From my years of experience as an award-winning executive resume writer, I have discovered that there are certain steps to take when transitioning from running your own business to coming back under the corporate umbrella.
The scenarios where entrepreneurs seek the path back into a C-Suite role happens for many reasons, here are some executive resume tips to help you get on board more quickly:
Brand Yourself with Distinction
Your personal brand is about more than just what you do for work. Branding yourself with distinction is an opportunity for you to convey your distinct and authentic personality, which will help land opportunities that otherwise may have passed by unnoticed in favor of others who seem like a better fit.
Your point of distinction is what breathes life into your resume and in today’s market, as dynamics continue to change at warp speed, it has never been more critical to your success —especially if you want a sustainable competitive advantage over others.
It begins with one simple question, “Who are you?” Where do your passions and strengths intersect?
Reveal Your Business Transaction Bandwidth
Hiring managers/recruiters are interested in leadership style, vision, philosophy, unique value offer, and record of success escorting teams + organizations through periods of change. When writing your resume, it is important your document accentuates your transformative leadership capabilities —how you’ve brought stability, created a diverse, equitable, inclusive environment, outdistanced competitors, and managed through restructurings, mergers, acquisitions, turnarounds.
Share ROI highlights that showcase your ability to bolster shareholder value, and be sure to provide context surrounding each success story.
Identify Transferable Skills
Launching a new business is not for the faint of heart and, on your journey, you’ve had to wear multiple hats. To back into a corporate role faster, you need to package your transferable skills, experience, and accomplishments into success stories that will resonate with your target audience.
Modern C-suite resumes shift the focus from responsibilities held to value delivered —that is what happened after you took the helm—by promoting coveted skills and experiences that benefit the employer
Your resume needs to make your value crystal clear and showcase how you are the best candidate for the (CEO, CFO, CIO, CTO) role.
Position Yourself as the Solution
Today’s global organizations are relying heavily on next-generation leadership + entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial abilities and are seeking individuals who have proven their ability to apply problem-solving, creativity, communication skills, and critical thinking to deal with ambiguity and serve as an agent of change, growth, and innovation.
A well-crafted branded resume goes beyond simply listing keywords and qualifications, it is a marketing pitch that offers a snapshot of your value and positions you as the standout candidate in your category by marketing a differentiating ROI for your future employer.
The challenge with an entrepreneurial to corporate resume is prove your worth by clearly communicating your value to the corporate world. Especially if you’ve worked for your own company for a lengthy period.
A great way to start is spending time in self-discovery
– What skills + qualifications + experiences do you offer that will help solve the issues that are keeping your future employer up at night?
– What trends do you see coming down the pike in your industry that you know you can help your next company navigate?
After you’ve identified your value, look for proof of your experience and skills in action by pinpointing ways the company benefited from your entrepreneurial leadership.
Use the answers to craft a resume that strategically positions you as the solution to your needs. If you’re having difficulty, a successful writing strategy is breaking up the document into functional areas (strategy, marketing, finance, human resources, technology and equipment, and operations) or by transferable skills (leadership, communication, problem-solving, analytical reasoning…) to help show progression, scale, and impact and highlighting your value in action via listing company milestones/achievements by year.
If you’re stuck, a professional executive resume writer can help you get on track.
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