What they’re really testing
Remote technical interviews test three things, in order of importance: (1) can you communicate your thinking clearly while typing, (2) do you write code that’s correct under simple inputs, (3) can you handle a follow-up that changes the problem. Speed matters less than clarity.
The 4-step framework
Restate the problem. Walk through an example by hand. Outline your approach in plain English BEFORE coding. Then code, talking through what you’re doing. Stop and test against your example. This sequence alone outscores most candidates.
System design
For senior roles you’ll get an open-ended design (e.g. "design a URL shortener"). Anchor on requirements first ("how many users, how many writes/sec?"). Pick one storage + one cache + one queue. Be honest about trade-offs. Don’t cargo-cult AWS service names.
Behavioural
STAR format: Situation, Task, Action, Result — but skip Situation if it’s obvious. The interviewer cares about Action and Result. Have 4 strong stories memorised: a conflict, a failure you owned, a leadership moment, a time you made a hard trade-off.
Async / Loom interviews
Several remote-first companies (Buffer, Automattic, GitLab) replace live screens with Loom video answers. Treat these as your audition: rehearse once, record once, ship. Length: 2–3 minutes per answer. Look at the camera, not the screen.