Remote-Friendly CVs: What Are They and How Do You Prepare One?
In recent times, remote work has significantly impacted the way businesses operate and how employees engage with their jobs. Remote working is now a reality that many professionals in Africa and beyond are embracing. For individuals searching for remote work opportunities, (whether in international or local organisations), having a strong curriculum vitae (CV) tailored for remote work is crucial. This is where the concept of a "remote-friendly CV" comes into play.
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The Need for a Strong Remote Work CV
Africa’s growing digital economy is a key driver of the increased demand for remote work. With more organisations looking for talent outside their immediate geographic locations, individuals in Africa are now well-positioned to take advantage of global remote job opportunities.
However, with candidates from all parts of the world often aspiring for the same remote positions, competition can be really fierce. A strong, well-crafted CV can help you stand out in a competitive remote work market.
What is a Remote-Friendly CV?
Remote work comes with certain requirements that might not be as essential in traditional office settings. Therefore, it’s important to ensure your remote work CV highlights these requirements.
A remote-friendly CV is a CV designed to demonstrate that an individual has the necessary knowledge, skills, experience, and mindset to thrive in a remote working environment. Unlike a traditional CV that may focus primarily on in-office requirements, a remote-friendly CV emphasises those attributes or competencies required to do remote work effectively.
How to Prepare a Remote-Friendly CV
While there is no rigid or single way to prepare a remote-friendly CV, there are certain things it must not lack. Examples of these necessities are provided below.
Use Appropriate Language
Even if you have the best remote-friendly CV credentials, without the ability to present them with correct English (or any other language) in your CV, then your efforts will be suboptimal.
A remote-friendly CV should be characterised by language mastery. Poor sentence construction and other grammar errors in such important documents convey an impression of unprofessionalism and not being attentive to detail.
Show Your Remote Work Skills
A CV is an avenue for potential employers to get vital information about your personality and work history. Therefore, it should, as much as possible, capture all your strengths, including your remote work skills.
Remote work is hugely dependent on technological innovation. So tech savviness is one of the numerous remote work skills that must be included in a remote work CV. Apart from being technologically adept, there are lots of other skills you need to attach to your remote work CV as well.
For more on this, check out this Remote4Africa post – 15 Remote Work Skills to Include in Your CV for Remote Jobs in 2025.
Consider Optimizing for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)
Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are now being increasingly used by employers to filter application documents such as CVs and resumes. Endeavour to optimise your CV for specific keywords related to the remote work you are applying for. One place to look out for these keywords is the job description.
For instance, if the job description specifically requires experience with “remote communication tools,” try and include the term in your CV. Remember to place keywords naturally and avoid keyword stuffing.
Edit and Proofread Your CV
To enhance the friendliness of your CV for remote work, you need to edit and proofread it thoroughly to weed out both grammar and typing errors. Apart from corrections, editing and proofreading will also help you optimise things like sentence construction, paragraphing and keywording.
Hire a CV Pro
Preparing a winning remote-friendly CV (or any other CV) can be a challenge for many. First, you need to come up with content to include in the CV. After this, you begin to think of the format you’ll use to organise the content. To make the CV appear modern and catchy, you may also want to include colours and other design elements.
A CV professional can help design, analyse, evaluate and improve your CV to make it stand out from other competing CVs. For instance, they can help correct typing errors and wrong sentences. Do not be discouraged by the cost of hiring a CV professional. Their input to your CV can help you get a job that will leave you financially well off in the long run.
Conclusion
The job market in Africa is evolving, with remote work offering incredible opportunities for professionals across the continent and beyond. To increase your chances of landing that your dream remote job, you must craft a remote-friendly CV that emphasises your knowledge, skills, and other competencies needed to succeed in a virtual workspace.
The experts at CVHack can offer you various services and tools that will make your CV even more remote-friendly and competitive.