Wiki No experience in remote job, any tips for an experienced coder?

[sandrawingate]

I have worked 8 years in a rural hospital and clinic. I have no experience with remote coding. Can anyone give me any tips and advice on landing a job in the remote working world?

 

[thomas7331]

One of the biggest challenges for me in moving to remote work was getting the support I needed to learn new skills in an environment where there was no face-to-face contact with co-workers. If you're staying within the same organization but just moving into a remote working arrangement, then that's not so hard because you already have those relationships with supervisors and colleague established from your time in the office. But going into a new organization in a remote position is harder because you are working with a completely new set of people. It's more challenging to become trained and to learn a new company's policies and procedures and build those relationships if haven't first had the opportunity to in the office first. You have to be pretty assertive, outgoing and willing to reach out and ask for help when you need it, and also organized so that you can request time with people and have all of your questions ready so that you can get the most out of that time. Remotely you don't have the option of just turning to someone you know to ask your questions as they come up.

I know that probably doesn't help answer your question very much about the job seeking, but if you're interviewing for that kind of position I'd recommend asking about how the company trains and supports its remote employees, and I think that it would be a good idea to go into any interviews ready to show that you understand these challenges and that you're the kind of person who is used to learning and working independently and would take the initiative to build those relationships even in a remote work environment. Hope that may help a little - good luck with your search!

 

[tbragg36]

My biggest challenge was finding a company that believed I could do remote work. So many companies said they felt like they were setting me up for failure. I thought they were doing me an injustice by assuming I would fail. Thomas has some sound advice for you. In the interviewing process, articulate how you plan to take the initiative to learn and build remote relationships and learning. Be prepared to do your training. I received zero training from my first remote employer. There are plenty of remote positions on indeed. Maybe write a cover letter briefly outlining how you plan to take the initiative to learn and build your remote community. Find a company you really want to work for and actively solicit that company. Good luck

 

[Scoppola]

@sandrawingate Do you have coding experience?