What Remote Tech Startups Look for When Hiring

Editor's Note: This story originally appeared on FlexJobs.com.

Hiring needs for managers differ across sectors, and remote tech startups have specific requirements for job candidates.

“Unique challenges come with hiring for remote positions within tech startups due to the highly specialized skill sets needed for success,” explains Kacper Rafalski, a senior-level digital marketing strategist and Demand Generation team leader at Netguru, who has experience as a remote manager working in a tech startup.

Rafalski says that when looking for candidates to fill these roles, there are two main aspects that he focuses on: soft skills and hard skills.

“For anyone looking to land a job in remote tech startups, my advice would be to highlight both your soft and hard skills that are relevant to the position you’re applying for,” he says.

“Showcase any experiences or projects where you have utilized these skills successfully, as this will help demonstrate your ability to excel in a remote environment.”

Hard Skills

Hard skills — or technical skills — are important to the hiring teams of remote tech startups.

“Hard skills involve technical know-how relevant to the position, such as coding languages or specific software proficiency; these are often tested through practical exercises or tasks during interviews or assessments given prior to hiring decisions being made.”

Kai Karlstrom is head of growth at Think-it, a remote-first team that works with asynchronous communication. When hiring for remote tech positions, Think-it conducts separate interviews for technical hard skills and soft people skills.

“The technical skills differ depending on the domain area of expertise — mobile, web, DevOps, data engineering,” Karlstrom says. “Most engineers can pass through the technical part because they have the technical ability.”

He seeks candidates who are “passionate and excellent technical problem-solvers” who follow and improve best practices along the full development lifecycle, from design to documentation.

Soft Skills

In addition to technical skills, soft “people” skills are also important to succeed in a remote tech startup environment.

“The combination of both soft and hard skills will help ensure you have found someone who is capable and the best fit for the job,” Rafalski says.

In fact, Karlstrom stresses that soft skills are what really matters to his hiring team.

“In our environment, which is a flat structure with a lot of autonomy and responsibility, communication skills are critical,” he says. “We look for genuine people that align with our values and have a shared interest in learning and growing while contributing to the team.”

Karlstrom adds that because his company values continuous improvement so much, they also provide their team with additional training on soft skills and leadership.

Examples of Soft Skills

Soft skills include the following, which Rafalski emphasizes can all be determined by assessing the candidate’s background knowledge and past experiences during the interview process:

• Communication abilities, both written and verbal
• Time management capabilities
• Problem-solving aptitude
• Collaboration acumen (“This is especially important when dealing with virtual teams,” Rafalski says.)
• Work ethic/motivation levels

Assessing Candidates for Soft Skills

In assessing remote tech startup candidates for soft skills, Karlstrom looks for the following qualities:

• Self-motivation: “They take initiative, are naturally curious, and can learn new things quickly while continuing to deliver value on the job,” Karlstrom says.
• Get things done: “They are a ‘shipper,'” Karlstrom says. “They respect deadlines, accomplish their work autonomously, and have experience setting a positive example for self-management to their team members.”
• People-centric: “They have the ability to thrive in a collaborative environment involving different stakeholders and subject matter experts and enjoy helping others grow,” he says.
• Culture fit: “They are excited and committed to our vision, mission, and values,” Karlstrom says.

Adaptability and Flexibility

Adrienne Couch, human resources analyst at LLC.services, is a seasoned HR manager for several remote tech startups. Couch suggests that job seekers applying for a job at a remote tech startup focus on demonstrating their adaptability and flexibility.

“Remote tech startups operate in a fast-paced and constantly evolving industry, so it’s important for employees to be able to adjust to changing priorities and technologies,” Couch says. “It means having the ability to embrace new challenges, work with ambiguity, and adapt to shifting priorities and goals.”

She explains the importance of flexibility and adaptability this way:

“Imagine you’re working on a project for a remote tech startup, and suddenly the company decides to change direction and switch to a different market,” Couch says.

“This could mean your entire project is scrapped and you have to start from scratch. A candidate who is adaptable and flexible will be able to handle these changes easily. They will be able to quickly understand the new direction and work with the team to develop a new plan. On the other hand, a candidate who doesn’t handle change well may become frustrated or resistant to it, which can make it difficult for them to succeed in this dynamic industry.”

Key Questions to Help You Prepare for Interviews

In order to showcase your ability to be flexible and adaptable in your past work experiences, Couch suggests thinking through your answers to these questions in advance, so that you can address them in an interview:

• Have you had to switch projects or technologies in the middle of a project? How did you handle it?
• Have you worked with a remote team before, and have you had to overcome any obstacles to achieve your goals?

The HR analyst also suggests highlighting your ability to be adaptable in your job application.

“It will make you a more attractive candidate and increase your chances of landing a job in this exciting and dynamic field,” Couch explains.

When applying for a remote tech startup job, she recommends thinking about any experiences you’ve had where you’ve had to pivot or change direction, so you can mention those on your resume.

Expertise and Enthusiasm

In addition to your hard skills, soft skills, and adaptability, Rafalski suggests ensuring that you draw attention to any other qualifications, such as industry certifications or awards that could give you an edge over other applicants.

“Finally, strive to stand out from the crowd by showing enthusiasm and passion for what you do,” Rafalski concludes. “It is often just as important as having all of the necessary technical knowledge.”