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Ask HN: The best way to find remote job

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Re: Ask HN: The best way to find remote job

#81

Post by cnkeller »

bentcorner wrote: post #54

Can people who are working remotely share their experience? What works, what doesn't? Some things I've heard about that I wouldn't mind reading about again: - Making an office space in the home (I've seen workspaces designed [I think] for remote workers - do people use these and find they offer value?) - Setting up boundaries with family members - Communication habits - do you scrum over text chat, or daily video con…

I've been working 100% remotely for a large US firm (tens of thousands of global employees) for a few years now. Prior to that I worked for the same firm in office. My current role is physically in a separate state from the others, so it's not possible to do a few days in the office and a few days at home (I think that is the best of both worlds).

I have a home office with a door on a separate floor from where most of the family is. Even though I wear headphones, being able to close the door indicates "dad is focused" as opposed to just having the door open which means interruptions are okay. Occasionally I'll work remote from being remote and hit the local coffee shop. I find that a simple change of scenery helps me focus/

We use both google hangouts and hipchat text/video for meetings as well as email and other solutions. We also conference call a lot on mobiles. We don't do daily status (I've never offered and no one asked). People sync up as needed. The only thing I miss is being able to stand in front of a whiteboard and draw things for group feedback, but I've adjusted.

I work my own schedule which is loosely based on the standard business day. I'm consider myself "in the office" from around 630am to about 5pm, but I take breaks during the day to eat, play with the dogs, go the the gym or run errands. As with most places, it's more about what you deliver than working a strict eight hour day. I'm more of an architect than developer so I'm not pair programming or working directly with someone every second. Asynchronous communications have been fine.

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that I'm out of sight and out of mind. I miss hallway chats, impromptu meetings, etc. I consider it a fair trade off for the lifestyle. I'm not sure it's hurt my career, but it probably hasn't helped it.

We use corporate computers with VPN's as needed for patching, internal access, etc.

Re: Ask HN: The best way to find remote job

#82

Post by bentcorner »

cnkeller wrote: post #81
bentcorner wrote: post #54

Can people who are working remotely share their experience? What works, what doesn't? Some things I've heard about that I wouldn't mind reading about again: - Making an office space in the home (I've seen workspaces designed [I think] for remote workers - do people use these and find they offer value?) - Setting up boundaries with family members - Communication habits - do you scrum over text chat, or daily video con…

I've been working 100% remotely for a large US firm (tens of thousands of global employees) for a few years now. Prior to that I worked for the same firm in office. My current role is physically in a separate state from the others, so it's not possible to do a few days in the office and a few days at home (I think that is the best of both worlds). I have a home office with a door on a separate floor from where most o…

Interesting. Thanks for sharing.

What's the culture like on your team regarding remote? Are you the only remote or are there a bunch of people doing the same thing?

Did you transition to remote while remaining on the same team?

Re: Ask HN: The best way to find remote job

#84

Post by j45 »

zura wrote: post #64
j45 wrote: post #63

I'm really surprised oDesk has not been mentioned. They have merged with elance, and the type of work you are looking for at the rates you are seeking (and higher) are routinely listed there. I would create a profile on that site, most new freelancers there start with a lower rate to build experience and feedback and in a few months look to raise the rate. Feel free to contact me by email and I can tell you what my e…

Not sure about hiring side (about quality...), but from the contractor side - stay away from these sites. It is the race to the bottom...

I have to respectfully disagree in the context of my post:

- I think you're coming from a North American perspective

- OP is not from North America.

- I have received a few emails to my post above I've encouraged them to build a history and not worry about what they lose. Long term clients understand value and they do exist on oDesk.

- Increasingly on oDesk, for software development, there is more and more of an appetite to pay. I certainly am open to it.

Regarding the North American race to the bottom: The race to the bottom is happening in every industry. There's a book called "A Whole new mind" that might interest you.

There are lots of North American developers charging NA rates for those who are inclined. I have hired and found some great folks from there.

Anyone who has been hiring long enough knows that paying a few dollars gets you what you pay for... work that no other developer can work in, and takes longer and longer (and more money).

Re: Ask HN: The best way to find remote job

#85

Post by j45 »

artmageddon wrote: post #71
zura wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not sure about hiring side (about quality...), but from the contractor side - stay away from these sites. It is the race to the bottom...

While I've heard good things about oDesk(I think there was another one, eLance?), I have to agree with the sentiment of this. I spent several weeks trying to get some simple work on freelancer.com so I could build up some credibility, and every project was either not worth your time("please create a site just like Facebook, I will pay $100"), or someone who had more projects completed will come in with a modest offer…

Rentacoder, freelancer, etc are definitely bottom of the barrel in terms of income and quality of projects.

I've always found the quality and cost of eLance and oDesk to be higher. Now that they've merged, I think there is something there, the development talent in Eastern Europe is excellent.

Re: Ask HN: The best way to find remote job

#86

Post by cnkeller »

bentcorner wrote: post #82
cnkeller wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been working 100% remotely for a large US firm (tens of thousands of global employees) for a few years now. Prior to that I worked for the same firm in office. My current role is physically in a separate state from the others, so it's not possible to do a few days in the office and a few days at home (I think that is the best of both worlds). I have a home office with a door on a separate floor from where most o…

Interesting. Thanks for sharing. What's the culture like on your team regarding remote? Are you the only remote or are there a bunch of people doing the same thing? Did you transition to remote while remaining on the same team?

