> I'm having trouble getting clear tasks with well-defined requirements. (...) I effectively report directly to the CEO.
FWIW it's a common symptom of too busy a manager. Most managers are too busy, btw.
What's happening is that the CEO is probably thinking something "I need to take some time to itemize this task so he can work faster" but doing so is lower priority than that day's urgent fire.
> How can I make the most of this experience and provide as much value to the company as possible?
The best way to provide value to the company in your situation also happens to be the one where you'll make the very most of the experience: manage yourself to the point of being nearly or entirely autonomous. Examples:
The task itself is vague or unclear? Expand a bit on what you feel the task is, what it's for, etc. in writing, and submit that for review.
Next steps are vague or unclear? Expand on the DoD (Definition of Done), itemize the way forward, and submit those for review.
Does the usefulness of this/that new feature sound fishy? Ask about it. Not satisfied with the answer? Ask if they don't mind you getting in a Hangout with a few end-users to validate the idea's merit? Assuming they accept, then do so and report on your findings.
Every little step where they don't need to think for you is a step where you'll learn more and where you'll make yourself more useful. Have the company's end-goals in mind at all stages, take initiative, put things in writing (this is crucial for remote work), and you'll do fine.
This has been my strategy for years working for busy managers.
You have to make the life easy for them. Try to avoid sending open ended questions to them, instead send something that they can either sign-off fully or partially.
If you can't detail out all the requirements on your own, try to reduce the scope of the task until you can and try to give enough context for the manager to say Yes/No.
Also, if anything is vague and you manage to setup a video call to clarify it then make sure to create a slide with your topics on and walk them through 1 by 1. My experience is that visionary minds like startup CEOs have a tendency to go completely off-track otherwise.
Most CEOs can make a zillion choices a day. The best strategy is to give them options to choose from:
"We could do A, or B or C. What route do you want me to take?" (where A,B,C are well defined)
It's even better if it doesn't matter what they pick (because all of the options are excellent choices) ;)
This is great advice for any stage of your career, remote or not. If you are able to do this as an intern then you will be in a much better position come graduation time to convince prospective employers of your work abilities.
this is excellent advice. for better or for worse, this describes most startups to a tee.
being an individual contributor (i.e. dude with a job) at a startup is different than a big corporate job or government work. you have to be able to define your own tasks given vague requirements. you have to be able to actually get shit done without someone telling you to get it done. after working in startups for decades, many other jobs seem like adult daycare to me.
for people who thrive in autonomy, have decent common sense, and an understanding of what the business or the customer is actually trying to accomplish, it is a wonderful environment. this doesn't mean lots of experience -- some people just have this knack, others don't.
fwiw, a large contributor to employee churn at startups (to the extent that it exists) is because you can find out so quickly whether or not someone is full of shit -- they actually have to deliver working stuff fast. in larger organizations they can just hide in the decision-making lagtime/chaos for up to years at a time.
FWIW it's a common symptom of too busy a manager. Most managers are too busy, btw.
What's happening is that the CEO is probably thinking something "I need to take some time to itemize this task so he can work faster" but doing so is lower priority than that day's urgent fire.
> How can I make the most of this experience and provide as much value to the company as possible?
The best way to provide value to the company in your situation also happens to be the one where you'll make the very most of the experience: manage yourself to the point of being nearly or entirely autonomous. Examples:
The task itself is vague or unclear? Expand a bit on what you feel the task is, what it's for, etc. in writing, and submit that for review.
Next steps are vague or unclear? Expand on the DoD (Definition of Done), itemize the way forward, and submit those for review.
Does the usefulness of this/that new feature sound fishy? Ask about it. Not satisfied with the answer? Ask if they don't mind you getting in a Hangout with a few end-users to validate the idea's merit? Assuming they accept, then do so and report on your findings.
Every little step where they don't need to think for you is a step where you'll learn more and where you'll make yourself more useful. Have the company's end-goals in mind at all stages, take initiative, put things in writing (this is crucial for remote work), and you'll do fine.