The pandemic has actually won the remote work fight for many of us.
But that doesn’t mean the pandemic gives us an automatic pass for remote work.
You still have to show that you’re equipped to work remotely. You need to know how to write a resume for remote work.
In this video, I’m going to show you small resume changes you can make that will show that you’re ready for the remote life.
First let’s talk about what readers of our resume – recruiters, talent acquisition professionals, and hiring managers – want to know about us in order to assess if we can work remotely.
They want to know not only can we do the job BUT can we do the job while no one is watching.
And the best way to make sure you’re giving that impression, is showing on your resume that you’ve done this before. So let’s get into specifics.
Show That You’ve Worked Remote Before
This is the quickest of all the changes that you can make on your resume.
If you’ve worked remotely before, say so.
Update the location of the remote job.
It could read something as simply as remote.
Or Remote from home office in, and wherever your location is.
Or Remote to wherever the physical operation of your employer is or where you would have been working in-person or had been working in-person.
Showcase Tech Proficiency
Tech is what enables us to work remotely, so you need to be skilled at using it.
You’ll want to list your tech skills in your skills section on your profile, or you could even create a separate technical acumen section if you use a lot tech in your work, and place that on page 2 of your resume.
Tools that you should highlight are those that are showing up in your target job postings.
Also, make sure you’re highlighting collaboration tools like Google Suite or G-suite or Google Workspace or whatever it’s called now, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, Slack, etc. etc.
Show You Can Roll With the Remote Punches
We’re talking adaptability. But not something as basic as describing yourself as adaptable (or flexible, they’re the same). No. We need to show, not tell here.
And we show this through accomplishments where we have flexed our adaptability muscles.
Some thoughts that come to mind include:
How you helped your team transition to remote work
How you transitioned to remote work seamlessly
How you led team through uncertain times
How you helped customers navigate new ways of business
How you minimized business disruptions
How you maintained service levels
When you’re writing bullets like this, you’ll notice that not even once are you calling yourself adaptable or flexible. Again, it’s the act of showing not telling, and this is just another way to meet the main objective of showing that we’re qualified and can do the work for the job to which we’re applying.
Also, a lot of these bullets will help showcase our soft skills #doubleduty
Show You Took Initiative & Innovated
Most employers were flying by the seats of their pants when the pandemic first hit. In fact, many still are. So if you uncovered and initiated new ways of doing work better in the pandemic era, make sure this is clear in your resume.
Just like our last note, we’re going to show, not tell here. We’re going to share examples of how we maybe:
Built a new process to enable greater collaboration across departments
Refined a procedure so that something that was done in person, could now be done virtually
How you suggested, sourced, and trained your team on a new tool to help everyone collaborate more effectively
These are just a few examples, with many possibilities.
Landing remote work isn’t a given. There are a lot of jobs that are still in-person or returned to in-person. But I do believe the future of work is forever changed, and honestly, I’m excited about it. That said, I want you to be equipped with the tools needed to make the best possible case and application for remote work.
What was your resume missing from what we noted above? What will you change or add? Tell me in the comments below.
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