This Remote Life

If you're searching for a remote job, you've likely spent hours tweaking your resume, sending out applications, and networking on LinkedIn. What if the best opportunities come directly to you instead?That's where headhunters come in.Check out our free guide to learn more about how to attract headhunters for remote jobs - we dig much more into this topic to help you open up new doors for your remote career.

In this episode, I talk about why is remote work dying in 2025? Yes, I am sad to report that the number of people working full-time from home is reducing year on year. I talk about why this is happening and what you can do to increase your chances of landing a remote job in 2025 and beyond. Sign up to my freeremote working newsletter here.

Rather than focusing all your time on remote job boards, spend some time to reach out and to companies you'd like to work for. The strategy I am going to talk through today will help you create remote job opportunities rather than waiting for your dream job to appear. Don't forget to sign up to my free monthly remote working newsletter which is sent out to over 1000 remote job seekers.

The fierce competition and standing out require more than just a polished resume. Whether you're looking for greater flexibility, a better work-life balance, or the freedom to work from anywhere. In this podcast episode, we offer practical advice you can implement immediately. The full transcript for this episode can be found in the article on how to get noticed for remote jobs.

Today, I woke up and needed to record this podcast episode. If you're subscribed to my podcast on any channel, please listen. It's an important message and only 2 minutes long. I hope this episode motivates and inspires you to live your best life.

This is a very short, off-the-cuff episode of the Remote Hive podcast. As a remote work coach, I ask a few questions before spending any time working with a client, and the response determines if I work with them or not. You can tell a lot about a person by a few thought-provoking questions, and it's easy enough to see if they're an action taker or not. What kind of remote job seeker are you? As mentioned in this episode, I have a free quick guide available to my email subscribers. It teaches you the essential tasks before applying for a remote job, and is meant as a compliment to your application process. All you have to do is subscribe to my free newsletter for remote job seekers, and once you confirm your email address, you'll be sent to download this and other free guides.

Sorry to hear you're stuck in your remote job search. It can be frustrating when your efforts don't yield the expected results. Do not give up, though; learning and improving each application you submit is vital. Job hunting can be long, especially when looking for something specific, like a remote role. It's important not to lose heart. Keep applying and learning from any feedback you receive. Read this full guide if you are stuck in your remote job search - it goes into more detail and offers more strategies and ideas.

Remote Job Application Hacks: How to Stand Out in a Competitive Market Standing out is crucial when applying for a remote job due to the sheer volume of applicants competing for each position. As remote work has grown in popularity, it has attracted a diverse and highly skilled workforce worldwide, making the competition even more intense. By distinguishing yourself from other candidates, you increase your chances of getting noticed by potential employers, leading to more interviews and, ultimately, better job offers. Check out the Ultimate Remote Job Checklist and get a 50% discount. Read this episode's podcast notes and learn more.

Throughout your career, you might have experience in two or more roles, and when applying for remote jobs in these roles, you save time by sending the same resume. You then find yourself getting frustrated because of the rejection emails or no response at all. This is an issue I have experienced myself because my career started off working in payroll to then progressed toward more technical roles.  When I started searching for remote jobs, I used the same resume for every application, no matter what role I was applying for. Now, this is not an intelligent move.  Firstly, applying for different roles adds complexity and time to the application process because you must tailor your resume to each job. I learned quickly that I needed to choose one role and focus on that for 3-6 months. It was easy; I chose Quality Assurance because it had a mix of skills I had experienced within previous roles. For many, though, the decision is more of a challenge.  In this episode, I talk about how to decide which role to focus on when applying for a remote job. Check out the Remote Hive podcast show notes, as mentioned in the episode.

In this episode, we answer why I can't get a remote job? As well as delving into the common pitfalls many applicants face. Darren shares valuable insights and personal experiences to help you easily navigate the remote job market. Learn about remote job seekers' top mistakes and get actionable tips to set yourself apart from the competition. Tune in as he demystifies remote job applications and equips you with the tools to land your dream remote position. Don't miss this essential episode to nailing the remote job application process and jumpstarting your remote career! Ask a question, and I will answer in a future episode. Read my remote job guides to help you succeed.

