
Best Work-From-Home Companies 2021
It's no secret that remote work saw a huge surge in 2020; the question now is, which companies will stay remote-first in 2021, and how will they ensure that employees who work from home are set up for success?
We hope that our list of best work-from-home companies for 2021 will put you one step closer to finding a job that affords you the flexibility you crave, while avoiding the common pitfalls of some remote jobs (such as limited support/resources/benefits, poor communication, etc.).
As always, our list includes a mixture of totally remote and hybrid work-from-home companies. The 20 companies below were selected because:
- They offer flexible work-from-home roles (and plan to continue to do so in 2021)
- They know how to make remote workers feel like they're part of the team
- They offer competitive compensation & benefits
- They're committed to fostering diverse and inclusive workspaces
PowerToFly's Best Work-From-Home Companies 2021:
Zapier (100% distributed team)
What They Do
- Zapier is on a mission to democratize automation by making it incredibly easy and universal. They do that by connecting the apps you already use at work - apps like Trello, the GSuite, Hubspot, and 2000+ more - to automate your workflows and move data between them.
Why We Like Them
Their team is the essence of remote work - living and working across 30+ countries. They meet as a team during annual retreats and discuss everything from their hiring process to team dynamics to combatting unintentional bias. You can read more about their diversity and inclusion efforts here. Plus, they offer:
- Competitive salary (they don't use remote as an excuse to pay less!)
- Profit sharing
- 2 annual company retreats to awesome places
- 14 weeks paid leave for new parents
- Unlimited vacation policy (2 weeks REQUIRED!)
Who They're Looking For
Elastic (distributed by design)
What They Do
- "We're the company behind the Elastic Stack — that's Elasticsearch, Kibana, Beats, and Logstash. From stock quotes to Twitter streams, Apache logs to WordPress blogs, we help people explore and analyze their data differently using the power of search."
Why We Like Them
Elastic is driven by diversity, and understands that "life happens in the background while we have meetings and catch up on email. This might mean a kid on your lap as you give a demo from the couch, a dog playing fetch beside your desk, or a partner banging the pots and pans in the background while making dinner." You can learn more about their approach to managing distributed teams here.
They also offer great benefits like:
- Toast to your health - Health coverage for you and your family in many locations.
- Craft your calendar - Flexible location and schedule for many roles.
- Embrace parenthood - Minimum of 16 weeks of parental leave.
- Savo(u)r time for you - Generous number of vacation days each year.
- Amplify your impact - Double your charitable giving — we match up to $1500 (or local currency equivalent).
- Give back your time - Up to 40 hours each year to use toward volunteer projects you love.
Who They're Looking For
Hopin (fully remote)
What They Do
- Hopin is the first all-in-one live online events platform where attendees can learn, interact, and connect with people from anywhere in the world.
Why We Like Them
"We are a remote team of passionate individuals committed to improving the way people connect online. Just as Hopin events are creative, diverse, and empowering, so too is our company — we believe collaboration is the key to success, no matter how many hats we have to wear.
Each team member has a huge opportunity to make a big impact, and together, as a distributed and connected team, we support each other in every area of the company to achieve it."
Who They're Looking For
DigitalOcean (remote reliant)
What They Do
- DigitalOcean is a dynamic, high-growth technology company that serves a robust and passionate community of developers, teams, and businesses around the world. They're on a mission to simplify cloud computing so developers and their teams can spend more time building software that changes the world.
Why We Like Them
They have a "no jerks" rule and take it very seriously. They're also committed to being a welcoming and inclusive place for everyone: "we are intentional about making sure people feel respected, supported, and connected at work—regardless of who you are or where you live. Diversity fosters innovation and helps us provide the best experience possible to our community." They also offer:
- Competitive compensation
- 401K with employer match
- Remote employees have the opportunity to take an all-expense-paid trip to our office to get quality in-person time with the team at least once a year
Who They're Looking For
Guru (remote friendly)
What They Do
- Guru is a dynamic, fast growing start-up committed to reinventing the way people connect with meaningful information at work.
Why We Like Them
Guru is committed to creating a positive, inclusive, and knowledge-driven culture. They also offer:
- Competitive salary
- Employee Stock Option Plan
- 401k Program
Who They're Looking For
Contrast Security (remote friendly)
What They Do
- Contrast Security is the world's leading provider of security technology that enables software applications to protect themselves against cyberattacks, heralding the new era of self-protecting software.
