In an age where laptops, high-speed internet connection, and each day as a new startup gets ideated, it’s honestly not surprising if recruiters come across candidates who’re willing to dump traditionalism and pick up the new modern.

In this new social world where marketing is all about social media, personal and employer branding, content, hyperlinking and so on, the nine-to-five grind is bound to get a bit overlooked with remote work.

With more and more organizations and startups planning to go remote post-pandemic and those who were already remote from the very beginning should understand what it means to hire candidates who are looking for work-from-home based jobs.

A candidate’s CV can never be a universal piece of document.

Every job a candidate applies to needs to be edited well and made perfectly fit for the role.

Professionals and experts around the globe are trying to break through the labor and are looking for ways to start decorating their home office but the reality can seem far off if a recruiter doesn’t like their CV.

This might also be the opposite when a recruiter ends up hiring someone who would in reality function better in an in-office setting. Thus, to make your job easy, here are 6 things to look for in a CV when hiring for remote work.

Look out for These 6 Things in a CV for Remote Jobs

A recruiter must be well adept when he/she is hiring for any work-from-home-based jobs. Here’s everything you need to know about skills that should stand out in such resumes.

1. A Clear Indication to Flexibility

For better or worse, when employees work remotely, they need to be immensely flexible. There can be unusual call hours, impromptu meetings, and even unexpected urgent tasks which would require immediate action.

One of the primary work which recruiters will need to do in this case would be to look for flexibility and find out how resilient and adaptable they were in their previous jobs.

2. The Candidate Has Read the Job Description Well

Recruiters would vouch for the fact that a lot of applicants actually submit CVs without even reading the job descriptions properly.

This is a complete no-no. If you find out that in spite of asking for 5 years of work experience, a candidate with 2 years experience has applied for the job, you need to be put off then and there.

You will require to save your energy and look for candidates who, in fact, have read the job description thoroughly.

3. Has Excellent Communication Skills

When a candidate is expected to work remotely, most of the face-to-face communication becomes negligible.

A lot of communication occurs via emails, phone, or social media channels such as Slack, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, and so on. In that case, it’s almost imperative for a recruiter to look for candidates who are excellent communicators.

Make sure the candidate can respond to emails in a timely manner and values others’ time too.

4. Should Not Be Technologically Challenged

Since most of the tasks in remote jobs happen online, if you hire a candidate who is not tech-savvy then you’re committing a big blunder.

They will need to be aware of several workflow management software, understand the usage of Kanban boards and other range of systems that are generally used in a remote work environment.

Bonus Tip: If you’re a recruiter and you want to understand more about how remote recruitment agencies work, download our E-Book for free!

5. Has Followed a Suitable Resume Format

To stand
out in front of recruiters, candidates can go to various lengths. However, it’s important as a recruiter that you realize they have followed a proper resume format.

If the CV is written in a haphazard manner without following any of the basic guidelines and there are no relevant keywords, there’s a high chance your Applicant Tracking System might completely cast him/her out of the pool.

You must look out for either of the following resume formats:

a. Reverse chronological order

b. Functional resume format, or

c. Hybrid resume format

In short, while hiring for remote organizations, recruiters must shortlist CVs that are professional, succinct, and aligned with the role.

6. Look for a Cover Letter

This is not a stringent hard-and-fast rule. Nevertheless, if your candidate has submitted a cover letter with his/her CV, then it’s basically a good omen.

Sometimes when a candidate wants to convey more to a recruiter, it’s not possible to mention everything in a single page or a maximum of two pages. In such scenarios, a cover letter is included with a resume that showcases a candidate’s attributes and experiences in detail.

Keep in mind that if a candidate has previous experience of working in a remote organization then it’s a win-win situation.

Now that you have a fair idea on how to go about and screen candidates for remote work, let us know in the comments below if you’ve already downloaded our E-Book on “How to start a Remote Recruitment Agency?“