Every Monday, the Remote Hive Podcast will be entering your ears! It's been a while since my last episode, and I am excited to be back and bringing you more great content. In this episode, I'll be answering a listener's question about remote job boards. Finding remote jobs can be challenging, especially if you're unsure where to look. From my experience working with remote job seekers, most focus their time on the big job boards and LinkedIn, but there are specific sites for remote jobs and even specific roles. Within the episode, I mentioned a few resources: Ask a question that I will answer in a future episode. https://theremotehive.com/ask/ Unveiling the Top Remote Job Boards to Land Your Next Work-From-Home Job in 2023 and Beyond https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/unveiling-top-remote-job-boards-land-your-next-2023-beyond-cronian/?trackingId=sQikfDgPTpK%2F9EUitT6R%2FQ%3D%3D Subscribe to my free weekly email called the Hive https://theremotehive.com/subscribe/ My goal with this podcast is to offer experienced advice and strategies to help you land a remote job. Every Monday, I will create a new episode that will be for 10-15 minutes long. It's a solo show, but I will add interviews once a month in the near future.

Something a little different this week. I sit down in my Seoul apartment and talk about the pros and cons of being a digital nomad. I hope this episode is thought provoking if you're thinking about working remotely and travelling the world. Don't forget to subscribe to the Hive email at https://theremotehive.com/subscribe/

In this episode, I go through a strategy that has worked for me and others when trying to secure a remote job. Most applicants will do the bare minimum but it's your time to shine. Don't forget to sign up to my free, weekly email called the Hive where I share more advice to help you find and land your perfect remote job. Sign up at https://theremotehive.com/subscribe/

In this episode I answer a popular question, why can't I get a remote job? It's a tough question to answer because there are many factors at play. I dig into a few of the reasons though. Please subscribe to my free email, the Hive where I help people secure a remote job so they can escape the office permanently. Subscribe at https://theremotehive.com/subscribe/

At the time of writing, it has been 7 years since I quit my office job to work remotely and travel. I secured 4 remote jobs with medium-sized companies to a Fortune 500 company during this time. Here's what I learned from 7 years of applying for remote jobs.

In this episode of the Remote Hive podcast, I offer advice on how to make your cover letter stand out when applying for remote jobs in 2022. Listen to the end and do the exercise to improve your cover letter and increase your chances of getting interviews.

We're getting ready to relaunch the Remote Hive Podcast at TRH Studios (my kitchen) and you need to listen to this podcast episode

A raw and real episode where I talk why I suck at being an entrepreneur. You will fail. You will make mistakes but to be successful you have to learn. In this episode I share where I've gone wrong and offer some advice from my own experiences.

In this episode, Darren shares advice on how to make difficult decisions, based on his own experiences. Aged 38, he decided to quit his job and employer of 24 years to work remotely and travel. It was the biggest decision he has made in his life so far, and the tasks covered in the episode helped him make this decision. You can listen to more episodes at the Remote Hive podcast here.

In this episode of the Remote Hive podcast, Darren shares his experiences with dealing with the fear of failure both in life and on remote job interviews. Sit down, and listen to his stories and coaching a listener who is struggling in interviews. Visualise any negative outcomes from the interview and write them down. When you read your fears down, it helps to tackle them head on.

Millions of people are working from home for the very first time due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It is important to keep yourself motivated and productive while working from home. There are many distractions that will stop you from working and when you are working in isolation it can be difficult to focus on the work and instead procrastinate. Within the show notes for the Remote Hive Podcast, you will find all of the links mentioned in this show.

In this episode of the Remote Hive podcast, I share the Pros & Cons of Remote Contracting Jobs Vs Freelancing. You might be surprised to learn that when I quit my job and employer of 24 years, the thought of contracting was not in my plans. Initially, I thought I would just freelance for different companies and do this while travelling. It wasn’t until a friend reached out to me about an opportunity with a US company that I discovered how common this was.

