggest three content ideas based on what they found.

Even if both have similar experience, the second person already has something useful to talk about during the interview.

Don't Just Spam Applications

I used to think the best approach was simply applying to as many opportunities as possible, but I'm starting to think targeted applications make much more sense.

Instead of sending the same CV to 100 companies, I would rather:

1. Pick one or two industries that interest me.
2. Learn the basics of those industries.
3. Build one useful skill around them.
4. Update my CV and LinkedIn around that skill.
5. Research each company before applying.
6. Have something to show them.

That last point is especially important.

If you're a writer, have writing samples.

If you're in marketing, create a small marketing case study.

If you're a designer, have a portfolio.

If you're a developer, have GitHub projects.

If you're interested in crypto, write a few articles or research pieces explaining concepts properly.

You don't necessarily need a previous job title to demonstrate that you understand something.

### Remote Work Also Means Competing Globally

The downside of remote work is that you're no longer only competing against people in Lagos, Abuja or Port Harcourt.

You're potentially competing against applicants from India, the Philippines, Eastern Europe, Latin America and everywhere else.

That's why I don't think simply having a degree and saying "I'm hardworking" is enough anymore.

You need to give companies a reason to choose you.

Sometimes that reason can be surprisingly simple: you understand their industry, you've actually used their product, and you can demonstrate a useful skill from day one.

Be Careful With Remote Job Scams

Obviously, there are also plenty of scams using the words "remote job" to attract people.

Personally, I'd immediately be suspicious if someone:

* asks you to pay money before getting the job;
* promises unrealistic salaries for extremely basic work;
* communicates only through Telegram or WhatsApp with no company email;
* refuses to tell you the actual company name;
* asks you to deposit money or buy crypto as part of the recruitment process.

Always check the actual company website and career page before sending sensitive information.

And especially with crypto companies, learning about the product does NOT mean you need to deposit money or start trading.

You can understand how Bitcoin trading works just by looking through platforms, reading documentation and watching educational content.

My Take

I think Nigerians actually have a pretty good opportunity with remote work because there are a lot of talented people here, especially in marketing, tech, design, sales and customer support.

But instead of only searching "remote jobs Nigeria", it might be better to choose an industry first and then search within that industry.

Crypto/Web3 is one option.

SaaS is another.

Fintech, e-commerce, AI and cybersecurity are also worth exploring.

The main thing is to become someone who understands the industry rather than someone who is simply looking for any remote job available.

Would be interesting to hear from people here who already work remotely for foreign companies.

What do you do, where did you find the opportunity, and how long did it take you to land your first remote role?