Your executive resume must be a strategic marketing document not a career obituary or a string of job descriptions. After all, the only way you can attract attention is to be unique and differentiate yourself from the competition. Imagine for a second, that you were reviewing tons of resumes that all looked and sounded the same. How would you determine the best candidate?
To present yourself as the best candidate and the right solution for companies, your executive resume should tell the reader who you are, what value you bring, and where/how you have been successful. Old, traditional resumes told employers about the past, today’s executive resume must indicate how you can make a difference in the future.
1. General, Non-Specific Resumes Get You Generic, Lackluster Results
Know the saying, “Rubbish in, rubbish out?” Well, the same is true for executive resumes – don’t be fooled into thinking that a broad, non-targeted resume provide you with greater opportunities for a wide variety of jobs. On the contrary, the opposite is true, if you send an employer a resume that says you excel in sales, HR, technology, teaching, and training – the only place your resume will go is in the trash pile.
If you have several job targets, create separate resumes, so that each resume has its own unique story aligned with the requirements, qualifications, achievements, and personality traits for each target.
2. Four-to-Five-Page Career Obituaries Are Not Welcome
Sure, potential employers want to know what you have done over the years, but do you want to include the position you held 30 years ago (before Internet was invented) to sell you for a job today? Even if you have an experienced job seeker with 20+ years of experience, you can still create an effective executive resume that highlights your key qualifications without choking the reader with pages and pages of content. Focus on the past 15 years and address your early career in one of the following ways:
Choice A: EARLY COMPANY EXPERIENCE: Delivered significant contributions to company’s revenue growth and production output through Manager of Engineering & Maintenance and Project Engineer positions.
Choice B: EARLY CAREER: Held series of executive management and leadership roles including VP, Finance/Controller for several national restaurant chains.
3. Try The 5-5-2 Formula
Condense your overall tasks and responsibilities into a brief paragraph (no more than five lines) that gives the reader a snapshot of what you do. Bring it life with vibrant action verbs, industry keywords, quantifiable facts.
- Avoid the overused, passive phrases like “Responsible for the development of marketing plans for clients in the West Coast region."
- Include at least five achievements for each position flushed out on your resume
- Limit the resume length to two full pages
4. Chronological Resume Formats Are Always Preferred
Overwhelmingly, an executive resume in a chronological format helps the reader follow your career path and progression. While some circumstances make require a functional format, using a 100% chronological format is a turnoff and always suggests that you either have employment gaps or lack the required experience. Instead, use a combination format that blends the best features of both formats.
5. Personal Branding Is Your Differentiator
While your direct experience and qualifications help determine whether you are a strong candidate, when you are immersed in a job search with other executives who have a similar career background, you will need more to make you stand out. A strong personal brand and brand statement concisely captures your strengths, value, talents, and performance drivers; it works well on an executive resume to position you among peers and market you as the best choice.
Make sure that you communicate who you are, your areas of expertise or industry experience and your value proposition
For example:
Telecommunications & Technology Services
Driving operational initiatives that propel revenue growth, expand market share, and increase competitive advantage for startup, international companies
6. The “Me-Oriented” Career Objectives Are Played Out
It goes without saying that your objective is to find a job and yes, it is understood that you are most likely seeking positions that offer growth opportunities and fit into your long-term career goals. However, employers are not impressed by what you want instead they need to be sold on what you can do for them. Lead off your executive resume with brand-focused statements of value that show employers how they gain from bringing you on board. More importantly, demonstrate that you are a money maker not just a money taker.
Which candidate would you hire as your next Director of Manufacturing Operations?
Candidate A: Seeking a challenging leadership position in manufacturing and product operations.
Candidate B: Pioneering manufacturing executive with proven success in devising manufacturing and plant operating strategies that eliminate redundancies, increase production output, and deliver productivity, quality, and efficiency improvements.
7. Hard-Core Results and Performance Count
For each position you held in the past 15 years or so, include concise “career success stories” written in the Challenge - Action - Results format to help potential employers see how you maximize your core skills and qualifications to solve problems and deliver results. It is also critical that you provide quantifiable, monetized evidence of your performance to really make your success story come alive. Don’t be afraid to sell yourself.
Which of the following candidates sound impressive to you?
Candidate A: Saved the company thousands of dollars during first year on the job.
Candidate B: Achieved zero lost time and 100% staff productivity during12 consecutive months for first time in company’s operating history—saving company $500,000.