In this episode of the Remote Hive Podcast, Darren answers 10 common remote working questions that are asked by coaching clients and readers. Transitioning from working in the office to remote work runs smoother when you are informed. Often the biggest challenge is knowing how to get started and these are common questions asked. Whether you are looking to continue as an employee, but work from home, or, your focus is on working with freelance clients, these questions will help you get started and become a successful remote worker.

Having applied for numerous remote jobs and also coaching clients, these are the more common reasons why you are not getting a remote job. These are the mistakes that many people make. The fact is most applicants do the bear minimum to apply for a job and you need to put more effort in and stand out to increase your chances of being successful. The show notes for this episode can be found on the Remote Hive podcast page

In this episode, Darren shares his experiences dealing with health and money as a digital nomad. He shares what you need to know and think about before quitting your job to work remotely and travel. Darren also answers the popular question about tax and healthcare while travelling around the world. You can find links to all of the resources in the episode on the Remote Work show notes on the website.

Before you think about business names, creating a website, or, how you are going to make money, these are 3 must do tasks. Don’t do these tasks and your business will fail. Why? Your audience should be in the front of your mind whenever you make any decisions on your business. All of these tasks will help you get started creating your business plan and thinking about how you are going to attract an audience. In this episode of the Remote Hive Podcast, Darren shares his three must do tasks to complete before starting an online business.

In this episode, Darren is interviewed for a virtual event on how to get remote work. The host, Lotte, asks a series of questions about his experiences when looking to land a remote job and some of the mistakes made. It's important to be creative and stand out to be successful and in the episode, some ideas on how this can be done are revealed. You can find out more about the virtual event at https://howtogetremotework.com

Millions of people from around the world will soon be working from home for the first time, due to the spread of Covid-19 (also known as CoronaVirus). Having worked from home and remotely for over five years, it was important for me to share some of the challenges and tasks that you might want to address. Working remotely isn’t as simple as taking a laptop home and connecting to the internet. There’s a huge mindset change that needs to happen. Hopefully, your employer will have a work from home policy or a process to help employees transition into remote workers. It’s also hoped that employers are flexible, trusting and embrace this style of working. In this episode of the Remote Hive podcast, you will learn my 10 tips to working from home due to Covid 19 (CoronaVirus). Links to resources in this podcast can be found at https://hivevine.com/podcast

In this episode, Darren shares productivity hacks to supercharge your work day and make you a more productive remote worker.  He focuses on 3 hacks that have helped him become more productive within his business and increase the amount of content he's publishing to increase his audience.  All of the tools featured in this episode can be found in the show notes at hivevine.com/podcast 

With the Coronavirus in the news, the topic of this week's post was chosen. In the episode, I share the precautions that I'll be taking when heading to Thailand which is one of the countries impacted with the virus. I also share 7 essential travel safety tips for Digital Nomads. Travel creates memories that last a lifetime, and while these are mostly positive experiences, they can also be negative. Most of the time it is common sense but these tips need to remind people of the dangers. Show notes can be found at hivevine.com/podcast/

Starting out as a freelancer can be tough and one of the challenges we all have to overcome is how to find your first client and how much to charge them. In this episode, I cover both topics from a listener question and request.  Freelancing gives you complete freedom and flexibility because you say when you work and what rate of pay you can command.  There are some things you must know about when it comes to finding your first freelance client so please listen to the podcast episode if this topic interests you!  The show notes can be found at hivevine.com/podcast along with the last few other episodes of the show. 

In this episode, Darren discusses his lessons learned from 5 years of Working Remotely while travelling the world.  For one person to quit a well-paid, secure job of 24 years, is a brave decision, especially when the future is so unknown.  To also travel around the world solo, as well as trying to figure out how to make a living from working remotely is a huge decision.  For many, this journey would be too scary, but, for one man, it was his dream and he took action to make the dream become reality.  All of the links and resources mentioned in this episode can be found in the show notes for ep22. at hivevine.com/podcast/ 

