What actually helped you land a mid-level remote job in 2026?

I’m currently looking for a mid-level remote digital marketing role in Canada and I’m curious what’s actually working for people right now.

I have 5+ years of B2B/B2C marketing experience across email/CRM, landing pages and CRO, content/SEO, Google Ads, analytics, campaign coordination and reporting.

I’m targeting roles around $65–80k CAD, but remote positions obviously attract a ton of applicants.

For those who successfully landed a remote professional role recently: what actually made the difference?

Targeted applications? Networking? Recruiters? Portfolio/case studies? LinkedIn? Referrals? Specific skills?

And is there anything you’d do differently if you were starting your remote job search today?

Would especially appreciate recent experiences rather than generic job-search advice.