Why We Like Them
With a global team of 100+, Contrast understands how to work flexibly and efficiently across timezones. They empower team members to solve complex challenges and shape company culture.
Who They're Looking For
Pluralsight (remote friendly)
What They Do
- Pluralsight is the technology skills platform organizations and individuals in 150+ countries count on to innovate faster and create progress for the world.
Why We Like Them
They've pledged to drive significant, lasting social impact by equipping people and nonprofits with essential technology skills, and they don't let fear, egos, or drama distract them from their mission. They also offer:
- 100% premiums paid medical coverage
- Unlimited paid time off
- Remote Workspace Reimbursement program
- Tuition reimbursement
Who They're Looking For
Chainalysis (globally distributed)
What They Do
- Chainalysis offers cryptocurrency investigation and compliance solutions to global law enforcement agencies, regulators, and businesses as they work together to fight illicit cryptocurrency activity.
Why We Like Them
A globally distributed team, they understand the ins and outs of remote and asynchronous work. They also offer great benefits like:
- Health insurance coverage for you and your family
- 15 vacation days
- 14 holidays including International Women's Day, Juneteenth, Harvey Milk Day, and International Migrant's Day
Who They're Looking For
ActZero.ai (remote friendly)
What They Do
- ActZero's mission is simple: stop cyber threats, protect the world.
Why We Like Them
They understand work-life balance ("We know that all people need time away to recharge and focus on their personal lives. As such, we request that you utilize Do Not Disturb features when you are off for the day, and we maintain core business hours for scheduling meetings and working sessions so you can keep your personal time your own"), and their culture and benefits help to make it a reality:
- "Unlimited Vacation: We want our employees to take as much vacation as they need to maintain their physical and mental well-being. You will receive unlimited vacation, and are actively encouraged to utilize it.
- Monthly Wellness Stipend: We believe that wellness encompasses physical and mental health. Therefore, we offer a monthly stipend usable toward a host of things to make your life less stressful outside of the office, like child care expenses, dog walking or even our Corporate Class Pass plan.
- Health/Vision/Dental: We want you to know that your insurance is available when you need it most. As such, we offer three generous and comprehensive health care plans to fit your needs. We pay up to 90% of the plan cost for both you and your family.
- Flexible Scheduling: In line with our focus on Work/Life Balance, we offer flexible hours to allow for you to take care of tasks and yourself or your family as necessary. Being an in-office culture does not mean "everyone works 9-5" and we expect some variation as life demands. Schedules are discussed and approved with your manager, and we are happy to work with you when adjustments need to be made."
Who They're Looking For
Equinix Metal (remote friendly)
What They Do
- Equinix Metal™ is the result of a unique combination. In 2020, Equinix acquired Packet, a bare metal leader and champion of cloud native, open-source, and developer ecosystems. Equinix was on its own journey, investing in metal internally to help digital leaders more easily participate in its unique ecosystem. Packet and Equinix joined together with a vision for foundational infrastructure. The result is Equinix Metal, a globally-available bare metal "as-a-service" that can be deployed and interconnected in minutes. Underpinning our product is a deep passion for building ecosystems, a strong set of core values, and an amazing team.
Why We Like Them
Equinix is committed to building an inclusive culture in which our LGBTQ+ employees and all who support equality in sexual orientation and gender identity feel that they are safe, they belong, and they matter. They also support their global team with great health and financial benefits.
Who They're Looking For
Gainsight (remote friendly)
What They Do
- Gainsight is a venture-backed, fast-growing tech company revolutionizing Customer Success for businesses.
Why We Like Them
Gainsight believes that diversity breeds creativity and that "your job should never be a barrier to your happiness—it should be an avenue to achieve it." On review site Comparably, women gave Gainsight's culture an A+ (it also got an A+ for diversity). Plus, Gainsight offers:
- Medical, dental, vision, short and long term disability, and life insurance
- Paid maternity and paternity leave
- 401k after first quarter of employment
- Flexible PTO
Who They're Looking For
Stack Overflow (remote friendly)
What They Do
- Stack's mission is to help developers and technologists write the script of the future. They are an open community for anyone that codes.
Why We Like Them
40% remote pre-pandemic and wholly remote until at least July 2021, Stack Overflow is committed to a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace where all employees feel valued and respected. (Learn more about their commitment here.)
