You may be applying for positions that are remote: they expect you to be working from home. Working from home has many advantages, including more flexibility, less stress, reduced or no commuting costs, and fewer sick days. On the other hand, according to a study by VitalSmarts, most people who dislike working from home complain about the lack of connection with colleagues, the limitations of technology, and the prevalence of distractions.
Knowing What You Want
Before you apply for a position that requires or offers the option of working from home, consider whether:
- You have space to set up a private, quiet office at home free of distractions and far enough apart from family that you will not be interrupted. If that is impossible, do the math to see if you can afford an office outside of your home. Or maybe the local coffee shop is willing to have you sip their coffee all day while you work!
- The employer will provide and upkeep technology, supplies, and other resources or whether that will be your responsibility.
- The communication standards and expectations of the company meet your needs. For example, do leaders and team members check in with their teams every day or barely once a month? Is there a company intranet? Is the preferred method of communication email, phone, or one of the many video communication technologies?
Framing Your Resume
If you strongly prefer working remotely, make sure your resume states that. When you prepare your resume, stress:
- Evidence of your ability to work independently.
- Any previous experience you have as a remote worker is invaluable, especially if you can point to productivity, contributions to decision making or problem-solving, and other evidence that working from home will benefit the company.
- Courses online or video conferencing you regularly; you may find it valuable to point to that experience.
- Your ability to communicate.
- Your skills and experience using specific online communication programs and tools.
- Examples of “time management,” “accountability,” and “reliability”; bolster the words with examples when you finished projects on time, to high customer satisfaction, and to the benefit of the company.
Looking to the Future
Even before COVID-19, some researchers advised everyone to prepare to work at least some time in their career remotely, if not full time then at least once a week. Remote work had grown over 90% over the last 10 years, with a 44% increase over the last 5 years alone. Most often, companies found that remote working increased productivity and lowered operating costs. With COVID 19, most companies, when they could, had their employees work remotely and found increases in productivity. Many companies following their COVID-19 experience of having remote employees are now actively working on plans for much more remote work in the future.
Since remote working is likely the future of work, if you haven’t already, you should learn the programs and acquire the skills that will enable you to work remotely in the future.
As for your resume, a strong resume will increase your chances of finding the perfect job and the perfect balance of remote and onsite work. Let Robin’s Resumes® help.