Example Resumes

Posts Tagged ‘executive job search’

You’ve probably developed a long list of accomplishments and skills by the time you’ve reached the executive level. However, it’s not uncommon for your massive list to not translate well on the resume, leaving it too short.

At the executive level, a resume needs to provide a solid, full description of an entire career’s worth of accomplishments. If your executive resume is too short, here’s a look at a few ways to stretch it out while still maintaining your focus.

 

Tell Your Story

One way that you can stretch out your mini executive resume is to tell a story. While many resumes are typically thought of as dry documents (and cover letters are meant for storytelling), there are ways to sneak a story into yours. Resumes of the executive level have different rules, and a quick story with a point is certainly acceptable.

There are a number of ways to tell your story, including defining who you are and what you want to accomplish in your executive profile, which replaces the objective/summary of qualifications. Use brief, simple stories that show your career accomplishments in a different light, but make sure that each story is less than five sentences or so for the best possible effect.

 

Include Every Detail

One habit that most workers get into early in their careers that seems to be hard to get out of is thoroughly keeping track of accomplishments every step of the way. Most times we’re too busy working to even notice what we’ve done. Then, before we know it, the moment is long gone, and we can’t remember much of anything about it.

The only problem with this “non-strategy” of recordkeeping is that when it comes time to include these events in a resume, all of the details are all but lost. So we end up including basic descriptions instead of describing each event as it truly occurred. The more information you have about a certain event, though, the easier it is to stretch out the information in a resume without adding too much fluff. Take some time to pause occasionally and write down the important aspects of accomplishments–the sooner, the better.

 

Try to Avoid Half Pages

That nagging half page can be a major annoyance when working on your resume. It seems that just when you’re putting the last few bits of information in the document, an entire section shifts to a new page, leaving you with a partial page to deal with. This means you either have to subtract information, or add new details.

In a concise executive resume, this isn’t easy to do. You can, however, use your word processor to eliminate those half pages by slightly changing the margins and adjusting the size of the font, subtracting or adding a half number to the font size. Also you can change the font style as long as it’s still professional. Just remember as you make these adjustments to maintain the same font consistency you had in your original version.

Every little thing counts when you’re creating your resume, and length is no exception. Focusing a bit on the length of an executive resume is a wise decision, and it may be one of the best small changes to your resume that you can make.

Most of the time, when you write a resume, you spend most of your time listing out accomplishments. Accomplishments are certainly a very important part of a resume, and they’re often the first focus of potential employers, so it’s important to spend some time figuring out how to represent them.

However, at the executive level, there is more to consider than your accomplishments. Companies will want to see integrity, a vision for the future and good self control on your executive resume. You can add these types of elements to your resume in very effective ways. Here’s a look at a few ideas to incorporate.

 

Sell the Idea that You’re a Visionary

When writing your executive-level resume, you want to make sure to show employers that you’re able to create and follow through on a vision that matches the goals of the company. You want to show that you’re an “idea person” that challenges ways of conducting business.

 

Companies love the thought of shifting their business in new and innovative directions. You’ll have a big leg up on the competition by focusing your resume around ways that you’ve adapted your previous companies and changed them in ways that made them more innovative and current, especially if you can emphasize how you were able to motivate employees and adress challenges in unique ways.

 

Let Employers Know You Trust Yourself and Have Self Control

At the executive level, you are relied upon to make some pretty heavy decisions, many of which offer no blueprint for guidance. You’ve had to make gut-level decisions, likely on many occasions. Employers will take notice if you can show that you’ve got the necessary instinct to be a successful executive, and they’ll be especially interested if you show a great sense of self control.

 

One way to get this done is by listing one or more instances where you were faced with a major challenge and overcame it. Whether you had to locate additional resources (money, workers) where there seemed to be none, or had to corral other execs to sit down and do some grunt work to accomplish a goal, if you succeeded in the end, you should definitely make mention of it in your resume. It’s still considered an accomplishment, you’re just explaining what you had to go through for that accomplishment.

 

Showcase Personal Integrity

When employers are looking for new prospects at the executive level, they want to make sure that the choice candidate is a person of personal integrity. Companies want an ethical businessperson that can be trusted, and who will be accountable for everything that happens under their leadership. They don’t want to worry about whether you will make side deals to stuff your own pockets, or work out business deals that benefit you more than the company. You can show superior business ethics in your resume by mentioning awards you’ve won, and by having a few high-level recommendations that showcase your integrity.

 

Executive resumes can be a bit tricky to write at times because you have to showcase so much more than with a standard entry-level or mid-career resume. Executives have more experience and more stories to tell, though, so keep your focus on goals and your personality along with accomplishments and you’ll have a well balanced, successful executive resume.