My experience finding contracts through Braintrust
Jan 13, 2024with a shocking twist at the end.
I first applied to them in January 2023, the experience was OK. Even though I didn’t end up landing any contract through them, I enjoyed the experience.
When you first apply, you have to set up your profile and go through a round of screening, with a member of the community who’s already been approved.
Once you complete your profile, you’ll be invited to “Braintrust Validation Process”.
After being approved, applying to jobs is relatively easy and straightforward.
There are filters like:
- skill types (frontend, backend)
- $/hr rate
- work location (remote, cities)
- number of hours per week (0-40h)
- job type (contract vs fulltime)
Once you find a job you like, you begin the application process.
You’ll have to answer some questions that are unique to the job application, for example:
In your own words, what makes you a good fit for this job?
Select your rate, add a time when you can start, paste in any additional information that’s relevant (like a calendar link)
Submit the application and hope for the best. The system is a bit iffy here, especially if no one reviews your application. I have 4 open applications here that’s been stale for a year (oldest is from Jan 2023).
When you get matched with a job position, the experience moves to the email and you get a dedicated account executive that helps you communicate with the employer. I thought this experience is great.
I got matched with a role and went through some take home leetcode test, which I passed. Then I booked a call with the hiring managers and their CEO. Everything went great and I got an offer.
This was Feb 2023. My start date was suppose to be beginning of March. But of course, that’s when SVB collapsed.
Fun times.
Landing your first few deals can seem like an impossible task, some of the problems that you may face are:
- Clients/job listings only hiring full-time salaried positions
- Clients/job listings only hiring in the US / Canada
- You don’t know how to build trust with new clients
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