Remote Content Developer Jobs: What To Look For In Candidates

Have you ever heard the joke ‘the best place to hide a body is page two of Google search results? If you work for an eCommerce or as a digital marketer, you probably invented the joke. Since it first appeared on Google, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) keeps changing its algorithms, making content creators’ jobs harder. That’s why it’s important to hire the right remote content developer.

While Google is busy releasing new updates, website and e-commerce owners started to rely on a critical role: content developers. Learn how to find the perfect content developer with our “Interviewing for Remote Content Developer Jobs” guide.

SEO strategies are vital to not end up on page two of Google and being visible to your audience. You need to catch your reader’s attention, and for that, you have content writers. But to convince Google that your content is the most relevant on the topic, you need content developers.

What Is A Content Developer?

For most remote content developer jobs, these individuals produce original content to illustrate the brand’s objectives and products. With ads, blog posts, landing pages, newsletters, press releases, or product reviews, writers cover all the topics to promote a digital marketing campaign for a business. Besides promoting the company’s values and products, writers need to adhere to SEO guidelines to make visible their written outputs.

A content developer comes into play to assist the marketing campaign in increasing communication and audience engagement. If writers produce the content, a content developer is responsible for scheduling and planning which content will be released. This role aims to ensure that each piece of content represents the company and targets the selected consumer group.

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The content developer also takes care of any other marketing content such as static copies, images, video content, and podcasts. Because of this broad range of tasks, it’s necessary that content developers’ jobs require candidates to have a background in programming, software development, aside from copywriting and quality assurance.

Skills For Remote Content Developer Jobs

A content developer mixes creative and technical skills. Creativity is fundamental to conceptualize content, while an organizational mind is crucial for creating a pragmatic action plan. While running a remote business, this role contributes to reaching a broad audience and increasing your company’s digital presence.

These Are The Core Skills To Look For In A Remote Content Developer:

• Ability to work remotely with team members and independently
• Communication skills
• Strategic thinking skills
• Analytical skills
• Attention for details
• Multitasking and the ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously
• Command of content management software
• Basic knowledge of HTML and CSS

What To Consider Before Hiring A Remote Content Developer?

Hiring a remote position requires some premises. After the 2020 pandemic, everyone is getting used to remote positions. But not everyone knows what it means to work with a remote team. Before welcoming a new remote content developer, think of how to structure this collaboration.

Set Clear Expectations

As we just said, the role of a content developer overlooks different stages of the marketing campaign and digital strategies. Planning and monitoring each piece of content requires strategic and creative skills. When you hire a new content developer, you must be clear on your expectations and your goals.

For example, do you think your marketing campaigns have to improve visual content? During the interview, mention this goal and ask how the candidate will work on it. Setting clear expectations will help your future content developer plan ahead and guide your team to produce better content.

Time Management

Setting clear expectations doesn’t relate only to the type of tasks or amount of work. It also includes the schedule. In distributed teams, it can happen that team members work at different time schedules. For this type of role, it is necessary to synchronize with the team to discuss content planning and future targets. Before looking for a new hire, think about what will work better with your team.

A part-time contract as a support of an existing marketing team? Or a full-time role to manage the work of your writers? Would you allow flexible hours or prefer a fixed schedule? Ask yourself these types of questions and discuss them with your team before starting the hiring process.

Communication

One last, crucial requirement for this role is communication skills. In virtual teams, you can arrange weekly meetings, but most of the communication happens via message. Furthermore, a content developer will have direct and regular contacts with your marketing team not only to produce new content.

But also to repurpose old content and fix mistakes on the run. It is fundamental that your new content developer has a good command of the English language and knowledge of digital devices to communicate and work remotely.

Key Steps To Hire A Remote Developer

Job Ad

When you write your job ad, you must be clear on your company’s mission and values to attract the best talent. Are you a digital startup with innovative ideas or an existing company transforming its internal structure? Are you a fully remote company or a hybrid model with just a few remote positions?

Writing your company description helps you visualize your ideal candidate. You can picture which type of skills you need most and which type of experience is necessary for the role. Once you have your perfect candidate in mind, make sure to include in the ad:

• Title
• Company description
• Job description, highlighting your expectations and goals for each task.
• Skills and responsibilities
• Position details, including schedule and type of contract

Remember to keep the ad short and concise and post it on platforms specialized in content marketing positions and remote job postings – rather than cheaper marketplaces. Check out some of Matchbox Design Group’s position description examples for their Remote Visual Designer position and Full Stack Web Developer position.

Interview Process

The interview stage is an essential part of the remote hiring process. Here you can see the nuances of each candidate and analyze the interaction with other team members.

If you can’t rely on specialized recruitment agencies and their experience in remote interviews, make sure to:

1. Have a second round of interviews with the candidate that convinces you the most;
2. Arrange an interview with the marketing team your content developer will work with.

The second round of interviews feels like a waste of time, but it’s the best way to see how the candidate interacts and communicates with the team.

In a remote setting, the interview stage is vital. It is the first moment to talk face-to-face with the candidate. When you schedule your interviews, mention that the camera is mandatory and clear on the platform you will be using.

Skill Tests

Another way to see if the candidate is a good fit for the team is a skill test. It doesn’t need to be the most difficult task on earth. You just need a small challenge to test how the candidate deals with pressure and time. You can mention a bottleneck in your marketing strategy from a previous campaign and ask the candidate for a couple of solutions on the spot.

If your candidate manages to come up quickly with a few ideas, you know that the person can deal with pressure. Or you can ask for a draft content plan in two days and see how the candidate manages tight deadlines.

The goal of a skill test isn’t to find the most skilled content developer in the entire universe (that is only desirable). The scope of a test is to certainly see the skill level, but also the person’s attitude, and if that type of personality fits with the rest of the team.

Virtual Onboarding

In remote teams, the onboarding process is vital. As long as you are transparent during the interview process, you can even propose a trial period before confirming the contract. In virtual teams, time for adjustment is normal, but a content developer needs to contact different team members. How the new hire will handle tasks, tools, and communication is vital not only for SEO but also for team productivity.

Conclusion

To recap, a content developer is a crucial role for any company working with digital interfaces. They are in charge of planning and monitoring any content that represents your brand on the Internet. Combining organizational and creative skills, a content developer is the point of contact between the marketing and sales department.

For this role, you need someone with excellent technical expertise and with even better communication skills.

Hiring remotely helps to expand the talent pool and find the perfect talent worldwide. Just make sure to be clear and transparent when you write your ad and, more importantly, during the interview and onboarding process. If you are transparent and clear on what you expect, you will attract the best talent.