Remote work has become the new normal for many companies worldwide, making remote job interviews a common gateway to landing your next role. But what sets you apart in a remote interview? And once you’re in, what soft skills are essential to thriving in a distributed environment?

In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to prepare for and excel in a remote job interview—from setting up your tech to highlighting your professional journey. Plus, we’ll explore six key soft skills for remote work and how you can showcase them during the interview process.

The Challenge of Getting Your First International Role

Securing a tech role at an American software company as a South American candidate can be tough due to different protocols, competition, and unfamiliar cultural norms. However, with the right preparation and strategy, securing that dream job is within reach.

Some essential interview tips include researching the company, practicing mock interviews, and preparing answers to behavioral questions. Keep reading to dive deep!

Understanding What Companies Value: Do Your Background Check

Many common interview mistakes are avoidable with proper preparation, such as technical checks and rehearsing answers. 

One of the first steps is to learn what the company values and what their interview process looks like. By thoroughly understanding the company you’re applying to and anticipating their needs, you’ll increase your chances of landing the role.

To stand out among the competition and demonstrate your fit for the role, thorough research is essential. Here’s how you can dig deep into the company’s values and requirements, ensuring that you’re well-prepared to ace the interview:

#1 Company Culture

Employers are looking for candidates who not only excel in technical skills but can also integrate smoothly into their existing teams. Understanding the company’s values allows you to frame your responses to show that you’d fit well into their culture. Investigate their culture by visiting:

  • Careers Page: This is often the best starting point for learning about the company’s mission, values, and workplace environment.
  • Employee Review Sites: Platforms like Glassdoor and Indeed provide first-hand accounts of company culture, allowing you to read real employee feedback.
  • Social Media: Following the company’s LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram pages can give insight into their current projects, community engagements, and company culture highlights.

If possible, speak to human resources not just about your qualifications, but also how you can contribute to a positive company culture.

#2 Tech Stack

Understanding the company’s tech stack allows you to highlight relevant skills and experience, demonstrating that you’re not only familiar with their tools but can also hit the ground running from day one. Where to check:

  • Company Website: Many companies outline their technologies and frameworks on their blogs, case studies, or product pages.
  • LinkedIn Profiles: Look up profiles of current employees in similar roles to see which technologies and tools they mention. This gives you an insider’s view of the skills they prioritize.
  • Tech News Platforms: Websites like TechCrunch or BuiltIn can offer insights into the technologies the company is experimenting with or plans to adopt in the future.

Research the company’s tech stack and find comparable tools you’ve used, so you can demonstrate your readiness to work with their systems. When possible, demonstrate your ability to solve technical challenges in real time, either through live coding tests or problem-solving scenarios.

How to Bypass Biases and English as a Second Language (ESL) Challenges

Preparing for a tech interview requires a balance of showcasing both your technical expertise and soft skills. For ESL candidates, it’s important to practice speaking confidently during the interview.

Overcoming Language Barriers

While English proficiency is essential, don’t be discouraged if you’re not completely fluent. Employers are often more interested in your ability to communicate ideas clearly and solve problems, than grammar. Practice key industry terms and prepare concise examples that showcase your expertise.

Tip: Focus on clear, structured responses. Use frameworks like the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to organize your answers in interviews, making it easier to communicate effectively despite language barriers.

Combatting Biases

Being from a different region or speaking English as a second language can sometimes introduce unconscious biases in interviews. To counteract this, emphasize how your diverse background brings unique perspectives and solutions to tech problems, such as mirroring the user base.

Many candidates inadvertently overlook cultural differences during international interviews, but addressing them can make you stand out. Your international experience is a distinctive advantage, providing fresh perspectives to global teams. 

Remind interviewers that foreign candidates bring unique perspectives and diverse skill sets, making them valuable assets.

Tip: Share examples of how your experiences working in diverse environments or dealing with cross-border teams have shaped your ability to contribute to global companies.

Pre-game: Have Fun With Mock Interviews

Mock interviews prepare you for the types of questions you’ll face in real interviews. They help you refine your answers, reduce anxiety, and ensure you communicate clearly and concisely. 

Study interview answer examples to learn how to structure your responses in a concise, compelling way. Continuous practice builds confidence and helps you become comfortable with answering questions under pressure. 

