A recent Statistics’ Time Use report by the US Bureau of Labor showed a whopping ~35% of all employed persons in the US spent the average work day WFH — up from the previous year (2022) after a slight peak of ~38% (2021). Statistics show ~16% more employees work from home than twenty years ago. A  LinkedIn survey found only 39% of US workers are interested in an in-person job, and The Economist’s study showed workers preferred a minimum of two days of WFH.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, employees and employers scrambled to create home office setups with new protocols to support the employee work-life balance. The upside for employers was reduced time in commuting and expenses). Over the two years encompassing the pandemic’ stay at home’ recommendations, employees became comfortable from their personal offices, desks, or couches.

Employees acclimated and enjoyed the WFH schedule and conveniences (flex time to run errands and pick up kids from school). Other research studies indicated WFH workers were more productive. Businesses are now trying to move workers back to the ‘office space’ and reduce WFH hours, including flex schedules (WFH 2-3 days telecommute and 2-3 days onsite weekly). 

How does the job seeker showcase their ability to work from home and be productive enough to convince the future employer their skills are desirable and a WFH employee can fulfill the work required? Resume wording is the key. It is vital to convince a future employer that the job seeker has the responsibility, equipment, and self-control to accomplish tasks without supervision or consistent monitoring. The job responsibilities (description) must also be of the nature that physical presence is not a mandatory obligation. The resume should use ‘contactless’ associated keywords, including ‘cold calls,’ ‘warm leads,’ ‘follow-up,’ ‘telecommunications,’ ‘virtual meetings,’ and ‘online research.’

A virtual administration assistant should note expertise in software, including group call familiarity and management (Zoom, Google MeetUp). Information Technology technicians should indicate involvement in virtual tasking, including help desk (Tier 1, 2, and 3), metrics indicating how fast PC issues are resolved, and expertise in virtual access to client computers. Professional writers should produce content by timely deadlines. Social media (SM) managers should showcase metrics of how clients’ SM accounts have gained followers, responses, and page likes within days or weeks. Regional retail store managers may travel to physical sites to inspect, audit, and meet with store managers. Still, there is a possibility that two or three days of virtual work may be spent researching, gathering, and auditing site data to report to HQs. 

Even federal government workers see opportunities for WFH in positions where they access online systems to respond to inquiries between agencies and customers. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) secondary responders can field phone calls after natural disasters to provide assistance information to victims. Federal Contract oversight officers can manage their team and clients working from home – even in differing time zones. Workers can showcase metrics in resumes, e.g., how many contracts they worked on, the value of the contracts, and how long the contract ran (annual renewal, 2, 3, or 5-year contract). 

Transcribers for the deaf can also showcase metrics, indicating how many phone calls they transcribed daily (or per X-hour shift). Healthcare customer service or roadside assistance representatives can showcase metrics on how many clients they resolved issues for per day, week, or month to document how fast job tasks were completed. Even car salespeople can develop business and target customers online to make ‘contactless sales’ by identifying sales points for vehicles, making the sale, and scheduling the dealership to deliver the car to the customer’s home.

It’s not easy for employers to create telecommute jobs for some jobs that have to be hands-on, e.g., the medical profession, the construction industry, and food or hospitality fields). If a worker is required to sit at a desk, answer a phone, or conduct work on a computer, that job can likely be converted into a virtual position. This effort will entice more applicants and qualified workers, resulting in workforce stability and company reliability.

The job seeker’s ultimate goal in applying for telecommute career positions is to showcase and document the quality outcome of work efforts, including quantitative ‘proof in the pudding’ for how much can be accomplished as a WFH worker. Use wording and metrics indicating how much one has achieved for past employers to show performance standards as a WFH worker.

Dawn D. Boyer, Ph.D., manages and operates a consulting firm in Norfolk, Richmond, Colonial Beach (Dahlgren), and Gloucester, VA. Her background is 25+ years in the Human Resources field, of which 12+ years are within the Federal & Defense Contracting industry. She is the author of 1,006+ books and textbooks on business, human resources research, career search practice, women’s studies, genealogy lineages, and adult coloring books. Her books are listed on Amazon.com under her author’s page for Dawn D. Boyer, Ph.D.