Back from a hiatus (+181 remote roles)
This is The Nonlinear Project, a newsletter featuring hand-curated remote roles, interviews with hiring managers, career tips, and thoughts on the future of work. Nearly all roles on the job board are from companies that have recently raised Venture Capital. If you enjoy the content, please give it a like and share it with friends.
Back from a hiatus
The newsletter is back from hiatus. Thanks for being here!
Back story: I landed a new role and I’ve been getting up to speed. I’m now leading Comms at Shakepay, a platform for Canadians to buy and sell Bitcoin, as well as Ethereum. I’m hiring a Social Media Manager and there’s many open roles across the company (remote across Canada).
Moving forward: I think it’s time for a schedule that you can rely on. Moving forward, you can expect to see this newsletter once a month in your inbox. You’ll receive it the first Sunday of the month. The next one will be April 4th.
Between editions, we’ll have a community call for members where we’ll talk career tips, connect, and run some Q&As. I’ll run these on Icebreaker because of the collaborative format. The first one will be Saturday March 20th at 12pm EST. Spaces might get capped, so it’s a first-come-first-served situation. If you’re interested in joining, drop your email and a short bio here (open to members).
Questions or comments about any of this? Shoot me an email.
One the things that I’m interested in, as it relates to work and the pandemic, is how things are changing. What are we losing? What’s filling that space? Who is deciding on what’s filling that space? What forces are shaping our work and personal lives?
On the things we’re losing front, participation in the labour force from people with disabilities as a result of the pandemic and an entire category of relationships, acquaintances.
On the things we’re gaining front, wellness apps and Google Street View.
The handful of people that I check-in on from time to time on Twitter who talk about working from home always seem to describe it as a panacea. As an elixir to the problems of office life. As an attainable utopia.
The reality seems much more complicated and nuanced.
About mid-way through that NYT piece on how people with disabilities have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, there’s this paragraph:
“Disabled people have been asking to work from home, and it was always no, absolutely not,” she said. “Now that it’s for everybody, it’s OK. You know how many times I’d say, ‘Could I do this meeting on Zoom so I don’t have to find transportation all the way across town?’ and they’d say no?”
It’s heartbreaking that we couldn’t make those types of accommodations before the pandemic.
There’s probably more room now, more so than in the past, for the individual, to crave out professional and personal spaces that work for them.
I’m optimistic that our work and our relationships are changing for the better. But it’s still messy. And that space, that room that currently exists, might not, probably won’t, exist forever.
The Job Board
With over 2k of you on the general list, I just wanted to say something about the job round up.
When I had been looking for a role, this is the job round up that I wish existed. Nearly every company on this list has raised Venture Capital recently. No one is paying for these jobs to be here. They aren’t thoughtlessly aggregated from other job boards. Pound for pound what you’re looking at when you click the Notion link is a cohort of companies that has raised capital very recently to hire and expand, and some of the most recent openings made public by those companies. If you’re interested in working at startup and working remotely, there isn’t a more timely or relevant round up that I’ve found.
Q&A: Brady Stevenson, Senior Recruiting Manager, Virta Health
Did this Q&A a little while back. These Q&As are a great opportunity to learn a bit more about how companies that are hiring remotely think about the interview process and what success looks like. Hopefully it can help you craft a stronger pitch when applying or learn which companies you would be a stronger fit at.
Being remote sometimes means different things to different companies. What does being remote mean for Virta Health?
Remote work is part of our company DNA; we’ve had remote employees since the company was <10 people. For us, being remote signifies that you can make an impact and contribute to the Virta mission--to reverse type 2 diabetes in 100 million people--from wherever you are.
The power to create immense value, regardless of physical location, is apparent every day when serving our patients. Our groundbreaking type 2 diabetes reversal treatment has been delivered virtually since day 1, and the remote care model is a big part of what makes our treatment so successful in serving patients in all 50 states. We are no stranger to creating connections and enabling productivity through a screen on a device!