They also empower their team members to do their best work by offering benefits like:
- Home office reimbursements and internet stipends
- Paid parental leave
- An annual professional development budget of up to $2,500 for continuing education, conferences, and memberships
- Full health coverage for you and your family. That means that Stack Overflow pays 100% of your premiums.
Who They're Looking For
Mural (remote friendly)
What They Do
- MURAL is a digital workspace for visual collaboration.
Why We Like Them
As the designers of a collaboration software that enables modern teams to solve challenges together visually, MURAL understands how to help their own team collaborate virtually, as well! They're growing quickly (in 2018, Inc. Magazine named MURAL one of America's top 500 fastest growing private companies) and are looking for more collaborative folks to join their team!
Who They're Looking For
Karat (remote friendly)
What They Do
- Karat is on a mission to engineer a better technical interview and assess the world's talent.
Why We Like Them
Part of their mission is to remove bias from the hiring process. Plus, they want you to work from wherever you work best and will pay for the equipment you need to make that a reality. They also offer:
- Meaningful equity
- 100% coverage for health, dental, and vision insurance
- Unlimited time off
Who They're Looking For
Help Scout (remote friendly)
What They Do
- Help Scout is the messaging platform designed to keep your customers happy and your team in sync.
Why We Like Them
Help Scout is a remote-first company with about 105 people in 74 cities all over the world. "We come from diverse backgrounds and are united by an enthusiasm for great products and delightful customer experiences." Plus, they offer great benefits like:
- Paid parental leave, including adoption
- Flexible vacation
- Personal development stipend
- International benefit stipend
Who They're Looking For
Smartsheet (remote friendly)
What They Do
- Smartsheet delivers a leading cloud-based platform for work execution, empowering organizations to plan, capture, track, automate, and report on work at scale, resulting in more efficient processes and better business outcomes.
Why We Like Them
Smartsheet doesn't just talk about diversity and inclusion — Comparably named Smartsheet one of its best companies for diversity and its CEO one of the best CEOs for women in 2019. Smartsheet also offers:
- Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision with fully paid premiums
- 15 vacation days per year to start (with unlimited rollover), flexible sick time, 10 paid holidays, and paid parental leave
- Competitive pay, an Employee Stock Purchase Program with an option to purchase Smartsheet (SMAR) stock at a 15% discount, and a 401k with traditional and Roth options.
Who They're Looking For
Avaaz (fully remote)
What They Do
- Avaaz empowers millions of people from all walks of life to take action on pressing global, regional and national issues, from corruption and poverty to conflict and climate change.
Why We Like Them
Our cofounder Milena Berry used to be Avaaz's CTO -- she can vouch first-hand for how inclusive and multi-lingual (17 languages and counting!) they are. Plus, they offer:
- Sustainable salaries
- Excellent work-life balance
Who They're Looking For
RebelMouse (fully remote)
What They Do
- RebelMouse is a revolutionary new all-in-one platform for supercharging content, growing audiences and building loyal and lasting communities.
Why We Like Them
RebelMouse's leadership takes flexibility and diversity seriously. Their founder and CEO, Andrea Breanna, is trans and sets the tone to provide a safe, positive, and loving environment.
Who They're Looking For
Wikimedia Foundation (fully remote)
What They Do
- Wikimedia builds technology to help people everywhere access Wikipedia, across devices and in nearly 300 languages.
Why We Like Them
They look to offer an optimal remote experience by providing equipment including a laptop, monitor, plus a one-time stipend to cover any additional needs to make sure you have the best work from home experience. Wikimedia also offers great benefits to their U.S. employees, including:
- Fully paid medical, dental, and vision insurance premiums for employees and their eligible families.
- Family-friendly policies: Includes 100% paid new parent leave for seven weeks, plus an additional five weeks for pregnancy.
- Wellness program: $1800 annually for fitness memberships, babysitting, continuing education, student loans, and more.
- Professional development: We offer course reimbursements, in-house sharing sessions, language program reimbursements, and other opportunities.
- Retirement: 401(k) retirement plan with matched contributions up to 4% of annual salary.
- Time off: Includes vacation days, sick leave, and volunteer time. To make sure there is shared time off every month, we offer 19 holidays per year.
Who They're Looking For
MoveOn (fully remote)
What They Do
- MoveOn is a diverse and vibrant community of millions of people working together to create progressive change in America.
