Crafting a resume specifically tailored for a remote job requires thoughtful consideration of relevant skills, remote work experience, and the ability to work independently.
In this article, we’ll explore the key elements to include when writing a resume for remote jobs. You can also download the exact template I used to land my new remote job!
Whether you’re new to remote work or a seasoned professional, a well-crafted resume is essential for showcasing your qualifications and securing interviews.
How To Write A Resume For Remote Work
Use A Clean and Simple Template
A simple and easy-to-read resume format ensures that your skills and experience are showcased in a clear and straightforward manner. You should also avoid fancy fonts and colorful backgrounds to maintain a professional and polished appearance.
This makes it easier for employers and their applicant tracking systems (ATS) to focus on your qualifications and gives your resume the best chance of making it to the hiring team.
As a hiring manager, I love seeing resumes that have whitespace and use sections with bullet points. This enhances readability and helps create a visually appealing and easily navigable document.
Want the exact template I used to land a new remote job? Use the link below!
What You MUST Include On A Resume For Remote Jobs
In order to stand out in the competitive remote job market, there are certain elements that you must include on your resume to showcase the remote skills that make you suitable for the job you’re applying for.
Even if you don’t have any remote working experience, there are technical skills that you must possess in order to be considered for a role.
Below are the essential elements you must include on your resume for remote jobs.
Emphasize Communication and Collaboration Skills
If you’re applying to remote roles hoping you’ll never have to talk to anyone, I’m sorry to break it to you. You will.
Although face-to-face interaction is limited, you still need communication skills for email, phone, video, and more.
If you want a remote position, your resume must demonstrate your effective communication and collaboration, both verbally and in writing.
For example, as a remote worker, on my resume, I would highlight my experience leading projects where clear and concise communication was essential to keep all stakeholders aligned and on track. Sharing how I regularly scheduled video calls, sent detailed project updates, and provided constructive feedback to ensure the team remained cohesive and productive.
Under your Summary and Professional Experience sections, you’ll want to describe and add keywords that show you possess effective remote collaboration skills and the adaptability to communicate across different channels and geographically diverse teams.
Quantify Your Responsibilities and Achievements
Simply listing your responsibilities and job duties on a resume will not help you stand out in the job search.
To have a strong resume, you must quantify your responsibilities and achievements. You’ll need to sit down and reflect on your accomplishments that reflect critical skills for the job you’re applying to.
A few examples:
- Led a remote project team of 10 to implement a new mobile app, resulting in a 50% increase in app downloads within the first three months of launch.
- Achieved a 30% improvement in customer satisfaction ratings through remote customer service training and implementation of new support processes.
- Increased remote team productivity by 35% by introducing new collaboration tools and project management software.
Incorporate Self-Motivation and Time Management
As a remote worker, you must possess self-motivation and time management skills to be successful.
These key skills are something you must show on your resume to show that you can remain focused, organized and meet deadlines.
You can highlight them under your Summary section or under the Professional Experience section.
A few examples:
- A self-motivated professional who is driven and focused to manage multiple tasks, meet deadlines, and produce high-quality work consistently.
- Completed and delivered a project with a tight deadline. Prioritized tasks, broke them down into manageable subtasks, and worked diligently to meet the deadline without compromising quality.
Show That You’re a Problem-Solver and Critical Thinker
Problem-solving and critical thinking are two essential skills that hiring managers look for when interviewing for remote opportunities.
During an interview, you can freely share examples of this, but wondering how you can display these traits on your resume? Highlight your impact under your Professional Experience.
A few examples:
- Remotely troubleshooted technical issues by quickly researching possible solutions and coordinating with the team to implement the corrections. A proactive problem-solving approach saved valuable time and resources.
- Identified customer complaint trends and led the initiative to analyze the root cause of the issue. Proposed a solution to the product development team, significantly reducing customer complaints and increasing customer satisfaction.
- For a marketing campaign, implemented a remote project management tool and established clear communication protocols, which significantly improved team efficiency and contributed to the successful execution of the campaign.
Add Relevant Software Tools
Working from home requires you to be tech-savvy. The remote collaboration tools you’ll use will vary by job, but below are the most common ones that you should familiarize yourself with.
1. Slack is a messaging platform that allows teams to communicate and collaborate in real-time. It is used for group discussions, direct messaging, file sharing, and integrations with other tools.
2. Zoom is a video conferencing tool that enables remote teams to hold virtual meetings, webinars, and conference calls. It provides high-quality video and audio, screen sharing, and recording capabilities. Zoom is essential for remote work environments as it facilitates face-to-face communication, virtual team meetings, and presentations.
3. Microsoft Teams is a communication platform that allows users to engage in video calls, voice calls, and messaging. It is integrated with Microsoft Office, making it easy for remote teams to connect and collaborate.
What To Do if You Have No Remote or Work From Home Experience
Even if you have no prior remote work experience, you can frame your previous experience to fit a work from home role.
Don’t Lie On Your Resume
First and foremost, never lie on your resume.
Instead of resorting to lies about having prior remote roles, it is important to address any shortcomings by focusing on transferable skills and relevant experience.
Highlighting these qualities can demonstrate your ability to adapt and succeed in a new role without fabricating qualifications.
Highlight Your Remote-Friendly Skills
Even if you’ve never had a remote job, there are essential skills you probably have and can convey on your resume.
While I discussed some important ones in greater detail earlier in this post, here is a list of skill keywords that you should consider adding to your resume:
- Action-oriented
- Self-starter/initiative
- Problem solver
- Adaptability/flexibility
- Results-oriented
- Geographically diverse communication
How To List Remote Roles On Your Resume
If you have remote work experience, it’s important to clearly specify on your resume what previous roles were remote in order to display your experience.
One way to do this on your resume is under the Professional Experience section, add “(Remote)” next to the company name. Additionally, if you ever had a hybrid role, make sure to add it to the end of the location, such as “New York, NY (Hybrid).”
Labeling remote work or hybrid roles in your professional experience shows your ability to collaborate in a virtual environment.
Final Words of Wisdom
Having a resume tailored for remote jobs will best position you to stand out to potential employers.
By implementing the tips mentioned above, emphasizing your unique skill set, and remaining determined in your job search, you’ll be best positioned to secure the ideal remote job for you.