Writing a Professional Resume for a Work at Home Position
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If you're interested in working at home, there are many opportunities available today. The Internet makes it increasingly possible to work from your own computer, tucked cozily within your own home office. Here are some tips on creating a resume to apply for such a job.
First, draw up a sort of master resume that includes every bit of experience and qualification you have. This will serve as a sort of blueprint for you to build a more specific resume geared towards a particular job. You will not actually submit this master resume; this step of the process if more like brainstorming.
Now, when you look for a work at home position, you'll be ready to go with a customized resume for each position you want to apply for. You should keep your resume to one page. Sometimes more detail and secondary information can be included on a second page, but the potential employer should be able to glean everything he or she needs to know about you by just reading the first page.
Why is keeping everything to one page so important? The employer is very pressed for time and is likely flipping through many, perhaps dozens of resumes as he or she looks for main candidates for the position. By catching the potential employer's eye and keeping all of your relevant information easily readable on one page, you show that you are organized, dependable, and know what you're doing. This puts you on the short list when it comes time to getting interviewed for the position you want.
When you write the content of the resume, focus on information the potential employer is looking for in a work at home employee. Keep in mind that because you won't be supervised directly on a day-to-day basis, you must show that you are dependable and can be trusted to get the job done. You want your potential employer to know that you are a self-starter and are good at working on your own. You should describe any work experience you have where you were completely independent. Perhaps a supervisor or other superior checked in on you occasionally, but if you have had any job experience at all where you did not have direct supervision, it will be good to include in your resume.
Focus on what the job itself is going to entail. Are you going to be working with people directly on the phone, on instant messaging, via videoconference, etc.? Whatever skills the job itself is going to entail, make sure you clarify your qualifications and let them know that you have the necessary facilities that will allow you to execute the job.
Your resume should be professional in appearance. This will help it be more memorable. Therefore, keep your typeface clean and easy to read, use short sentences and bullet lists if applicable, and in general be as brief whenever you can with your wording, while providing as much detail as necessary.
Your resume is your introduction to your potential employer. You want to make it short, sweet and intriguing. You don't need to say everything on your resume. Instead, provide enough detail to make the work at home employer want to pick up the phone and schedule an interview with you. The interview is where the potential employer can find out everything else about you, but you want to get your foot in the door first, and that's the resume's job.
Knowing what skills and experiences you need to highlight in your resume is the most important step in creating your work at home resume. Working at home may entail sitting in your pajamas in the comfort of your own home, but you can’t let them deter from being professional about the application process. Take you resume seriously and it is more likely that your potential employer will take you seriously.
