A Specialized Resume for Work from Home Job Opportunities

By Callie Maldoon and Patricia Erickson for Work-from-Home.org

Work from home jobs are in hot demand with lots of competition. If that’s the type of job you’re looking for, make sure you separate yourself from the competition! A well written resume is critical in making a great first impression and separating yourself from the pack. If you want to win the resume has got to be great, and if you want to work from home, your resume should possess certain specialized characteristics such as those below.

You’re probably going to be in head-to-head competition with a large pool of high tech, sophisticated and talented applicants. Luckily, you're one of those individuals too. Simply put, you're going to win by creating a clean, crisp, professional, and concise document. It must present well. Start with a high quality plain paper and use white, off-white or an ivory color in a cotton, fiber or super smooth stock. Colored and textured papers don't work well when scanning or copying. If the original resume stays in HR and the copy goes to the hiring manager, it's best to ensure a clean looking copy.

There are four basic resume formats to choose from: chronological, functional, combination or targeted design. The one you use will depend upon personal preferences and special situations. You'll need to do a bit of research to see which format works best for you.

Choose a professional looking font too. If you like a serif font, (the little lines at the ends of characters), great selections are Times New Roman, Courier New, or Garamond. For a sans-serif font you might want to consider Arial, Lucida Sans or Trebuchet. Try to keep font size between 10 and 12 in Times New Roman, though larger fonts for your name and other headings. Limit fonts to one or two per resume since it starts to look busy with more.

The pressure is on! Since you've got about 30 seconds to connect with the hiring manager, you really need to do your homework before drafting the perfect resume. Find out all that you can about the job. For example, what qualifications are necessary? What about responsibilities? Does the ad mention attributes? What are your strengths in these areas? Keep those strengths in mind because they will be key in composing a great document.

Sell, sell, sell. Here's the opportunity to promote yourself, your talents, accomplishments, and assets with each line you write. Select powerful verbs and adverbs to describe your skills, abilities and experience. Send a clear message about the scope of the position, and provide an in-depth description of your major accomplishments at each job. Keep in mind that measurable or quantifiable accomplishments are much more tangible and have greater impact.

Did you increase sales? If so, by how much?
Have you developed and implemented any new programs? New processes that
streamlined operational workflow?
How about creation of innovative new products? New software applications or other industry innovations?
What about team leadership? Were you able to drive a team toward organizational goals? Demonstrate and sell the results!

That said, steer clear of exaggeration, over-sensationalizing and falsehoods. It's the worst kind of risk to take. Before you fill your resume with fluff, be sure to ask yourself if the career consequences are worth it. Even if you’re not caught you will know, deep down, that you weren’t honest, and you’ll have to live with it.

Work from home Assets to Show Off.

When you work from home there are different assets you’re expected to have. If you have them be sure to highlight them! These assets can include have specific office equipment, workspace, and experience working independently. Sometimes even having your own insurance policy can be an asset.

Special Considerations for resumes for Work from home Jobs

There are several unwritten attributes that are also important to consider, especially when writing a work from home resume. Critical components in working at home are self-sufficiency, reliability, self-motivation, and the ability to make decisions on your own. If you pay close attention to detail, are great at time management, or meeting deadlines and exceeding organizational expectations, be sure to mention those characteristics in your resume too. Worked at home for other companies? Be sure to mention that experience and the positive impact your work had on those companies!!

Special words to use in resumes for a work from home job.

Not all people are cut out to work from home and most employers know that. To alleviate their fear that you’re one of those people, first and foremost highlight any experience you’ve had working at home or remotely. Even if you’ve had an office job in which you still worked relatively isolated and/or unsupervised, point that out. In addition, use words like: independently, remote, virtual, initiative, productive, professional, effective. To describe your work environment, use words like: well-equipped, modern, productive, quiet, well-organized, professional, and list every asset of your home office, including your desk, equipment.

Show that the proof is in the pudding.

When you work from home, you, not your boss, provide most of the hardware and work tools. To show you’re a professional, show that you have those tools! Show off your software. Show off your hardware. Show off any specialized equipment used in your field. Having a headset, for example, will show that you’re SERIOUS about being productive on the phone and helps the employer visualize your work space as being similar to his/her office workspace. Demonstrating to your employer that you have INVESTED in hardware, workspace, software or other tools shows that you’re SERIOUS about wanting to work from home. Believe me, that’s a big turn on to recruiters for work from home positions.

With "work from home jobs", again, it is very helpful to fully understand the job ahead of time so you can accentuate the assets that you have for that particular work from home situation, in advance.

In interviews, be prepared to discuss how your individual home office situation is professional, efficient and above all, productive.

Your goal is a rewarding career, a great job and working at home! With your skills, abilities and accomplishments packaged in a resume designed to sell, you'll make a great impression and connection with the hiring manager! Your resume will stand out regardless of how much competition you have. Go out and get the work from home job of your dreams!

Callie Maldoon is a freelance writer who contributes to Work-from-Home.org. Patricia Erickson is a Certified Professional Resume Writer for A Vita Group, a company that designs professional resumes. Their website is www.avitagroupllc.com.

