The Hire That Every Recruiter Would Have Missed
Remote Work Secrets - Edition #35
What's Inside:
Why the best hire I ever made had zero experience on paper - and what that means for how you search.
How ‘Rebels’ are getting through the door without all boxes ticked - and what's actually working.
Why "hit the ground running" is what every company asks for, and so few candidates actually show them they can.
This Week's Remote Jobs. Real remote roles for Senior Professionals.
"I need someone who can hit the ground running." 🙄
Every hiring manager says it. And every candidate tries to prove they can. So why are so many companies still hiring the wrong people??
Hiring from a resume is a bit like dating apps. You've got a bio, a few photos, and about three seconds to make a decision. Swipe left, swipe right. And yes, sometimes it works. But how many genuinely great relationships started because a friend made an introduction? Or because someone made you laugh in a way you didn't expect? Or because you got talking and realised you'd both been to the same small town in Portugal??
You'd never have swiped right. But there they are.
Recruiting works the same way. Your resume is your bio. It tells you what someone wants you to see. It tells you nothing about whether they'll figure things out at 4pm on a Friday when everything's gone higgledy-piggledy and there's no one around to ask.
Four years ago I hired a VA. She was brilliant, and after a few months she left to chase her own dreams. Before she went, she told me about her cousin. Said she was one of those people who just figures things out. Hardworking. Would pick things up quickly, but she had zero VA experience. She'd been a full-time mum for a few years and was getting back into work.
I was hesitant, I'll admit it.
Yet, it's been nearly four years, and I genuinely don't know where I'd be without Lucia Tello. GENUINELY.
No CV would have flagged her. A warm recommendation from someone whose judgment I trusted did.
So to the companies reading this: stop filtering purely for the boxes ticked and start paying attention to who comes recommended, who takes the time to stand out, and who shows you something a resume never could. The person who sends you a 90-day plan you didn't ask for, or a Loom walking you through how they'd use your own software, is showing you exactly who they are. That's your hire.
And to those job searching right now: I'm going to be straight with you. If you don't tick most of the boxes, a cold application probably won't cut it. That's just the reality. But that doesn't mean the door's shut. Get an introduction. Find someone on the inside who'll vouch for you. Or do something that makes them sit up and pay attention, because a warm referral or a genuinely creative approach will get you further than the most polished resume every single time.
The best matches, in work and in life, rarely come from swiping right on a perfect profile.
This Week's Remote Roles
🎯Fully Remote Jobs (No "Fake Remote" Here):
Which brings me to something we're doing in September.
One of the things that comes up again and again when I speak to rebels going through their job search is that they don't know what they're actually worth in the remote market specifically. Because remote roles don't follow the same rules. The talent pool is global, the companies are often distributed, and the salary benchmarks look completely different to what you'd find in a traditional in-office search.
That's exactly why we're hosting the Remote Rebellion Job Fair this September. Real remote-first companies, real roles, real humans you can actually talk to. No generic AI-written job descriptions. No "competitive salary." Just transparency, which, as it turns out, is what we've all been asking for.
If you want to be the first to know when applications open, get on the waitlist now.
Stay Rebellious,
Michelle & The RR Team