Executive resumes are special.

Don’t get me wrong-I’m not saying that executives are better than the rest of us, I’m just saying that executive resumes need a special touch, as an executive-level role entails a whole new level of responsibility.

If you are presenting an entry-level resume, what do you have? You might have a college degree. You likely have some work experience, but if you do, it is likely in an unrelated field. Then you have to ask if your experience and skills transfer. That can often be a challenge for resume writers, but it’s a common everyday challenge for professional resume writers.

Chances are, if you are seeking an executive position, then you are seeking it in the same company that you’ve worked in for a long time. At the very least, you are seeking an executive position within the same industry. That lends itself to scrutiny.

How well are your accomplishments and challenges laid out in your resume? Many times as our careers advance, we don’t capture them on paper, so start compiling your thoughts about these things on paper. Look through performance reviews if you need help remembering.

A good executive resume is defined as much by what you leave out as by what you put in. Careful thought must be put into every item on the resume. And that’s what makes it so special.

What you need to remember is that when you come to apply for a job application your resume is their first impression of you. You might be the best person for the job but if your resume doesn’t showcase this in the right way, then you will seriously dent your chances of being successful.

One of the main things that you need to avoid is spelling mistakes and grammatical errors throughout your resume. You need to check and double check your resume to make sure that everything in it is correct. You will often find that even the simplest of mistakes will rule you out of the running for a job. Remember that it is likely a number of people will be applying for the same job so the person in charge of applications will be looking for reasons to take people out of the running – you want to make sure you don’t give them one!

Also make sure that your resume is precise when it comes to job experience and skills. You don’t want to be too general. You need to give them a reason to hire you so selling yourself is a must when it comes to your resume. Include information of previous jobs and the skills that these positions have taught you.

It can be tricky but try not to make your resume too general, or ‘one size fits all.’ If you are applying for different jobs, then you may need to tweak each version of your resume slightly to sell yourself for each of the different job types that you are trying. That way you can be sure that when you are applying for different job positions you know that your resume is as relevant as possible and gives you the best chance of success.

The presentation of your resume is also important. Along with it reading well and including the right information, you need to make sure that it is pleasing on the eye. Remember that they will be reading many different resumes so you need to make sure that yours stands out for all the right reasons. Keeping your resume clean and tidy, you want it to include all of the information that is needed without it being too cluttered and busy. Add a little color or  a graph of your recent sales numbers, etc. You need to give them a reason to read your resume and by making it look like hard work to read you are ruining your chances before you even start.

We all recognize how important it is to make a good first impression when applying for a job. The way your resume looks, the content that it contains, and the way that it is presented to a potential employer could be the difference between getting your resume read, or tossed into the trash. If you are serious about changing careers or finding a new job, then it is vital that you have a resume that represents the best you have to offer.

While it is possible for you to write your own resume, it’s not always as easy as it sounds. It is hard to get a resume that is completely perfect, especially if you don’t have the skills or expertise to know what should be on your resume, or how your it should be formatted to truly market your achievements and career history.

Consider hiring a professional resume writer. Although people may be put off having a resume written for them because of the price, in today’s competitive job market,  a quality, professionally-written resume is may be your best bet in scoring an interview.

Most professional resume writing services offer a complete resume package for the price. Not only will the service craft a great resume for you, they will also take care of things such as the cover letter, the thank you letter. Furthermore, a professional resume writer will also provide all of these documents in different formats so you can use them whether you want to apply for a job online or through other channels.

Presenting a high-quality resume to a potential employer gives you the best chance of achieving success in your job search!

An executive resume should be created with the end purpose in mind, that of getting you an interview for the job opening. Do not just list all the things you have done in former jobs, for resumes at this level more information is needed about the processes used to get the job done.

Do not write a confusing history of former positions. Start your work history with your latest position and end with your first working position relevant to the job opening you are intending to get an interview for.

