6 Traits You Need to State on Your Resume When Applying for Remote Jobs

In the past year, many companies have transitioned to permanent or semi-permanent work-from-home arrangements. As a result, hiring managers have adjusted their expectations, needs, and requirements when it comes to looking for new hires. To that end, below are the six most important attributes that now need to be on your resume.

1. Digital savviness

These days, hiring managers need to see that you can leverage digital tools to get work done. This means you need to be skilled in certain software programs, virtual meeting platforms, real-time communication tools, and maybe even some content management systems. While the required tools vary by organization and industry, the ability to be comfortable in a digital environment is crucial in today’s workplace no matter where you work—and crucial to showcase on your resume.

2. Proactivity

Proactivity is a tried-and-true attribute that hiring managers have always looked for, and now it’s more important than ever, given that so many people are working remotely (and out of sight of their managers). Employers especially love staff members who are proactive about learning new skills that can contribute to long-term results. This means candidates who are positive and exude a can-do attitude are gold. Hiring managers know this and look for this trait on resumes all the time. To showcase proactivity on your resume, try highlighting accomplishments outside your job descriptions that provided extra value to your employers.

3. Adaptability

Flexibility and adaptability are important traits to showcase on your resume, especially in the work-from-home world. These days, nobody’s day ever really goes as planned, so being flexible and adaptable is incredibly important. Hiring managers look for this trait on a resume by looking for accomplishments in your career when, despite a change in the course or plan of action, you were still able to get the job done well. So, make sure your resume includes accomplishments that address this attribute.

4. Communicative                             

With teams working from home, communication is trickier than it’s ever been. These days, hiring managers like to see individuals who are responsive and clear in their communication. You can highlight this trait on your resume by pointing to times when you had to leverage your communications skills to get a task done or get buy-in from your colleagues. You can also highlight this trait the moment you get a response about your resume—by quickly and clearly responding to schedule your interview.

5. Ability to be held accountable to certain metrics

Research shows that the best resumes blend quantitative and qualitative accomplishments. The reason is quantitative accomplishments signal to hiring managers that you know your expectations and responsibilities, know how to measure your performance, and can produce tangible results. Hiring managers are now more than ever looking for new hires who are comfortable being held accountable to certain performance metrics and have track records of exceeding them. So, make sure to quantify your accomplishments on your resume wherever you can.

6. Ability to work well on teams

Finally, despite so many people working individually and at home, the ability to be a productive team member is still arguably the most important aspect that hiring managers are looking for on resumes. In organizations large and small, the ability to contribute, interact, and work well as a team member is crucial. So, make sure to include on your resume all the times you've worked successfully as part of teams, highlighting examples when your contributions made teams better.

Kane Carpenter is the Director of Marketing for Employment BOOST. In this role, Kane is responsible for driving market awareness across the entire JMJ Phillip Holdings portfolio of companies. Kane also manages Employment BOOST’s Career Services function for and leads hiring and recruitment efforts. Kane is currently pursuing an MBA degree from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, holds a bachelor’s degree from Boston University, and is Google Advertising Certified.