Background: I had a personal issue that required me to sell my house in silicon valley and move closer to my parents on the east coast. Rather than let me go, the company offered to pay for my relocation and let me work from home (I work at a pretty traditional company, not a tech giant so I was surprised). About six months after, I moved teams within the company, so my new team was okay with me coming on board while remote. Since then, I've moved teams (and physical locations) again, and the new team was also fine. Most folks are either at customer sites or in the various corporate offices, but there are plenty of folks who seem to do what I do and just work remote. It's a bit more common than I would have thought honestly for a "corporate culture".

I've not been asked to relocate, I've not taken any salary reductions, or had any "negative" behavior as a result. It's the main reason I've rewarded their loyalty to me with my loyalty to them. If someone needs me, they either call me or email me. Pretty simple. If I need to get on a plane (a few times) for a meeting, I just do it. But between conference calls, screen sharing via webex, etc it's pretty manageable.

Part of the reason I believe it works is because I don't let being remote be an issue. I pick up my phone when it rings, I check email constantly, I'm available via multiple chat systems, and I get things done. It absolutely helps that at some point, when crossing time zones and countries, everyone is somewhat remote. You can't have a 90K person company in the same place.

I do not do all of the "recommended things" that they say when working remote. I don't get dressed and "go to work". I get up, grab a protein shake, sit in front of my computer in my sleepwear like I would if it was a weekend. I don't have a dedicated work room, I work in the same place I play video games and work on personal projects. What it comes down to is that while others are commuting, I'm answering email. While other people are going out to lunch, I'm working on architectures with a bowl of beef and veggies. While they're taking snow days, I'm working uninterrupted. I'm not sure if I'm more productive (though I suppose we could all find ways to be more productive), but I'm certainly as productive.

Some random thoughts:

I shop for seven days worth of food because I cook all my meals every day. I eat much better. My ISP (Charter) is rock solid and high speed. In a pinch my mobile would be my email backup. I do not ask for any reimbursement for costs and I don't write anything off tax wise. Jobs will come and go, but for the first few years of my sons life I was here every single day watching him grow up. I'll never be able to get that back if I missed it. Wherever possible, I shift the burden of being remote to me. I never say "well, I'm remote and don't own a fax machine". I just make it happen. I often start controversial conversations with "well, do you need me to fly in?"

As a final thought, I get a lot of recruiters (don't we all though) contacting me. Strangely enough, it's usually the startups that seem to have a problem working remote. The first thing I tell people is that I'm while I have no problems flying in for meetings (either my cost or theirs), I'm content staying as a remote employee for now. In the future, we can discuss relocation. 95 times out of 100, regardless of the fit or role, it's a deal breaker in the first five minutes. Just find that interesting and it's a great way to pre-screen potential employers.

Re: Ask HN: The best way to find remote job

#87

Post by sebagon »

Touche wrote: post #15
stevoo wrote: post #6

This is a very hard to question to answer you and there is no actual solution to give you. It all comes down to how good you really are. I have been looking for the past 3 - 4 months for a remote job, but since the competition out there is huge and there are definitely better programmers than me I haven't manage to land anything yet. Make a great CV, a personal page, work on github to show your work. This will help y…

> It all comes down to how good you really are. I have been looking for the past 3 - 4 months for a remote job, but since the competition out there is huge and there are definitely better programmers than me I haven't manage to land anything yet. Not trying to be harsh, but if you honestly believe this, you should give up right now. There will always be people smarter than you, this is a given. But you will never lan…

I would recommend you to: - Try to do some personal marketing: build a portfolio website showing some skills, share your knowledge, participate in open source projects. - Become a specialist in some niche technology. It'll get far more easy to get a job once you've done that.

Re: Ask HN: The best way to find remote job

#88

Post by tobal »

hackerboos wrote: post #32
shtpavel wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nope, i'm from Eastern Europe.

Multiply it by 3 then. Edit: Let me clarify - not saying that Eastern European programmers are better or worse but the living costs are obviously lower in Eastern Europe than say Western Europe.

I'm working in Hungary as a software engineer, and get about 10$/hour (although I have only 5 years of experience in development). Also, I get more than most of my peers from the university, so it's not that low because I'm a shitty developer :). With this salary, I'm a very well paid employee compared to others in the country, it's about 3 times more than the average salary.

Re: Ask HN: The best way to find remote job

#89

Post by shubhamjain »

poulsbohemian wrote: post #74
swah wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also I'm curious if people from "3rd world countries" are also able to find remote work and where (I'm from Brazil).

My contact info is in my profile and I'm hiring. Have hired several contractors in Brazil in the past.

Any chance of hiring from India? :)

Re: Ask HN: The best way to find remote job

#90

Post by vram22 »

thibaut_barrere wrote: post #78
infinitone wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't get it- can you give an example of a 'seed'? Sounds interesting.

Sure - here are concrete example of seeds. I call them seeds because you have to realize that they will take time to give fruits. This is not an emergency technique. Blog posts: from time to time, I was writing an article on my (now defunct but soon restarted) technical blog. It is currently offline but you can have a look here [1]. I created linkable content that got some coverage, and some of my former customers sa…

That was a good video you made about ETL.
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