Why We Like Them
MoveOn takes care of your home office, providing a cell phone and internet stipend, a monthly home office subsidy, and everything you need to set up your home office. MoveOn also understands the value of putting its team first, and to do that, they offer:
- Competitive salary
- Full medical, dental and vision care costs for employees and their children, as well as partial coverage for spouses and domestic partners.
- 401(k) retirement benefits with employer contribution, for when you're done changing the world (for a living, at least).
- "We want you to take time off! We work hard and fight for important causes, but we also realize the need to take time to recharge. That's why we offer four weeks of paid vacation per year, 10 sick days, 6 flexible holidays, and 4 all-staff holidays, on top of the flexible schedule that comes with working in a virtual office."
- 18 weeks paid full-time off (for birth, adoption, and foster care placement) plus 4 weeks of 4-day weeks upon return.
- And more!
Who They're Looking For:
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Don't see what you're looking for? Check out a fill list of 500+ open remote roles here!
Clyde’s Joseph Arquillo on the 6 Things Leaders Need to Do to Build Inclusive Spaces
Joseph Arquillo doesn’t work in Human Resources — he works in People Operations. And the distinction matters.
“It was named ‘human resources’ because it saw humans as resources, utilized for certain tasks or behaviors. But that’s not really what it’s about,” says Joseph, who is a Senior Manager of People Ops at Clyde.
“Calling it ‘people ops’ adds back what you lose with ‘HR.’ My philosophy is that I am there to support you. I am there to work with you, empower you, and enable you so you can be your best self.”
For Joseph, a key element of helping employees become their best selves is making sure that the workplace, whether in-person or virtual, is an inclusive space for all. That doesn’t happen by accident — it requires a dedicated DEIB strategy and leaders who are committed to asking hard questions of themselves and others.
We sat down with Joseph to hear more about his professional journey, and the practices of leaders who create environments where everyone feels included.
More Than Just a Number
As a college freshman, Joseph planned on sticking with liberal arts when it came to choosing a major. But then he took a class in Boston College’s School of Education, and loved its holistic approach to applied psychology.
This inspired him to switch his major to psychology and human development, and select minors in political science, and management and leadership, where he enjoyed learning about organizational psychology.
After graduation, he explored the consulting space to put theory into practice, but found out during an internship at a multinational consulting firm that finance or accounting weren’t the places he wanted to build his career.
“Since Big Four companies have 250,000 employees, you become just a number,” he says of the experience. “It wasn’t my cup of tea. Too corporatized.”
That kicked off Joseph’s interest in startups.
“It’s always fun to get in the weeds! One thing that’s very interesting to me is a challenge,” he says. “When you’re helping a company like Clyde grow and scale, joining when they’re at a Series B and helping them get to the next level, you really get to focus on the interaction between people, process, and product,” explains Joseph. “You need to hire the right people to work towards increasing efficiencies in all areas, but also make sure that we’re enabling them to create a strong product.”
6 Keys To Building Inclusive Spaces as a Leader
Across the different industries and companies that Joseph has worked in, he’s identified the behaviors that create truly inclusive environments — as well as those that discourage them.
Here’s what he’s seen:
- First, recognize your own privilege. “If you’re a man, you have privilege, even if you’re a gay male. If you are a white woman, you have racial privilege. It’s really important that you’re cognizant while you interact with somebody how they might interpret the interaction based on your identity.”
- Leaders should always speak last. This is important always, but especially in in-person spaces, where it might seem even more nerve-wracking to speak up in a crowd, says Joseph. “You want to make sure you’re creating that space for employees who aren’t as senior to feel comfortable voicing their thoughts.”
- And, leaders should use check-ins liberally. “You need to ask yourself how you’re supporting your employees. Are you checking in on them as people before you ask about certain tasks? You want to foster a workplace where employees from all walks of life can feel supported,” he says.
- DEIB isn’t just about adding new initiatives — sometimes it’s about removing barriers. “You need to remove unnecessary bias,” explains Joseph. “That can mean making sure you have appropriate policies and practices that don’t hinder people depending on who they are or where they live.”
- Maximizing participation requires planning with a diversity lens. Joseph has helped the Clyde team gather together and bond as a group. Along the way, he’s been careful to consider physical and psychological safety for everyone involved. “For instance, if you’re doing an event, do you have someone who’s not drinking? Have you set up the environment for people who might have a physical disability, or carefully planned the flow of activities for people who might be neurodivergent?”
