Braintrust is a user-owned Talent network that provides access to high paying jobs with no fees, career advancement, and opportunities to develop ownership within the network.
As a community, we work hard to build a network that serves the needs of both Talent and the clients they work with. As such, all Talent are screened by Braintrust community members before being accepted into the network.
This guide takes you from filling out your profile and applying to your first job to going through the screening process and becoming approved Talent.
Table of Contents
- Finding Jobs on Braintrust.
- How do I search for jobs?
- How do I filter my search?
- How do I save my search?
- How do I save jobs I like?
- Applying to a Job on Braintrust.
- Improving Your Chances of Getting Hired.
- Tailoring your profile.
- Applying to multiple jobs.
- Practicing good interview etiquette.
- Additional Resources.
Finding jobs on Braintrust.

First, you’ll need to sign up for the network, which you can do here.
Note that signing up for the network is not the same as becoming Approved Talent — once you apply for your first job, you’ll undergo a short screening process to get approved.
Your home page will already have a list of matches to roles that we think you might be a great fit for, given your role, skills, and work experience. You can also click the “star” icon on job listings to save them for viewing later.

The more of your profile you fill out, the better these matches will be — plus, you’ll need to have your profile at 100% because you can apply to your first job, so we suggest going ahead and getting that done first.
How do I search for jobs?
Either click on “Jobs” on the left column, click on the ‘View all jobs” link on the right side, or search a keyword in the “Search Jobs” bar in the top left of your dashboard.
However you get there, the “Jobs” page gives you a number of ways to search for the perfect opportunity.
How do I filter my search?
You can filter your search by a number of factors, including role, skills, rate, location, commitment, and job type.
Role:
- Engineering
- Design
- Product
- Sales
- Marketing
- Data Science
- Recruitment & HR
- Project & Program Management
Skills: Hundreds of skills for each role, from platform specific skills and programming languages to strategy and management skills.
Location: Select between “Work from anywhere” or “Jobs in my location.”
Commitment: Choose between 5 and 40 hours per week.
Job Type: Pick either Freelance, Employee, or Grant.
Rate: Set your hourly rate (and if you’re ever curious about what clients are paying others with similar skills, you can see live market rates on the network dashboard, which is updated every four hours).
How do I receive email notifications for my saved job searches:
- Set filters for your job search, then click “save search” under the search bar
- A pop-up box will appear asking you to name the search
- “Email me when new jobs match my search” will be automatically checked
- Uncheck if you would rather not receive email updates

How do I save a search?
Type in the keywords you would like to use, and set any other filters, and press enter. You can then click the “Save search” button below the search bar. You can review your saved searches any time by clicking on the “Saved Searches” button in the right hand corner of the jobs page.
How do I save the jobs I like?
Click on the star icon to save them to your “My saved jobs” tab, where you’ll be able to view them later at your leisure.
Applying to a Job on Braintrust
When you find a job you like, click on “View job” or the job title (e.g. “UX Writer,” or “Lead Frontend Engineer”) and you’ll get taken to the job description.
Once you’ve read the job post — and are confident that your skills, experience, and knowledge are a fit for the position — go ahead and click the green or black “Apply” button.
You will be asked different questions based on the job and the client. In most cases though, there will be at least one or two questions that require a written answer, and then options to include your…
Hourly rate: The client inputs an hourly rate range based on their budget, and you can either click a preset number within that range or add a custom rate.
Availability: The client will want to know when you can start, so click “Right away,” “Two weeks after offer,” or “After a specific date,” based on your availability.
Resume: We always recommend including a resume, as some employers prefer to review work history listed on a resume rather than on a profile.
Additional Files: You can drag and drop any other relevant files here, such as a cover letter (if a client asks for one) or examples of past work.
Then, press "send application.”
If you aren’t yet Approved Talent, sending your first job application will trigger the screening process — follow the instructions in the Macro Guide: Becoming Approved Talent to learn more.
If you are already Approved Talent, you are done — for now, at least. The client will receive your application, and if they are interested in talking more, they will reach out to you about setting up an interview.
While you wait, you can see all the jobs you have applied to on your home dashboard or on your “open applications” page.
Improving Your Chances of Getting Hired.
There are a number of ways to make your application stand out in the hiring process! Below, we provide just a few ideas, but encourage you to come up with your own strategies.
Tailor your profile.
Your profile is critical to your success on Braintrust, showing clients who you are and why you would be the best fit for the roles you’re applying for.
In the Guide: Your Profile, we take you through some of the best ways to optimize your profile to make the best first impression possible. Some tips include making sure to tell your story, keeping it short and sweet, and prioritizing and organizing your projects.
One extra step to give you the edge: If you’re just applying to one job at the moment, tailor your profile specifically to that job! You can always edit it later, so make sure to accentuate the skills and experiences that are most relevant to that specific client.
Apply to multiple jobs.
Braintrust offers a multitude of work arrangements, from direct hires of employees to contract and freelance work. To maximize your chances of landing jobs, don’t be afraid to apply to all the ones that you are interested in and are qualified for!
Sometimes, getting hired is simply a numbers game. Casting a wide net increases the likelihood of you pulling in a real catch. And if you’re worried about not being able to manage the workload, don’t be.
For one, just as with any job search on traditional platforms, you can always choose not to accept a job you applied for. And, secondly, not all these jobs require 40 hours a week.
As long as you can successfully fulfill the role and meet the deliverables for the client, you are welcome to stack the contracts and freelance opportunities that you earn.
Set the perfect rate.
Braintrust is unique in that it is a user-controlled Talent network. The network is owned by you, and works for you — and that is just one reason why Braintrust provides transparency into key metrics on the live network dashboard.
Go to the network dashboard, and scroll down to the “Average market rates” tab.
There, you can search for market rates across all skills or in four broad skill categories: “Engineering,” “Design,” “Product,” and “Others.”
You can narrow your search even further by filtering to see the average market rates for the entire world or just in North America.
It’s always tricky to know what you should charge as a contractor or freelancer. Thankfully, now you can know what your skills are worth in real-time, so you can avoid ever selling yourself short again.
You can read more about the network dashboard here.
Practice good interview etiquette.
While interviews on Braintrust are almost always conducted via video conferencing, that doesn’t mean you should show up unprepared.
You should try to schedule the interview at a time where you can be situated in a familiar workspace with as few distractions as possible. Reduce noise, and make sure your background isn’t cluttered or distracting.
Wear something business appropriate, and adjust the level of formality to fit the client’s preferences, as best as you can. In general, it’s safer to err on the side of too formal over not formal enough.
Come prepared, and perhaps consider writing down your talking points ahead, making sure to highlight the experience and skills most relevant to the job.
It’s always good to have a few questions for the interview as well.
Try asking for more details about the company culture or specifics about the exact role you’ll be playing, and what others have done to succeed in the role in the past.
Additional Resources.
To learn more about how to land the perfect job on Braintrust, check out…