CREDITS
FlexJobs
By Cheryl Lock
When you’re looking for a new job, creating a customized resume can help you get an edge over other applicants. This is especially true when you’re applying for a job that’s out of your comfort zone, a step up on the career ladder, in a new field, or if you’re applying for a remote job for the very first time.
No matter your skill level or job history, there are ways to demonstrate your remote skills on a resume. Here are five pieces of resume advice to help you write a killer resume as a first-time remote job seeker.
Resume Advice for a First-Time Remote Job Seeker
1. Highlight Your Independence
When you work remotely, you’re often working alone. That doesn’t mean you aren’t part of a team. It means that you complete the majority of your tasks independently. Showing that you can work successfully on your own is one of the skills you should add to your resume.
For example, maybe you often take the initiative at requesting projects rather than being handed them, or perhaps you excelled at meeting deadlines when you worked alone. And don’t forget about that one time that your team of five were sick at the same time, and you had to rock the presentation yourself. Whatever the case may be, if you’ve managed to swiftly and deftly handle independent work in the past, or if you can somehow play up your great self-motivation and time management skills, be sure to do so front and center on your resume.
2. Leverage Your Cover Letter
Think of your cover letter as an extension of your resume, and use that space to help explain why you’d be an excellent remote employee.
Even if you can include remote-specific skills on your resume, it doesn’t hurt to reiterate how your past performances in a physical office would translate to an amazing remote work experience for both you and your would-be employer.
3. Tailor Your Remote Resume
If this is your first time applying for a remote job, you’ll probably need to switch up some of the writing in your job descriptions. After deciding which skills will really make you shine in a remote work situation, play up jobs with those particular assets and downplay any others that you still need to include for an accurate timeline, but that might not necessarily add much to your overall argument. If you’re tight on space, consider removing very early jobs that don’t add much to this particular position.
4. Include Volunteer Work, Hobbies, and Extracurriculars
Work experience is often the main part of a resume. But if you’ve spent the past 10 years organizing coat drives for your local homeless shelter that has helped clothe hundreds of people over those years, you’re definitely going to want to include that on your remote work resume.
The main reason to include these “extras” is it helps demonstrate that you have a life outside of work. While many workers have outside interests, remote employers often look for applicants with established hobbies or other activities to help make sure they don’t feel isolated or bored if they are transitioning from in-person work to remote work.
It’s also helpful to mention any remote-relevant skills you gained from these activities. Maybe you honed your social media or website-building skills. Or you became a digital marketing pro. Whatever it is, make sure to shout it out.
5. Review Remote Resumes
Of course, you never want to copy someone else’s resume, but it might help to take a peek at the resume of a friend or colleague who has worked remotely before. This could provide you with some insight into how things can be phrased, what to leave out, and what to absolutely include.
If you don’t know any remote workers, try checking LinkedIn. There are many remote workers with public profiles, and those profiles can help you get a good idea of how to write your remote work resume.
Make Your Resume Shine
While there’s no such thing as the perfect resume, a little research can go a long way to creating a resume that shines, even when you’ve never actually worked in a remote job before.
