3 Executive Resume Writing Mistakes You’re Making Right Now

3 Executive Resume Writing Mistakes You’re Making Right Now

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Trying to catch a break in the competitive job market for executives? 

Your resume MUST be on par with the branded, value-driven documents used by other leaders.

As an executive expecting to make your mark, you’ll need to avoid the typical (yet major-league) resume writing errors that can put you at a disadvantage.

Sharpen your approach and position yourself as a contender by checking your executive resume against these too-common resume writing mistakes:

 

1 – Focusing on length (instead of content!) in your resume.

executive resume outdatedThe 1980’s just called, and they’d like their one-page resume back.

Seriously, if you’re still of the mindset that your resume must be limited to a single page (or that it’s too long), it’s time to update your approach.

At one point, resumes were meant to be viewed in hardcopy form, and you were told to pack your professional life into a single page. 

Now, your resume has been transformed into a marketing piece encapsulating your personal brand message and showcasing your career high points. As a result, many executive resumes exceed the classic 2-page “rule,” while still receiving a warm welcome from recruiters.

No matter the length, what’s truly important is how quickly your resume grabs attention, and how well it conveys your unique selling points.

Pushing your executive resume into 2-3 pages will also allow you to use eye-catching elements, such as infographics or charts to illustrate leadership achievement (as shown in this CEO resume example).

 

2 – Using 5-dollar words when simple explanations will do.

There’s no need to waste precious space with adverbs and overdone descriptions. Employers are interested in the bottom line and your contribution to it – plain and simple.

Yet, there are too many executive resumes spouting “provided exemplary performance” or “demonstrated outstanding leadership skills,” among other fluffy phrases.

If your resume is loaded with superlatives (or worse yet, someone wrote it for you using puffed-up descriptors), then cut them out for better space utilization and clarity.

“Effectively delivered highly complicated project services” can be trimmed to “Delivered complex IT projects,” with no loss of meaning.

Scan your executive resume for excessive use of “fluff words” that add no value, such as these examples:

  • Effectively – There’s no reason to note an achievement otherwise.
  • Successfully – See “effectively.” Unsuccessful efforts have no place on your resume.
  • Highly Accomplished – Every executive leader merits this description. Use hard facts and metrics instead.

 

3 – Failing to see the forest for the trees.

executive resumeDon’t make employers read a book while trying to locate your value proposition.

 

Prime resume real estate – the top half of your first page – is critical. Your executive resume must make the business case for hiring you, without making the reader navigate through the entire document.

Try these techniques for cutting to the chase:

  • Move notable credentials (Lean Six Sigma, MBA, etc.) to the front of your resume
  • Give your success stories top billing by showcasing them on the first page 
  • Show quantifiable proof of your leadership in revenue, growth, or cost savings
  • Provide concise “sound bites” in the form of taglines or short statements

In both these examples of a CEO resume and Chief Medical Officer resume, you can see how the first few words convey powerful and relevant skills, using a condensed, snapshot-level view of career success.

Recruiters want to see – in an instant – why you’re qualified and ready for that corner office. So, narrow your message to selected stories that exemplify your leadership brand, and place them where they’ll be noticed.

If you see yourself (and your resume) in these common dilemmas, get to work! The more specific, potent, and relevant content that lands in your executive resume, the easier it will be to convince employers of your value.

Ready for the Executive Suite? 4 Ways to Adjust Your Resume for a Promotion

Ready for the Executive Suite? 4 Ways to Adjust Your Resume for a Promotion

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Are you a senior-level professional ready for the executive suite?

You might believe that your dedication and proficiency will automatically shine through on your resume.

However, if you aspire to the corner office, moving from searching to successful requires COMPETITIVE strategies to pique an employer’s interest.

Use these 4 tips to present a confident image on your resume, and look the part for a next-level promotion:

 

Look at your career contributions with dollar signs.

dollars on resumeEmployers are always interested in the bottom line. Can you add to it, or control the expenses affecting it?

Then, by all means, get those dollar signs and growth percentages onto your resume!

Ask yourself hard questions about the results of your work, and then put figures to as much of it as possible.

For example, when working with a sales director in the mortgage industry, after discussing his leadership of an underperforming location, we were able to turn dry task descriptions into “Turned around branch to achieve #1 status nationwide from initial ranking of 32 out of 40.”

As you can see, results such as these speak for themselves—and cut through any doubt about your abilities.

 

Rethink your format and presentation.

Healthcare Executive Resume Sample by Award-Winning Resume WriterIf you want to portray a standout image, look beyond the strategies used by countless other job seekers. Millions of people have used a do-it-yourself style or mundane resume template!

Given that this is arguably the most important document of your career, take a hard look at your presentation, and consider implementing some components found in professionally designed resumes.

You can find examples of executive resumes on many sites that show streamlined design, leadership presentation, and effective formatting that preserves both content and space.

 

Showcase your personal brand and leadership qualities.

Everyone has unique strengths and capabilities to offer their next employer. What are yours? Have you thought about the impact you have on the overall business?

Make a list of what you achieve that consistently affects revenue, the corporate reputation, or efficiency, and then describe the steps you’ve taken to attain these results. These wins can be gathered into an achievements area on the first page of your resume.

This example of an executive resume accomplishments section shows company-level impact, performance details, and contract awards – all related to the firm’s market results against other competitors:

executive resume example achievements by Laura Smith-Proulx

Be sure to place this type of data-driven information front-and-center on your leadership resume.

