Finding a new position can be difficult for everyone, including top-level executives. Companies may have lots of reasons for being hesitant to bring experienced leaders on board. They may worry that you won’t fit in with their corporate culture or that you’re set in your ways. In order to land a chance to demonstrate the ways in which you can benefit potential employers, you’ll need to present yourself as a quality candidate with a wealth of skills and knowledge. Your resume is the place to do just that. A few tweaks and updates will help to create a resume that gets you noticed. Consider these four ways to make your executive resume stand out during your next competitive job search.
1. Make It Custom
The most important aspect of creating a resume that sells what you have to offer is customization. It’s crucial that the resume you send to each prospective employer is relevant to the advertised position. No longer do job seekers have the luxury of blindly sending out one resume for countless job openings. In today’s career landscape, it’s common for workers to work for several employers over their lifetimes. Not only do workers move up in their career,but they frequently begin new career paths entirely. Your resume needs to present your assets in a way that demonstrates your qualifications for the job at hand.
2. Highlight Your Skills
Once you’ve determined which of your skills and accomplishments are most relevant to the job for which you’re applying, the next step is to present them to hiring personnel in a way that is succinct and convenient. The executive summary will accomplish this quite nicely. This resume components lists your key assets, either in a bulleted list or in paragraph form, at the top of your resume. Just a few strategic statements can really showcase what you have to offer an organization.
3. Give Specifics
When writing your summary statement and your job duties, it’s imperative that you provide specific examples when possible. Hiring agents want to know what you’ve achieved and in what ways you positively contributed to past employers. This shows that you are a candidate who can deliver and who gets results. So don’t simply offer vague statements listing generic job duties. Offer specifics such as how many employees you supervised, what awards you earned, the percentage of profit your division gained or the number of successful accounts you juggled. Your resume is not the place to be humble. A bit of bragging is encouraged here. In fact, your objective is to show them what you can do.
4. Show That You’ll Fit In
An often overlooked piece of job satisfaction is a consideration of company culture and how employees fit within it. Employers like to hire people who fit in well with their organization. They try to choose applicants who have similar values and philosophies. In order to find out if you would be a good fit for a certain job, you’ll need to do a bit of research. Check out the business website to see what they list as their corporate values or mission statement. Look for examples within the pages such as company-wide volunteer efforts or employee recognition awards. This kind of information can provide insight into what is important to the leadership of the organization.
You can also do some detective work on LinkedIn or even the corporation’s Facebook page in order to see what they find share worthy about their business. Then try to find ways to include examples of similar things on your resume. If the company seems to value education, listing membership to professional groups is a good way to show you are a go-getter who is always learning about your field.
You can include any volunteer work you’ve done when applying to companies that emphasize the importance of giving back to the community. Making an effort to demonstrate you fit in will increase your appeal to potential employers. In addition, you’ll feel confident you are applying for a position with a company you can respect.
These are four good ways to make your executive resume stand out. When it comes to landing an interview, a resume that demonstrates your worth and positive attributes will always take you farther than a generic one-resume-fits-all format.
Can you think of any other resume tips? Comment below and share your tips, I’d love to get your thoughts as well!