Wade Foster’s Guide to Being a Remote Worker

Working several hours a week is stressful, but staying at home behind your computer to do the same work and get paid is like heaven, compared to office demands. The advantages of being a remote worker are enormous, from time flexibility to family life combined with working hours, remote jobs seem to be the best.

Surprisingly, many will be shocked to know that remote work is also almost as hard as any other workplace, and Wade Foster has recently confirmed this fact during an interview session with journalists.

Wade Foster co-founded Zapier in 2011, and he is also the current CEO of the internet firm located in San Francisco. Zapier operates on a remote system, and every employee has his dominion over the internet. Zapier aids the connectivity among members and makes better use of their everyday apps to minimize their working hours. The team is widespread worldwide, and that has been its practice since inception.

Foster talked about the requirements, intricacies, and other valuable issues surrounding a remote staff during the interview.

Wade Foster, CEO of Zapier

Foster Knows it all

When he was asked about the most crucial skills to be a successful remote employee, Foster responded that such a person must possess excellent communication and problem-solving skills. Foster explained that remote work is an independent profession where everyone is for himself when problems arise. A remote employee must be always ready to find quick solutions to challenges his team might be facing.

Communication is also key because you have to consistently interact with your team about your current project and status, says Foster. This will help your team members to assist you in developing that project, and some key mates, like the manager, can help you get links to helpful materials that will facilitate your work so that you can proceed faster.

Airbnb is Zapier’s partner. Every time a new worker comes on board, this Bay Area hosts the crew

Furthermore, a person who attends a remote work interview can exhibit some traits which will qualify him as the right choice for the job when he shows his unique problem-solving skills, Foster said. Such a prospect should emphasize more on his personal achievements during his last employment, such as a project he single-handedly carried out or an enterprise he initiated as a staff way back.

Foster also advises people to take evidence of their past projects along, maybe a write-up, designs, or a self-invented code folder. The panel will want to be sure that he can keep records which can benefit the team. According to Foster, determining which applicant will be an efficient remote employee takes the experience of the interview panel, and some of the questions which a prospect may be asked are:

– What vital change did you create as a holder of your post in the past year?

– Are there any changes you would have made if you had the opportunity to do so?

– Share the outcomes with the panel.

Foster was asked if a prospect must have past experience as a remote staff before applying and his answer was a straight-forward “of course not”. He added that the majority of Zapier’s workforce were inexperienced remote employees. On how a prospect can detail on his cover letter, the qualities and strengths that make him do remote work effectively, Foster reiterated that he could share his story about his past colleagues as a remote worker in his resume, but it’s not compulsory.

Naturally, work-at-home people tend to become lazy and inefficient at a point, so Foster responded by saying that he doesn’t think the environment where a worker stays should make him suddenly turn lazy, whether in a company’s building or at his house. He, however, advised that people should develop a custom of their plans that will enable them to accomplish their daily goals, both personally and professionally. Zapier has a set of apps that it uses among its members to keep in touch with one another, such as Zoom and Slack. Foster also mentioned an in-house tool known as Async.

Relationship Development

Studies have found that remote work can significantly increase worker’s productivity

The issue of cultural and relationship development was also raised during the interview, and Foster said culture goes beyond merry-making, culture depicts people’s devotion to their works. Culture shows in the way our clients are being treated, the maximum attention that we pay to the quality of our commitment to products and services, says Foster.

At Zapier, the management has a solid foundation and core values which assist its members. Also, he added, the new members have the perfect knowledge of the things Zapier cherishes most and its work perspectives.

Zapier has socializing activities for its employees at some outlets. One of them is Airbnb, and the outing is called ‘Onboarding’. Week one of their employment, all recruits are expected to visit the Bay site in the company of their recruitment manager to meet some other team members, and Zapier’s executives face to face. The aim is to strengthen the first working relationships with the main executives and co-workers.

Another form of socializing is called ‘Pair-chats over Donut’, where on a weekly basis, a bot from Slack will haphazardly matches a teammate with another teammate, then both partners will plan to have a chat which will last for about 30 minutes. Most times, this is done through Zoom, and the purpose is to get more acquainted with each other on Zapier.

Other informal engagements at Zapier include two get-togethers in one year and Slack social channels for teammates where fun times and entertainment are shared.