The perfect remote work resume shares some elements with other resumes. You want to show off your skills. You want the resume to let the employer know that you would be a great resource for the company. That said, there are several unique things to include in a remote work resume that can help you get more work. Use this guide to perfect your resume and get job offers.
Know What Remote Recruiters Are Looking For
As you craft your resume, keep in mind what remote recruiters are looking for.
They want to see you are a self-starter and asynchronous collaborator. They want to see your written communication skills. Recruiters also look for flexibility, organization, and tech-savviness. Get a better idea of what they want in our article on five critical skills for remote work.
Convey these skills through the description of your responsibilities and your skills sections.
Make Sure It Is Well-written
As with any job, you want to proofread your resume. Edit it to ensure it's well-written.
Although recommendations vary, our experts still believe a one-page resume is ideal. Your ability to convey the information more concisely helps you. It shows that you have a better command of the language. This also helps show your written communication skills, something that's very important in remote work.
If you do make your resume longer, be cautious. Recruiters spend an average of 6 to 15 seconds per resume. As such, they will skip resumes that are too long.
You should also pay attention to font type and size. Most experts agree to stick to 10.5 to 12 point fonts. Choose a professional font. Ideally, select a universal one that will show up nicely regardless of the device. Arial and Calibri are safe options. You can also use Times New Roman, Georgia, Garamond, Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, or Didot.
Add a Remote Tools Section
Recruiters prefer hiring someone already familiar with the tools used for remote work. Show off your skills in this area with a dedicated section of the resume. Include software tools you use, including for project management and collaboration. For a better idea of what to include in this section, see our article on tools remote workers use.
If you already have these skills, employers can save time with training. It helps even if you aren’t familiar with the exact program they use. Having a long list of skills with remote tools shows you are a quick learner. It tells recruiters that you will learn new tools quickly.
Show You Are a Self-starter
Being a self-starter is one of the most important skills for a remote worker. The best way to show this is in your resume’s experience section. Highlight your past work experience that shows you are a self-starter. This can include remote work. It can also include leadership roles. When describing a job you did remotely, mention that it was remote instead of location-based. You can also include keywords like “with internet access” or “offsite” in the role descriptions.
Part of this will be showing off past experience working remotely. Depending on your remote experience, you can create an entire section for this. As always, include the key skills and responsibilities of your remote experience. If you have not worked remotely before, you can still do this. Highlight any relevant experience. An example would be communicating with another office.
If you include a qualification summary at the top of the resume, put your remote work experience there. This section lets recruiters quickly get the main idea of the resume.
Customize Your Resume for the Role
Before submitting your resume, customize it. Recruiters can tell if you created a generic resume for remote work. This implies you are less serious about the role.
Stand out from the competition by customizing your resume. This doesn’t have to be a dramatic difference. Just take a few minutes to tailor your resume. It should highlight the skills the job description mentions. Include keywords for the role.
Include Interests and Activities
If you can add interests and activities that are relevant without making the resume too long, do so. Traditionally, experts only suggested you include these if they were relevant to the job. For example, a remote writer could mention their creative writing hobby. Or a developer could mention their video game development hobby.
The world is changing. Now, companies are more interested in your work-life balance. This is especially true for companies offering remote work. They want to know that you have interests outside of work. Just avoid anything controversial, political, or religious.