How to Apply to Magic

9 min read Last updated March 7, 2026 53 open positions
Blake Crosley
Blake Crosley Researched using publicly available information, hiring data, and ATS analysis.

Key Takeaways

  • Before applying, categorize the role as freelance or full-time and tailor your entire application accordingly — these are fundamentally different tracks at Magic with different expectations, engagement models, and interview processes
  • Audit every Magic job description for specific tool names and mirror those exact terms in your resume's skills section and experience bullets to maximize Ashby keyword matching
  • Prepare a portfolio of remote work evidence — client testimonials, productivity metrics, or project summaries — that proves you can deliver consistently without in-office accountability structures
  • For freelance roles, emphasize your reliability and availability in your application; include your time zone, weekly hours available, and any relevant scheduling flexibility in your cover note or screening question responses
  • For engineering roles, study Magic's product and come prepared to discuss how your technical skills apply to their specific infrastructure challenges — generic coding interview prep won't differentiate you at a startup this focused
  • Complete every optional field and screening question in the Ashby application form; in a small hiring team, thoroughness and attention to detail are noticed and rewarded

About Magic

Magic is a technology-driven startup operating at the intersection of remote workforce solutions and cutting-edge engineering. Based on its diverse job postings, Magic appears to offer businesses access to skilled virtual assistants, freelance professionals, and specialized remote talent across disciplines ranging from bookkeeping and CRM outreach to textile design and children's instruction. Simultaneously, the company invests in its internal technology stack, hiring protocol engineers and customer success engineers to build and maintain the platform that powers its services. What makes Magic distinct in the startup landscape is its hybrid model: it functions both as a talent marketplace connecting freelancers with clients and as a product-driven technology company. This dual identity creates a uniquely varied workforce — from freelance specialists who deliver client-facing services to full-time engineers building the infrastructure behind the scenes. The company's emphasis on remote-first, freelance roles signals a deep commitment to distributed work and flexibility, making it attractive to professionals who value autonomy and location independence. Magic's culture appears to prioritize resourcefulness, self-direction, and adaptability. With roles spanning vastly different skill sets — from live chat support to protocol engineering — the company values versatile professionals who can thrive with minimal supervision. For job seekers, Magic represents an opportunity to join a lean, fast-moving startup where individual contributions have outsized impact, whether you're managing a client's CRM pipeline or architecting backend systems. The breadth of its open roles suggests a company in active growth mode, expanding both its service offerings and its technical capabilities simultaneously.

Application Process

  1. 1
    Explore Open Roles on Magic's Careers Page

    Visit magic.dev/careers to browse current openings. Pay close attention to whether a role is tagged as freelance/remote versus a full-time internal position, as these tracks have fundamentally different expectations and engagement models. Magic currently lists around 53+ open roles spanning freelance services and engineering.

  2. 2
    Submit Your Application Through Ashby

    Magic uses Ashby as its applicant tracking system, so all applications flow through a structured online form. You'll typically upload your resume, provide contact information, and answer role-specific screening questions. For freelance roles, expect questions about your availability, relevant tools (e.g., GoHighLevel, Instantly, QuickBooks), and prior freelance experience.

  3. 3
    Complete Any Skills Assessments or Task-Based Screenings

    Given Magic's freelance-heavy model, many roles — particularly virtual assistant and specialist positions — commonly include a practical assessment. This might involve a short bookkeeping exercise, a sample CRM outreach sequence, or a live chat simulation. These tasks help Magic verify your proficiency with the specific tools and workflows the role demands.

  4. 4
    Initial Screening Interview

    Qualified candidates are typically invited to a brief screening call, often conducted via video. For freelance roles, this conversation tends to focus on your working style, time zone availability, and experience with remote client management. For engineering roles, expect a deeper discussion about your technical background and alignment with Magic's product vision.

  5. 5
    Technical or Role-Specific Deep-Dive Interview

    Engineering candidates (e.g., Sr. Protocol Engineer, Customer Success Engineer) will likely face a more rigorous technical interview, potentially including system design discussions or coding exercises. Freelance specialists may undergo a more detailed portfolio review or scenario-based interview to assess domain expertise and problem-solving under real-world conditions.