In this episode, Darren shares his experiences and offers 4 hacks to find a remote job in 2020. What many people don't realise is that the competition is fierce for remote jobs and you could be up against hundreds of people across the world. It's incredibly important to stand out and be creative when it comes to applying for roles. Lots of advice to help you land a remote job. Check out the show notes at hivevine.com/21

One of the lessons I have learnt in 2019, is that it's important to invest in yourself in 2020.  This year, for the first time, I spent money on my own personal development and felt this helped me a lot this year.  Without this investment, I really doubt that I'd be at the situation where I am today, with coaching clients, a live website, podcast and YouTube channel.  You don't have to spend as much as I did, but it's important you are multi-skilled, especially if you are applying for a remote job, freelancing or building an online business.  Interested if anyone reads this information. If you do, drop me a message AND quote the podcast.  I'll give 1 hour free training to the first 3 people who contact me. 

Getting sued is not a nice experience and in this episode I share my story of how I was sued and the things I learnt from this experience.  Please note that none of this is legal advice, but an opportunity to share my experience and the lessons learned so you do not make the same mistakes. After spending 4 amazing days in Venice, I returned home to be instantly served with papers from the high court in London for $50,000 libel damages. Listen to the story and how I dealt with the situation.  This episode is sponsored by Hivevine.com, a learning community for those that want to quit their 9-to-5 job to work remotely and travel. 

In this episode, Darren talks about the final steps in his 12-step exit strategy that resulted in him successfully quitting his 9-5 job of 24 years to work and travel the world. Talking about the type of remote work you can do while travelling, building your side hustle and networking. We also delve into the truth about making money online and how difficult it is.

In this episode, I talk about the first task you must do before starting an online business. It's important that you move forward and be an action taker, rather than spending months creating a business plan and all the subsequent plans you have to create. Instead follow my solution, get to know your business, audience and move forward. This is a bonus episode with audio taken from my soon to launch YouTube channel.

In this episode, Darren shares 4 must take steps before quitting your 9-to-5 job to work remotely and travel the world.  This is the 2nd in a 3 part series.  Thinking about the skills analysis, including employment, passions and skills that you need to learn.  The last episode (Ep. 16) goes through helping you make the decision if remote working is right for you.  ExpressVPN is the website of the week, and you can subscribe to the Hive and receive your free copy of the guide '12-Steps to Quitting your 9-5 Job to Work and Travel Yes, it's Free!

In this episode, I answer the question should I quit my job to work and travel without a Plan and delve into the initial steps of my exit strategy that was used to transition from my 9-to-5 job of 24 years to work remotely and travel. The first stage is realising if remote working is right for you and I talk through the tasks that you need to go through to help you make the decision. This lifestyle is not for everyone and you could impact your life financially and emotionally if you quit a well paid job with a good pension to live a life that you do not like. To download my FREE GUIDE, 12-Steps to Quitting Your Job to Work and Travel subscribe to the Hive, my monthly email.

In this weeks episode of The Remote Hive, Darren shares some of the common fears of quitting a job to work and travel based on discussions with coaching clients. You will have to overcome a lack of confidence, self doubt and mindset issues to transition into a remote worker who travels. It's important that you have a plan and the exit strategy so that you can overcome the fears and shift your mindset into a more positive outlook.

In this bonus episode, I talk through 4 signs it's time to quit your 9-to-5 Job. It's important that you make an informed decision when quitting your job and plan the transition into a remote worker who travels. My main reason for creating this episode is that I still find it bewildering that I spent 24 years working 9-5 and not once realising that changed needed to be made to my life. If you are seeing these same signs then it's time to wake up from the slumber and start to plan your future goals and aspirations. Check out hivevine.com, a learning community to help people transition from the 9-5 to working remotely and travelling. Free advice and coaching packages available.

In this episode, I offer some ideas and tips on how to live with a lack of job security when you quit your 9-5 job. It's a fear that many face when making the decision to quit their job. It's a mindset shift and there are some tasks which will make you worry less about how insecure it can be when you are relying on clients hiring you and paying promptly, or, customers buying your products. This fear should not stop you from working towards your goal though of quitting your 9-5 job to work and travel. Let's be honest, you do not want to have to spend all of your time worrying about this otherwise you will ruin the experience and end up leaving this lifestyle behind. Today's episode is sponsored by Hivevine.com, which is a learning community to help you transition from the 9-5 job to working remotely.