- Saying you want to be better isn’t enough — articulate actions you will take. “Pride is a great example,” explains Joseph. “Yes, June is a time to celebrate. But it’s also a time to march. And beyond that, how do you show up and celebrate with the LGBTQIA+ community throughout the year?”
Embracing the Unknown
If you visit Joseph’s LinkedIn profile, you’ll see his personal motto: “Without challenge, change, and a bunch of unknowns, it’s no fun.”
That belief has led him to study what he’s passionate about, to take on new and exciting roles at growing startups, and now, at Clyde, to help formalize what world-class people operations looks like at a fast-growing company.
“I view myself as a connector that really empowers people, challenges teams, and helps drive us towards what I consider to be an improved future,” he says. “I feel like it’s my responsibility to be the chief advocate for each of our employees, and remove any barriers in the way of their growth.”
Want to learn more about what opportunities Clyde offers? Check out their open roles!
Careers in Web Development: Which One's For You?
We all have our favorite websites– the ones we frequent, bookmark, and recommend to others. You might even enjoy some website features so much that you’ve found yourself wondering why they aren’t more popular. Or maybe you’ve experienced times where you were frustrated with a website and wished you could add features or even design your own!
If you’ve ever found yourself intrigued at the prospect of designing and developing your own websites, then a career as a web developer might be just for you!
As a web developer you would be responsible for coding, designing, optimizing, and maintaining websites. Today, there are over 1.7 billion websites in the world and, in turn, the demand for web developers is on the rise. In order to figure out what kind of web development work best suits you let’s start with an introduction to the three main roles in web development that you can choose from.
The Three Types of Web Development Jobs
Front-End Web Development: The Creative Side
Think of front-end development as the décor of a house. The color scheme, furniture, manicured lawns, and overall aesthetic. In terms of a website, front-end development is laser-focused on the appearance of a website and its presentation on different devices. If you’re considering a role in front-end development, it’s important to learn programming languages such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. These three languages go hand-in-hand. HTML allows you to create user interface elements, CSS helps you with stylistic elements, and JavaScript allows you to incorporate online tools and connect your website to back-end functions.
In addition to programming skills, front-end developers need to be detail oriented, creative, willing to keep up with the latest trends in web development, cyber security conscious, and geared toward user-friendly designs. The median salary for a front-end developer can reach well into the $90,000 to $100,000 range.
Back-End Web Development: The Logical Counterpart
While a house can be beautifully decorated, it’s incomplete without a solid foundation and efficient infrastructure. Similarly, a well-designed website depends on logical and functional code to power the features of that website. Back-end web development is code-heavy and focused on the specifics of how a website works. If you enjoy the analytical challenge of creating the behind-the-scenes code that powers a website, then back-end development is for you.
Since this role is more code-heavy, it’s important that you learn numerous programming languages and understand algorithms and data structures. Some languages that are essential to back-end development are Ruby, Python, SQL, and JavaScript. Back-end developers also ensure that users can successfully retrieve and access data. This requires creating and using APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) which act as messengers that relay data related requests. Additionally, developing the code for the inner workings of a website also requires back-end developers to be conscious of the user interface features designed by front-end developers and to internally mitigate potential security risks. Due to the increased technical aspect of this position, back-end developers normally earn higher salaries than front-end developers. The average median salary for this role is around $118,000 per year.
Full-Stack Web Development: A Little Bit of Everything
A full-stack developer is essentially the Jack (or Jill)-of-all-trades in web development. Full-stack developers need to be knowledgeable about both front-end and back-end roles. This does not necessarily imply that you would need to be an expert in both roles, but you should fully understand the different applications and synergies they each imply. In order to work in this position, you will need to know the programming languages used by front-end and back-end developers. In addition to these languages, full-stack developers also specialize in databases, storage, HTTP, REST, and web architecture.
Full-stack developers are often required to act as liaisons between front-end and back-end developers. Full-stack developers need to be both problem solvers and great communicators. The end goal for a full-stack developer is to ensure that the user’s experience is seamless, both on the front-end and on the back-end. In return, you can expect to earn a median salary of $100,000 – $115,000 a year for this role.
Taking the Next Step
Web development is both in-demand and lucrative! All three roles described above contribute to specific aspects of web development and the scope of each one can be customized to the industries and positions you feel best suit you. Regardless of which role you choose, all of them need a foundation in programming.
To gain the programming skills needed in each role, you can enroll in courses or learn independently. Coding bootcamps are a great way to boost your skillset quickly and efficiently.
