As wine ages, it becomes more sophisticated and desirable. However, when it comes to your executive resume, old and outdated does not mean mature and refined — it translates to antiquated and not in the know.
Despite how ‘seasoned’ you are, the truth is, leading-edge and industry-dominant companies seek fresh-perspective thinkers at the helm of their corporations and face-to-face with their top customers. Yes, perhaps you are exactly that type of hybrid executive who offers unmatched experience and a youthful vision—does your executive resume reflect this unique duality?
UNCORK YOUR EXECUTIVE RESUME FOR TODAY’S GLOBAL, MILLENNIAL, AND DIGITAL JOB SEARCH MARKET
As years passed by you’ve packed on the skills and accolades, but you have neglected to take care of your own personal marketing needs. Now your executive resume looks more like it belongs in circa 1999? No worries. The following 5 resume writing strategies will help you revive your resume while you still reap the rewards of your senior-level tenure.
1.Out with the sea of bullets. Presentation really does matter. Just like a quality business suit commands a certain level of attention, so does a modern-looking resume. Let’s makeover your executive resume by condensing and consolidating bullets, adding white space, and focusing only on high-impact results. Remove the clutter!
2. Stop playing it safe and create a resume that pops. Resume branding works so don’t be afraid to be different. Look, I understand — what if they don’t like that you have steered away from the traditional resume format?
You have more to lose by going along with the job search crowd than you do if you turn off a few gatekeepers.
Packaging yourself as a brand will not only ‘wash that gray right out of your hair’ [yes, I am a bit old] — it will better position you in the job search market as a highly sought-after leader!
A brand is a tangible signature that promotes your unique value offer. Branding your executive resume doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice elegance for gimmicks. What branding means is that your resume is marked with a clearly defined distinction that is visually magnetic and content compelling.
The visually magnetic: Incorporate a hint of color + add your LinkedIn profile at the top + insert charts to help illustrate financial transformations and help you stand out.
3. Walk away from job descriptions because job descriptions are dead [sniffs]. Allow me to bring you up to speed. Back in the olden days, it was expected that your executive resume describes your job role. Nowadays, the job description has been replaced by the job legacy (i.e., impact you’ve made as a game changer).
The content compelling: What impact did your leadership have on the company’s growth? Organizational culture? Brand equity? Customer satisfaction? How is your experience in this position different than that of other leaders with the same job title? Focus on what you did with the governance that was entrusted to you.
4. Play the game strategically. A chronological resume is what every job seeker used to craft. Shifts in our economy, mergers & acquisitions, globalization, advances in next-gen technology and transformations to virtual, Cloud-based environments has mandated that many executives make numerous untraditional moves. There is no way that you will succinctly communicate an unorthodox career track within the confinements of a chronological resume. You need something more flexible and strategic, allowing you to re-position your experience based on relevance, impact, and influence.
5. Expand your presence to online social portals and promote your social footprint on your executive resume. That pesky social media that everyone thought was just a temporary craze is still alive and dominating our communications. Migrate your personal brand online and then incorporate it into your offline marketing efforts.
A toast to your self-branding efforts and future endeavors!
Rosa Elizabeth Vargas
Executive Resume Writer
Writer@careersteering.com