  6. 6
    Culture and Team Fit Conversation

    Startups like Magic place significant weight on cultural alignment. This stage often involves meeting a hiring manager or team lead who evaluates whether you can operate autonomously, communicate proactively, and adapt to the fluid priorities typical of a growing startup. Demonstrating self-motivation and comfort with ambiguity is key here.

  7. 7
    Offer and Onboarding

    Successful candidates receive an offer outlining engagement terms — freelance contracts for remote specialist roles or employment offers for full-time positions. Magic's onboarding for freelancers likely includes platform training, client matching protocols, and quality standards orientation. Engineering hires can expect a more traditional onboarding with codebase familiarization and team integration.

Resume Tips for Magic

critical

Lead with the Exact Tools Magic Mentions in Job Descriptions

Magic's job postings explicitly name tools like GoHighLevel, Instantly, QuickBooks, and specific CRM platforms. Your resume must mirror this language precisely. Rather than writing 'CRM experience,' write 'Managed 200+ client outreach sequences using GoHighLevel and Instantly with 35% response rate.' Ashby's parsing will match these specific tool names against the job requirements, so exact keyword alignment directly impacts whether your application surfaces to reviewers.

critical

Clearly Distinguish Freelance vs. Full-Time Experience

Magic hires across both freelance and full-time tracks, and reviewers need to quickly understand your work arrangement history. If you've done freelance work, format it with the client type (not necessarily client name), duration, and deliverables. For example: 'Freelance Virtual Bookkeeper | E-commerce Clients | 2021–2024 | Managed monthly reconciliation for 12 concurrent clients.' This signals that you can handle the independent, multi-client workflow that Magic's freelance roles demand.

critical

Quantify Remote Work Reliability and Output Metrics

For a remote-first company like Magic, demonstrating that you thrive without in-person oversight is essential. Include metrics that prove remote productivity: client satisfaction scores, response time averages, tasks completed per week, or uptime/availability percentages. A line like 'Maintained 99% availability across a 6-month engagement with an average response time of under 4 minutes' speaks directly to what Magic needs from its distributed workforce.

recommended

Use a Clean, Single-Column Resume Format for Ashby Parsing

Ashby handles well-structured resumes effectively, but multi-column layouts, text boxes, and graphics can cause parsing errors. Use a single-column format with clearly labeled section headers (Experience, Skills, Education). Stick to standard fonts like Arial or Calibri, and avoid headers/footers for critical information like your name or contact details, as some ATS parsers skip those regions.

recommended

Tailor Your Skills Section to the Specific Role Category

Magic's roles span wildly different domains — a Virtual Children's Instructor resume looks nothing like a Sr. Protocol Engineer resume. Don't submit a generic skills list. For technical roles, emphasize programming languages, protocols, and infrastructure tools. For freelance service roles, emphasize client management, communication platforms (Slack, Zoom, Loom), and domain-specific software. Each application should feel purpose-built for that exact role.

recommended

Include a Concise Professional Summary That Mirrors the Role Title

Open your resume with a 2-3 sentence summary that echoes the job title and core requirements. For a 'Virtual Assistant — CRM & Outreach' role, your summary might read: 'Detail-oriented virtual assistant with 4+ years specializing in CRM management and automated outreach campaigns. Proficient in GoHighLevel, Instantly, and HubSpot with a track record of generating qualified leads for B2B clients.' This immediately signals relevance to both Ashby's parser and human reviewers.

nice_to_have

Showcase Adaptability Across Multiple Clients or Projects

Magic's freelance model likely involves matching specialists with diverse clients. Demonstrating that you've successfully worked across different industries, client personalities, and project types strengthens your application. Consider a brief 'Key Engagements' section listing 3-5 notable projects with varied contexts to show you're not a one-trick specialist but a versatile professional who can adapt to whatever Magic's clients need.

ATS System: Ashby

Ashby is a modern, all-in-one recruiting platform favored by startups and scaling companies for its integrated ATS, CRM, and analytics capabilities. It parses resumes using structured data extraction, scoring applications based on keyword relevance and field matching against the job description. Ashby's interface gives Magic's hiring team powerful filtering and pipeline management tools, meaning well-optimized applications surface faster.

