Top 7 Skills to Highlight in Resume for Work from Home Jobs

With the widespread use of internet technology and relatively inexpensive, dependable software programs, many companies welcome virtual employees. And there’s no shortage of qualified, dependable talent to fill these job openings.

Virtual employees—also called remote or telecommuting workers—benefit companies in two ways. First, by reducing work space needs, employers experience lowered costs. Second, hiring virtual employees broadens the talent pool and, with the cost savings, the company may be able to afford expanding, developing new products, or offering higher salaries for essential employees, which can raise profits.

Most people seeking a virtual job want to manage their personal and work lives better. They want a challenging, interesting job that doesn’t require long commutes and hectic schedules. And by working at home, they save on transportation costs, childcare expenses, and money spent on wardrobe needs or lunch.

A remote job, however, has its own set of challenges. Hiring managers know that, so they look for candidates with the right skillsets. Do you have them?

Skills You Must Mention in Your Virtual Job Resume

List both hard and soft skills in your summary statement (or summary of qualifications) and highlight them throughout your resume.

1. Be specific in your career objective

If you use a career objective in your resume, be sure it reflects your desire for a virtual position or one with flexible hours split between at-home or in-office. Remember, if you want at least some in-office time, your position must be local. A fully virtual job, however, means your employer can be anywhere in the world.

2. Organization

Even though you’re not working in an office, it doesn’t mean you’ll work in your free time. You’ll work regular hours and sometimes adapt your schedule to the company’s needs and/or time zone.

It’s easy to say you’re “proficient with time management and complete multiple tasks on schedule.” But how do you prove it?

Mention the project management tools you’ve used. Trello, Basecamp, and Asana are just a few project management apps companies use. Evernote is popular for individuals, and Mavenlink tracks time, projects, and expenses.

Remember, methods you used at previous jobs may be transferable skills. See how they translate to virtual work and mention them in your resume.

3. Communication

Excellent communication skills—especially written—are critical for virtual work. Written skills are especially important because you can’t stop by a coworker’s desk to discuss a project. Plus, you need to be clear and concise to avoid miscommunication and know how to clarify when mistakes happen.

In your resume, be specific. Email skills are a given. Experience with online chat, video chat, webinars, and video conferencing is a plus. Google Hangouts, Skype, GoToMeeting, or Tango (for Android mobile users) and FaceTime (for iOS users) are also popular.

Finally, make sure your social media accounts are squeaky clean and professional. A few updated, active social media platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest show off your best written communication skills.

4. Time Management

Project management is one thing. Managing time is another. With 24 hours in a day and no one looking over your shoulder, making the best use of time can be challenging for telecommuters. No one will know if you head out to the gym or reorganize your office, right?

Your resume must convince an employer you can manage distractions.

List previous virtual work experience, if any, and mention tools you’ve used to manage your time. Apps like Toggl, Everhour, FreshBooks, and OfficeTime are popular among freelancers and remote workers alike, and many more exist.

If you’ve used an online appointment calendar like Calendly or Acuity, be sure to mention it. No matter what your system for time management is—or what you plan to use—be sure to back up your “excellent time management” claim with evidence.

5. Technical skills

Virtual work means technical skills. You need software proficiency, plus you must learn new software or figure out tasks or updates on your own.

Sure, you’ll have training, even if it’s just a video to watch and a PDF to read. But when something goes wrong, you can’t ask a tech-savvy coworker what to do. And even if IT support or helpdesk is available, your employer will expect you to solve simple problems quickly on your own.

Read virtual job descriptions carefully and make a list of all software apps and tools you know well or have used previously. Don’t forget to check for OS requirements and whether you’ll need Windows or Mac. And when applying for a specific job, customize your resume with the skills they want and the skills you have.

And consider a training course or brushing up on necessary skills before you apply. If it’s software, consider purchasing it or getting a free trial—and learn it.

6. Equipment

Imagine you landed a fantastic virtual job. Suddenly, you lose your internet connection and the lights go out—an hour before a meeting or project deadline! What will you do?

Virtual workers need reliable, up-to-date equipment and a fast internet connection. At a minimum, you’ll need a desktop or laptop computer and a phone (although you can use Skype or another VoIP app). A back-up device is ideal; if your desktop PC freezes up, you can switch to your laptop or tablet until you fix the problem.

And what will you do if a hurricane or snowstorm knocks you off the grid? You pay attention to weather reports, right? And you alerted your employer and team members just in case, didn’t you? And you finished the project early—good job. Now you’ll tether to your mobile or go to a safe place, if possible, with electricity and internet.

Make sure your resume indicates your equipment capabilities as well as your planning and forethought: “Windows 10 and macOS 10.14 (Mojave) proficiency, desktop and laptop with tethering capability.” A resume with that kind of flexibility and forward thinking is one that will get you an interview.

7. Teamwork

As a virtual employee, you must be productive while working alone, be self-motivated, and not mind the social isolation that telecommuting work can bring. So why would you need teamwork skills as a work-at-home employee?

Even when your work is virtual, you’re still part of a team. And that means timely communication, respect for co-workers’ needs and deadlines, willingness to help others, and awareness of time zone differences and cross-cultural diversity. Plus, you might need to be tolerant of co-workers who aren’t fluent in your language or who speak/write with a dialect you’re not accustomed to.

You might not work face-to-face, and you might communicate only by email and messaging, but your teamwork skills are essential in a virtual workplace. Be sure to showcase those skills in your resume.

We wish you the best of luck in your virtual job searching! You might also want to read more about crafting the perfect resume and cover letter. And check our portal for telecommuting, remote and virtual jobs, and work from home positions. Let us know about your thoughts and experience with the virtual workplace.