After thinking it over and talking with your family to get them on board, you’re finally ready to start applying for telecommuting positions. But before you dig out your old resume, slap together a cover letter, and click send, you’ll need to redesign your resume, particularly if you’re looking for remote work positions. Here are four resume tips for telecommuting job applications that are guaranteed to get you the job!
1. Choose your words carefully.
A hiring manager who is looking to fill a telecommuting job will automatically focus on finding job candidates who have any sort of previous flexible work experience. So if you worked in a telecommuting job before, you should definitely shine a spotlight on that position. In your job title, be sure to add keyword-rich descriptions, such as “Freelance Web Designer”, or in the location, “New York City – Remote Office”. That way, a hiring manager will see your experience and automatically move your job application to the next round!
2. Spruce up your skills.
For many job seekers, the skills section is simply a place to list the computer programs you know, and if you’re bilingual in Swahili, for example. Thing is, the skills section is prime property on your resume to showcase your flexible work skills. After all, the skills a telecommuter needs are different from those who work in an office. You can use words like “self-motivated”, “strong communicator”, or “highly organized”, which are all assets you’ll need in order to work from home successfully.
3. Showcase your accomplishments.
Sometimes, it can be difficult to talk about your achievements for fear of sounding like you’re bragging. But in order to win over a potential boss (and get called for that ever-important job interview), you’ll need to provide solid details of your previous accomplishments. You can state this info factually: “Grew revenue for the year 2014 over 60 percent (worked remotely 75 percent of the time).” That way, not only are you highlighting your achievements in a professional (i.e., non-bragging) way, but you’re also reinforcing the fact that you achieved this accomplishment while telecommuting.
4. Anticipate what the company wants.
Your boss-to-be needs to hire someone to help fix an issue at his company. It’s up to you, gentle job seeker, to figure out what the problem is, and how you, and you alone, can help him solve it. Take the time to do some research into the company to see where it’s come from, how it’s grown over the years, and more importantly, where it’s headed. Then determine how your previous work experience and skills can not only help the company now, but in the future. Forward-thinking job seekers are always highly desirable to potential bosses, because it shows that you simply don’t want a job, but a long-lasting career with the company.
These are just a few resume tips to help you when you’re preparing your telecommuting job applications. By taking the time to carefully craft your resume and cover letter, you can help expedite your job search and find a telecommuting job that gives you a paycheck and work-life balance, all built into one.
