The Executive Resume: A Slightly Different Set of Rules

Rosalinda works for a US-primarily based international company. A number of years ago, she took over the Canadian division, which had been previously underperforming, and turned things round for the better. About six months ago, she seized an opportunity to share a few of her strategic concepts and recommendations with upper management. They liked what she had to say and not too long ago opened up a new VP position that is ideally suited to her, particularly since it would involve implementing the initiatives she suggested. She wants to try for the promotion, so we worked together to overhaul her old resume. We took it from the mid-stage manager resume she used when she first got hired to at least one that reflects the executive she’s turn out to be throughout her time with the company.

Rosalinda (not her real name, after all) is transitioning her career upward as a “new” executive, so it’s no surprise that she had lots to learn about learn how to current herself in a new way via her resume. But, I’ve additionally worked with many seasoned executives who don’t seem to know that when you’re an executive, it is best to observe a slightly different algorithm when developing your resume.

Under you will find three explicit reasons why the executive resume is so totally different from a regular resume.

By the way, I’m defining “executive” as executive directors, senior directors, vice presidents, c-stage officers, board members, and anyone concentrating on a strategic leadership position in their career.

Length

For the person contributor or the mid-stage manager, we anticipate to see a -page summarized resume that shows about 10-15 years of work history. Expertise prior to 10-15 years ago may be displayed or not – it’s totally optional. However, for an executive, we wish to see the career progression in full. Except, of course, for the minor jobs you had early on – there’s no must show the job you had as a pizza delivery driver if you had been in school.

There’s additionally plenty more information to be included on the primary page in the first section, which is the profile or summary section. On a regular resume for a non-executive role, this section may be as short as one or sentences, or it might be as much as a half-web page long. However, for some executive resumes, especially for c-level and vice president candidates, the profile or summary section fills all the first page.

Because of these factors – more years of expertise and more data in the profile – the executive resume is normally three, generally even 4, pages in length.

Executive Profile

As I just talked about, the profile or summary section will, in most cases, take up the complete first web page of the resume, and the content material of that page is the second major reason why the executive resume is so totally different from an everyday resume.

It doesn’t matter what stage your position – whether or not you’re an executive or not – the summary or profile section needs to tell about and show evidence of your worth proposition. If you happen to’re an executive, you also should add in something about your leadership type, as well as incorporate more language regarding your strategic business acumen.

The executive’s profile will include the usual: a succinct positioning assertion, trade-particular key words, and something about your unique worth proposition. But it will also embrace key words that reflect strategic-stage thinking and responsibilities – terms like “P&L,” “investor relations,” and “business forecasting.”

The mainity of resumes that I develop for shoppers include a career highlights section. On the standard resume, it’s a separate part that’s sandwiched between the profile and the expertise sections. Generally it will be included as a part of the profile section reasonably than be inserted as a stand-alone section. Nonetheless, with the executive resume, I always embody it as a part of the profile.

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