As the world turns to working remotely, the number of professionals looking for a remote job have also increased beyond imagination.
While this change is great, it has also created a new problem - more competition and lesser room for error on the part of remote work aspirants.
So, what needs to be done? What errors to avoid to maximize every opportunity?
To answer this question, we are having on online meet up on "Finding a great job in 2020 & beyond" happening this Saturday (27 June 2020 @ 7 PM IST/1.30 PM UTC).
Join us along with Andrew Gobran (People operations generalist at Doist, a remote first company); Darshan Gajara (landed a great remote job at GraphCMS during the pandemic) and Nikunj Verma (co-founder & CEO at CutShort) as we discuss and share some interesting insights on the topic.
There is an ongoing thread on Hacker News with some interesting perspectives on why International companies do not prefer hiring talent from countries like India: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23305692
How can Indian professionals address these concerns?
Thanks everyone who attended the meetup on Friday night. :)
The meetup definitely provided me some good insights - thanks to our special guests - Gil Gildner, Lance Robbins and Suyogya Shukla!
Here are some points I liked:
Not all remote companies are equal.
Try to understand if a company takes remote work seriously. Are remote workers first class citizens or treated less favorably than in-office employees?
Remote work needs commitment from both sides. Without the company's effort and commitment in ensuring the right process, tools and policies, your chances of success are slim.
Applying for remote jobs
Remote jobs are growing but the selection bar is quite high. Companies typically get 500 applications for every job.
But most applications just contain resumes and keywords. "What you have done" is important for most jobs. As outlined by Gil in the meetup, for remote jobs, "who you are and what makes you unique" is very important as well.
Hence, your social profiles and articles are important. Better still - try to create your "personal brand" as suggested by Lance in the meetup.
Interviews
In interviews, don't be nervous with the camera. Video calls are awkward to interviewers too - said Gil. Familiarize yourself with the video interview software before hand and show up 10 mins early to avoid any last minute equipment or internet issues.
Don't try to fake accent, culture or something else. Your work is more important. Just make sure to communicate clearly in a way you are comfortable with.
Being succesful at remote work
So you got a remote job? Great. However, to make it work you need to ensure 3 things - understanding expectations from the company, communicating clearly and keeping high work ethic.
Communicate about your work timing and stick to it. Which channels are to be used for what kind of communication needs to be clear. For e.g. slack is for small tasks, email is for longer strategy sync up, phone call for something very urgent.
Also, remember to not burn yourself out. Unplugging from work is very important.
Did you attend the meetup and have anything insight or question? Ask them below! If you were unable to attend the meetup, you can check it out in the video below :D
