Applying for a remote job is significantly harder than applying for a local one. Instead of competing against people in your city, you are competing against everyone in your timezone—and sometimes the world.

To win a remote role, your resume needs to prove two things: first, that you have the technical skills for the job; and second, that you can operate autonomously without a manager looking over your shoulder.

In this guide
  1. How to format your location
  2. How to highlight past remote experience
  3. The 3 remote skills you must include
  4. Listing remote collaboration tools

How to format your location

If you are applying for a remote job, do not put your full street address on your resume. It is a security risk and completely unnecessary.

Instead, list your city, state, and timezone. Timezones are critical for remote teams because they need to know how much working overlap you will have with the rest of the company.

Jane Doe
jane.doe@email.com | (555) 123-4567 | Austin, TX (CST)

How to highlight past remote experience

The number one thing a remote employer wants to see is that you have successfully worked remotely before. If you have, make it extremely obvious.

Next to the company name or location of your previous jobs, explicitly add the word "Remote".

Senior Product Manager
Acme Corporation | Remote | Jan 2022 – Present

If you worked in a hybrid environment, you can write "Hybrid" or explicitly mention in a bullet point that you managed remote teams.

The 3 remote skills you must include

Do not just write "Self-motivated" or "Good at remote work" in your skills section. Show, don't tell. Weave these three concepts into your experience bullet points:

1. Asynchronous Communication

Remote teams hate meetings. They rely on written documentation. Prove that you can communicate clearly without needing a Zoom call.

  • Instead of: "Communicated with team members."
  • Write: "Authored 15+ comprehensive technical design documents in Confluence, enabling asynchronous development across 3 timezones."

2. Autonomous Execution

Show that you don't need a manager to hand you tasks every morning.

  • Instead of: "Completed marketing projects."
  • Write: "Independently managed the Q3 product launch timeline, coordinating deliverables from 4 remote contractors to launch 2 days ahead of schedule."

3. Cross-Timezone Collaboration

If you have worked with people in other countries, mention it. It shows you understand the nuances of global remote work.

  • Instead of: "Worked with international teams."
  • Write: "Led a distributed engineering team of 8 across the US, UK, and India, establishing asynchronous sprint planning protocols."

Listing remote collaboration tools

Every remote company uses a specific stack of software to survive. If you already know how to use their tools, they don't have to train you. Look at the job description and make sure you list the relevant tools in your Skills section.

Common remote tools to include (if you know them):

  • Communication: Slack, Microsoft Teams, Discord
  • Project Management: Jira, Asana, Linear, Notion, Trello
  • Documentation: Confluence, Coda, Google Workspace
  • Design/Whiteboarding: Figma, Miro, FigJam

By explicitly highlighting your remote experience, asynchronous communication skills, and tool proficiency, you instantly separate yourself from candidates who have only ever worked in a traditional office.