Click here for some of our highly rated programming bootcamp options! Make sure to check out the discounts available to PowerToFly members.
Navigating Mid-Career Pivots and Finding a Company Where You Can Show Up Authentically
Insight from SoftwareONE’s Jeff Cannon and Chris Lecosia
SoftwareONE’s Jeff Cannon Business Development Executive US) and Christopher Lecosia (Senior Consultant) share a similar adventurous and brave spirit, which has led to a long trajectory of creative experiences for both of them. From taking care of two new puppies to backpacking across Europe — neither of them back down from a challenge.
As members of the LGBTQIA+ community, Jeff and Chris spent a large portion of their careers fighting for inclusive workplaces where they feel a sense of belonging, and opportunities to use their experiences to serve people, no matter what career stage they’re in. And they’ve both recently found that in the global provider of end-to-end software and cloud technology solutions SoftwareONE.
We sat down with Jeff and Chris to hear their stories on how they navigated mid and late career changes and their journey to finding a company where they felt valued. Keep reading to the end for four major tips on how to successfully pivot careers.
The Journey to SoftwareONE
Jeff Cannon was born in Tacoma, Washington, but considers both Texas and Georgeia his home. After graduating from college with a bachelor's degree in English and History, “I wanted to go to graduate school for history,” he explains. But upon arrival, he realized graduate school was not the right path for him, so he packed his backpack and set out for a trip through Europe instead.
This adventurous spirit led him back home to pursue exciting challenges, such as opening a hotel in Austin, working as a flight attendant in New York and Hawaii, and eventually pursuing a sales career at Dell. “I was an account executive for large university systems and large K-12 systems providing information technology to students to be able to further their education. It really fit in with my mantra around how important education is in society,” Jeff explains.”It's kind of my thing.” But after nearly 20 years at the company, he decided to look for new opportunities. “I was tired of doing the same thing all the time.” Enter SoftwareONE.
“This was an opportunity to do something completely different and take the information that I learned and use it to help build a practice that can accomplish some of the same things,” Jeff explains. He joined the company as a Business Development Executive Executive where he works to build the company’s education practice within the public sector in the United States.
SoftwareONE is a company where Jeff can thrive professionally and personally. He specifically cites the company to be people-first, which his coworker Christopher Lecosia agrees with. “SoftwareONE is a place where you can thrive as an employee, and where your creativity can flourish,” says Chris.
SoftwareONE is a leading global provider of end-to-end software and cloud technology solutions, with headquarters in Switzerland. The company itself prioritizes people as their “greatest asset” and advocates for life-work harmony. Their company’s core values are Employee Satisfaction, Customer Focused, Speed, Passionate, Integrity, Humble and Discipline, to name a few, and they ensure that they have “a welcoming – and constantly evolving – work environment for all”, no matter the racial, ethnic, religious, sexual or other preferences.
Christopher works as Senior Consultant for SoftwareONE. He entered the field of IT in 1974. “Back then it was called data processing,” he jokes. “But I kind of fell into IT consulting.” He enrolled in college as an accounting major, but quickly realized that was not the path for him. “I drove into the parking lot of this college for the first day and I got very scared,” explains Chris. “I turned around and went home and I found a job.” And he was able to pursue jobs that allowed him room to change and grow with the market. He began as a systems programer and, progressively, he scaled to managerial data processing roles at multiple software companies, including IBM. He played a key role in leading and growing software asset management programs, directing support for configuration and asset management, and serving as a senior project manager for multiple teams in his previous companies.
His successful 40+ year-long career led to the start of a well-deserved retirement. “I turned 65 last October, and I thought, ‘okay, I think I’ve had enough,’ and I decided to retire in full.” But his retirement was short-lived. “A few months before I retired, [my company] had put out an RFP to the street, which SoftwareONE responded to, and I'll never forget,” says Chris. “I was hearing them respond to me and I thought, ‘Wow, these people know what they're talking about. They're really sharp and I really believed in the value that they could bring.’” So when he was offered a position as a Senior Consultant, he didn’t think twice about coming out of retirement. “In November, a recruiter from SoftwareONE called, and I started in January of 2022.”
All-Around Authenticity
Changing jobs after working for a company long-term can be risky, especially later in your career. But both Jeff and Chris agree that the benefits of working at a company like SoftwareONE are well worth the risk. And for the first time, they’ve felt like they can show up as their full, authentic selves at work.
