Why remote work isn’t just for tech people? There’s a common miss conception that remote work is just for technical roles. That is incorrect. In remote-first or all remote companies, most parts of the business have the option to be remote.
It is often true that these kinds of companies tend to be tech companies, but that really shouldn’t put you off. Indeed, lots of these companies specifically call out that they do not need you to have tech experience.
3 companies that bust this myth
The first is eBay.
They have a tremendous training programme that is over 4 weeks in duration. When they’re looking for new team mates, they are really interested in candidates with hospitality experience for example. We spoke to the team on this, and you can hear more about what they had to say here:
The second is Hubspot.
Hubspot are leading in the hybrid remote space and regularly hire remotely. Their Chief People Officer Katie Burke recently penned an in-depth piece on how to get hired there. In it, she specifically referenced having no tech background.
If you’re switching careers or haven’t worked in tech before, that’s okay — I didn’t either before I started at HubSpot.
Katie Burke, Chief People Officer at Hubspot.
Siobhan Mc Ginty also kindly donated her time to telling us her story of finding work at Hubspot:
The Third is Shopify
With 100s of remote workers across Ireland mostly around customer support, you would be joining a big team here. Their recruitment process runs like this:
1. Initial call
This is a quick conversation with a recruiter or hiring manager. It’s an opportunity for you to learn more about the role and we’ll ask some questions about your experience and your interest in Shopify.
2. The Life Story
This is a one hour, conversation-style interview. The best way to prepare is to spend some time reflecting on all of the experiences you’ve had and the things you’ve done to bring you to the point you’re at today. Then, be ready to settle into a genuine two-sided conversation.
3. Meet the team
We want to create the opportunity to meet as many future co-workers as possible. This way, you can get to know the people you could be working with, and the problems they’re currently solving. You can expect to meet between 3-5 people for up to an hour each.
4. Decision and offer
Collecting diverse feedback from Shopify team members of varying levels of seniority, experiences and perspectives is an important part of how we work. Your hiring team will take the time to meet, and come back to you with a decision.
In this article, they highlight how they are not looking for one specific background. Mostly, they want problem solvers.
While having ecommerce experience is certainly a plus, it’s not required. In fact, neither Elyse nor I had an ecommerce background before joining Shopify. As a company, we’re not fond of the status quo, so we value people that can bring a fresh perspective. We have UX folks from very different backgrounds like architecture, literature and anthropology.
Read more here.
Resources
We know that this is just the tip of the iceberg. If you have a good attitude and are a problem solver, there are plenty of companies who would love to have you. Roles in business development, or book keeping really don’t need a tech background. This is even when it is a tech company.
If you need support with skills for remote, we have a free nationwide training course, along side a mini-course in finding remote work. We regularly run free online and offline events. One of those was hosted by Renate Kohlmann who amongst other things, let the Wayfair Ireland team transitioning them to remote. In this video, she speaks about identifying your transferrable skills:
Do you want to learn how to take a leap and start working remotely?
Sign up for our free Info Session on how to get become Remote Work Ready!
The remote work ready course is broken into self-paced learning modules and live interactive sessions with industry experts.
We’ll use the tools we’re learning about daily. The focus on putting those learnings into practice helps to build our confidence in our new skillset and ensure we’re ready to work remotely straight away.