Making a case for telecommuting.

September 21, 2009 9:44 AM

How can I make a strong case for telecommuting? Problem: I don't have the job yet.

I'm currently employed, but I'm looking for new jobs (hence anonymity). I've found a position in New York City for which I'm actually rather well-suited. Problem: I live in the Midwest and I cannot move for three years.

What I have going for me: the job is asking for a somewhat unusual combination of skills in rather particular language. I've got them. I'm well above-average at some of them, but meet all of their requirements and preferred qualifications. The work is largely programming and statistics, which I think are fairly proven areas in which telecommuting can work. I don't live in NYC, so salary goes a bit further for me, if that might be a factor (sorry to undercut you, New Yorkers). I also interviewed with a similar (very well-known; they'll know who I'm talking about) company for a similar role a couple of months ago that was a telecommuting position by default.

Are you an HR specialist/manager/employer? If so, what would make you consider a telecommuter? Are you someone who has successfully argued this case? Let me know how you pulled it off.

Thanks in advance for all your help - I'm excited about this job, anticipate failure, but want to take the best shot I can. Throwaway email: [e-mail]

posted by anonymous to work & money (9 comments total)

Can't argue the HR issues, but:

One red flag I can think of is tax issues. If they hire you, they'll create nexus in the midwest. If they aren't paying taxes in the midwest now, the cost of compliance will probably be higher than your salary.

One way around this might be to offer to be a contractor rather than an employee. This means paying your own benefits and taxes, so you would take on the extra cost of being in the new state. But it would relieve them of those specific concerns.
posted by politikitty at 9:55 AM on September 21

I am a hiring pro person. You need to send a VERY SIMPLE e-mail to the hiring contact that says:

(1) I am very qualified for this position; and
(2) Is your firm open to considering telecommuting and/or contract work to fill this need?

And leave the rest, including your resume, out of it for now. You are just seeking a small opening. If the hiring contact says "Well, we would consider it for the right applicant", THEN you slam them with your amazing qualifications and such.
posted by rokusan at 10:00 AM on September 21 [4 favorites]

The tax issue can be thorny.

I hire people who telecommute. However, the expectation is that people telecommute 60-80% and are on site the other days. Are you making any provisions to work on site? Because that would be a deal breaker for me as a hiring manager. Also, we don't start people as telecommuters. The first few months are more in the office time. That allows us to understand the employee, measure skill gaps and build plan training etc.

How are you planning to handle required travel? Who pays for it? How are the hours allocated. For instance, if you need to spend 3 days in New York for training - do you expect to pay for the flight and hotel? How about the hours en route? Are they work hours?

Ultimately, allowing an employee to telecommute is about trust. If I'm hiring you - as an employee, not a contractor - then I want to see you in the office for the first few weeks.
posted by 26.2 at 10:07 AM on September 21

Aside from the tax issues consider that there are a lot of people out of work right now, including many who live in the NYC area who may be an acceptable, though perhaps not ideal, fit for the job. Competing with those relatirly more attractive employees may be a losing gambit in this economy.
posted by dfriedman at 10:30 AM on September 21

Consider applying, getting an offer, and then negotiating working as a telecommuter...
posted by xammerboy at 12:06 PM on September 21

Consider applying, getting an offer, and then negotiating working as a telecommuter.

Be really careful about this. If telecommuting is a requirement for you, I don't want that sprung on me after an offer. It would undermine my trust in you.
posted by 26.2 at 12:37 PM on September 21

if you convince them that it's possible to telecommute for this position, then why wouldn't they just hire someone in India for a fraction of the cost?
posted by Jacqueline at 12:37 PM on September 21

Don't even think about doing what xammerboy suggests. Seriously, if you were the hiring manager in that situation, would you find that acceptable?

I once telecommuted to a job in a different state; the compromise we reached was that I would fly out (at their expense) and work onsite for one week per month. This was a pretty unusual situation: at the time I was specializing in a fairly uncommon niche; they already knew who I was, and they knew they needed me, and there was no question of them being able to find someone local with my skills.

You've got the first one of those, but none of the rest, so this is going to be an uphill battle -- but it's not impossible. It's ultimately going to boil down to whether the company is used to working with telecommuters or not, which you don't have any control over, but the best way to improve your odds is by being open to compromises (such as part-time travel, or full-time videoconference availability) and demonstrating that you're able to telecommute (can you show that you're able to get work done without a manager hanging over your shoulder? Have you done any freelance or other offsite work in the past? Do you know how to connect to a VPN or set up a videoconference link or whatever other technical hurdles they may throw at you?)

why wouldn't they just hire someone in India for a fraction of the cost?

Actually the communication and timezone issues involved make offshoring individual jobs of this sort pretty unusual, in my experience. I've seen companies offshore whole departments, sure, but never individuals who have to work closely with a non-offshore team.
posted by ook at 12:48 PM on September 21

You would have better luck going into something like this as a consultant, assuming it is in finance.
posted by ch1x0r at 5:22 PM on September 21