A Handy Guide For Finding a Remote Job and Getting Hired

“The flexibility of remote work has been a game-changer for me. It’s enabled me to take care of personal responsibilities while still excelling in my professional role.” – Jignesh Gondaliya, a Full-stack Developer, Deployed via Uplers to a Real Estate company

Like Jignesh, several Indian talents prefer remote working due to its flexibility and freedom. The ability to build a successful career and manage a healthy personal life is the dream of every talent, and that is exactly what remote work offers. Uplers conducted a market research exercise, to understand what Indian talents prefer while looking for jobs. The survey covered hundreds of talents and asked them about their choices between startups and global organizations, finding a remote job, hybrid or on-site opportunities, and their career-based priorities while choosing a job. We found out that for remote vs hybrid/onsite jobs, Indian talents have the following preference:

• 58% of Indian talents prefer remote working even at 10% lesser salary salary
• 69% prefer at the same salary
• 91% prefer at 10% higher salary

Even in a remote setting, Indian talents look for career growth, opportunity to work on desired skill sets, and learning and development initiatives while choosing an employer. These revelations are very useful for both global and Indian employers, but it is important to understand that even they have certain expectations while sourcing talents.

In this blog, we will discuss the attributes which recruitment teams and hiring managers look for while hiring remote talents, and how you can find and prepare for a suitable remote opportunity.

What Employers Are Looking For in Remote Talents

The biggest value which global employers desire in their cross-border employees is that considering remote a responsibility. It is very crucial for talents to understand their role in the company and make full use of their capabilities in a distributed setup. The distance should not be an obstacle, and the employee must execute all their tasks and sync with the team seamlessly. With this point in mind, here are a few attributes that talents must have before finding a remote job for better chances of selection:

Tech savvy

Technology is the heart of remote working, as people sync up and execute tasks with the help of internet-based tools. Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Google Chat for communication, Zoom or Meet for video conferencing, Trello or ClickUp for project management – these are some popular tools companies use. Familiarize yourself with these tools before joining a company so you can get started immediately with minimum hand holding.

Independent

Remote employees work from the comfort of their home, café, or a beach, whatever suits them. However, this also means that they are responsible for their tasks and timely submission of reports. Talents who can work independently on a project and require minimal follow ups, have an upper hand while finding a remote job.

GitLab, who recently hired via Uplers, puts a lot of emphasis on individual ownership in a remote setting. They give their people the freedom to work from anywhere, anytime, and only seek positive impact.

“We measure success based on results, not hours worked” – Wayne Haber, Director of Engineering, GitLab

Efficient communicator

Clarity in the messaging in every channel is extremely crucial for seamless collaboration in a remote setup. Hence, it is essential for applicants to be familiar with online modes of communication and its etiquette. Candidates who are adept at using those tools and understand remote communication values (clarity in messaging, calling when necessary, cc-ing stakeholders in emails) have an upper hand over those who are new to this setup. Async communication is very important in a remote work environment, and all team members must be able to share their ideas and update each other on tasks while respecting the timezones and work hours. 

Culturally-aligned

Every company has a unique working culture as per their values and ethics. As per Twilio’s Talent Researcher Manager, Sameer Ghoshal, who recently contributed to Uplers’ Remote Revolution session, it is very important for candidates to learn and understand the company culture where they are applying, so you can easily and quickly align with them. Familiarity with the culture will also help you score brownie points in the interview process and leave a good impression.

“We want to ensure that people who work with us think the way we do, at the same time challenge the status quo and look for improvement.” – Manjunath Basaralu Srinivasa, Engineering Leader, Atlassian at a recent Remote Revolution session

Other things to be mindful of

Remote talents should possess a strong professional mindset that helps in adding value to the role and the bigger goal of the organization. It is also a good practice to keep your video on during online meetings and keep an attractive virtual background. There are certain video meeting etiquette that people should know, such as turning up to the meeting on time, using the raising hand gesture instead of interrupting a speaker, and sharing screen whenever necessary for better collaboration instead of simply sharing the document. Understanding various cross-cultural communication styles is also important to develop camaraderie.

Tips to Ace Your Remote Interview

From our recent Remote Revolution sessions, we have combined the best interview tips shared by industry experts, these can prove immensely helpful when you are finding a remote job:

Brush up your skills relevant to the job role

Sameer Ghoshal from Twilio stressed upon this point in our Remote Revolution session. He emphasizes that candidates must stay on top of their area of specialty. This preparation helps in improving self-confidence and ability to answer all types of questions easily.

Research about the company – its operations and culture

As mentioned above, every organization has a unique set of cultural foundations and they always look for professionals who can align with those ideas. GitLab, for instance, has CREDIT (acronym for Collaboration, Results for customers, Efficiency, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging, Iteration, and Transparency) and Twilio has Twilio Magic (Builders, Owners, Curious, and Positrons). GitLab also appreciates candidates who have prior experience using their platform.

Showcase your leadership skills while talking to people from the management

The management round in several companies is a good opportunity for candidates to showcase the initiatives they have taken in the past. GitLab’s Wayne Haber suggests using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to organize the answer. This helps the talent in leaving a lasting impression on the senior personnel and improving their chances of selection.

Ask the right questions

An interview is more than just a formal Q&A session. It is the moment when both the talent and employer discuss important points and understand each other to see if they are a good fit. Hence, as a talent you should not just keep answering questions, rather ask a few to resolve any query and establish a good rapport with the interviewer.

How to Find a Remote Job in Fast-Paced Global Companies

In today’s age of the internet, it is very easy to find a remote job that lets you work from the comfort of your home. However, many of these jobs demand long work hours filled with tedious tasks that do nothing to build your career. A good and reliable alternative is Uplers, that focuses on remote positions as per your skills, in top companies.

Uplers is an AI/ML-powered hiring platform that enables perfect matchmaking between global companies and top Indian tech and digital talents. We help in finding the most suitable job for your career, that pays well and gives you the power to manage your work-life balance.

Here’s how you can find a remote job with Uplers:

Register for free: Visit our website and fill out the details about your education, work background etc. You will become a part of our million-strong talent network.

Find matching opportunities: Browse the job listing and check for roles that match your skill sets.

Clear assessments: Appear for an AI-powered evaluation which focuses on both technical proficiency and cultural alignment. Our platform will prepare a report which will highlight your strengths and suitability for the job role.

Matchmaking with potential opportunities: The ML signals in our platform will matchmake you with the best job roles and share your profile and reports with the employers.

Accelerate your career: Once an employer shortlists you and chooses your profile after a few interview rounds (as per their convenience), you will be onboarded to the company.

At Uplers, we go the extra mile and assign a dedicated Talent Success Coach (TSC) who can help you in adapting to the employers’ work culture and expectations, after you get selected. We believe in delivering the best hiring experience and are more than happy to assist you in landing the job of your dreams. 

So happy job hunting and keep following us for more guides and tips.

To get more insights on hiring and interview process at top remote companies, join our discord channel here: https://discord.gg/NMcTASJx

Also Read: Twilio’s Interview Process: Insider Tips & Strategies