  • Use standard section headers (Experience, Education, Skills) — Ashby's parser relies on these to categorize your information correctly
  • Submit your resume as a PDF unless the application specifically requests .docx, as Ashby handles PDF parsing reliably
  • Mirror exact keywords from Magic's job descriptions, especially tool names (GoHighLevel, Instantly, QuickBooks) and role-specific terms
  • Avoid tables, multi-column layouts, and embedded images — these can disrupt Ashby's text extraction and cause missing data
  • Fill out all optional fields in the Ashby application form, as completeness signals engagement and may factor into initial screening filters
  • Keep your file name professional and identifiable (e.g., 'FirstName_LastName_Resume.pdf') for easy retrieval in Ashby's candidate pipeline
  • If the application includes screening questions, answer them thoroughly — Ashby allows hiring teams to filter and sort by these responses

Complete Ashby Resume Guide →

Interview Culture

Interviewing at Magic reflects the realities of a lean, remote-first startup that values execution over ceremony.

For freelance roles — which make up a significant portion of Magic's open positions — expect a streamlined process designed to quickly assess your ability to deliver quality work independently. These interviews are typically conducted over video and may feel more like a practical audition than a traditional corporate interview. You might be asked to walk through how you'd handle a specific client scenario, demonstrate a tool workflow in real time, or discuss how you manage competing priorities across multiple clients. For full-time technical roles like Sr. Protocol Engineer or Customer Success Engineer, the interview process is likely more rigorous and multi-stage. You can anticipate a technical screen (potentially including a live coding exercise or system design discussion), followed by deeper conversations with engineering leadership about architectural decisions, protocol-level thinking, and how you approach ambiguous technical problems. Magic's engineering interviews probably emphasize practical problem-solving over textbook algorithms, given the startup's need for engineers who can ship production-ready work quickly. Across all roles, cultural fit carries real weight at a company this size. Interviewers are assessing whether you're someone who takes ownership, communicates proactively (especially important in a distributed team), and stays productive without constant direction. Demonstrating familiarity with remote collaboration tools — Slack, Notion, Loom, asynchronous communication norms — signals that you understand the operational reality of working at Magic. Prepare to discuss specific examples of times you solved problems independently, managed client relationships remotely, or adapted quickly to changing requirements. At a startup like Magic, showing that you're low-maintenance and high-output is often more impressive than a prestigious resume. Come with thoughtful questions about Magic's growth trajectory, how freelancers are matched with clients, or the technical challenges the engineering team is tackling — this demonstrates genuine investment in the company's mission, not just the paycheck.

What Magic Looks For

  • Proven ability to work autonomously in remote environments without constant supervision or hand-holding
  • Hands-on proficiency with the specific tools listed in job descriptions (GoHighLevel, Instantly, QuickBooks, etc.) — not just theoretical familiarity
  • Strong asynchronous communication skills, including clear written updates and proactive status reporting
  • Demonstrated experience managing multiple clients or projects simultaneously without quality degradation
  • Technical depth for engineering roles — particularly in protocol design, distributed systems, or customer-facing technical support
  • Adaptability and comfort with ambiguity, reflecting the fluid priorities and rapid iteration cycles of a startup environment
  • Client service orientation and professionalism, especially for freelance roles where you represent Magic's brand directly to customers
  • Self-motivated learning disposition — willingness to pick up new tools, workflows, and domain knowledge quickly