You’ll find distinguishing metrics help frame your readiness for an executive role much more effectively than mundane duties and job descriptions.

 

Put yourself “in” the target role in your resume.

Act “as if” you’re already holding the desired role in order to show how you’ll perform at that level.

Research job postings for your dream job and look at LinkedIn Profiles of executives who already hold this position. Take note of the skills and achievements expected at this level.

Then, pull out career wins from your experience that demonstrate these competencies and describe how you’ve performed in the target job. Perhaps you’ve filled in for the COO on occasion or taken the lead on projects usually reserved for the VP of IT.

Highlight the right skills shown in the job postings and adjust your resume Summary of Qualifications to emphasize these capabilities.

 

Fast-tracking your career to the executive suite requires connecting your performance and personal brand to bottom-line results.

Show your readiness for the next level by writing an executive-style resume that reflects your leadership and personal brand.

Related:

https://www.anexpertresume.com/5-ways-to-update-your-resume-during-covid-19/executive-resume-writing/

https://www.anexpertresume.com/how-to-write-your-linkedin-profile-when-youre-unemployed/executive-resumes/

https://www.anexpertresume.com/what-your-resume-should-look-like-in-2020/executive-resume-writing/

5 Ways to Quit Underselling Yourself on Your Resume & LinkedIn Profile

5 Ways to Quit Underselling Yourself on Your Resume & LinkedIn Profile

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Getting passed over for jobs instead of landing interviews?  Your true strengths might NOT be conveyed on the resume you send out or the LinkedIn Profile you’ve created.

Many people write a resume and LinkedIn Profile as if they must follow outdated “rules” – underselling their achievements and using generalities.

If you’re among them, here are 5 ways to reverse this situation and get noticed:

 

Emphasize your top 3-5 qualifications.

executive resume linkedin updateWhat do you REALLY want an employer to know about you? Instinctively write down your 3 to 5 strongest qualifications for the job.

For example, this could be a recent degree, your leadership capabilities, or your ability to bring in new business.

Now, write TO them! Emphasize these points at every turn, with accomplishments showing why you’ve achieved these wins and how your work relates to employer needs.

If your top career successes and credentials include new hospital safety standards and nursing team leadership, you could show “Oversaw 45-member nursing team and influenced 54% increase in patient safety through new training programs.”

Perhaps you’re known for leading sales teams, increasing operational effectiveness, or sourcing strong talent. Highlight these aspects of your background with Operational Efficiency, Talent Strategy, or Sales Management as keywords on LinkedIn and throughout your resume.

Not sure what strengths to highlight? Find an online job posting and copy each requirement that matches your expertise – then rewrite them to describe how YOU’VE performed each one, along with the results of your efforts.

 

Stop taking up space with mundane details.

Your resume and LinkedIn Profile have limited, valuable space you should use to convey your strongest qualifications. Take out redundancies and details most people already know about your profession.

For example, it is generally assumed that accountants are familiar with the general ledger, and that network administrators back up servers – but do they know you’ve helped cut costs 31% or that your new IT team eliminated 99% of outages?

Resist the urge to upload your job description into LinkedIn or your resume; instead, use the keywords, take out the tasks, and ELABORATE on your successes.

Conserve “resume real estate” by giving employers hard facts about the impact you have had on your work environment, customers, and bottom line, enabling them to see how you’ve outdone peer leaders in other companies.

 

List the most important aspects of your credentials FIRST.

PLEASE don’t put old degrees and experience at the top of your resume! Employers want to know what you’ve done lately, especially when it’s tied directly to their needs.

If you have leadership experience and you’re pursuing an executive position, highlight it. If you’re constantly asked about a specific qualification, put it front and center in your LinkedIn About section or your resume profile summary. If you just earned a cutting-edge certification, mention it right away.

In other words, don’t hide your achievements! Push top wins to the TOP of your LinkedIn profile or resume as much as possible.

Don’t use “rules” unless they apply to you.

executive resume writing rulesDon’t assume your resume must fit in a single page – especially if it means you’ll be cramming too much detail into it.

See How Long Should Your Executive Resume Be?

Since no one is really sure of the origination of the one-page “rule,” it is best to just forget about it and concentrate on readability instead. This is much easier when you use at least a 10 or 11-point font and plenty of white space.

Essentially, there are no rules. Just refrain from using an objective statement (very outdated), references (should be kept separate), or the use of Times New Roman (try Calibri instead) on your resume.

 

Quantify everything where possible.

One of the biggest rules in the resume and social media industry is “show, don’t tell.” A very effective way to demonstrate the full impact of your work is to pull as many metrics into your resume as possible.

To get yourself into the mode of including numbers, look at each sentence and try to think like a 4-year-old and ask the basic questions. So you brought in new business: how much? If you reduced costs: by what percentage?

“Created 23% new revenue with first digital product offering” is much more interesting than “Built digital product including all customer requirements, leading to additional growth.” Get to the point and show your ability to drive results.

Ask yourself the kind of questions that employers might want to know in an interview, and you’ll soon find that your resume contains some exciting facts and quantifiable numbers that will catch the reader’s eye.

 

It’s up to YOU to make an outstanding first impression!

You may need to take a hard look at how you are presenting yourself — especially if your resume and LinkedIn Profile aren’t producing the results you expect.

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