Shortlisting remote companies to apply
Find your niche
You can find hundreds of kinds of positions in startups ranging from very specific ones like 'React Engineer' or 'Google Cloud Engineer' or 'Site Reliability Engineer' or 'Developer Tools Engineer', or you can find very generic positions like 'Software Engineer' or 'Founding Engineer'. The specific ones are more or less related to Software Engineering but they have specific focus which makes them very unique.
The best ones are the specific ones.
Why?
- It's easier to become an expert in a specific job rather than tinkering around multifarious stacks.
- Your demand is much higher because some companies look for a specific skillset.
It is your responsibility to explore each and every field on your own and try to map your skills on the specific ones.
Calibrating with timezone
The most common reason why remote companies usually decline your application is because they have a restriction on time difference. They have a cut off like '4hr' or '1hr'. Most countries in Europe have 4 hours difference from Pakistan, so applying to a European country is recommended. US has around 12 hours difference, so if you apply to a US company, more chances are they are going to reject your application.
That doesn't mean you shouldn't apply to US companies, it just means you need to keep this in mind before you apply.
- Always communicate your timezone restrictions with the company in your cover letter or interview.
- If the company has >5 hour difference, negotiate your time for active collaboration with them. Ask them if 4 hour collaboration is enough, most will agree. And spend rest of 4 hours in your own schedule.
- Don't consider a job if the company has active collaboration time in the night. This is very very unhealthy and counter-productive in the long-term. Even if they pay you extra, applying to such jobs is not suggested.
Communication barriers
Most companies have 'English' language as their primary language but it might not be always true. Some small startups which seem to have their marketing front in English do not use English language internally. Even if they use English internally, they can have poor language skills which can lead to confusions and misinterpretations.
- Recommendation is to read the job description carefully. The company might mention some requirement like 'Must know Italian' or something similar.
- Clearly communicate to the recruiter about your current language preferences.
- Always keep yourself prepared of the language used in the company. Read essays, blogs etc. to keep your language skills sharp.