Remote Jobs Resume Examples
November 1, 2024
Remote Jobs Resume Examples – Pop onto social media these days and it seems like everyone has become a travel influencer or a digital nomad with unlimited PTO who can travel all over the world. Everyone, that is, except you.听 So, you trudge back into your in-person 9-to-5, get back on your phone, scroll, dream, and wish you knew how to get Spirit to sponsor your TikTok.听 I鈥檓 here to tell you: this is not the way.听
If you鈥檝e been hunting around trying to figure out if you could land the remote job of your dreams, revamping your resume might be your first step.听
But with so much competition for work-from-home jobs, what actually makes your resume remote-ready? There are some specific tactics you can use to polish up your skills and make yourself stand out.听
In this article, we鈥檒l cover three big ideas that can help you succeed in your next digital job search. You鈥檒l want to:听
- Show that you can thrive in a remote environment听
- Choose a format that best showcases your remote work experience听
- Use the gold standard resume rules: they still apply!听听
No matter what kind of remote job you鈥檙e looking for, these tips will help you get past the slush pile and into your next Zoom interview. Let鈥檚 dive in.听
Show that you can thrive in a remote environment 听
Marisa Medin, one of the founders of the remote job aggregator , says that hiring managers definitely want to know that you have the skills for a posted job, but they also want to see that 鈥測ou can succeed in a remote environment.鈥澨�
“You don’t necessarily need past experience with remote work,鈥� Medin says, 鈥渂ut you can still demonstrate you have skills that are essential to remote work, such as:
- Self-management: Your ability to work independently, manage time effectively, and stay organized without direct supervision.
- Clear communication: Since remote work often relies on written and virtual communication, you want to show you can communicate clearly and collaborate effectively using tools like email, chat platforms, and video conferencing.
- Adaptability and problem-solving: Remote roles sometimes require handling unexpected challenges without immediate in-person support, so showing you can do this is important.鈥�
That means accounting for your accomplishments and achievements at your current and previous jobs and putting them into language that showcases those self-management, communication, and adaptability traits.听
Let鈥檚 say, for example, that you work as a buyer for an industrial engineering firm, and you took it upon yourself to search out new products that saved your company $10,000 in a single year. You might write a resume line that looks like:听
- Saved $10,000 in company resources by independently researching a dozen diverse product lines, organizing negotiations with three separate selling agents, and communicating best-choice proposals to management via clear, concise emails.听
This line highlights first the huge achievement in savings that you successfully delivered, and then it showcases the clear set of self-driven actions that you took. Those actions are still accompanied by concrete deliverables, like the number of agents you contacted and product lines you researched.听
Those deliverables are more important than ever, especially if you want to land a remote job. According to Beach Commute, there has been a 131% increase in digital nomads in the workforce from 2019 to now. That means you鈥檙e competing with more and more people for fully remote jobs all the time.听
The upshot? Beach Commute also notes that 80% of digital nomads are happy with their work, as opposed to 59% of their non-digital counterparts. And 82% of digital nomads are happy with their income, in contrast with 69% of non-remote workers. If you can make it work, the potential payoff ain鈥檛 too shabby.听
Choose a format that best showcases your WFH-friendly experience听
As a millennial, I was taught that you should always organize your resume in chronological order. And is it a Mandela Effect thing, or did I also learn that there was some kind of punishment for not listing every one of your jobs in chronological order? As if it was on-par with fraud?听
Well, look, the rules are out the window, if they even ever existed at all. You can order your resume however you want.听
Generally speaking, though, there are three major ways you should consider listing your work experience:听
- Reverse Chronologically
- Functionally
- Combination Reverse Chronologically and Functionally听
Let鈥檚 say you鈥檙e a copywriter at a marketing firm and you want to transition to a remote, social media manager position. Your most recent job had more to do with writing copy for client emails, but your first job right out of college had you creating video content and infographics across a bunch of different platforms. You might choose a functional resume format in order to highlight those social media skills first.听
For example, a professional experience section of your resume sorted by function might look like this:听
Remote Jobs Resume Example #1
Lewis Andersen
[email protected] | (888) 888-8888 | Pittsburgh-based, Remote Ready
Skills
Digital content creation software expertise, including video editing in Final Cut Pro; infographic creation in Canva, Adobe; MS Office Suite and Google Work application expertise; Teamwork and collaborate across in-person and remote workplaces听听
Professional Experience, Listed by Relevance听
Social Media Content Creator, Great Plains Media Group, Minneapolis, MN听 听 听 听 听 Sept. 2019 鈥� Sept. 2021听听听听
- Storyboarded, shot, edited and published 5鈥�10 Instagram and TikTok advertising videos weekly听
- Used Adobe and Canva to create and publish 15鈥�20 infographics weekly for 5 different client accounts听
- Acquired 12,500 new followers combined across three social media platforms听
Copywriter/Editor, Blitzburghers Email Marketing, Pittsburgh, PA听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Oct. 2021 鈥� Present
- Self-managed in a hybrid work environment, three days on-site and two days WFH, exceeding monthly subscriber quotas听
- Wrote engaging, client-focused copy for 75 鈥� 100 marketing emails monthly for 10 client accounts听
- Demonstrated growth of 3,000 new email subscribers for clients from January 2022 to present听
Education
B.A., Communications, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 August 2015 鈥� May 2019
Graduated magna cum laude听
Remote Jobs Resume Example #1 – Analysis
In this Functional example, we鈥檙e doing a few things that will help any remote resume stand out:听
