How to Craft the Perfect Resume for a Remote Job Application

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Let’s face it. It takes a killer resume these days to stand out from the crowded field of job applicant seeking a remote job. Why do we say this?

Remote job applicants are in a crowded field of remote job candidates

Forbes estimates 50% of workers currently employed divulged willingness to take a pay CUT if offered a job featuring remote work from home (or from any location) arrangements. And, should their current employer offer the remote benefit, about 75% said they would readily accept the offer!

Information blogs to get you started:

So, if you are looking for a remote job, you’ve got to make sure that your resume helps the recruiter pick your needle out of the haystack. To do that, we offer you tips and tricks to get noticed when seeking to fill a remote job vacancy.

Do not use your ‘in house’ resume to apply for a remote job opportunity

Searching for a remote job has become the new normal for more and more people in recent years, but while working from home has lots of perks, it also requires you to do some things differently. This starts with your resume — you can’t expect to use the same resume you had for in-house positions to land remote jobs. Here’s everything you should know about crafting the perfect resume for a remote job application.

Emphasize your Remote Experience

Emphasize your remote job and working remotely and/or from home should be job #1 for any job seeker searching for remote work. Why? Because recruiters receive 100s of applications for every job posted. Even if you are highly credentialed, trained and skilled; if you lack experience with teleworking, your resume may not reach to the top of the pile. Why? Because there are multiple challenges related to working from your home office.

Are you a self-starter?
Are you disciplined?
Do you excel with little to no hands on supervision required?
Do you have the digital skills?
Do you handle distractions well?

Recruiters, human resources professionals and employers want to know you can navigate the difficult terrain of remote work. They need to be assured that you can hit the ground running while also providing value to the company.

Essential Skills for Remote Job Seekers

If you are looking for land a remote position as a full-time or part-time worker, or even as a freelancer, one of the most essential things to do when it comes to your resume is to highlight the skills that convey you as an ideal remote candidate. While some of these skills are general and overlapping with those required for traditional positions, such as “good communication skills,” for example, you also need to show that you can find your way when it comes to digital platforms and communication.

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Use Keywords Found in the Job Description

Scan the job description of your desired job. Use the keywords found in the task list, job responsibilities and description and use them profusely throughout your resume. This can not be said enough. For every remote job for which you are applying, you MUST use these keywords to break through the AI (artificial intelligence) bot barrier.

If you are pressed for time, there is a keyword scanner tool and service that can do this for you for a fee for which our website will receive a portion of the sale. There is also an option to test the free version of their system.

Showcase your Tech Skills

When applying for a remote job, tech skills separate the wheat from the chaff. So hop to it! There are times, depending on the type of job you’re applying for, you will need to showcase your tech skills. These skills may include anything from HTML and CSS to Social Media Marketing, WordPress and UX design. If you have experience in any of these fields but you have never worked virtually, you will need to be able to convince your potential employer that you are a good candidate for a remote position, so it’s important to focus your resume on that.

Emphasize your Data Analysis Skills

In the same Forbes article, jobs requiring skills in data analysis represents one of the top three remote job positions in high demand by remote first employers. Data analysis follows sales and relationship management as an account executive and copywriting and writing other types of content for various platforms as a content writer. So, do yourself a favor and obtain training in Excel, Access, Tableau, SAS and Oracle.

What Information to Include in a Remote Job Resume?

Just like in the case of a traditional job, your resume should reflect only experience you have in the particular field you operate in. Make sure you are specific and concise in your language while focusing not only on what you did in your past jobs, but also on the results.

For example, you are applying for a graphic design job, don’t just say that you worked for Company X, but also mentioned that you created designs for some of their campaigns (be specific) that resulted in an increase in sales (don’t be shy to mention percentages and numbers.)

If you already have experience telecommuting, make sure that it’s immediately visible on your resume because this is likely to make you stand out from other applicants with the same skills who have never worked from home.

Keep It Relevant and Remove Your Address

When transferring your skills from the real word to a remote only position, it’s important to keep it relevant, so it’s always a good idea to remove any job positions that don’t have anything to do with the type of job you’re applying for. Remove that barista work experience from college and any other jobs that you can spin to make them relevant.

A remote job resume has no need for your physical address, so it’s perfectly fine to remove it. You should also make sure that you include any relevant online presence you may have, such as your LinkedIn profile and website (but only if relevant).

Emphasize Your Digital Communication Skills

Digital communication skills are to be expected in many jobs today, not only when it comes to remote working, as anyone is expected to be able to manage their email inbox and respond to communication in a timely manner.

Familiarize yourself with these remote job tools:

21 essential tools for remote work

Nevertheless, when you work fully remote or hybrid, simply being able to answer your emails is not going to cut it. Video calls and meetings are an essential part of communication when you work from anywhere, so it’s always a good idea to demonstrate your proficiency with platform such as Zoom or Google Hangouts. This is a sure sign that you have what it takes to be successful as a remote worker. If you don’t have any experience with videoconferencing, try to familiarize yourself with the basics before applying for remote jobs.

The majority of remote jobs require the use of some industry standard project management software, such as Asana or Trello, and IM platforms such as Slack. These platforms are essential when it comes to the productivity of a remote team and being able to demonstrate your proficiency in using them shows that you are ready to join the distributed location workforce. This is why it’s always a good idea to add them to your resume.

Show That You Are a Team Player

Being a good member of a team is a basic requirement for just about any job, not only remote lands, but your ability to stay in constant communication, help with tasks, solve problems, and provide feedback where needed is paramount in remote work.

Remote teams are generally spread all over the world, so being a team player is essential because clear communication and collaboration are necessary every day, on a much bigger scale than in traditional work environments.

Research the Job and Understand Its Requirements

When applying for a remote job, spending time actually understanding the job description is very important, so you don’t waste your time applying the hundreds of postings that aren’t exactly suitable for you.

Read any job description a couple of times to really understand what you are future employer is looking for and try to adapt your resume and cover letter to really show what you can bring to the table for that particular job. That way, you can make sure your remote job resume passes the automatic parsing round.

What to Do If You Haven’t Telecommuted Before?

As I mentioned in the opening paragraph, remote work experience is the hurdle you’ve got to jump before you can go further in the remote job market. For this reason, many job applicants are hesitant to send their resumes for remote positions because they don’t have any experience with working from home.

Emphasize your strong communication and interpersonal relationship skills

It’s not impossible to land your dream remote job. However, even if you’ve never worked at home before, you’ve probably worked as part of a team where communication, cultural awareness and interpersonal relationships (diplomacy and tactfulness) were important. Maybe you’ve had to succeed in an environment where the primary clients lived in another state, region or nation? Think about interactions you had at work in your various positions and use them as examples of your remote skills and willingness to learn. Selling your skills by showing your potential employers that you can be a valuable addition to a remote team should often be enough to get the job even if you don’t have any previous remote experience.

Reframe current skills from the perspective of working virtually

If reframing your current skills you have mastered for the traditional office environment doesn’t work, consider upskilling your experience on the ‘downlow.’ Do some side gigs on the side or start a part time online business that you can reference in moderation when stepping into the remote job marketplace.

Upskill in the areas of knowledge and experience gaps

Consider upskilling your digital literacy, time management and video conference skills. Let’s face it. Without these three foundational skills, should you obtain a remote job; you would be hard-pressed and in grave risk of failing the probationary period. If you are serious about remote work; volunteer, find a mentor, receive formal training in these areas before you apply. You will be glad you did.