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Ask HN: How to get hired for a remote job as a new graduate?

8 points by m_a_g ↗ HN
I am trying to find a remote job that is suitable for new graduates but, I am having a hard time finding a remote junior developer listing, let alone a reasonable one. The ones that I find require too many things that I feel like no junior developer like that can ever exist. I just feel like remote jobs seem to require much more than on-site ones. Any suggestions or advice are appreciated. Stay safe!

4 comments

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codegeek
I know HN is all about remote jobs etc but I personally would not hire a fresh graduate remote. The reason is simple: You don't have real world experience yet and adding remote option would make it even more difficult to get you up and running. Can you still do it ? Sure it is possible. But for most employers, recent graduates require a lot of investment in terms of training, time etc which is much easier in person.

So if you really want to get a remote job as a fresh graduate, you have to sell yourself twice and be able to prove that you are good enough to work remotely on Day 1 as a fresh graduate. You may want to address the potential employer's questions in terms of training, onboarding etc and see if you can convince them. Good luck.

samkater
I have been mostly remote for the last 2 years and couldn't agree more. I would emphasize the point in the first paragraph - not only is it harder to find a remote job when just starting out, but you would also be doing yourself a disservice by missing out on a lot of education that is harder to come by working remotely.

This isn't technical education (which is available in spades online) but business process education. Who made the decision to implement feature X instead of Y? what were the tradeoffs? what part of that decision was because of personality and not because of merit? Those are the things easier to pick up on in person. And, in my opinion, learning how to successfully navigate business process discussions is what separates mid-level employees from senior level ones (assuming technical competence), and separate "so-so" managers from great ones.

_ah
There is SO MUCH context involved in onboarding a new grad. Just wandering past the person's desk regularly will give clues about work ethic, where they're getting stuck, and when the person should be encouraged to stop + ask for help. Being in an office environment give the opportunity to overhear technical conversations and arguments. The learning opportunity is HUGE.

So no, I also would not hire a remote Junior. My advice to OP is to move physically to a better job market if at all possible. If it works out, then consider a move back to the remote location after ~5-10 years.

_ah
Note that in this weird COVID time you CAN still be hired to work remotely during the temporary lockdown, but this is an investment on the part of the company and generally will come with the expectation that you show up on-site once the lockdown is lifted.