Turing.com Review: Is Turing any good for finding remote jobs?

I’ve been asked multiple times about my experience with Turing.com— and as a technical interviewer in general. I’ve been asked everything from, ‘How do developers get into exclusive remote work platforms like Turing?’ to even ‘Is Turing any good?’ To answer the numerous questions I get, I’ve decided to put down my experiences for everyone to see and, hopefully, learn from.

Here, I aim to break down everything from Turing’s application and interview process to getting matched with a US company and the experience that follows.

But first, how does the Turing jobs platform work?

Turing, Silicon Valley’s latest success story, enables developers from anywhere in the world to find jobs with US-based companies. Developers don’t require a visa or other documentation to work with Turing’s American customers.

I strongly recommend that before applying — or even thinking of applying — do your own bit of research on the Turing jobs you might be fit for and the experiences of other candidates who’ve applied for the same roles. Read through the Turing reviews page and the company’s Indeed and Glassdoor reviews to assess what kind of experience others have had. Go through their Facebook and Instagram profiles to check for the latest updates on their hiring process. They have a comprehensive FAQ page that might answer some of your questions too. This is exactly what I did before joining Turing — and it turned out to be pretty helpful.

After nearly a decade of working as a software developer, I joined Turing in 2019. But before I could become a permanent part of Turing’s internal interviewing team, I was part of Turing’s developer community; in 2019, Turing had landed me a remote job with a New York-based startup, where I worked for nearly a year. Now, after transitioning to an internal interviewer at Turing, I screen candidates looking to join Turing’s talent community and find jobs at US firms. To date, I’ve conducted over 2,100 interviews with developers looking to land Turing software jobs. You would find me conducting up to 6–8 interviews on any given day.

So, I believe my experience as, both, an internal interviewer and former developer at Turing, puts me in a unique position to offer insights from behind the scenes as well as the frontlines. Let’s dive in.

How do I apply for Turing jobs? What does the process look like after registering with Turing?

I won’t mince my words. I won’t tell you the Turing application process is quick. You’d typically spend around 3–6 hours on programming tests, coding challenges, and video interviews. I also won’t tell you it’s easy. Turing prides itself on hiring only the best engineers, so they have a rigorous vetting process in place. Prepare to have your technical skills challenged. Of course, if you are a strong developer, this should be comparatively simpler for you.

Creating your Turing profile

You’d start the application process by filling out your profile information and completing a work experience survey. This is an important step, and I’ll explain why. Turing uses the information you’ve filled in to create a detailed developer profile for you. Your profile will also help Turing’s algorithms learn about your skillset and match you to the right hiring company. Developers should remember to put their best foot forward here. Think of this as your chance to show off the years of experience you have under your belt. (A quick, bonus tip: although Turing usually looks for developers with at least 3 years of experience, they don’t say no to developers with exceptional talent but less experience.)

Clearing Turing’s automated tests

Once you’ve completed your profile, you’ll move on to the next stage of the hiring process: Turing’s automated testing. Turing’s tests will assess your expertise in a particular skill, such as React or Node programming. The test will check how in-depth your knowledge is, so make sure you’re well prepared in the skills you list down. For instance, if you list down React.js as your skill, make sure you know everything from its most basic building blocks to its most advanced concepts. Your test scores will show US companies just how knowledgeable and experienced you are.

What is the Turing interview process like?

Next up: the Turing interview. This interview will assess

• Technical skill
• Communication abilities
• Remote working skills

To test your technical ability, this interview will assess your coding skills and your familiarity with popular coding techniques, data types, and algorithms. You may choose to solve the coding problems using brute force or with the help of an optimized solution; it’s entirely up to you. But remember, during the interview, Turing will be paying close attention to your thinking process and how you arrive at your solution.

Next, communication skills. Leading US companies really value soft skills like good English communication and team playing abilities. So, having the right set of soft skills is essential. Turing takes into account how responsive and interactive you are throughout the interview.

And that’s not all Turing will evaluate. I, for instance, watch out for simple things like the functioning of your technical equipment (your internet speed, your audio/video capabilities). This is an indication of how well you’ll be able to carry out your tasks as a Turing software developer.

If you’re experienced enough to get onto Turing’s fast-track interview process, you’ll face a different kind of interview format. This hour-long interview will focus primarily on the tech stack of your choice. When Turing claims to hire only the best of the best, they aren’t kidding.

Preparing for your Turing interview

When it comes to prepping for your big interview, you should keep this in mind: there is no silver bullet. But, in my experience, following this set of best practices can help increase your chances of sailing through the interview process.

• Put your problem-solving ability to the test on sites like Leetcode or HackerRank. Start with easy problems and work your way up to some of the more moderate or difficult ones. I’d confidently say that solving 100 such problems will fine-tune your skills and prepare you for a Turing coding challenge.
• Take courses that help you brush up on your coding abilities. I consider computer scientist Robert Sedgewick’s courses extremely helpful, but you could also consider courses of a similar caliber.
• Read, read, read. You’d be surprised at how effective this is. Thoroughly read through bits of code created by other developers. Open source platforms like GitHub should come in handy here.

What happens if you don’t clear the Turing vetting process?

Well, firstly, don’t feel discouraged — you can retake Turing’s tests! Look at this as the opportunity to learn something new and get better at a particular skill. Treat this as a positive experience. Often, I’ve seen developers who don’t clear the Turing vetting process react negatively with angry online posts and messages. Since Turing accepts only the top 1% of developers, you can imagine how often this happens (hint: very often). Instead, you can invest in growing your skill-set, retaking, and acing Turing’s tests.

In fact, you can even pick up where you left off. You don’t need to start over if you retake the test within 6 months. You can simply retake the part you didn’t clear.

How do developers get matched to Turing remote software jobs?

Typically, Turing matches you with a customer within a matter of weeks. However, in certain exceptional cases — such as if there were few roles for the skill-set you specialize in — you might have to wait for 4–6 weeks to get matched with the right company.

Since most of Turing’s customers are top US firms, they might require an additional interview to assess how well you’ll fit in with their company culture. But bear in mind that the hardest part is far behind you — you’ve already cracked the Turing developer tests and are part of its talent community. Look at this additional interview as the chance to have a friendly discussion with the hiring company and learn about its projects, needs, and expectations.

What’s it like working with a Turing customer?

Now comes the easy part. This is the honeymoon stage: you’ve found yourself one of Turing’s US software jobs, and you’re going to begin work on an exciting project.

My own experience working with a Turing customer was what I would call an eye-opening episode. I realized the difference between work culture in Silicon Valley companies and elsewhere. At the company Turing placed me with, I found that work-life balance was valued greatly and personal time and space were really respected. This was a most welcome change from the usual hectic lifestyle I was used to when working with local companies. I also formed some great professional relationships with the hiring company and continue to think of that experience as one of my career highlights.

So finally — is Turing any good for finding jobs?

Simply, yes. I know for a fact that Turing has helped me and many other developers find jobs with good companies. Not only does Turing help engineers find jobs, it helps them find great jobs with great firms. As a Turing developer, you can expect:

• Good work-life balance
• Fulfilling projects with the chance to grow
• Competitive pay
• Constant support from Turing’s ‘Developer Success’ team

To sum up my overall experience, I’d say this: if you have half as good an experience at Turing as I have had, you’ll be quite happy.

I hope you’ve been able to draw insights from my experiences. Let me know in the comments which bit was most helpful to you!