CA 
VA 
EU 
GL 
Remote work and async work aren’t interchangeable terms. Lots of companies offer remote roles, but they still operate like they’re all in the same office - morning standups, decisions made over calls, and knowledge that’s stuck in people’s heads instead of written down.
But the companies where remote work actually works - where people have real flexibility, and teams across different time zones collaborate seamlessly - are the ones built around async-first communication. And that changes how they hire.
Async-first means writing is the default way people communicate. You only use synchronous communication - like calls or video meetings - when it’s really necessary, like for complex discussions or sensitive conversations. In practice, this means decisions are documented and searchable before they’re discussed verbally. Task context is written down in the project ticket, not just in the head of the person who created it. Code review comments are detailed enough to stand on their own, without needing a follow-up call. And questions are framed in a way that they can be answered without a lot of back-and-forth.
The test for whether something is async-ready is simple: could someone in a different timezone, with no way to communicate in real-time, understand it and act on it?
Async-first companies have figured out that it’s hard to teach someone to communicate asynchronously if they’re not already good at it. So they check for it during the hiring process. They might give you a writing assessment - like a technical explanation or a short design doc - to see how you communicate in writing. They’re looking for structure, clarity, and whether you anticipate the reader’s questions.
They also pay attention to how you conduct the interview itself. Do you ask clarifying questions upfront, or do you just dive in and ask for corrections as you go? Do you summarize your understanding of the question before answering? Async-competent people tend to front-load context, meaning they take the time to understand the question and frame their answer carefully.
And when you’re working on a take-home project, they’re not just looking at the output - they’re also evaluating how you communicated during the project. Did you surface ambiguity early, or did you just build around assumptions? Is the README good enough that they can understand the project without needing a walkthrough call?
Your cover letter is also a chance to show off your async communication skills. Make it specific, structured, and free of filler. One sentence that shows you’ve actually read the company’s engineering blog is worth more than three paragraphs of generic enthusiasm.
So how can you signal that you’re async-competent? In your cover letter, be specific and structured. In interviews, take a moment to frame your understanding of the question before answering. Ask clarifying questions upfront, rather than guessing and correcting later. And in take-home projects, state your assumptions explicitly in the README.
You can also list your experience working on distributed and remote teams on your CV, and mention specific async tools you’ve used - like Linear, Notion, or GitHub Discussions - in the context of how you’ve used them to collaborate.
Before applying to a role at an async-first company, ask yourself: is my cover letter good enough that they could understand who I am and why I’m relevant without ever speaking to me? Is my CV self-explanatory enough that there’s no question that only I can answer? If the answer is no, the fix is simple: add more context, lead with the conclusion, and assume the reader doesn’t have any background knowledge that you haven’t provided.
If you’re looking for genuinely remote-first roles, you can use tools like Xeito to filter for roles that are actually async-first. They also have career tools that can help you polish your CV and cover letter for async-first hiring contexts. And if you’re tracking multiple applications, their extension can help you keep everything organized in one place.
But at the end of the day, it’s not just about the tools or the company - it’s about how you communicate. Can you write clearly and concisely? Can you anticipate the reader’s questions and provide context? That’s what async-first companies are looking for. And if you can do that, you’ll be a lot more likely to succeed in a remote-first role.
See what Xeito does end-to-end. Browse all features — application tracker, AI resume + cover letters, interview coach, 130+ job-board sync, built for remote-first developers.