- Highlighting the fact that this is professional experience that won鈥檛 be listed in the traditional reverse chronological order, but instead by relevance to the position at hand.听
- Using quantification and specificity to list specific achievements and during precise time frames.听
- Even though neither of these jobs was completely remote, we used the advice from the first element in this list (emphasizing your remote-readiness) to talk about how this person was able to exceed expectations in a hybrid work environment.听
Even though it鈥檚 easy to see that these jobs are listed out of reverse chronological order, it can be helpful to note the fact that you鈥檝e done this on purpose (using 鈥淟isted by Relevance鈥� or some other language that works for you). That way, potential employers don鈥檛 think you鈥檙e disorganized.听
Notice that we also put the Skills section at the top and the Education section at the bottom. Your education matters, of course, but if employers are scanning a resume for someone with the skills they need, you might benefit from putting those skills right at the top of your resume. They鈥檒l want to verify your education information, of course, and ensure you have the minimum required, but particularly for folks a bit later in their career, education info can drift toward the bottom of the page鈥攁nd perhaps even to your benefit!听
But what about information organized in a Reverse Chronological order?听 A brief example might look something like this:听
Remote Jobs Resume Example #1
Rhonda Shimes
Educator and Digital Editor
[email protected] | (555) 555 – 5555 | Houston-Based, Remote Ready
Education
Ph.D., Comparative Literature, The University of Texas at Austin 听 听 听 听 听 August 2013 鈥� May 2018听
Professional Experience
Lecturer and Tutor, Texas Cities College, Department of Communications 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 August 2018 鈥� Present
- Teach a 3:3 load of Honors classes for incoming and upper-level students in writing and comparative literature听
- Adapt all courses to an online format to prepare for asynchronous and synchronous online teaching听
- Pioneer and create three curriculum streams for new, post-pandemic online learning track and online tutoring system听
Writer/Editor, Texas Cities College Department of Strategic Communication听 听 听 March 2011 鈥� August 2013
- Led 10-person, interdisciplinary team from marketing, video, and photography to create new online magazine and social media strategy for Texas Cities College Magazine听
- Researched, wrote, fact-checked and published 2 鈥� 4 research-based stories every month, promoting arts and history research from award-winning faculty听
- Pitched 3 鈥� 5 well-research, strategy-backed news pitches to regional and national media outlets monthly, garnering media attention from The New York Times, Vogue, and The Atlantic听
Remote Jobs Resume Example #2 – Analysis
In this brief Reverse Chronological example, the classic order stands. In this case, we鈥檝e also listed the most relevant education at the top. Why? In the case that this person is applying for online teaching, tutoring, or writing jobs related to education or curriculum development, showing the credential of a doctorate from a prestigious institution at the top of the resume might really help to demonstrate competency.听
This is a simple example, but we can see the development of the applicant鈥檚 career over time. She started in a writing position, got her doctorate, and then went on to teach at the same school where she graduated. There鈥檚 a clear timeline, and we can see her upward professional trajectory. That鈥檚 the benefit of the reverse chronological order resume: it inherently tells a story as you move through time.听
The format that works for you will depend on the job you鈥檙e applying to and the experience you have, but just know that you can mix things up鈥攑articularly when you鈥檙e trying to make a career leap into a remote role.听
Use the gold standard resume rules: they still apply!听听
Look, just because I said earlier that the rules were out the window doesn鈥檛 mean that they鈥檙e completely out the window. The gold standard resume rules still apply. And you should lean into them, because the more you can express in the bullets on your resume, the better off you鈥檙e going to be鈥攏o matter where you apply.听
What does that mean? Well, the resume basics include:听
- Keep your resume to one page, generally speaking, with exceptions for those at the most senior level in their career.听
- Break your resume into sections including: a header with your name, contact information, and (if there鈥檚 space) a brief, punchy description; your relevant work experience; skills; education; honors (if there鈥檚 space/if it鈥檚 relevant)听
- Use quantifiable and qualifiable information to write action-oriented bullet points that describe your work experience.听
Remote Jobs Resume Example (Continued)
- Use language directly from the job posting in your previous work experience descriptions and skills section. For example, if the job posting asks for 鈥渁 self-starter with dynamic communication skills and the ability to organize in a fast-paced environment,鈥� you can and should use those keywords directly in your resume, as they apply to your previous experience. Obviously only do this if the language accurately represents the truth!听
- Maintain a coherent design order to your document.听
- Margins should be 1鈥� or .5鈥� to maintain readability.听
- Text should be a simple font (likely a sans serif for easier readability on screens).听
- Section headings should be consistent in font, size, and format.听
Remote Jobs Resume Example (Continued)
- You should make an attempt at staying consistent with the number of bullets you use, though that can change if you need to highlight a smaller experience that you held for a shorter period of time鈥攐r a more significant role that held more responsibility. But remember: you鈥檙e really trying to boil your experience down to the most important parts. You don鈥檛 have to tell the whole story in one page.听
The University of Michigan Career Center says, 鈥�Most employers take 30-60 seconds per resume during their first glance. Don鈥檛 get stuck in the 鈥榥o鈥� pile because of formatting issues.鈥� We couldn鈥檛 agree more!听
Ultimately, you want to showcase that you鈥檙e capable of handling your own time while working from home (or wherever your travels take you). You鈥檒l want to highlight that not only in your resume, but in your cover letter, as well. Make sure to brush up on your interview questions, and get that resume out to as many jobs as possible. Good luck!听
Remote Jobs Resume Example – Additional Resources