Jeff recalls past workplaces that, when push came to shove, “had an undercurrent of non-acceptance.” This undercurrent brought many challenges, but he credits them for his confidence today. “I have no issues whatsoever showing up originally as myself. And at SoftwareONE, everybody's been really lovely.” Even remotely, he finds ways to connect with his coworkers, and he feels like he can do so authentically.
Chris reiterates this in his own trajectory at SoftwareONE. “When I started, my Regional VP asked me for a bio. In my bio, I talked about my husband and my two dogs and how long we've been together. That got sent out to everybody in the organization. So when I onboarded, everybody already knew,” he explains. “It was the first time in 65 years that, right from the get go, there was no pretense at all as to being something different than I am. And that's how I came out at SoftwareONE. It was good to do that. I feel truly authentic.”
Advice for Mid-Career Pivoters
Both Jeff and Chris have successfully pivoted roles and companies later in their careers. They offer four tips to consider before making the jump to a new role or joining a new company.
1. Find a place that values service to the client. “Have the mindset of service,” says Chris. “ I'm a service oriented person and part of being of service is to share my experience, strengths, and hope with other people. Whether that's on a, social, spiritual, mental level, or on a professional technical level, this helps bring growth to you, and to the company you’ll work for.” Jeff shares that, “with this mindset, we see the challenges that customers face, so we're able to better articulate to customers what our value proposition is. We can help clients achieve their goals, and everything comes a lot more easily and naturally.”
2. Believe in what you have to offer. Chris and Jeff share that aligning with the company’s mission is another key aspect to consider before changing companies. “I never thought that anybody would want to hire me at 65 years old,” Chris shares. “I had been in my former job where I saw many opportunities that I thought I was perfect for, in terms of advancement, but I wasn't given those opportunities because of my age. I started to feel dried up a little bit. When I got the offer at SoftwareONE, I felt I really wanted to come back, be of service, keep my brain sharp, and do something. I do believe I have something to offer to many clients, as well as colleagues. And that's what made me make the move.”
3. Think of the experiences you bring to the table. Jeff shares how he transferred his knowledge to his new role. “I was able to take everything that I had learned about building an organization and bring it over to a company that needed that expertise specific to the United States. Being able to have the opportunity to do some of that background work and build on alliances has been, and continues to be, a great opportunity.”
4. Find a workplace that prioritizes diversity. “Each one of us brings a certain set of characteristics with us that sit well with our clients,” explains Chris. “The diversity we bring to the company — whether it be age, gender, color, educational background, intellectual capacity — all of that color makes us more relatable to our clients and our customers.” This leads to the company’s overall success.
SoftwareONE is constantly looking for dynamic employees like Chris and Jeff. Check out their company page to find out more about their roles!
How to Professionally Decline a Job Offer (with Email Templates)
So you’ve spent some time job searching, found the perfect role, aced the interview, and finally got your dream job.
Congratulations!
But what happens if accepting a job offer means having to decline another one?
We’re living in a candidate’s market, and that means it’s becoming more and more common for job seekers to receive multiple offers. The good news is that this gives the candidate the opportunity to choose their perfect position. The bad news is that the candidate will probably have to turn down an offer or two when choosing the best role.
But how do you turn down an offer, without severing ties and keeping things cordial and polite?
Keep reading for our top tips on how to professionally decline a job offer — and keep your network strong for future career opportunities!
How to Professionally Decline a Job Offer
When turning down a job offer, it’s important to maintain a healthy relationship with the hiring manager and company you interviewed with. After all, you never know where your career may lead you next, and just because you decline one position with a company doesn’t mean they won’t have a place for you in the future!
Not prioritizing relationships in your job search can be detrimental, so here are some important points to keep in mind when you decline an offer.
1. Make your decision carefully.
This may seem obvious, but, before you give your final decision, make sure that it’s the move you truly want to make.
Ask yourself: Why do you want to decline it? Why isn’t it a good fit? Weigh out the pros and cons and examine how they could affect your career in the long run. Even though they’re important, don’t just focus on immediate benefits, like salary and flexibility. Consider how this career move could affect your mental health, whether or not it will help you advance professionally in the long run, and if you would be a good fit with the company.
This is a big decision, so make sure that when you do say no, you mean it.
