To find great remote employees, prioritize candidates with strong writing skills
I believe I am a good writer. On my first job as a developer I kept getting very positive feedback on my writing. I ended up even starting a newsletter with writing advice for software developers[0].<p>So 4 months ago I started looking for a remote job. I applied to 250+ positions. All very suited to my skills (e.g. I wouldn’t apply to any job asking for “senior” or “fullstack”). I got about only ~15 interviews, 1 offer.<p>The message is that I believe strong writing skills won’t help you get a job. It will help you <i>a lot</i> once you start the job, but I don’t believe it helps at all at being hired.<p>Things that I do believe help you get hired: a well-written CV, a CS degree, a top-branded college, a top-branded former employer, a good public sample of your code (open source, side-project, etc), interview skills (be calm, articulate, charming, clear explanations and thought process), practice at technical interviews of the specific type of the positions you are applying to.<p>My advice is to practice your writing skills after you get a job, not before.<p>[0] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;writingfordevelopers.substack.com" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;writingfordevelopers.substack.com</a>