How to fine tune your resume for remote positions

Military Spouses are resilient and are capable of achieving success in the most trying times. In my most recent blog post, I explained why it’s a good time for military spouses to look for remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic. I also listed resources and tips to find open remote positions. This time, I’ll dive into the skills and experience your resume should feature when applying for remote work.

Crafting a Resume for a Remote Job Application

To land an interview, your resume needs to be tailored to remote organizations. 90% of companies use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to organize and go through resumes. ATS systems look for keywords from the job description to make sure that you are a good match. Most companies rely on this technology to filter through the many candidates who apply. The closer your resume matches the experience in the job description the more likely you will get through these systems and into the hands of a hiring manager! When applying for remote jobs, here are few things to make sure to mention in your resume/ cover letter:

Technical Skills: Online platforms are the reason remote jobs can exist, which is why your online skills need to be top-notch. Remote companies use software to bridge the communication gap. List any software tools that you are familiar with using. Some might include Google Hangouts, Salesforce, GoToMeeting, Skype, Zoom, and many more.

Communication: Your resume should mention your strong communication skills, and typos should be non-existent. Your email communication with hiring managers and recruiters should be punctual and precise.

Independence: It can’t hurt to talk about any time you were a “self-starter” or worked on projects without much supervision. Any time you worked with low or no supervision is valuable.

Highlight Previous Work from Home Experience: Recruiters and hiring managers offering remote jobs often look for people with previous experience, so having any past remote work experience on your resume will help you stand out. Your experience can be temporary or occasional.  It’s important that you’re able to demonstrate how efficient and productive you were when working remotely.

Jobscan.co is a great resource to use in the resume tailoring process!

Avoid Scams 

Some work-at-home positions are not legitimate, so pay close attention to the warning signs. Steer away from positions requiring you to pay a fee for information, training or a starter kit.

Military spouses know how to adapt, overcome and make the very best of each situation. The COVID-19 virus will pass. For those military spouses in a job search, keep the faith and continue applying! During this health crisis, the number of remote workers will increase. If you follow the above information to finding remote work, you will increase your odds of being one of them. If you are a military spouse in need of employment assistance, register for Hire Heroes USA’s serving spouses program today, here!