How to Stand Out When Applying for a Remote Role (Especially in Fully Distributed Orgs)

Stephanie Newell , Director, Talent Acquisition, Testlio

August 13th, 2025

But with that opportunity comes increased competition for job seekers and new vetting challenges for hiring teams. If you’re applying to remote roles in tech, especially at distributed companies like ours, how you present yourself makes the difference between getting an interview and being overlooked.

Here are three tips that can help your application rise to the top in a remote-first hiring process:

1. Make It Easy to Believe You’re Real—and Available

Your LinkedIn profile is often our first stop, whether you applied or we sourced you. We look for consistency with your resume against several checkpoints and aim to pre-qualify you as a legitimate candidate. A polished, up-to-date profile conveys that you’re an active candidate. It’s also a quick way to confirm that your actual experience matches your submitted resume.

Pro Tip: LinkedIn employs several methods to prevent fake profiles from being viewed on their site, but they are only successful 95% of the time, meaning some fraudsters get through the automated checks.  Using LinkedIn’s work email verification and profile verification features helps recruiters distinguish real applicants from the rising number of AI-generated submissions. Help yourself stand out against fake profiles by taking advantage of these LinkedIn features.  

2.  Prepare Your Interview Setup Like It’s Day One on the Job

In a remote company, your virtual presence is your professional presence. During interviews, we notice your background and attentiveness to details like audio quality and background noise—not because we’re judging your tech skills, but because we want to imagine what it will be like working with you remotely.

Pro Tips:

• Choose a tidy background or a blur filter.
• Avoid public places like coffee shops.
• Use headphones with a mic to avoid echo and eliminate background noise.
• Ensure good lighting—natural light works best.  Sitting close to a window and facing it works best rather than having a window behind you.
• Test your setup before the call. If you experience any technical difficulties, let the recruiter know beforehand so they know what to expect or offer accommodations
• Things come up. If you need to reschedule, let your recruiter know instead of trying to take the interview while driving or while completing an urgent task.

These simple touches show you’re ready to work remotely from day one.

3. Use AI Appropriately—Don’t Let It Speak for You

We know candidates are using AI tools to improve their resumes, cover letters, and interview prep—and we’re not against it. In fact, when used thoughtfully, AI can help you sharpen how you communicate your value, prepare more effectively, and even practice answering technical questions. But there’s a big difference between using AI as a coach and using it as a stand-in.

Use AI to:

• Clarify or tighten your resume language.
• Research the company background and interviewers.
• Support your completion of technical tasks in a similar way you would use a tool on the job.
• Practice articulating your experience with mock interviews.
• Brainstorm questions to ask in your interviews.

Avoid using AI to:

• Generate a full resume or portfolio without customization.
• Auto-answer technical assessments, live coding interviews, or application responses.
• Fabricate project experience or work product.

Recruiters and hiring managers are getting really good at identifying AI output without any human intervention. Our advice: use AI to help you shine, not to create a persona that falls apart when we dig deeper.

Pro Tip: If you’ve used AI to prepare—great! But be ready to speak clearly and personally about your experience and skills in your own words because AI plus a human touch is the strongest way to work AI to your advantage. Authenticity still matters.

Final Thought

Remote hiring is evolving fast—and so are the expectations. As recruiters, we’re committed to building fair, thoughtful, and human-centered processes that help uncover the best talent, wherever it may be.

But your experience as a candidate can be a two-way street. When you take the time to verify your profile, show up prepared, and use AI as a support—not a substitute—you’re not just improving your chances of getting hired. You’re helping build a more trustworthy, connected, and effective remote work ecosystem for everyone.

We’re rooting for you.