Early in your career a resume that proves you have experience may be enough to get you the job. Once you’ve reached the executive level, it’s not.

Once you’re at the executive level, or are targeting those roles, you need to demonstrate value.

The value you bring to a potential employer.

At this level, recruiters and employers won’t be impressed that you managed a team, even a large team. That’s expected.

Recruiters and hiring managers want to see the positive impact you’ve had on your current and previous employers. The impact you’ve had on your team, on your department, or across the company.

Read more

You may think that a recruiter or hiring manager will read your resume from top to bottom as soon as they receive it. They won’t.

You may also think that every, single, thing you’ve done over the last 20 years is important. It’s not.

Most readers will quickly scan your resume looking for information relevant to the job they are trying to fill.  A first read generally lasts only a few minutes. If your resume is 3-5 pages, they may not review the entire document.

In most cases, only if a recruiter or hiring manager likes what they’ve found on the initial scan will they read the entire resume.

While there are mixed opinions on how long a resume should be – no one’s resume needs to be seven or eight pages. Yes, when I was working as a recruiter I saw them. I still see them today.

Read more

As a businessperson, I go to a lot of networking events. Some, like SHRM, provide professional development. Often, I’m speaking at job seeker groups. Wherever the event, I always meet people who are looking for a new job.

Their most common complaint is not getting interviews.

Before becoming a resume writer, I worked as a recruiter. That means I reviewed countless resumes and spent hours on LinkedIn looking for candidates. That experience gives me some insight into why recruiters call some candidates but not others. Here are 3 reasons.

Read more

If you’re planning to look for a new job in the next 6 months, it’s time to start working on your resume. Now. Whether you’ve decided to write it yourself or plan to hire a professional writer, it ALWAYS takes longer than you think it will.

Getting recruiters to notice you isn’t easy.

As a recruiter, most of the resumes I received were much like reverse-engineered job descriptions.  A few years later, the resumes I review as a resume writer are much the same. Even the resumes of C-level executives.

Under each job title, there are long, bulleted lists of job duties and responsibilities. Boring. To get an employer’s attention include a brief overview of each position followed by 3 to 5 bullets that demonstrate value.  These are things that stand out, things that had a direct impact on your team, department, maybe even the company.

Make sure to quantify your results whenever possible. You may think that saying you made millions of dollars for a company is impressive. But, it’s not. Employers want to see numbers. For example, the campaign you developed built your newsletter list by XX.

Read more

You may have heard of Marshall Goldsmith’s bestselling book What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful.

The truth is, it’s the same with resumes. The resume that generated interviews early in your career, won’t get you noticed once you reach the executive level.

The resume that listed your duties and responsibilities won’t impress recruiters and employers who are filling executive roles. Here is a 6 Point Checklist for developing an interview-generating, executive resume.

Read more

If you want to get an employer’s attention, don’t send them an employment history. Send them a results-driven, easy-to-scan executive resume.

While many people think they are one and the same.

They’re not.

The reaction they get from employers isn’t the same either.

Here are a few reasons why.

Old-School Executive Resume (Employment History)

Read more

Generally, there are two things that mark a not so great resume. Poor content and lack of style. While an eye-catching resume can help you stand out from the crowd, without compelling content it’s unlikely that anyone will be inspired to contact you.

The hallmark of most poorly written resumes are the phrases “responsible for” and “duties included.”

People mistakenly believe that saying that they are responsible for managing a team or running a department or overseeing a large sales territory will impress the reader.

Not so.

Being responsible for something doesn’t show impact.

For example, if you’re a VP of Sales you may be responsible for opening new markets. But, what does that actually mean?

Read more

There are a several elements that make one resume more effective than another. First, a resume needs to grab the reader’s attention. It needs to present what the candidate has to offer right up front. It also needs to sell the candidate to the recruiter and hiring manager.

A 2012 study done by TheLadders found that you need to get a recruiters attention fast. The results of their eye-scanning study showed that recruiters made a yes or no decision in less than 6 seconds.

Read more

In many respects your executive resume is your calling card. While having supplements like an Infographic resume and online portfolio, an executive resume is often what gets you in the door. To help make that happen make sure that it’s searchable and doesn’t raise any red flags.

There are a lot of candidates competing for each role. Getting the attention of a recruiter or hiring manager isn’t easy. When you do you don’t want to blow your chances.

While on a content is king, there are many other things to consider as well.

4 Essential Executive Resume Components

Skills Summary

Today keywords are essential. Having a keyword-rich executive resume will help your resume pass the ATS evaluation. It will help you engage a recruiter as he or she quickly scans your resume as well.

Read more

There are dozens of articles on how to write a winning resume. I’ve written many myself. But, what every professional resume writer knows is it’s also essential to understand what NOT to include.

HR professionals, for example, don’t want to see photos because they’re concerned about possible discrimination charges down the road. Unless you’re a recent grad, there’s no reason to include your college and/university graduation dates. Doing so will advertise your age. Here are five other things not to include on your resume.

Typos

It should go without saying, but typos can be the kiss of death. One misspelling may not take you out of the running, but several probably will. Read your resume several times. Read it backwards to catch any words that don’t fit, like Microsoft Office Sweet.

Fluff

Fluffy statements and generic wording won’t get you far. No need to say you’re highly educated. One of the first things a recruiter will look at is your education. Same goes with clichés like “excellent communication skills” and “team-player.” Instead, give examples that demonstrate your communication skills, like “successfully negotiated faster payment terms . . .”

Read more