How to Write a Winning Resume for Remote Jobs
Do you know that more than 50 percent of workers want to work from home at least three days per week? Remote work has become increasingly popular in recent years. To further back up this claim, we will cite one Gallup study which found that, in comparison to 2012, there was more than a thirty percent increase of remote employees among the US workforce. If you are among those who crave remote work, you’re at a good place. We’ve decided to share a few resume tips to help you land a remote job.
Ensure you have cited all relevant keywords.
Many of us missed precious job opportunities just because we didn’t consider the inhuman factor when it comes to a job application. What do we mean by that? A lot of companies employ hiring software to help them streamline the hiring process. Usually, this software skims through dozens of CVs in search for particular keywords. That’s why, before writing a resume, make sure to include all relevant keywords.
If you’re still unsure what those keywords might be – start from the job ad itself and see what kind of skills they need and include them into your resume. To get you started, we will give you some of the most frequently searched keywords for remote positions. Those are: Self-motivated, Communication Skills, Analytical, Research Skills, Flexibility, Adaptability, Organized, Problem-Solving, Remote, Multitask, Independent, Time-Management.
Create a skills section in your resume.
Before you start with CV creation, make sure you identified the soft and hards skills you possess. But to do that, you need to know the difference between them. Hard skills are thought and measurable, like degrees and certifications. Unlike them, soft skills represent personal traits such as interpersonal and communication skills. They are equally important, and they should be immediately visible in your CV. If you’re unsure where to place them, you can use an online CV builder such as Applyya is and choose among plenty of pre-made templates. Furthermore, you can opt to add or remove elements, further personalizing the template to fit your needs in the best way.
Everyone who wants to work remotely should highlight all programs they know how to use, which could help them while working remotely such as Slack, Asana, Jira, Trello, and Google Hangouts are. Furthermore, they should improve their soft skills section by promoting their communication skills, interpersonal relationships, teamwork, responsibility, or proactiveness.
Emphasize your previous telecommuting experience.
Even though working remotely sounds like a dream come true for many, that’s far from the truth. Remote employees often experience loneliness and decreased work-life balance if they’re not following strict schedules. Because they know the challenges of remote work, employers want to be sure candidates know what they are applying for. This is how including previous telecommuting experience becomes a vital part of making a CV. One of the ways to let employers know you have experience with remote work is to:
- Include words like “virtual” or “remote” alongside your previous job title.
- Include “remote” instead of the location of your previous employer.
- Include some statistics in favor of remote work. For instance, “improved sales by 50 percent while working remotely for the 80 percent of the time.”
Show you’re trustworthy
Some employers might have a hard time trusting remote employees. And even though trust is something that’s built over time, you should ensure your CV breath and lives trust. Showing how reliable you can be achieved in several ways:
- By highlighting your previous responsibilities. For instance, “Managing a team of five remote employees” could be a great example.
- By showing, you can cope with deadlines. For instance, stating that you “successfully resolved the client’s complaints without breaking the deadline.”
- By showing you’re a self-starter. For instance, citing that you successfully implemented a new program and streamlined work.
Show you know how to communicate.
Remote employees are deprived of one of the most important segments of communication: non-verbal communication. Simply, emails and text messages can be open to interpretation. However, the tone of our voice and our mimic deepens the meaning of our words and doesn’t leave our counterparts second-guessing what we wanted to say.
To skyrocket your chances of avoiding the wastebasket, make sure your CV shows you know how to communicate in an effective way. Ensure your CV shows you’re familiar with platforms such as Skype, Slack, or Google Meet.
Show you’re balanced
Employers who promote remote work want to see their employees are well-balanced and take care of their personal life. Balance workers actually benefit the company because they’re more productive, and they’re happier, which boosts their overall engagement and decreases retention. When writing a CV, make sure to include your interests as well, alongside your work experience.
Remote work is a dream of many…
It seems like almost everyone wants to work these days remotely. Considering all the benefits we can get by working remotely, such as improved work-life balance, saved money (and time) on commuting, etc. it’s not so hard to see why a situation is like this. Now, when you have all the know-how on how to make a perfect resume for a remote job, you can go ahead, apply them and win it!