

Ask HN: Really frustrated trying to get remote work, no luck - grover_hartmann

Those are all the responses I get after sending CV and github account:<p>Sorry not looking for rails devs<p>----------<p>Are you willing to relocate?<p>----------<p>Hey, thanks for your application.
The current position requires being on-site in Amsterdam. 
I’ll keep your profile for possible future opportunities.<p>----------<p>Hi,<p>Thank you for your interest in our company. I am sorry to say that we currently do not have remote positions available for our IT department.
If you are ready to consider full time roles in Amsterdam, you can take a look at all available positions on our careers page: https:&#x2F;&#x2F;workingatbooking.com&#x2F;<p>Best regards,
Recruitment Team<p>----------<p>Hi,<p>Thank you for applying to Sauce Labs! At this time, we are moving forward with a couple candidates whose experience is a better fit to our current hiring needs. We will keep your resume on file and will reach out if anything else opens up that fits your experience.<p>We appreciate your interest in Sauce and encourage you to reach out again in the future. Please let me know if you have any questions.<p>Cheers,<p>----------<p>Hey,<p>Unfortunately we are looking for full time positions only at this time. Thanks so much for reaching out to us!<p>----------<p>Thank you for your interest.
We are looking for a rails developer who is willing to relocate to Myrtle Beach, SC and take on the role of lead developer for a composite of salary and equity for a funded startup.
Any interest in that?
======
phantom_oracle
I think most of the responses are pretty self-explanatory.

For every position where it wasn't remote, did their job ads say remote? If
not, there's nothing you can do about it.

The competition for remote positions is fierce, which is something I've
mentioned before.

You seem like a talented guy if they got to the point of offering you
relocation and you've also been offered senior positions, so perhaps your
initial remote-work should be freelancing for mid-level projects at a decent
rate (how about starting at $25-$30 dollars or something along those lines?).

If I had to run a survey asking remote applicants how many times they've
applied for multiple positions, the answer (on average) will be like +10.

Take up freelancing or start your own remote agency. If you can't be the
worker, be the boss.

------
grover_hartmann
I even tried applying to jobs that are shown in
[https://weworkremotely.com/](https://weworkremotely.com/) and since they post
there, one would think that they accept remote work, but no.

They all reply the same fucking thing: "Are you willing to relocate", "We are
looking for onsite people now", etc.

So tired of this.

~~~
percept
Are many there asking for relocation? I wonder if 37S is aware of that--after
all, that was the whole point of shutting down their older board. (And the new
one doesn't seem to have the same volume as the old.)

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sighype
I apply to everything as well, but don't land anything. However, historically,
nothing I've gotten that's remote has come from job ad postings. I've always
gotten remote work because I know somebody who knows somebody. However, the
market's gotten tight in my field, so I'm in the same position you are again.

It's much harder for me, also. I'm a C++/obj-C/C/R/python/ruby guy who only
dabbles in web technology. I try to pitch web people on letting me learn, even
at a short-term discount, and that doesn't work either. I thought putting out
some iOS work would improve my remote-ability, but no go.

Funny thing is, before reading this post, I would've guessed Rails people had
it much better than me. :-)

~~~
grover_hartmann
Damn, it didn't use to be this way back then (5 years ago or so). Why is that
remote work went to shit?

~~~
sighype
Maybe whenever someone advertises remote, the pool of applicants is just huge
and can't be sorted reasonably. I think the other commenters are right. Reach
out to businesses and create the situation once you've established that you're
a responsible, reliable programmer who can stick to development schedules.

------
wnm
keep trying, there are companies out there looking for remote software
engineers. I wrote a script to collect remote job listings from various job
boards... in the last 30 days there were more then 700 of them. sign up with
[http://remoteworknewsletter.com](http://remoteworknewsletter.com), we are
launching soon.

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jacquesm
Why do you post these companies emails to you like this?

That's probably a surefire way to get people to stop mailing you completely.

~~~
grover_hartmann
Sorry about that, I wouldn't think there would be a problem with that.

I agree I should have removed links and the like but I completely forgot it.

------
apawloski
I lucked into a remote job. Applied thinking it was an in-office position..

Anyway, have you talked to recruiters? As much hate as they get on here, they
can be very useful. A great recruiter will know your needs as well as the
company's, and can give you an idea of a position's flexibility. In my opinion
it doesn't hurt to reach out. Worst case scenario, you end up with some extra
emails in your inbox every week.

~~~
grover_hartmann
No, I haven't talked to many recruiters recently. Where do you find them
usually?

~~~
artmageddon
I've posted my resume on dice.com and LinkedIn. I still get phone calls and
emails from recruiters regarding a resume I submitted several years ago, even
today. I should mention that none of positions I got offered were for remote
work, which is something I make sure to ask.

FYI you may want to redact the names of the companies you depicted in your
original post.

------
grover_hartmann
Why is it so damn hard to get a remote work? They all ask for relocation, etc.
I need remote work. :(

~~~
Jeremy1026
Because while you might be a good guy and hard worker. For every one of you
there are 10 Joe Schmoes who roll out of bed at noon, eat a bowl of cereal
while watching SportsCenter before taking a nap, do an hour of work then call
it a day when working remotely.

I find its much easier to transition to remote than it is to get hired remote.
Prove you get shit done in the office, then start to transition to remote, one
or two days a week at first, until you are in the office once a month for that
big client meeting.

------
playlist
Your approach sucks. Looks like your going around, hat in hand, looking for
someone to give you a job. As if people owe you or something.

Look for ways to help people. If you got big bad skills, prove it. Make people
come to you.

~~~
grover_hartmann
So when you go out and look for a job, do you also expect the job to come to
you, or you go after the job?

Nobody will give you a job on a silver platter.

Contributing to open source is one thing, looking for a job is another one.

Thanks for the advice though.

~~~
playlist
You are the specialist. Tell prospective employers how you'll solve their
problems. Come at it from a position of strength.

In other words, use intent as a big magnet to draw people in. Intent is the
most powerful word in marketing, and that's what you're doing. Find a way to
make firms come to you, hat in hand.

~~~
grover_hartmann
I agree with that. Thanks for the advice.

~~~
playlist
You're welcome. Several years ago I gave this same advice to my daughters
(both in their late teens). They've been gainfully employed ever since.

~~~
grover_hartmann
How do you know what their problems are though if they won't even give you a
chance to an interview?

~~~
seekingcharlie
Guess. Honestly, you can simply look at any product shots they show on their
company website & comment on opportunities etc from that. You'll probably be
wildly incorrect, but you've already shown the initiative to award you the
chance to interview.

~~~
grover_hartmann
Good advice. Thanks.

------
dcgoss
Have you tried any of the Who's Hiring HN threads? Command-F for "remote" once
you're on the thread...