Where to practice:

  • Online Platforms: Websites like Pramp, InterviewBit, or LeetCode offer mock interviews, allowing you to practice with real interview questions used by top companies.
  • Friends and Family: Ask people you trust to role-play interview scenarios. Even if they aren’t in tech, explaining technical concepts to non-experts can strengthen your communication skills.
  • Career Services: If you have access to career services through university programs or professional networks, use these resources for structured feedback.

Even Chat GPT and Geminy can be great reseouces. To learn more, read How Can AI Help You Ace Interviews: A Tech Interview Prep Guide for IT Professionals.

Preparing for Your Remote Job Interview

Before stepping into your virtual interview, there are a few technical and mental preparations that can set you up for success.

Tech Check: Setting Up for Success

Before the interview, ensure your setup is feasible for a smooth conversation, from internet speed to camera quality.

A smooth technical setup ensures your focus stays on the interview, not on fixing tech issues. Remote work demands reliable communication tools, and a good setup shows you’re serious about both the role and remote work culture.

How to do it:

  • Check your internet connection: Before your interview, set a baseline for your internet speed to avoid any technical issues that might disrupt the call. A minimum of 25Mbps for both download and upload speeds is recommended to avoid lag and interruptions. Run a speed test before the call to ensure you’re good to go.
  • Test your microphone and camera: Test your equipment well before the interview. If possible, use a high-quality external microphone and camera for a professional appearance.
  • Choose a quiet environment: Find a distraction-free space that reflects your understanding of remote work. Background noise can derail your conversation and suggests a lack of preparation.
  • Use a laptop or desktop: Whenever possible, avoid using a smartphone for the interview. A stable desktop setup with a larger screen allows for easier multitasking and ensures a more professional look.

When to focus on it: Run a complete tech check the day before the interview, and double-check your equipment 15 minutes before the call.

Mental Preparation: Presenting Your Best Self

Just as in an in-person interview, your confidence and clarity when presenting your career journey are key. Preparing your thoughts ahead of time can help ensure you hit the right points and don’t forget important details.

How to do it:

  • Summarize your career highlights: Reflect on the key moments of your career—projects you’ve worked on, technologies you’ve mastered, challenges you’ve overcome, and milestones you’ve reached. Keep a mental or written list to stay on track.
  • Create a mental map of your career: Think of your professional growth as a journey, with each role leading to new skills and responsibilities. Be ready to walk the interviewer through this progression clearly and concisely.
  • Know your professional profile: Identify whether you’re a T-shaped or comb-shaped professional. Be prepared to discuss how the depth and breadth of your expertise make you an ideal fit for the role.

When to focus on it: Mentally review your career story in the days leading up to the interview, ensuring you can tell it naturally when prompted. You want to structure your answers to reflect why you’re the ideal candidate for this role, focusing on both technical and cultural fit.

During the Interview: Standing Out in a Different Cultural Context

When interviewing for a remote position with a company based in a different country, particularly in the United States, it’s important to be aware of cultural differences in the interview process. American interviews often follow different protocols than those in South America, so adjusting your approach can make a big difference in how you’re perceived.

1. Understanding the Expectations

American companies typically value a balance of technical competence and business acumen. While demonstrating your technical prowess is essential, it’s equally important to show how your skills contribute to solving real-world business problems.

In addition to technical details, be prepared to discuss your work at a high level, showing how your contributions fit into the company’s broader goals.

How to do it:

  • Frame your technical knowledge in a business context: When discussing your experience, highlight how your solutions have positively impacted business outcomes—whether by improving efficiency, cutting costs, or enabling new services.
  • Align with the company’s goals: Tailor your answers to reflect the company’s priorities, showing how you can help them achieve their business objectives.

Example: “In my last role, I improved the deployment pipeline by 30%, which helped reduce time-to-market for new features, ultimately improving customer satisfaction.”

Truth is, hiring managers want to know how your skills can positively affect their bottom line by improving processes or increasing efficiency.

2. Best Practices for a Successful Interview

While hard skills are crucial, how you present yourself and adapt to the interview process can make a significant impact. Following best practices tailored to remote interviews will help you stand out and show that you’re not only qualified but also a strong cultural fit. Here’s what to focus on—and what to avoid.