In today's episode, it's time for some real talk, and I talk about the struggles of running an online business. Focusing more on the challenges and first impressions after what is only two months. Working 9-5 in an office for a company or, even a remote job, is much less stressful than running an online business but the potential is huge to change people's lives and also your own. Why build someone else's empire when you can build your own. As a new small business owner you have to realise that content, and networking is huge, when you have no marketing budget, and even if you do have a budget, you need to know what you are doing or you could waste thousands of pounds on non performing ads. This episode of the podcast was sponsored by Hivevine.com and a lot of new content has been added, so go check out my tips for remote working because we've started to create lots of written articles.

Here are four money saving tips and my story of how I saved £10,000 in 12 months using these techniques. You have to make sacrifices to save money and transition from working the 9-5 to become a remote worker, either to work from home or while travelling. Not having enough money is the reason why many people continue to live life in the comfort zone and not the life that they want. SUBSCRIBE TO THE VINE - a FREE monthly email that offers exclusive content on remote working, freelancing and building an online business. Sign up today and keep a look out in your inbox.

In this episode, we take a look at 10 side hustle ideas to make money online. Creating a side hustle will help you save money so you can eventually quit your job to become a remote worker, or, give you the opportunity to learn a new skill that will make you more employable. What is a side hustle? Basically, it's a job you do on top of your 9-5, corporate job, in the evening, weekend or whenever you have any spare time. We go into detail what the best ideas are and why you might be able to take advantage of them. As usual this episode is sponsored by Hivevine.com, a learning community for people who want to transition from the 9-5 life to being a remote working at home or while travelling the world.

In this week's episode of This Remote Life, I share what are the 3 biggest mistakes to avoid when finding remote jobs. It's important to realise that you have a global audience applying for remote jobs, compared when you apply for a local job, only people who live within the city will apply. Take time to show case your skills, network with people who can help you find a remote job and be pro-active when it comes to the search. If you would like to receive my FREE guide on how to find a remote job,, please subscribe to The Vine, a free monthly email to help people transition from the 9-5 and corporate life to becoming a remote worker. Send your questions for future episodes to hello [at] hivevine.com to get them answered.

After a week break, I am back with a new episode, and today the topic is the importance of a daily routine. Being productive and having a work-life balance is important as a remote worker so you can be productive in work but also have the time to enjoy your passions and interests in life. In the episode, I discuss about why it's important and also what experiences I've had transitioning after quitting my job and employer of 24 years to a remote worker who travels around the world. Also in the episode, I also three really important questions, so please listen to the end. This episode is sponsored by Hivevine.com, a learning community that helps people transition to remote working.

In today's episode, we go through why remote working is so hard and take a look at the solutions to some of the issues that remote workers face. The reason for focusing on the negative aspect of remote work is so you are forewarned and can plan for these events as they are mistakes that many people make when they are starting out either as a freelancer, contractor or building their online business. Please take a moment to check out my new learning community, called Hivevine which helps people transition from the 9-5 life to becoming a remote worker.

While the title of today's episode might sound dramatic and clickbait, it's not.  Quitting My Job Saved My Life.  The story I share is the truth and had I not changed my lifestyle who knows what future I would have had. Listen to the episode, there are some fantastic pieces of advice, especially when answering listen questions on remote working.

If you are struggling to make the decision to quit your job to become a remote worker, in today's episode I talk about five benefits of working from home. Also in this episode, I talk about the general cost of living for Hong Kong, one of the world's most expensive cities. Finally, I answer two questions from listeners which are worth listening to the end for.

In this episode, I take offer some tips on how to make the decision to quit a job based on my own experiences doing exactly this. It'll be one of the biggest decisions that you will make in your life and it's important that you make the right decision for you. The last thing you want to do is quit a job, become a remote worker, travel and realise that you hate it. It's not a decision that you should take lightly and it needs thought and planning.