I want more people to work remotely.
I want more people to work remotely, so I’d like to try to help wherever I can. Here are more details about how to identify skills that are important to remote work (and arguably any job, really) that you probably already have.
(I’m referencing a FlexJobs article with a list of skills that are important to have in a remote work environment).
I’m currently helping a friend who is looking to get a remote role, but I told her as a first step, it may be good to get a role at a tech company. Even if it’s co-located, there will be some cross-over in necessary skills to do the job. There are pros and cons to getting into the tech world, but I won’t cover that in this post.
Working AuToNoMoUsLy
Sometimes I giggle because tech companies like to brag to candidates that they give employees plenty of autonomy to do their work. This is often code for “We don’t train on the job much. You’ll be left to fend yourself.” Yay! Autonomy.
Because you most likely won’t get the best on-the-job training, they’ll look for folks who already have the necessary skills to do this job. I’m not saying you shouldn’t apply for roles you aren’t qualified for (YOU SHOULD!), but recruiters and hiring teams are looking for candidates who have already done the same work somewhere else, knowing that they don’t have the time or resources to teach you themselves.
Your resume will have language on it that is particular to the company you work for now and may not help the recruiter understand the experience you’ve built up and how it relates to their role. If cover letters are your thing, you can spell it out for them in there, or, you could make sure your resume speaks very directly to the role and company you’re applying for. Read the company’s website and/or blog to figure out how they talk about their work. Heck, even the job description will give you plenty of clues into shared language and culture.
Sorry, back to autonomy — autonomy needs ability to be successful. If you already have the skills required for the role, then you’ll most likely be able to work autonomously.
Prep some stories about how you’ve worked on a project independently. Or even parts of a project. Or even coming up with an improvement to a process on your own. Anything like that works! You have probably worked more independently that you realize already ;)
Even when you work alone on something, you’ve still got to report back to a manager or a team lead at the end of the day. You’re held accountable for the work you did on your own. Tell the interviewer about some of the times when this came up at work.
Self-driving humans
You’ll see “self-motivated” or “self-driven” a lot in job ads for remote companies. That just means that there will be no-one physically next to you telling you when/why you have to do something, so they expect you to stay motivated while working from home or that coffee shop or hotel or whatever.
That’s the other thing about most tech companies — they’re centered around shared “core values” that they want their candidates and employees to align to. I don’t mean to make this sound icky. It makes sense… if you believe in what the company is trying to accomplish, you’ll naturally work harder because it’s important or interesting to you.
So, self-motivation is inevitable if you’re able to tie your work or the company’s work to your own personal goals and growth. That means you’re aligned with the company goals and values, and it means you’re going to have a good supply of self-motivation, which is key to working remotely.
And it’s what recruiters and hiring teams are looking for. Talk to them about how you’ve worked on a particularly challenging project. You may have had bouts of slow progress — but why? Maybe you were able to re-frame the work by talking to a manager or teammate about why and how it was going to make an impact on the company or customers. After all, your job, at any company, exists to support existing teammates or customers — one or the other! And both of those options ultimately have an impact on the business.
Maybe you feel stuck on a task, and it’s moving slowly. What kind of things would you do to get unblocked? You may take a walk — stepping away from the problem could help you see is in a different way once you return to it. You could talk to someone out loud about it — even if they don’t offer a solution, talking through something out loud can sometimes help re-frame an idea for you once it manifests out loud. In a remote environment, that could mean jumping on a video call with a teammate to brainstorm, for example.
Write and write and write
The majority of your day will be spent writing something to a teammate, a customer, a vendor — anyone. You’ll be writing A LOT in a remote environment because it’s the main method of internal communication. Many companies use chat tools like Slack to stay connected, so that the tool becomes the “office”. It will be a place where you can go to find anyone in the company and ask them for help or share info with them.
Remote companies want to know if you’re able to communicate well in written format, so the job application itself will need to be immaculate, but with a flair for that company’s specific culture. Again, the job description will give you clues into how they communicate (more casual <>more formal), so you can mimic that when you reply.
I’m not going to say it’s necessary to email back an interviewer after you’ve had a chat with them (it isn’t), but it IS a nice way to again show your written communication skills. What did you take away from the interview? What was particularly interesting to you that you learned from them about the company/the role? Why are you still excited about it? etc. These are also good questions to consider to prep for your next interview, too.
Many remote companies work across timezones, so that’s another reason why written communication is such a key skill. Even if you all happen to be in the same timezone, you will be working on different projects or have different meetings scheduled throughout the day. My point is — it isn’t always possible to get on a phone or video call with a teammate or manager because either your timezones or schedules will be wildly different.
Communicating project planning, progress, and retroactive learnings in writing is E-S-S-E-N-T-I-A-L to remote work. You probably already do this now, but you may still be relying on relaying some of that information verbally when you talk to a manager or teammate in person in the office. This happens on remote teams too, but to show hiring teams that you’re mentally prepared for this environment, you’ll want to prove that you understand how important it is to document any changes to projects, especially when decisions are made, to ensure everyone can stay aligned and knows what’s expected next.
The literal tools
Sure, you’re absolutely going to need a reliable internet connection to do remote work. You’re also going to need a comfortable environment to work in or access to one if it isn’t in your home. Some companies help with this, but you won’t have that help until you get the job, unfortunately. I’ll write another post about the tools I use for work in another post, but for now: a few tips.
For video interviews, it’s ok if you can’t use a computer. If you’re using a phone or tablet, make sure it’s propped up slightly away from you, so that the interviewer can see your shoulders and head. This is how we typically speak to each other in an office, so it’s nice to recreate it on a video call.
Before the interview (preferably much before), check your audio and video settings on the device you’ll use for the interview. Have a friend or family member call you using the software to make sure they can see and hear you clearly, too.
And of course, please, please please please, check to make sure the video chat software works properly on your device. If you check this and find that it doesn’t, reach out to the hiring team as soon as you can to let them know. You’re be proactive by telling them the truth as early as you can, so that they can make alternate arrangements for you.
You may be slightly worried if the software doesn’t work and it’s software you’ll need to use for that job, though. So, it’s good to dig into support documentation if you can’t figure it out right away (vs. asking the recruiter). And again, I feel crappy for saying this because I wouldn’t mind at all if a candidate asked me for help! But I’m not every recruiter, and I’m assuming some may like to see you figure it out on your own — it could potentially show self-motivation and problem solving after all :).
Wrapping up
I hope some of this helps you prepare for your next interview with that remote tech company. However, there’s plenty I /didn’t/ cover here, so please ask me questions in the comments so that I can post a followup later. Best of luck ❤