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					*A Specialized Resume for Work from Home Job Opportunities* By Callie Maldoon and Patricia Erickson for Work-from-Home.org Work from home jobs are in hot demand with lots of competition. If that’s the type of job you’re looking for, make sure you separate yourself from the competition! A well written resume is critical in making a great first impression and separating yourself from the pack. If you want to win the resume has got to be great, and if you want to work from home, your resume should possess certain specialized characteristics such as those below. You’re probably going to be in head-to-head competition with a large pool of high tech, sophisticated and talented applicants. Luckily, you're one of those individuals too. Simply put, you're going to win by creating a clean, crisp, professional, and concise document. It must present well. Start with a high quality plain paper and use white, off-white or an ivory color in a cotton, fiber or super smooth stock. Colored and textured papers don't work well when scanning or copying. If the original resume stays in HR and the copy goes to the hiring manager, it's best to ensure a clean looking copy. There are four basic resume formats to choose from: chronological, functional, combination or targeted design. The one you use will depend upon personal preferences and special situations. You'll need to do a bit of research to see which format works best for you. Choose a professional looking font too. If you like a serif font, (the little lines at the ends of characters), great selections are Times New Roman, Courier New, or Garamond. For a sans-serif font you might want to consider Arial, Lucida Sans or Trebuchet. Try to keep font size between 10 and 12 in Times New Roman, though larger fonts for your name and other headings. Limit fonts to one or two per resume since it starts to look busy with more. The pressure is on! Since you've got about 30 seconds to connect with the hiring manager, you really need to do your homework before drafting the perfect resume. Find out all that you can about the job. For example, what qualifications are necessary? What about responsibilities? Does the ad mention attributes? What are your strengths in these areas? Keep those strengths in mind because they will be key in composing a great document. Sell, sell, sell. Here's the opportunity to promote yourself, your talents, accomplishments, and assets with each line you write. Select powerful verbs and adverbs to describe your skills, abilities and experience. Send a clear message about the scope of the position, and provide an in-depth description of your major accomplishments at each job. Keep in mind that measurable or quantifiable accomplishments are much more tangible and have greater impact. Did you increase sales? If so, by how much? Have you developed and implemented any new programs? New processes that streamlined operational workflow? How about creation of innovative new products? New software applications or other industry innovations? What about team leadership? Were you able to drive a team toward organizational goals? Demonstrate and sell the results! That said, steer clear of exaggeration, over-sensationalizing and falsehoods. It's the worst kind of risk to take. Before you fill your resume with fluff, be sure to ask yourself if the career consequences are worth it. Even if you’re not caught you will know, deep down, that you weren’t honest, and you’ll have to live with it. Work from home Assets to Show Off. When you work from home there are different assets you’re expected to have. If you have them be sure to highlight them! These assets can include have specific office equipment, workspace, and experience working independently. Sometimes even having your own insurance policy can be an asset. Special Considerations for resumes for Work from home Jobs There are several unwritten attributes that are also important to consider, especially when writing a work from home resume. Critical components in working at home are self-sufficiency, reliability, self-motivation, and the ability to make decisions on your own. If you pay close attention to detail, are great at time management, or meeting deadlines and exceeding organizational expectations, be sure to mention those characteristics in your resume too. Worked at home for other companies? Be sure to mention that experience and the positive impact your work had on those companies!! Special words to use in resumes for a work from home job. Not all people are cut out to work from home and most employers know that. To alleviate their fear that you’re one of those people, first and foremost highlight any experience you’ve had working at home or remotely. Even if you’ve had an office job in which you still worked relatively isolated and/or unsupervised, point that out. In addition, use words like: independently, remote, virtual, initiative, productive, professional, effective. To describe your work environment, use words like: well-equipped, modern, productive, quiet, well-organized, professional, and list every asset of your home office, including your desk, equipment. Show that the proof is in the pudding. When you work from home, you, not your boss, provide most of the hardware and work tools. To show you’re a professional, show that you have those tools! Show off your software. Show off your hardware. Show off any specialized equipment used in your field. Having a headset, for example, will show that you’re SERIOUS about being productive on the phone and helps the employer visualize your work space as being similar to his/her office workspace. Demonstrating to your employer that you have INVESTED in hardware, workspace, software or other tools shows that you’re SERIOUS about wanting to work from home. Believe me, that’s a big turn on to recruiters for work from home positions. With "work from home jobs", again, it is very helpful to fully understand the job ahead of time so you can accentuate the assets that you have for that particular work from home situation, in advance. In interviews, be prepared to discuss how your individual home office situation is professional, efficient and above all, productive. Your goal is a rewarding career, a great job and working at home! With your skills, abilities and accomplishments packaged in a resume designed to sell, you'll make a great impression and connection with the hiring manager! Your resume will stand out regardless of how much competition you have. Go out and get the work from home job of your dreams! Callie Maldoon is a freelance writer who contributes to Work-from-Home.org. Patricia Erickson is a Certified Professional Resume Writer for A Vita Group, a company that designs professional resumes. Their website is www.avitagroupllc.com.

		You can work from home, too! Even if you're on fire and they offer you water, don't take one of these work from home jobs!! Thanks, Tom Cruise, for my work from home job! How to earn $40 an hour in a work from home tutoring job, even if you don't have any experience. Work from home jobs for people that love to talk. Stay at home mom with no experience makes $100K her first year, and you can, too. Start your own typing business.