10 Tips for Applying for a Remote Role at Float

As someone who specializes in Talent acquisition and has spent my fair share of time on LinkedIn, I see how much conflicting job search advice is out there. From the “proven trick to beat ATS bots” to whether cover letters matter or how to answer the dreaded “what are your salary expectations” questions—candidates are faced with conflicting advice and hot takes 🥵 from all angles. The truth? There’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Making your application stand out will always depend on the company, the role, and the hiring team.

While there are lots of different approaches to hiring, we seek to be transparent about ours so that you can put your best foot forward. Here are our top ten tips to help you craft your hell-yes application.

Tip 1: Answer the application questions

We don’t ask for generic cover letters. Instead, we include two to three key questions as part of your application to help us understand who you are and why you want to join us. This is a great place to add some Float-specific intent to your application. Talent and hiring managers look at this alongside your resume to gauge your fit for the role—so make it count! And please, for the love of god, answer each question in your own words!

We know that many companies make you jump through hoops at this stage of the process. Our questions are meant to be answered in 2-3 sentences max, and designed to be thoughtfully specific to the role. We really appreciate your time in answering them, as it helps paint a fuller picture than what a resume can tell us.

Tip 2: Help us connect the dots

Career breaks? Layoffs? Not the right fit? Looking for an industry change? Career change? All good! We don't see any of that as a red flag. What we do need is to understand why you’re interested in this role, why Float, and why now. Use your application questions to help connect the dots for us. The clearer your story, the easier it is for us to see the fit.

Tip 3: We’re looking at the full picture

Hiring isn’t an exact science (there, I said it!). We have limited opportunities to learn about you, so every interaction matters. We make the best decision possible based on the data collected throughout the process. Everything is a data point, from your resume to interviews. Hint: a concise, clear resume signals strong communication skills 😉

Tip 4: Stick to the official channels (aka, don’t call us, we’ll call you)

We use a dedicated Applicant Tracking System (ATS), Workable, to collect and review all applications. With hundreds coming in, it helps us to keep everything organized and ensures every application is read and considered because they're being submitted the same way—no back doors here! We don’t see a correlation between those who reach out via LinkedIn and Hell Yes! candidates. In other words, trying to skip the queue by reaching out over LinkedIn won’t improve your chances.

We have a referral process as we do find that great people know great people! So if there is someone in your network who works at Float, be sure to reach out to them.

Tip 5: Write for humans, not bots

Yes, even with the volume of applications we receive, applications are reviewed by a real human (hi, it’s me or Ashley!). There are no magic keyword formulas or fancy hacks. In fact, we're really just looking for a mix of relevant experience and well thought-out responses—that are unique to you.

Tip 6: Resist the urge to rely solely on AI

We see a lot of candidates simply copy and paste their application questions directly from ChatGPT. It might feel like  “well, it’s better than just leaving it blank!”... but, to be honest, it’s as bad as leaving the field blank. Your best shot at moving forward is to make your application personal—because we want to hire you, not AI. Tools can help, but trust us, copy + pasted AI answers are easy to spot and not a good look.

Tip 7: Prioritize applying sooner than later

Time is of the essence! If we’re at the final interview stage with top candidates, late applications can face an uphill battle—even if they knock our socks off. Respecting one another's time is a team value for how we work at Float. By moving swiftly with hell-yes candidates, we seek to be efficient with our hiring team's and candidates' time.

Tip 8: Focus on applying for your best-fit roles

We can see your candidate history with us 🫣, and so applying to multiple unrelated roles tells us that either:

1. You have a deep passion for Float (great 😊)
2. You have a scattered approach and aren’t clear on what you want to be doing (not great 😕)

We find that our best team members are focused in their craft, know where they want to grow, and are clear on where their skills can be best applied. Be selective about the roles you apply for with us. It signals you're serious about that role specifically and gives you more time to craft your best application for it!

Tip 9: Strive for brevity

Leave out the fluff! Be yourself, be direct, and be specific. We only have a few moments to review your application, so help us see your value fast. Bonus tip: Skip the long Loom recordings and overly detailed answers—they don’t reflect how we communicate and work.

Tip 10: Assess us too

Hell yes hiring is a two-way street, and we really mean that. We want joining Float to be a great fit for you too—before investing everyone's time and resources (yours included) into hiring and onboarding. So make sure that you interview us too! Take advantage of the time set aside at the end of each interview round to ask thoughtful, specific questions.  Go through our public handbook so that you can see behind the curtains of what working at Float is like. At the final stages, we also provide a two-way reference check by connecting you with a Float team member.

Being critical and honest about whether we're a hell yes for you is in everyone's best interests 🤝

I hope this helps you understand what the team at Float has our eyes out for. We wish you the very best of luck on your job search, and we hope you find that “hell yes” fit, whether that’s with us or somewhere else!

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