Do’s:

  • Be Aware of Presentation: How you dress and the surrounding environment all communicate how invested you are. Although you may be interviewing remotely, maintain good body language by sitting up straight and making eye contact through the camera.
  • Tailor your responses to the job description: Go beyond generic answers. Use specific examples that align with the role you’re applying for. Structure your answers using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to highlight how you’ve handled challenges in the past.
  • Highlight soft skills: Be sure to emphasize communication, self-awareness, and initiative. U.S. employers often look for candidates who can work well independently, but also collaborate effectively in a distributed team. For example: even in technical roles, strong customer service skills can set you apart by showing your ability to communicate with clients.
  • Show adaptability and problem-solving: In a remote context, being flexible and quick to respond to challenges is highly valued. Discuss scenarios where you had to adapt or pivot, especially in a remote work setting.

Don’ts:

  • Avoid focusing solely on technical skills: While it’s important to show your expertise, make sure you also demonstrate how your technical contributions have a broader business impact.
  • Don’t overlook cultural fit: Many American companies emphasize team culture and how well you’ll fit into it. Be prepared to discuss how you collaborate, communicate, and align with company values. Recruiters and hiring managers are not just looking for someone who is technically competent, but also a good fit for their remote culture.

Example: “While technical skills are crucial, I’m also very focused on building strong relationships with my team, no matter where they are located. I believe in a collaborative work environment where ideas and feedback are exchanged openly.”

End your interview by discussing the positive impact you’ve had in previous roles, emphasizing results and measurable outcomes. You can demonstrate further interest by asking relevant questions back.

Key Soft Skills for Remote Work and How to Showcase Them

While hard skills are essential for technical roles, don’t underestimate the importance of cultural fit and communication. Thriving in a remote job requires mastering key soft skills that support effective communication, collaboration, and self-management. During the tech interview, you’ll want to highlight how you embody these traits.

Here are six essential soft skills for distributed work and tips on how to demonstrate them during the interview, plus interview answer examples.

1. Communication: The Backbone of Remote Work

You may be tempted to focus solely on your technical skills; conversely, soft skills like adaptability are equally important in remote environments. 

Without in-person interactions, clear and frequent communication is vital for ensuring alignment and collaboration in distributed teams. Employers need to know you can keep things moving forward, even from a distance.

How to do it:

  • Share examples: Highlight moments when you went out of your way to stay aligned with your team, whether through regular updates, meetings, or proactive check-ins.
  • Demonstrate proactivity: Show that you understand the importance of over-communication to avoid misunderstandings in a remote setting.

Bring this up when discussing teamwork, collaboration, or how you handle remote work dynamics.

Example: “I over-communicate and actively reach out when I need something. I plan actions and meetings ahead, and I follow up when meetings are postponed or canceled.”

Remember, it’s important to remain consistent in your communication style, especially in remote work where clarity is key. Build a credible narrative around how your experiences have prepared you for the challenges of remote work.

2. Self-Awareness: Knowing What Motivates You

Working remotely requires you to stay motivated and productive without the external push of office life. Employers look for candidates who understand their own work habits and can maintain energy and focus.

How to do it:

  • Identify your motivators: Reflect on what drives you to do your best work. Whether it’s problem-solving, collaboration, or learning new skills, know what gives you energy and keeps you productive.
  • Use self-reflection tools: Tools like “Moving Motivators” from Management 3.0 can help you understand what matters most in your work life and how you can create an environment that supports those motivators.

This is great for answering questions about work habits, self-motivation, or how you stay productive in a remote setting.

Example: “I used to get motivated by people around me, but now I motivate myself and create a work environment that suits my needs for excitement.”

During the interview, be sure to mention how the position aligns with your long-term career path and goals. Clearly articulating your career goals helps employers see your motivation and alignment with the company’s vision.

3. Discipline and Time Management: Balancing Work and Life

Without the structure of a traditional office, managing time effectively is critical to staying productive in remote work. It’s also key to maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

When discussing remote work experience, share tips on how you stay productive while working from home.

How to do it:

  • Discuss your daily routine: Share how you structure your day, including breaks and boundaries between work and personal time. Highlight any specific techniques like time-blocking or setting daily goals.
  • Mention specific strategies: Whether it’s sticking to a schedule, using productivity apps, or following routines, discuss how you ensure work gets done without sacrificing your well-being.

Use this when talking about your approach to productivity, balancing multiple tasks, or handling deadlines.

Example: “I almost started working in my pajamas and forgot about lunch, but I’ve found that sticking as close as possible to my regular business routine works best.”

4. Initiative and Decision-Making: Owning Your Role

Remote workers must often make decisions on their own, without immediate supervision. Employers want to know that you can take initiative and make decisions confidently.

How to do it:

  • Give examples of initiative: Share stories where you took ownership of a project or decision without waiting for input from others.
  • Discuss decision-making: Highlight your ability to make informed decisions even when you don’t have all the details, a common scenario in remote work.

