8 In-Demand Skills for Remote Jobs That Get You Hired

All those precious skill sets you've worked so hard for? You're forgetting them.

No, seriously...

According to the World Economic Forum, employers estimate that 44% of workers' skills will be disrupted in the next five years. Nearly half of what you know is sitting on a sinking ship.

But fear-mongering headlines about skills gaps and redundancy hide a truth that top talent doesn't miss. A five-year skills half-life isn't a threat. It's a MASSIVE opportunity to secure your spot in the top 1% of remote workers.

While average workers panic or sit on their hands, the elite are strapping on jetpacks that'll rocket them through the world of remote work.

Insider Insights: A Peek Behind the Recruitment Curtain

To get the real scoop on what employers are looking for, we went straight to the source.

Heather Lother, VP of Talent & People Operations at Crossover, gave us the inside track on how future-facing recruiters spot top remote talent.

Why are we listening to Heather?

She runs Crossover's hiring process. We're talking layered aptitude tests, skills-based hiring, and AI processes, all laser-focused on spotting the crème de la crème of remote workers.

Heather's got a front-row seat to the future of work, and she knows exactly what it takes to stand out and land a top remote job.

So, what are the in-demand skills for remote jobs that'll catapult your career forward and put you on the fast track to being hired?

Let's take a look behind the recruitment curtain.

Skill 1: Turbo Charged Self-Management

There's no space for hand-holding when working remotely. 

No shoulder-tapping, and definitely no spoon-feeding.

Companies are desperately looking for employees who can autonomously spot problems, conjure up solutions, and drive results.

High-performing remote teams are built with people who don't need a manager breathing down their neck to produce great work. It's all about intrinsic motivation and a rock-solid work ethic.

Your internal drive is your most valuable asset. It's the difference between needing to be pushed and being the one doing the pushing.

How to level up:

• Find your "why", and connect it to your daily tasks. It's next to impossible to build intrinsic motivation if you don't know your "why". Bring your own fuel to the fire.
• Train your brain to constantly scan for inefficiencies or untapped opportunities. That nagging feeling that something could be better? That's your radar pinging. Don't ignore it. Let it excite you.
• Create a dashboard of your personal key performance indicators and update it religiously. Track your impact. Become results-obsessed.

Skill 2: Adaptability in the Face of Uncertainty

Let's add some context.

Zoom 1.0 is 11 years old this year. Google Docs' suggested edits feature? 10-years old. And ChatGPT? Not even 2-years old.

All work-disrupting technologies. All still pre-teen.

The truth is, we have absolutely no idea what the finer points of work will look like in five years. Heck, even five months might be a stretch.

Adaptability isn't just about navigating the usual business complexities anymore. It's about being able to function in a world of remote work shifting faster than a chameleon in a bag of Skittles.

Companies don't want people who crumble at the first sign of change. They need champions who are comfortable saying, "I don't know, but I'll figure it out."

How to level up:

• Develop a systematic approach to handling major changes. This could include steps like mapping the environment, rapid skill assessment, or network activation. Have a plan in place before you need it.
• Lean on your specialization, but develop a unique combination of skills that make you adaptable. Get curious, and build a bank of knowledge and experience to draw from.
• Learn to quickly create minimally viable versions to test ideas. It's less about the solution and more about how you approach change. Get comfortable moving fast and tackling developments head-on.

Skill 3: Feedback Giving (and Receiving) Mastery

Remote companies are feedback-obsessed (and for good reason). 

In a digital workspace, clear, constructive feedback is a primary driver for improvement.

Without it? Things break down fast.

Companies need employees who can take feedback without ego and give it without fear. It's not about being a yes-person or that constant corporate critic humming away in the background. 

There's an art to feedback that high-level remote workers need to learn.

How to level up:

• Practice "perspective rotation". When considering feedback, assign different stakeholder perspectives (e.g., client, new team member, CEO). Broaden your understanding of the full picture.
• Develop an appetite for growth and don't have an ego that gets in the way. To you? It's not criticism. It's that piece you didn't know you were missing.
• Learn to critique the process, not the person. The person doesn't "suck", the process could do with improvement. Feedback pros know the difference.

Skill 4: Crystal Clear Written Communication

In true remote work, your words are often your primary ambassadors. And they need to work harder than ever.

When working from home, we don't have the luxury (or the low efficiency) of immediate clarification. That "quick sync" to explain your email? It's an insatiable monster relentlessly eating away at your precious deep work.

Remote rock stars know that every message needs to stand on its own two feet. It's about crafting communication skills so clear, so concise, and so well-contextualized that they rarely, if ever, need a follow-up.

How to level up:

• Develop your "clarity quotient". For every message you send, ask yourself: "Could this be misinterpreted in any way?" If yes, refine it. Work towards a 1:0 ratio of messages to follow-ups.
• Document your best practices for different types of communication (e.g., project management updates, problem reports, idea pitches). Refine this over time and develop your own ultra-effective communication style with intentionality.
• Master the micro-update. Your ability to convey critical information in 50 words or less. Practice turning long emails into concise bullet points that lose no essential context.

