Job seeker resumes are failing to effectively capture remote work skills critical to landing a job in 2021. They are missing an opportunity to quantify their use of key project management tools and communication software essential to remote work, LiveCareer analysis of job ads and resumes found.
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Remote work is more prevalent — and popular — than ever for white-collar workers. Eighty-one percent of workers say they enjoy working from home. Ten percent say they've picked up new career-related skills. But their proficiency in remote work skills aren't appearing on their resumes to a sufficient degree.
Gaps were found among the 7,000 resumes and 3,500 job ads analyzed across 70 jobs and 18 occupations. Areas of oversight include:
- Project management tools, such as Teamwork, Monday, Jira and Hive, which are being adopted by more companies in light of COVID.
- Communication software like Zoom, Skype, FaceTime, Slack and Google Hangouts.
- Simple opportunities to let potential employers know they are working or have worked remotely, by including terms like virtual, home office, telecommuting and work from home.
Applicants without remote work terms on their resumes could miss out on jobs they're fully capable of performing. Hiring managers and recruiters spend less than 10 seconds scanning a resume to determine if it's worth their time. Resumes that don't use the precise skill verbiage from the job description can be cast aside by applicant tracking systems (ATS).
Worse yet, every rejected application is a longer stay on the unemployment rolls for 17.8 million without work, some of whom are facing a gap in benefits.
"I've noticed a lot of my clients are not incorporating enough about working with remote teams," career coach Tiffany J. Franklin says. "They don't think about it because it's second nature, but that's another skill in and of itself."
Remote work terminology to add to your resume fall into two categories: common words and phrases, like virtual and work from home, and remote work-enabling tools, like project management and video conferencing software. Let's look at the words and programs in each category to see what's most frequently mentioned in job posts.
Common remote workplace tools like Zoom and Slack should not be taken for granted. If you see them in a job post, weave them into the work experience section of your resume (e.g., "held daily scrum with 10-person development team on Zoom …") or the skills section.
Additionally, job seekers should identify key remote work terminology, like virtual, independent, home office, telecommuting and work from home. Use the precise wording in the job description. If the description says "remotely," for example, use the exact word. An application that uses the word "remote" may be dismissed by the ATS.
While white-collar workers dominate remote skills today, tomorrow looks to bring blue-collar workers into the fold. The shift to remote work is here to stay — now it's up to you to capture these skills on your resume.
