Direct jobs
Direct jobs are those jobs that are posted by us - the Uplink team - and where applications also land with us first. We then select the most suitable candidates for the job and introduce them to the client. The client can then access their own login area to view the candidates' profiles and give feedback directly, i.e. either suggest a date for a first interview or send the candidate a rejection with a short explanation.
If the customer suggests an interview, the candidate is notified of this directly in Slack, and can then accept one of the suggested dates or make a counter-proposal.
From that point on, the further communication runs directly between the candidate and the client - but we are of course always available for questions and in case of problems! 😀
If the client and one of the candidates agree to work together, the contract is signed directly between them, and the invoices are also issued by the freelancer directly to the client.
Our fee for direct jobs is 10% in the first 12 months of cooperation with the client.
Our selection process​
After publishing a new direct job, we usually try to ensure that it remains open for applications for at least 24 hours, so that all interested candidates have the opportunity to apply at their own pace. We then review the applications in terms of the candidates' expertise (skills and experience) and how well they meet the parameters of the job (start date, availability, budget, etc.).
Usually, we try to introduce 2-3 suitable candidates for each job, unless the client is looking for multiple freelancers for the same job, in which case we may be able to introduce more candidates. If a lot of candidates apply for a job within a short period of time after the job is published, we may have to close such a job before the 24 hours are up, or even reject candidates who would have otherwise been a good fit for the job.
If a candidate is rejected for a job and is not sure why, or would like more details about the rejection, that is no problem! We always try to give everyone as detailed feedback as possible. A rejection is never meant to be personal.
How do we assess the candidate's expertise?​
Ideally, the candidate should have completed several jobs with the required tech stack within the last two years. Moreover, experience in the client’s industry/segment (e-commerce, fashion, banking, etc.) or with similar clients (startups, corporates, agencies, etc.) is a plus.
The importance of a convincing CV​
Our assessment of a candidate’s expertise is based on a lot of factors: the job application, CV, online profiles (portfolio website, XING, LinkedIn, GitHub etc.), feedback from previous engagements via Uplink etc.
Once we introduce a candidate to a client, though, the reality is that most of the time, it’s the CV that plays the biggest role in the client's decision whether to talk to the candidate or not. For that reason, it’s really important that the CV accurately reflects the candidate’s current skills and experience, especially in regards to the client’s job.
From our experience, the most important aspects of a good CV are:
- No obvious design flaws - you don’t have to spend hours to design your CV, just pick a decent template and stick to it. The most important thing is that the formatting and spelling are correct and consistent.
- Up-to-date - all jobs of the last 5 years (if possible) should be included. If the last job ended 6 months ago, please mention what you did since then ("sabbatical", "parental leave", "learning the guitar", etc.).
- Project list with task and skill summary - include a short summary (2-3 sentences are enough) of the tasks you performed in each job and which skills/technologies you used.
If you prefer, you can move your project list to a separate document to keep your CV a one-pager.
The importance of the project list cannot be overstated. Whether we like it or not, clients (and recruiters) will often look at this list alone to determine if a candidate is a good fit for a job. If the job’s main skills are mentioned in the last 2 or 3 jobs of the candidate, it makes a very good impression. If not, a different candidate might be given priority for that reason alone.
Senior Frontend Developer​
Sep 2019 - Jun 2020 // Hyper Scale Startup GmbH // Berlin
Supported the client’s development team consisting of 4 frontend and 3 backend developers. Performed development and testing of new features, bugfixing, and integration of a chat tool and different payment providers.
Technologies used: React.js, Jest, Node.js, GraphQL, MySQL, Docker