Before I Tell Someone To Apply, I Check This First

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

• This week’s hot & vetted remote roles

• The four questions that matter

• Why most people skip this entirely

• What actually gets you interviews

Hi Freedom Seeker,

You know that moment when you're scrolling through job postings and you find something that looks good? Like... really good. And you're about to send it to someone or apply yourself, and then you just... stop.

Because you're thinking, "Wait. Is this actually real?"

That's the feeling I get with most remote job postings. And honestly, I've learned to trust that feeling.

So before I ever tell a client "this is worth applying to," I run through a quick mental checklist. Takes like two minutes. But it saves them from applying to jobs that'll go absolutely nowhere.

Here's what I actually check.

🚀 Weekly Vetted Remote Job Picks

IS IT ACTUALLY REMOTE?

This one kills me because it's so obvious but nobody does it. You see "remote" in the title and you stop reading. But then you get to the third paragraph and there's... fine print.

"Remote in California." Okay, so it's not remote. It's local with a work-from-home option.

Or "occasional office visits required." How occasional? Once a month? Every other week? Because that changes everything.

Or my favorite: "Remote*" with an asterisk and then buried somewhere it says you need to be in a specific timezone during business hours. Which... kind of defeats the whole remote thing, doesn't it?

I literally just look for the location restrictions. If they're clear about "fully remote, anywhere in the US" or "remote, must overlap 4 hours with Eastern time"—cool. That's honest. But if it's vague or has asterisks? I'm already skeptical.

IS IT ACTIVELY HIRING?

This is where people waste the most time, I think. They apply to jobs that are... kind of dead. The posting's been up for two months. Or it got posted, filled, then reposted three weeks later. Or it's just a "we're always looking for talent" type situation.

I check the posting date. If it's less than a week old, they're probably actively reviewing. If it's older than two weeks? They probably have enough applications already or stopped looking.

Then I look at whether the company's actually responding to people. Like, can I find any signs that they move fast? Do their other postings get updated? Is there activity? Or does it feel like a black hole?

You know that feeling. You apply somewhere and you're just... gone. Nothing. Not even a rejection. That's usually a dead posting.

IS IT A GOOD FIT?

Here's where I get honest. Not just "do you meet the requirements" but like... would you actually want this job?

Because I've seen people apply to things that look good on paper but the actual day-to-day would make them miserable. And then they get frustrated when they land it and realize it sucks.

So I read the job description and ask myself: Does this person actually want to do this work? Or are they just desperate?

If they're desperate, that shows up in interviews. Companies can tell.

But if it's a real fit? They interview differently. They care about whether the company's a good match. They ask better questions. They come across as someone who's making a choice, not begging for an opportunity.

IS IT WORTH THE TIME?

Last one. And this is the gate-keeper question for me.

You're gonna spend an hour customizing your resume and writing a cover letter for this job. Is there actually a decent chance they're hiring? That they'll respond? That if they offer it, you'd take it?

Because if the answer to any of those is "probably not"... why are you doing it?

I'm not trying to be harsh. But your time's limited. And most people waste it applying to jobs that were never gonna work out anyway.

So I check: Is the company legit? Will they actually hire? Am I excited about this or just applying because it exists?

If I can't say yes to all three... it's not worth suggesting.

THE THING ABOUT THIS

Most people don't do this filtering. They just apply to everything. Spam applications to 50 jobs and hope something sticks.

But here's what I've noticed: People who apply to fewer jobs but actually good ones? They get more interviews. And better interviews.

Because they're not exhausted from applying to garbage. They're actually interested in the roles they're pursuing. And companies feel that difference.

WANT THIS FILTER BUILT INTO YOUR SEARCH?

The 1:1 Job Search Partnership means I do this checking for you. Every week you get opportunities I've already vetted. I'm asking these four questions so you don't have to.

Here's what you get:
✅ Only jobs that are actually remote
✅ Companies that are actively hiring
✅ Roles that are actually good fits
✅ Time saved on dead ends

No more applying to garbage. No more hoping something sticks. Just real opportunities that might actually work.

Reply with "VETTED JOBS" and stop wasting time on jobs that go nowhere.

Until next week,
Sami

P.S. If you've applied to 20 jobs and heard back from none... you're probably applying to the wrong 20. Not your fault. Just means you need better filtering.


Interested in getting your product/ remote job offering in front of highly engaged remote workers?

Advertise With Us