For a quick definition of telecommuting, see this post.
As per the suggestion there, you can check job boards who either let you select "telecommute" instead of entering your location, or simply including the word "telecommute" in your search. But job boards alone may not be enough.
Here’s what worked for me:
Besides keeping an eye on traditional job boards, I decided to check CraigsList regularly. If you’re not familiar with CraigsList, it’s a simple classifieds site divided by region for almost anything imaginable (including Adult-related material, but that’s neither here nor there.) Finding posts outside of your region, or a selected region, is not intuitive, as browsing or searching is restricted to one region at a time. For this reason, I believed that searching for a telecommuting job on CraigsList, if I could do it intelligently, would give me an advantage. Since telecommuting *usually* allows for candidates outside of your region, you have an advantage by searching multiple regions and presenting yourself as a professional, qualified, and potentially very affordable candidate. (CraigsList describes their advantage over job boards here.)
I looked for a number of online resources for searching many or all CraigsList locations, but didn’t find anything suitable. I finally came across a Windows program called CraigsList Reader, that allows me to do exactly what I want. I selected to search all jobs (not gigs, as those are usually for short-term work, and I was after a full-time position), and locations that are either English-speaking or "Western" countries, as I wasn’t looking to compete for a third-world paycheck. I clicked "Advanced Search", entered my search term, and selected "Telecommuting" under jobs, and off we go. I also limited the results to 7 days, since I was doing this search once a week and wanted only the latest results.
The program runs in the background, and returns all relevant results. From here, you have to use common sense to decide:
- if this is appropriate for my needs – some ads specify only local candidates, required face-to-face meetings, and no offshore companies.If this is the case, don’t waste your time.
- where to send your resume – is there an e-mail or online application specified in the ad, or do you write to the auto-generated e-mail address (which forwards to the correct address).
- what subject to use on the e-mail – does the ad instruct what to use, or simply use the ad subject
- how to personalize the e-mail/cover letter – is there a company name, or other relevant information, which can make me appear that I’ve done my research, am familiar with the organization, and feel qualified for the work.
- full disclosure or get your foot in the door first – I decided to make it very clear that I was very qualified, was a US citizen who was fluent in English and familiar with US culture, but I "happened" to be in Israel. The recipient who ended up hiring me was Jewish, and this might have given me an advantage over even local candidates. Another recipient stated that he had filled the position, but that his wife was Israeli and he’d be happy to hire from Israel in the future. You might opt to simply portray yourself as very qualified, but not stress that you’d be working from Israel until you piqued their interest.
- to include more information – as with any job post, you should read it carefully to see what "extra" information to include, such as resume, portfolio, samples, blog, LinkedIn profile, salary expectation, salary history, and references.
You can also use this program to search the "gigs" for short-term work, but remember that you may be competing with Indians and other non-local freelancers who can easily outbid you, so make sure to focus on your benefits.
Be persistent, accommodating, professional, and excellent.
Good luck!