Ask HN: Tips for getting your first remote gig?

[godinaa]

I've been applying to remote gigs since August of last year, and I have yet to get very far. My fear is the applicant pool is simply too large, so I will need to find something to set me apart. Still, it seems like most companies don't want to talk unless I have remote experience.

Do you have suggestions on how best to present yourself to remote companies when you have no experience with remote?

[mtnGoat]

As someone who manages a number of remote employees currently and dozens over the years. Hiring someone with no remote experience can be painful and a gamble. A lot of applicants on their first go or two, think its a ticket to screw around all day and work in coffeeshops and other such "4-hour work week", "digital nomad" type fairy tales. Most don't realize its just like going to an office, you have to be available, communicate well and get shit done. Frankly, I expect more from my remotes then I do my in-house because they have fewer distractions and no commute.

Yea, its hard to find a position, and if someone takes the gamble on you... try to take it seriously. Blowing it off makes it harder for those that will come after you.

good luck with the search.

[Joof]

1. Would open source work help? 2. I was homeschooled (read: self-taught in grade school), my work ethic primarily kicks in at home. How can I use this to help me land an interview?

[gnur]

Communicate that you are self-taught in grade school and that your work ethic primarily kicks in at home ;).

Perhaps you need to find some different words, but a strong motivation with your application helps miles in getting a job.

[paulcole]

> Frankly, I expect more from my remotes then I do my in-house because they have fewer distractions and no commute.

Do you pay them more, too?

[phaus]

Since you have experience with remote employees, perhaps you can answer a couple of questions.

Do people usually mention on their resume when a position was remote? What about part time remote? I have a job where on an official basis its not a remote position at all, but we end up working from home a few days a month. When I work from home, its a full 11 hour shift just like any of my days in the office. I'm looking for a job with 50%+ remote work due to my long commute and some personal issues making my presence at home vital.

What would someone like me do to give employers the impression that, while I don't have a permanent full-time remote gig on my resume, I'm fully capable and experienced at being productive for full-length remote work days?

[leetbulb]

> Frankly, I expect more from my remotes then I do my in-house because they have fewer distractions and no commute.

Been working remote for 6+ years and I agree. I can work hard as hell because of this... It's great!

[techsin101]

I'm interested in remote... Will work 20/hr for test period if need be. Frontend and nodejs. Nyc

[k_vi]

My last startup failed and I was actively seeking some remote work so I could have some time to work on personal projects and pay my bills. Even after one month I never got any offers, mostly because people couldn't trust me(had no blog, no social media. just an old GitHub profile).

I applied for several fixed-price jobs from UpWork and Freelancer(mostly preferred UpWork). Clients were generally happy with my work but hated the tiring process.

Luckily one of the projects did really well and I took up the offer to work with the client full time. I still work with the same client, love the work, the pay is really good(considering my PPP-India) and I get enough time to work on my side projects.

Soon after UpWork decided to suspend my account, never fought back even though I knew I did nothing wrong.

Now when I say I have previous remote work experience I generally get a good response.

[itamarst]

I talk about this a bit in my book (https://codewithoutrules.com/saneworkweek/).

Basically, you want to demonstrate:

1. You can work independently.

2. Good communication skills.

Easiest way is, as dyeje says, get that first remote position at current job.

Lacking that, you can highlight both ability to work independently and communication skills in your resume and cover letter in a variety of ways. Previous remote work is easiest way, but there others. For example, "I contributed to open source project", "I worked with distributed team at work", "I taught this class", "I designed this project end-to-end", "I helped customers debug problems remotely", etc..

Make sure to call these things out explicitly near the top: readers won't necessarily see them if they're buried in third paragraph of second page.

[wredej]

You should take a look at the open jobs at GitLab as they are 100% remote and have an amazing culture. I used to work there and had no previous remote experience and would say most of the company didn't either. It has since made it much easier to be considered for remote or full remote because of that experience. A warning though, when I left for another role where I had to go to an office, I greatly underestimated the re-adjustment period and am basically ruined for life for "traditional jobs". I just hate how people are judged for what time you come in and leave, instead of actual black and white contributions. Here is a link to their open roles: https://about.gitlab.com/jobs/

[marcTPA]

I'm 100% remote since 5 years now. I rolled into it by relocating and having my biggest client OK'ing me working from abroad. This still seems to be the easiest way to convert to being a remote employee to me, build trust with a company IRL and ask to relocate.

After that contract stopped I applied to about 20 jobs from job boards such as Weworkremotely and Remoteok with the proposition that I could work with them on a freelance base. I got only one callback out of those, did a technical interview and started working with them.

Since then I've switched several times, it gets easier as you build a network of people working remotely that can give you a tip once a position opens up and that will vouch for you.

[icc97]

I second this - it really helps to be on good terms knowing the client by having worked in the same location for a while before starting something.

Remote work relies a lot on trust.

I'm about to leave a startup after 9 years where I've been remote for the entire time of their existance. I've only visited their office twice (but daily standups via video). I had the benefit that I was friends with one of the founders and all the other founders went to the same University as me. But there's definitely been some difficult moments that were made worse by being remote.

[itomato]

Employers want to be sure you're not out surfing on their dime.

The top things I look for in a remote resource is a person who can solve a tough problem in a concise fashion and an ability to show their work in a team setting.

Inexperienced workers may not have cultivated the discipline required for remote work and don't receive the benefit of the doubt.

If you really want to work remotely, mention your willingness and desire to embrace those ways of working - namely ways of holding you accountable; Hangouts/Zoom/Skype/Bluejeans what have you.

Even better, if I were trying to get started I'd get on Twitch and start building a community around what I know or interests me; live-coding, group problem solving (for the fun of it), and talking that up on social media.

One or two successful "conferences" with a few notable attendees should make a name for yourself.

[dylanhassinger]

online portfolio

github with code samples

blog about what you're learning, then post them on HN

do some small freelance jobs (even if they're cheap or volunteer) to gather work experience and references

start a youtube channel

[dyeje]

For me, I worked at a company's office then transitioned to remote later. Makes it easier because you already have trust built up in the organization.

[senatorobama]

Did they have a remote only program?

[dyeje]

Some remote workers, but not definitely not the norm.

[amorphid]

These are general statements:

- be good enough that someone wants to hire you no matter where you live

- be good enough to get a 2nd remote gig if the first one flames out

[bdcravens]

Codementor.com can be a good starting point.

[evex]

it's codementor.io