Writing an Executive Resume
An executive resume is written for a very different audience than other professions. In order to land a perfect job, with the responsibilities and salary you want, you’re going to have to take on the role of an effective copywriter. Nobody is going to hire you if you can’t sell yourself in an meaningful way: Modern executives must be self-starters and able to innovate with new ideas, provide better budget practices, and make the company MONEY!
Show them what YOU can offer
Your executive resume should be written in a way that will get you an interview. Just think; if you were face to face with the hiring manager, you could convince them that you’re the best candidate for the position, right? Unfortunately it isn’t that easy, recruiters use resumes as an effective pre-screening tool, so they don’t waste needless time interviewing candidates that aren’t capable of surviving on their team. Some of the most important information to focus on are: positives you bring to the company, your previous experience, and your ability to increase productivity and revenue.)
Positives you bring to the company
It should be obvious that mentioning negative experience is an absolute no-no! The only time you should even hint at anything negative on your executive resume is if you had a hand at turning a bad situation around for a previous employer.
Let’s look at an example, using “Fred” from ABC bank:
Fred is an Executive Manager in the Investments Department and has just learned that profits for the last three months have taken a huge downturn (as a result of poor Federal interest rates.) He can easily turn the companies losses around by laying off some employees, thus satisfying upper-management. Being a smart, modern-thinking manager, Fred knows this could have a negative effect on future profitability if the employees he laid off don’t return when interest rates improve. Instead of taking the easy way out, Fred crunches the numbers and finds that weekly staff meetings at a 5-star restaurant could be temporarily cut to prevent laying off employees.
*Your ability to see situations from many angles, analyze different strategies, and take action – will go a long way to show hiring managers that you are worth getting to know better.
No company wants to hear about reduced profits, but if you show you can find a way to turn zero profit, into positive profitability (and save jobs in the process) then this is a “negative situation” that’s worth mentioning. Use your executive resume to focus on how you can “hit the ground running” and what a great team player you are.
Previous experience
It’s great that you graduated from MIT with honors, but the corporate world wants winners, with a proven track-record of producing results. Saying you can control a large budget, or generate massive profits is much different from backing up your claims of grandeur with real world examples. In the “Experience” section of your executive resume; make sure you mention specific instances where you were able to shine (E.g., Exceeded revenue quota by 1 million two years in a row, Cut budget by 20 percent first two months on the job, etc.)
Find out what experience your recruiter is looking for and make sure your finely-tuned executive resume gives it to them!
Increasing productivity and revenue
If you’ve been an executive for any length of time, you know that increased productivity leads to increased revenue… and that revenue (how much you can produce) is what gets you a job in the corporate world. Money is power and all companies need power to advance their market share and expand their offices.
Your revenue generating abilities should be outlined in your Objective statement and the Experience section of your resume. By nature most people use a rather cold, generic statement for their job objective on a resume, such as “To find gainful employment with your company.” Instead try to get creative with something like: “Increasing revenue in your Acquisition Department by 50% within 6 months.” – Tailor your own statement to suit the job you’re applying for.
Recap
Whomever reads your finely-crafted executive resume will be looking for a driven, results-oriented person that brings a ‘proven’ track record to their company. Make sure the resume you submit shows them what unique attributes you offer, including experience and most importantly: How much money you can make them in terms of improving productivity and market share.
Also make sure there are no spelling errors, or grammar mistakes within the document – you don’t want to be perceived as unprofessional. Another important point to consider is including keywords in your resume that can be picked up by computerized resume scanners: Most resumes are scanned electronically for specific words and phrases that tell them your the right fit. Usually these key phrases are outlined in the job requirements they provide in their job postings (call your recruiter or the company’s HR department if you’re in doubt or need more information.)
<p><a href=”http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=1499″>Image: Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net</a></p>