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between Magic's freelance and full-time roles?
Magic posts two distinct types of positions: freelance/remote roles (marked with 'Freelance, Remote' in the title) and full-time internal roles like engineering and customer success positions. Freelance roles typically involve client-facing service delivery — you'd be working as a virtual assistant, bookkeeper, or specialist on behalf of Magic's clients. Full-time roles involve building and maintaining Magic's internal platform and operations. The application process, compensation structure, and day-to-day experience differ significantly between these tracks, so make sure you understand which type you're applying for before submitting.
How long does Magic's hiring process typically take?
At startups the size of Magic, hiring timelines tend to be faster than at large enterprises — many applicants at similar companies report moving from application to decision within 1-3 weeks for freelance roles and 2-5 weeks for full-time technical positions. However, timelines vary based on the volume of applicants and the urgency of the role. Freelance positions, where Magic may need to fill client demand quickly, often move particularly fast. Monitor your email (including spam folders) after applying, as Ashby sends automated status updates that are easy to miss.
Does Magic require a cover letter with applications?
While Magic's Ashby-powered application forms may not always have a mandatory cover letter field, submitting one — especially for freelance roles — can meaningfully differentiate your application. Use it to explain your specific experience with the tools mentioned in the job description, your availability and time zone, and why remote freelance work aligns with your career goals. Keep it to 200-300 words and lead with your most relevant qualification. For engineering roles, a brief cover note explaining your interest in Magic's specific technical challenges is similarly valuable.
What format should my resume be in when applying through Ashby?
Submit your resume as a clean, single-column PDF unless the application explicitly requests a different format. Ashby parses PDFs reliably, but struggles with overly designed resumes featuring tables, graphics, text boxes, or multi-column layouts. Use standard section headers (Experience, Skills, Education), standard fonts, and keep your formatting simple. Name your file professionally — 'FirstName_LastName_Resume.pdf' — so it's easily identifiable when Magic's hiring team reviews candidates in Ashby's pipeline view.
Can I apply to multiple roles at Magic simultaneously?
Yes, Ashby supports candidates applying to multiple positions, and at a company like Magic where roles span very different skill sets, it's reasonable to apply to more than one if you're genuinely qualified. However, avoid applying to every open role indiscriminately — this signals desperation rather than focus. If you're a skilled virtual assistant with both bookkeeping and CRM experience, applying to both relevant freelance roles makes sense. But applying to a Virtual Children's Instructor role and a Sr. Protocol Engineer role would raise red flags about your focus and qualifications.
What tools and platforms should I know before applying to Magic's freelance roles?
Magic's freelance job descriptions explicitly mention several platforms: GoHighLevel and Instantly for CRM and outreach roles, QuickBooks or similar software for bookkeeping roles, and general remote collaboration tools like Slack, Zoom, and project management platforms. Before applying, ensure you have demonstrable proficiency — not just awareness — with the tools listed in your target role's description. If you lack experience with a specific tool, consider completing a free trial or tutorial and noting that proactive learning in your application. For technical roles, review the specific technologies mentioned and be prepared to discuss your hands-on experience.
Is prior freelance experience required for Magic's remote roles?
While Magic's freelance roles strongly favor candidates with established freelance or remote work experience, it may not be an absolute requirement for every position. If you're transitioning from traditional employment to freelance work, emphasize transferable skills: self-management, deadline adherence without supervision, written communication proficiency, and any experience working with distributed teams. Highlighting even informal freelance work — side projects, contract engagements, or volunteer virtual assistance — can help bridge the gap. The key is demonstrating that you understand and can thrive in the independent, client-facing dynamic that freelance roles at Magic demand.
How should I prepare for a technical interview at Magic?
For engineering roles like Sr. Protocol Engineer or Customer Success Engineer, preparation should focus on practical, applied technical skills rather than purely theoretical exercises. Research Magic's product and technology stack as thoroughly as possible — review their engineering blog if available, explore their GitHub presence, and understand what problems they're solving. Prepare to discuss system design decisions you've made in past roles, how you've handled production incidents, and your experience with relevant protocols or infrastructure. Startups value engineers who can think holistically about a problem, so be ready to discuss trade-offs, not just optimal solutions. For Customer Success Engineer roles specifically, practice explaining complex technical concepts clearly, as this role bridges engineering and client communication.
Does Magic offer remote work for all positions?
Based on current job listings, the majority of Magic's open roles are explicitly tagged as remote. Freelance positions are inherently remote, allowing you to work from anywhere with a reliable internet connection. Full-time internal roles may also be remote or remote-friendly, consistent with Magic's distributed operational model. However, specific roles may have time zone preferences or overlap requirements to facilitate team collaboration. Check each job description carefully for any location constraints or availability expectations, and be transparent about your time zone and working hours in your application.

Sample Open Positions

Check Your Resume Before Applying → View 53 open positions at Magic

Related Resources

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Sources

  1. Magic Careers Page — Magic
  2. Ashby ATS — How It Works for Candidates — Ashby
  3. Magic Company Profile and Reviews — Glassdoor
  4. Best Practices for ATS-Optimized Resumes — Jobscan