Skill 5: Unwavering Expertise

Sure, knowing a little about a lot makes you a hit at dinner parties. 

But when the rubber hits the road in a remote role, you need to be the go-to expert in your domain. Staying an expert is where things get hard. Why? Because knowledge has an expiration date.

Stanford computer scientist Kian Katanforoosh had this to say at CXO Talk earlier this year:

"10 years ago, the half-life of skill was above ten years... Most recently, the World Economic Forum has shared that the half-life of skill is around four years. In digital fields like AI, it's probably even closer to two years."

So, how the heck do you stay ahead of the curve when the curve's curving a bit too hard?

How to level up:

• Map out emerging trends in your field and adjacent skills that could supercharge your value. Treat it like a living document and review it quarterly. It's hard to navigate within an environment you're not paying attention to.
• Master the art of breaking down complex topics into manageable chunks. Be the person who can dissect and master new tools and techniques while others are still on the user manual.
• Start reverse engineering job descriptions. Analyze new job postings from top companies in your field and look for patterns. Then, proactively build domain-specific skills before they become mainstream.

Skill 6: Unscratchable Curiosity

We all know that one colleague who can translate web developer-speak to marketing lingo. 

Or explain UX design to the engineering team without causing a collective aneurysm.

Still too watered down?

Imagine being the person who has a eureka moment about landing page optimization while chatting with the dev team about data hierarchy.

What's the common thread? Curiosity and openness.

These value adds only happen when you're uncompromisingly curious and fully open to new approaches and ideas. It's all about smashing silos to dust and building castles from the rubble.

How to level up:

• Cultivate a diverse circle. Surround yourself with people who are equally obsessed with the WHOLE process. Challenge each other to learn and implement new skills regularly.
• Set aside time each month to experiment with new tools or methodologies that could shake up your industry. Document and share your findings on social media platforms. Consider it your own, personal disruption lab.
• Approach new challenges with curiosity, not fear. Your new mantra? "I might not know this yet, but I've learned tough things before, and I can do it again."

Skill 7: Data Driven Storytelling

In remote work you can't rely on office politics or personal charisma to win arguments. Data is the great equalizer.

It doesn't care about your fancy title or how many virtual happy hours you attend. It's the impartial judge that settles debates, drives decisions, and proves your worth when you're miles away from the decision-makers.

According to Data Literacy Project, only 11% of employees are fully confident in their ability to read, analyze, work with, and communicate data. Imagine the competitive edge that comes with being part of that 11%!

How to level up:

• Develop your "so what?" muscle. For every piece of data you present, be ready to answer: "So what does this mean for our goals?" Connect the dots between what the data shows (and doesn’t) and its impact.
• Work on your data visualization skills. Learn to create clear, compelling charts and graphs that tell a story.
• Become a data storyteller. Learn to weave numbers into narratives that compel action. If your data doesn't drive decisions, it's just noise.

Skill 8: AI-Enabled Performance

AI might just be the biggest workplace shakeup since COVID forced even the most change-resistant companies to go remote. It's proving to be less of a tool and more of THE tool.

That being said, there's a healthy dose of workers getting too caught up on AI taking their jobs. Is there a risk? Sure. But that's why top talents are busy making themselves irreplaceable.

How? By becoming a human-AI hybrid.

A Harvard Business School study found that generative AI can boost a highly skilled worker's performance by 40%. Imagine claiming a 40% skill bump in the tech equivalent of a blink.

Forward-thinking companies are on the hunt for workers who can leverage AI to amplify their uniquely human skills. It's about using AI to handle the routine so you can focus on the revolutionary.

How to level up:

• Map the jagged frontier of AI. Learn to identify tasks where AI excels and where human touch is irreplaceable. Become an expert at seamlessly blending the two.
• Experiment relentlessly. Explore emerging AI tools, identify tasks they could streamline, and uncover out-of-the-box uses. Dig below the surface to figure out how AI can take your problem-solving skills to the next level.
• Don't rely on off-the-shelf AI tools. Learn to leverage models for your specific needs. This could mean creating custom GPTs or developing AI-powered spreadsheets that supercharge your analysis capabilities.

Hone Your Skills and Start Dominating Remote Hiring

These 8 in-demand skills for remote jobs will make recruiters sit up and take notice - of you. 

From becoming a human-AI hybrid to mastering the art of written async communication, these are the in-demand skills that'll set you apart in remote work.

But knowing isn't enough. It's time to take action. 

Which of these skills do you need to work on? How can you showcase the ones you already have?

Don't let outdated skills hold you back from your dream remote job.

Are you ready to catapult your remote career forward? From entry-level positions to senior roles, these skills will open up a world of job opportunities. Go get 'em!