In fact, since we serve customers and patients across the country, it’s often even more important to look to remote workers who can help us connect with and better serve those who live in regions outside our physical offices. Of course, the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly broadened the swath of employees that work remotely, and we’re continuing to find ways to create the most supported, enjoyable work experience for both our temporary and permanent remote employees. For instance, to continue facilitating connection across time zones, our fantastic People team has created a variety of events, from a virtual 3-day offsite to Zoom happy hours and morning coffee meet-ups. We’ve also banned meetings outside standard business hours on either coast. These are the types of practices that foster a really strong remote company culture, and are ones that we plan to foster even after the pandemic.
What does a stand out candidate during the application process look like? What most impresses you about a prospective hire?
Generally, we value skills more than pedigree, and our skills-based interview process is designed to bring that to the forefront. We also value candidates with diverse backgrounds, and it stands out when applicants can show how their experiences translate to the skills of the role.Also, Virtans on the whole are really passionate about what they do. We value the importance of working for a mission-driven company that saves lives and is fundamentally changing healthcare. When a candidate shares that same excitement, it gets us excited. It shows they’re motivated to make a big impact at Virta.
What are some common traits amongst the most successful candidates after you've hired them?
Our most successful hires exemplify our core values, which can be found on our Careers Page. These aren’t just marketing materials -- they truly guide our behaviors and help us make key business decisions. Although all of our values are important, if I had to choose one, “People First” stands out most. It means we take care of ourselves, our peers, and our patients equally.
Virta Health just raised a round of capital. What types of roles do think you’ll be looking to fill over the next 6-12 months as a result of that capital raise?
Our most recent fundraise will fuel growth in all areas of the business, and help bring Virta’s transformative diabetes reversal treatment to even more people. As such, we’re growing teams across the board!
Coming up, there will definitely be a focus on hiring for technical roles within our Software Engineering, Data Science & Analytics, and Product teams. Our Commercial team will also need to grow considerably as we accelerate our Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success efforts. And last but not least, our Clinical Operations team, composed of Health Coaches and Enrollment Advisors, is also expanding to keep up with our growing patient panel.
What do unsuccessful candidates didn’t make it past the initial resume screen have in common?
Typically, if a candidate doesn’t make it past the resume screen, it means they were not able to show how their skills translate to the duties and level of the role they are applying for. Including a cover letter or tailoring your resume to the specific role you’re applying to is always advised.
Same question but for the interview process. What do unsuccessful candidates that didn’t make it past the interview process have in common?
Our interview process is designed to evaluate a candidate’s skills relative to the most important skills of the role, so if a candidate didn’t get the job it usually means they a.) don’t have the most important skills for the role to the degree we need or b.) weren’t able to communicate them to us in a way we could understand. Communication skills are really important when trying to explain complex topics in a short time frame, so we always encourage candidates to practice behavioral interview questions at home so they are prepared to talk about their experience.
Offering stock options cross border is often difficult because of local regulations. Does the company offer stock options to remote employees? And if not, is it that web of local regulations that’s holding the company back?
Yes, we offer stock options to every full-time employee at Virta, regardless of where they are located. Stock options are an important part of working at a startup as it aligns the success of the company with that of the employee.
What timezones/geographies do you hire in?
We hire in the United States, in all time zones--come join us!
Some questions for you, dear reader:
What have you found to be effective at becoming someone influential with your organization?
How do we think about building the political capital required to bring your ideas to fruition?
If you feel even mostly adept at this skill, how did you learn it? What tips do you have for others to improve?
Links: No one knows when to keep talking or stop. From The NYT: “Disabled people have been asking to work from home, and it was always no, absolutely not,” she said. “Now that it’s for everybody, it’s OK.” Lockdown is making people love Google Street View. Acquaintances are a casualty of the pandemic. The rise of wellness apps.
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