By Linda Bebb
If you want to work at home, you may never meet your boss. You may never have an actual face-to-face interview. A good resume is of crucial importance to ANY job search but it becomes even more important when you’re seeking a work at home career.
But no reason to worry. Now is your time to shine. You have a tool to let the world know just how valuable you really are: it’s called your resume. Instead of thinking of your resume as a summary of your past work experience, think of it as a marketing tool used to sell something of great value, YOU.
Preparation is the most important step in the resume writing process. Your resume will need to provide a summary of your strengths, skills, accomplishments, and education. Now is not the time to be shy but be honest. Integrity is of the utmost importance. Begin by making an informal list of what
you view as your strengths, accomplishments and memberships as well as awards you may have received.
Once you have completed your list review the job postings that you are interested in. Identify the most important skills necessary for the position and begin to match them with your list of strengths. Look for key words in the posting that you can incorporate into your resume. In addition to the skills listed in the posting you can anticipate what the hidden needs of the employer may be and address them in your resume. For example, working at home offers quite a bit of flexibility therefore it will probably be important to your prospective employer to know that you are highly disciplined, self-motivated, and organized.
Your resume should also include special work at home keywords like “virtual”, “remotely”, “work independently”, “achieved successfully from home office”, etc., and should show off your home-based assets, like office equipment, quiet workspace, organization, etc.
Now that your preparation is complete it is time to select a format for your resume.
There are essentially three basic resume formats: chronological, functional, and a blend of the two formats. A chronological resume is formatted by date in reverse order (your most recent employer listed first). The functional resume is a resume that emphasizes your skills and focuses on your accomplishments. A combination resume is a format that uses a little bit of each format providing some chronological work history but also emphasizing your skills and abilities.
If you have been a stay at home mom, with little work experience outside the home, you should avoid a chronological resume and focus on a functional resume. Chronological resumes are typically the format that most people are familiar with however; the format really works best for people who want to show progress and promotion in a given field. Remember we did say this was a marketing tool not a historical document.
After you have decided on your format you should consider writing an objective statement for your resume. An objective is not required on your resume but it does show the employer that you know what you want and that you have a clear understanding of the field and position. The objective statement should always be tailored to match the posting you are applying for and it must be clear and concise. For example if you are applying for a position as a virtual assistant your objective statement may read: “Accomplished virtual assistant seeking the opportunity to utilize my excellent administrative, technical, and creative skills for the marketing department of a non-profit organization”. If you decide to include an objective statement, it should be the first item of your resume listed under your contact information. Remember this is also your first opportunity to capture the attention of the employer.
Working at home has its perks; more time for your family and additional income. Since you already know what you stand to gain you should shift your focus to determine what the employer will gain. When you are writing your resume you need to adopt the thinking of what is in it for the prospective employer. Your resume should be a selling piece highlighting exactly what the employer will get if they hire you over the competition.
Unfortunately after all your preparation and hard work, it is unlikely that the employer will read your resume in its entirety. The resume is used specifically to gain an interview with the employer. Typically the employer will have a stack of resumes that he/she will spend mere seconds skimming. It is important that your resume grab the attention of the reviewer. This is why you will want to use key words from the ad, an objective statement that relates to the posting, and action related measurable statements. We have addressed the format, and objective statement but what is meant by action related statements? Action related statements provide a mental picture for the reviewer. For example instead of, “I was responsible for accounts receivable”, create an action statement known as a TAR (task, action, result). This is often very helpful in the actual interview as well. First outline the task, the action you took, and the result of that action. An example would be, “Responsible for accounts receivable (task) managing 2500 accounts (action) which resulted in collections of over $300,000.00 in my first year from my home office”. Now doesn’t that sound more impressive? You are providing the reviewer with a much clearer picture of what you can offer.
Strong words throughout your resume are also critical in grabbing the attention of the reviewer. Strong action verbs should be used whenever possible such as: accomplished, achieved, bolstered, capitalized, championed, exceeded, facilitated, launched, managed, navigated, operated, salvaged, uncovered, visualized, yielding, etc. There are literally hundreds of words to choose from. A quick Google search of power verbs for resumes should net some great results.
Now that you have a clear understanding of what to include in your resume let’s discuss what not to include in the resume. Never include your interests on your resume unless your hobby is directly related to the position you are applying for. Also, do not include your high school graduation information, personal information (age, race, children, children’s ages, spouse employment information) and do not include your previous salary information. Employment experience should generally not go back more than ten to fifteen years. If you have great references you would like to share you will need to save them for later in the interview process.
You are now prepared to write your resume and embark on a rewarding career as a work at home mom. Prepare your resume writing experience by knowing your target audience, reviewing your ad for key words and hidden needs, selecting a format, and writing a clear/concise objective statement. Load your resume with powerful examples of your accomplishments using action words and your resume is sure to yield very favorable results.
Oh, and don’t forget to spell check.
Linda Bebb is a freelance writer, training consultant, and home schooling mother of three.
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