Talk about initiative when discussing leadership, or how you navigate ambiguity. Be ready to showcase your problem solving skills by explaining how you tackled complex technical issues in previous jobs.

Example: “I need to take matters into my own hands if nobody is available. I’ve learned to make decisions with only 60% of the information.”

Share examples of how you’ve contributed to decision making processes in past roles to highlight your leadership capabilities. Even if you’re not applying for a leadership role, companies value leadership skills like initiative and the ability to mentor others.

5. Open-Mindedness and Collaboration: Teamwork from Afar

Remote teams thrive on collaboration, often across time zones and cultures. Employers want to know you can work well with others, be open to new ideas, and handle differing perspectives.

How to do it:

  • Highlight your teamwork style: Share what you enjoy about working in teams and how you handle disagreements or conflicting ideas.
  • Discuss openness: Talk about times when you had to adapt your approach based on feedback or collaboration with teammates.

Bring this up when discussing teamwork, problem-solving, or navigating team dynamics in a remote setting. After all, job seekers with a growth mindset are frequently favored by employers looking for adaptable and innovative team members.

Example: “My favorite part of working in a team is when we review our work agreements. We can check what’s working, what’s not, and adjust based on everyone’s feedback. In my last position, I improved team efficiency by 25% through better workflow management.”

Don’t forget to show how your skillset is complementary to the existing team and how you can fill any gaps they may have.

6. Learning Process: Staying Curious and Sharing Knowledge

In a fast-paced, ever-evolving tech landscape, continuous learning is essential. Employers value workers who can quickly adapt, learn new tools, and share that knowledge with the team. Demonstrate that you’re constantly evolving as a professional by sharing examples of continuous learning and adapting to new tools.

How to do it:

  • Discuss a learning experience: Share a moment when you had to quickly learn a new skill or adapt to a new tool, and how you succeeded.
  • Talk about knowledge-sharing: Explain how you share what you’ve learned with your team, whether through documentation, presentations, or informal knowledge transfers.

Use this when talking about how you stay up-to-date with industry trends or when you’ve faced new challenges in your role.

Example: “During a challenging project, I had to learn how to set up a new third-party service. Once I got the hang of it, I documented the process and shared it with the team during a lunch-and-learn session.”

You can even ask about training programs during the interview to show your commitment to continuous learning and professional growth. 

After the Tech Interview: Following Up with Professionalism

The interview process doesn’t end when the call does. Following up is crucial to keep yourself top-of-mind with the hiring team.
How to do it:

  • Send a thank-you email: Within 24 hours, send a brief thank-you note expressing appreciation for the opportunity to interview and reiterating your interest in the position.
  • Highlight key discussion points: Reference any specific topics you discussed during the interview to jog the interviewer’s memory about your conversation. This shows attention to detail and reinforces your candidacy.

Example: “Thank you for the opportunity to interview for the [Job Title] position. I enjoyed our conversation about [specific topic] and believe my experience with [relevant experience] aligns well with your needs.”

In your concluding remarks, reiterate your enthusiasm for the role and how you see yourself growing within the company.

Your Path to Success in Landing a Tech Role

Securing a tech role at an American software company may seem challenging, especially when cultural differences, biases, and language barriers are at play. However, with thorough preparation, research, and practice, you can overcome these obstacles and stand out as a well-rounded, highly skilled candidate.

Remember to investigate the company’s culture, tech stack, and expectations, and practice mock interviews to hone your skills. Use your unique experiences and perspectives as strengths by ensuring your interview responses are clear and actionable, immediately — it demonstrates you can directly contribute to the company’s goals.

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Ready to Land Your Dream Job?

The job market may be competitive, but with the right tools and preparation, you can seize your opportunity. Start today by researching companies, practicing interviews, and fine-tuning your resume and skills. And if you’re looking for expert support in navigating this process, we can help. Contact us today to learn more about how we can assist in connecting you with top tech opportunities.

FAQ on Remote Job Interviews

How can I prepare for a remote job interview?
Prepare by testing your video setup, researching the company, practicing responses, and ensuring a professional setting.

What should I wear for a remote job interview?
Dress professionally, just as you would for an in-person interview, to make a positive first impression.

How do I handle technical difficulties during a remote job interview?
Stay calm, notify the interviewer promptly, and have a backup plan like switching to a phone call or rescheduling if necessary.

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