FlexJobs, a premium online job service for professionals seeking flexible and remote work across the globe, released a new report on Jan. 4, detailing the “Top 10 Fast-Growing Careers for Remote Jobs in 2021.” With companies taking their entire business model to the cloud, we can expect to see a brand new demand for roles, traditionally carried out in-house, going 100% remote.
Some of these positions are no surprise, especially for those who have already been working from home since before the pandemic. However, there are a number of new roles that are taking the Jobs Industry by force, changing the way we do business and the way we staff our organizations.
“While a number of factors contribute to remote job growth, including the influence of the pandemic, all of these fields are naturally highly compatible with remote work,” reports Sara Sutton, founder, and CEO of FlexJobs. “Because of the unprecedented focus on remote work,” she continues, “we've seen a big increase in people looking for jobs that let them work from home, as well as more companies than ever allowing remote work and hiring for remote positions across a variety of fields,”
From highest to lowest, the following industries have seen more than a 25% growth in remote job placement, when comparing hiring trends and availability of both March 2020 and December of the same year:
Marketing
Administration
Recruitment & Human Resources
Finance & Accounting
Graphic Design
Customer Services
Professional Writing Services
Real Estate & Mortgages
eCommerce & Internet Services
Project Management
A major impact on traditional hiring cycles, operations, and even salary
With global disruptions across industry, the pandemic has forced many traditional organizations to go digital and to install a remote workforce capable of carrying out business as usual. Not only has this left businesses wide open to an increase of incoming applications, but it has also widened the horizon for companies searching for the most qualified candidate on the market.
Companies are seeing significantly shorter “times-to-fill” for each open position within their rosters. They are now able to seek out those who best fit with each open position and feel less pressure to do so with a larger pool of candidates, unbound to a specific geographic location.
Such practices have allowed businesses to build stronger, more productive teams with heightened success and flexibility. Staffing has become a priority to many businesses, as those businesses begin to expand.
For many, an obvious blessing in disguise has been that many organizations, which have long alluded modernization, will now be upgrading internal technical infrastructures and reducing regular overhead costs, associated with operation. These same businesses could soon pay employees a higher salary while allowing them to work from home.
How remote work is impacting real estate and life in “the big city”
More than half of today’s workforce is now considered “newly hired” and working remotely. They are socially distancing while reporting from wherever they find it to be most convenient. While there was a learning curve early in this pandemic, businesses are reporting employees to be more engaged than ever and a greater asset to their teams than ever before.
In many cases, homeless numbers for workers forced to live in RVs due to high costs associated with city living, have dramatically been reduced due to companies actively employing and managing their teams from home. It has also led to a mass pilgrimage away from these big cities and leaving a notable impact on real estate sales and population growth in small towns around the country.
Younger Americans are staying at home, rather than rushing out to make a living. And, many are returning home to spend more time with loved ones during this period of uncertainty.
Tips for applying to a remote job with a greater chance of success
Advisors from the FlexJobs Career and Coaching Team suggest that job seekers fine-tune their resumes for each position that they apply for. In fact, doing so will improve their chances of getting through applicant tracking systems and frame them in a light specific to the roles that they are going for. It is also recommended to craft the perfect resume and cover letter by highlighting scalable and actionable points that show both cause and effect, achievement-over-duty, and the impact you have created by carrying out everyday tasks
You should highlight any previous experience you have working remotely. This could include work such as freelancing and self-employment, project work, or volunteering. Emphasize your ability to collaborate and communicate with teams at a distance.
FlexJobs acknowledges that “If you've worked at a distance from your coworkers, across time zones or physical distances, that counts. If you've worked from home occasionally or regularly, that counts. If you earned a degree or certification online, that counts. If you volunteered on a project where you did most of the work from your home office, that counts.”
Make sure to be specific and include the results of said contributions. This isn’t the time to be modest, talk about the performance, impact, improvements, and effectiveness of your activities. This includes addressing your influence on teams and operations.
Three simple ways to highlight your remote work experience and talents on your resume:
1) Clearly list “Remote Work” next to your job title on the document itself.
For example, Director of Marketing (100% Remote Work).
Or, Director of Marketing | Remote
2) Include your experience, when describing your past jobs.
For example, "Led a team of five customer service reps in a completely remote work environment; successfully earned an average team satisfaction rating of 94%."
3) List relatable skills within your “Qualifications” and “Areas of Expertise.”
For example, make sure you talk about the types of skills it takes to be a successful remote worker, such as: time and task management, communication, self-management, the ability to work independently (although this one is a bit overused), and comfort with technology. These are some of the top skills employers like to see when hiring for remote jobs.
Remember to keep these actionable and to always allow your document to flow. You may want to consider adding it in one or more places within your resume, even though it is considered redundant. If you can show how you made an impact, even while -- or especially because of -- working remotely, you will definitely want to list this within the actual body of your resume itself.
Continue to avoid using phrases that sound too cliche, but note that they may also make all the difference in the world given the time and place. In general, you are going to want to pay close attention to your format and make sure you’re emphasizing both leadership and impact at any stage of the game.
Focus on what you have done and how you have made a difference. Don’t overlook the small tasks and contributions that have led others to their own achievements. This allows us to use keywords from our day-to-day to trigger applicant tracking systems (ATS) and have our resumes seen right away.
Follow Jessica N. Abraham for the latest news and advice on Business, Technology and Career Development.
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