The economy of most countries worldwide appears to be recovering from the hit they had to take due to the coronavirus pandemic. The remote job domain looks great too! Glassdoor Economic August Job Market Report shows massive growth of 61 percent in the number of remote jobs compared to the same period last year.
The raging pandemic situation isn’t going anywhere soon. Plus, businesses have tasted the sweet benefits of going remote. So, the remote working trend is here for a while!
Local economies opening up is great news for the unemployed or those considering a job change. This calls for a major resume refurbishment project to show potential employers that you are worth hiring. Follow the tried and tested tips shared below to create a perfect resume that can help you crack that remote job interview you’ve long been preparing for.
- Know What Remote Hirers Are Looking for
Remote employers may not always mention all the hard and soft skills needed for a virtual job. A few skills may be implicit. For instance, all remote jobs require collaboration skills, like the willingness of an employee to proactively find solutions to a problem, taking responsibility for mistakes, and actively listening to others.
It may not always be obvious what hirers are looking for. However, some research and a peek into the company culture can tell you a lot about what remote employers expect from candidates. Use this information to sharpen your resume.
- Read the Job Description
This may sound like an obvious one. But we mean going through it thoroughly and reading in between the lines. Doing this will give you a complete understanding of what’s expected. Also, it will help you filter the relevant opportunities.
Secondly, it will help you pay attention to details that otherwise tend to get missed. A few hirers deliberately insert a small request in the middle of the page just to see if the candidate is alert enough to pick it up.
For instance, they may ask you to attach a few other documents or samples of your work in your email. So, regardless of how perfect your resume is, if you’ve missed this detail, you’ll land in the reject pile.
- Research the Keywords to Get to the ATS
A job listing attracts 250 resumes on an average. Looks like a needle in a haystack situation, right? However, using the right keywords in your resume can increase the chances of your resume getting shortlisted for the job.
Using keywords or Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) is the primary way recruiters scan resumes to quickly find the most suitable candidates. When scanning the job description, highlight the skills and experience mentioned by the employer. These phrases are the keywords. Include them in your resume. And, voila! You have a resume that’s tailored to the job description, increasing your ranking among the sea of job applicants.
Check out this job description, for instance. Including the highlighted words or phrases in your resume will get your resume the attention it deserves.
- Pay Attention to the Tone
Different companies have different tones. For instance, this brand Happily Unmarried has a fun vibe around it. Check out their About Us page.
Don’t hesitate to adopt a similar playful tone in your resume. Go through a firm’s website, blog, and social media profile to understand their tone of messaging and culture.
- Showcase Your Remote Working Capabilities
There are three ways you can achieve this.
- Highlight Your Remote Working Skills
If you have what it takes to get that remote job, convey it in your resume. When hiring a remote worker, employers are looking for candidates with good communication and time management skills. Depending on the industry, they may also expect tech skills like coding and experience with content management systems like WordPress.
Make a list of the skills relevant to the job requirements and include them in your resume. For instance, if you are applying for a remote content writing job for a company’s social media account, it’s worth highlighting your social media marketing and writing skills.
- Include Your Past Remote Working Experience
Besides technical expertise, employers are also looking for team players and problem solvers who are self-motivated, flexible, organized, can work independently. How can you communicate such soft skills in a resume? Highlight your past experience as a remote worker.
Add a new section that draws attention to your previous remote positions along with the responsibilities. If you haven’t worked remotely, think of instances when you would have conducted a virtual meeting or training program or probably managed an overseas client. Also, include contact information of a senior who can vouch for your remote working capabilities.
- Brag about Your Achievements as a Remote Worker
Share instances when you would have won an award or got recognized for your efforts in your past organization. Sales and marketing personnel can even quantify the sales or marketing ROI to demonstrate how they positively contributed to their organization in the past.
- Add Personality to the Resume
Remote working, with all its perks and benefits, can be quite challenging. It’s for a remote employee to succumb to the work pressures and feel cut out from the rest of the team. Not everyone’s cut out for this lifestyle.
Therefore, an increasing number of remote-friendly firms are interested in hiring people who have an interest outside work that can help relieve their work stress. Make sure you add a section on hobbies or activities that you are passionate about. For instance, if you like sketching, it’s worth mentioning that in your resume.
- Proof-Read. Edit. Repeat.
Double check every fact stated in the document. Check for formatting, grammatical, and spell errors. The last thing you want is the employer to have a poor impression of you because of a spell error. It’s like undoing all the awesome things you spoke about in the resume.
Imagine highlighting your exceptional communication skills in the resume while leaving grammar errors unattended. That’s not going to impress your prospective employer!
Know What You’re Getting into
A majority of firms and employees are new to telecommuting and the opportunities and challenges a remote work environment gets. If you are one of them, it’s wise to read up on what it is like to work with a fully remote company. Simple skills like knowing how to operate on Slack or Trello or understanding the security best practices in remote working can give you an edge over other candidates who are also vying for the job.
We recommend reading this remote work guide from Toptal, a firm that has thrived as a fully distributed global company for over a decade. The remote work playbook offers a roadmap for remote workers and companies to successfully navigate the virtual work scenario.
Besides, use the following to reflect on why you want to work remotely. With no face-to-face interaction, employers are looking for self-motivated candidates who are interested in future projects and promise to stay excited about the work.
Is it because you find the job challenging? Is it the name and reputation of the company that’s attractive? Understand what motivates you about the job. This simple exercise speaks passionately about why you want this job when conversing with the employer.
Summing Up
Globally, all businesses are adopting the remote way of working. That increases the demand for skilled workers who can work independently from remote locations and stay committed to the job. Remote jobs require a special skill set. Moreover, there are a sea of candidates out there competing for the same job. To make it to the interview, your resume should clearly reflect your ability to operate remotely. Moreover, it should be able to cut through the clutter of applications and get you shortlisted for the job.
Use the tips and tricks shared in this post to impress prospective employers and win your dream remote job.