2. Don’t wait to give your answer.
If you’re sure the position just isn’t right for you, it’s wise to contact the recruiter or hiring manager as soon as possible. This is the most considerate and professional approach you could take when turning down a position, because the sooner they know, the sooner they can find someone else to fill the position.
Waiting too long to give your answer could push the hiring process back to the beginning. A hiring manager will appreciate an efficient answer so they can move on to the next candidate and keep the process moving forward without too much delay.
The best way to do this is to try and give them a specific day that you will contact them with your answer, or keep them apprised during your decision-making process. As soon as you’ve made your decision, it’s important to let them know. As difficult as saying no can be, the sooner you do it, the better for everyone.
3. Call before you send an email.
Most of us would probably prefer to give our answer in an email, and that’s understandable! But calling to verbally decline the offer first shows an extra bit of care. This will demonstrate that you care about the time and energy invested in you during the hiring process and are grateful that you were chosen for the position.
It’s also a great way to maintain a good relationship with the employer, because it demonstrates your professionalism and maturity, and will give you an opportunity to be specific about why you are declining. If you are unsure of what to say, write your response down before you call.
You can follow up with an email that reiterates what you said on the phone so that the recruiter or hiring manager has written proof of your response.
4. Be appreciative and humble.
The hiring process isn’t simple. It requires a lot of time and energy from multiple stakeholders, so it’s important to show your gratitude before you decline the job offer. Thank everyone who was involved and acknowledge the investment they made in interviewing you. Let them know you are honored to have been chosen and that, while you carefully considered the offer, the position just isn’t right for you.
5. Explain why you’re declining.
While getting into specifics isn’t always necessary, and you should only share as much information as you feel comfortable, letting the hiring manager or recruiter know why the position isn’t right for you can help keep the communication portal open.
Maybe you received another offer that better aligned with what you were looking for in terms of pay, or perhaps you need more flexibility than the one you are declining can offer you. This feedback can be helpful to share, and sometimes the company might even respond with a counter offer to better suit your needs!
Perhaps the reason you are turning the offer down is due to more personal reasons that you don’t feel comfortable sharing. That’s okay too! Either way, it can be helpful to be transparent about why you are declining.
6. Utilize the opportunity to network for future career moves.
So the position isn’t right for you — that’s okay. But maybe your values aligned with the organization’s, or perhaps you felt that you connected during the hiring process and you’d like to keep the door open to other positions in the future. Just because the role now isn’t right for you now doesn’t mean that the organization won’t have a place for you down the road.
Networking is key for career growth. If you really like the company, don’t be afraid to let them know that you would be interested in other positions in the future. Giving them the means to contact you, like your email and your LinkedIn, will give them the ability to reach out if any other positions open up.
If you find that the company itself just doesn’t fit you, keep in mind that networking and maintaining a good relationship is still important. You don’t have to plan to work there in the future, but you never know who is connected to who, and how that good relationship may pay off in time!
Email Templates for Declining a Job Offer
Turning down a job offer is a delicate task, but it is becoming increasingly necessary in this competitive candidate’s market. If you’re unsure of where to begin or how to write your email, we have included some examples with links to help you get started.
Example for when the position isn’t a good fit
Subject line: Job offer – [Your name]
Hi [insert last name of hiring manager],
Thank you very much for offering me the role of [insert name of position]. However, I have decided that this is not the right fit for my career goals at this time.
I sincerely enjoyed our dialog as well as discussions with your team, and I very much appreciate your taking time to share information about the role and vision of [insert company name].
Again, thank you for your time and consideration; best wishes in your continued success.
Sincerely,
Example for when you’ve accepted another offer
Subject line: Job offer – [Your name]
Hi [insert last name of hiring manager],
Thank you very much for offering me the role of [insert name of position] with [insert company name]. Though it was a difficult decision, I have accepted a position with another company.
I sincerely enjoyed our conversations and very much appreciate your taking time to interview me over the course of the past few weeks.
Again, thank you for your time and consideration; best wishes in your continued success, and I hope our paths cross again in the future.
Best wishes,
Example for when you’ve already accepted the offer
Hi [Interviewer],
Thanks so much for offering me the position of [Job Title] at [Company]. It was a pleasure meeting you.
Unfortunately, after a great deal of thought, I have decided to turn down this gracious job opportunity. I am truly sorry for any inconvenience this decision may cause and hope it will not affect any future relationships with your company.
I wish you continued success and hope to hear from you in the future.
Kind Regards,
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