For an executive resume, 2-4 pages is acceptable. I always say, ‘if the experience warrants it, then add another page’ (however, less is more sometimes–I try to stick to 2ish). Do ensure all the information is concise and relevant. Employers do not want to have to sift through pages of irrelevant information. It would be wise to invest in having a professional resume writer create a resume for you if you are unsure of the current formats used for resumes (plug, plug, plug).

Always be very specific in your writing and information, use precise numbers to convey any targets that you have been set and met in previous positions, it all helps to build a better picture of your abilities by the employer reading the resume. Creating a focused, targeted, concise resume is what employers are looking for in an executive resume. It is vitally important that it stands out from the crowd before it has even a chance of being read at all. Employers are busy people and need to know immediately if your resume is worth their time reading, and an executive resume can help with this!

Resume distribution is paramount to landing the job you want. If you don’t get your resume out there, then you won’t get hired. It’s that simple.

Here are 5 ways to distribute your resume without having to beat the pavement and hand-carry it to every single potential employer:

1. Networking – Whether networking online or off, one thing rings true: Everyone you know knows someone you don’t. Ask everyone within your circle of friends to carry your resume with them and pass it around when they bump into a potential employer. In fact, you should carry your resume with you too. You never know who you’re going to meet.
2. Job fairs – If you don’t go to job fairs, you should. Job fairs are a one-stop-shopping experience for candidates searching for the perfect job. Always bring plenty of copies of your resume with you to a job fair, as well as your professional references, in the event you are lucky enough to score an on-site interview with a potential employer.
3. Post it online – There are a ton of resume posting websites online. Find a few that target your specific industry as we as some of the more popular sites.
4. Recruiters – Job recruiters specialize in one thing: Matching candidates with employers. Send your resume to a handful of recruiters and see what happens.
5. Targeted database blasting – Another way to distribute your resume is to a targeted list of employers who are actively seeking new recruits. Many professional resume writers have such a list available.

Resume distribution is essential to landing the job you want. Get your resume out there and get it out there fast. The more widely you circulate your skills and experience, the more likely you are to land the job of your dreams.

Many people feel that consulting job hunting resources and looking for a new job are things that only people who are unemployed should be doing. It is often assumed that the only time you need to be aware of what jobs are on the market and the opportunities that are available for you when you don’t already have a job.

Quite the contrary. Experts agree that it is a good practice to always keep an eye out for job opportunities, as well as the average rate of pay for jobs you may be interested in. Of course this isn’t something that you’ll want to do every day, but staying in the loop with jobs and salary changes in your industry could eventually help you move up the corporate ladder.

By keeping apprised of trends in job openings and salaries in your industry, you can ensure that you’re getting the best salary for your value, and that you are aware of changes in skills and experience needed for certain jobs. In addition, this knowledge could also give you great bargaining power when the time comes to negotiate your next salary increase!

While you may be happily employed today, we all know that with our country’s current economic situation, people are still continuing to lose their jobs everyday and are finding themselves actively searching for a new job. Job hunting doesn’t have to consume a lot of time, you just need to keep your resume current with your most recent employment history and achievements, know the best job search resources for your industry, and be willing to network with colleagues and friends in other companies who may know of opportunities for someone with your skills and expertise.

Being prepared for your job search will result in a a more effective, targeted search, and ultimately success!

While references are not generally included on your resume anymore, the truth is that before you are given any job vacancy you will usually be asked to provide references to speak on your behalf.

If you have been in the job market for awhile, you  ask the last people that supervisors or colleagues you have worked with provide a reference. However, if you have been studying or simply haven’t made a step up the career ladder it can be hard to know who to choose.

Here are some good suggestions that will serve you well:

1. If you are a recent graduate, or new to the job market, you will need to choose your references carefully. Choosing professors or advisors as a reference is acceptable. If you have never held a job before (i.e. a high school student looking for their first job), ask other career professionals, teachers or coaches who know your character and work ethic.
2. If you have been involved with community service groups or other organizations, ask the leader of the group/organization to provide you with a reference. You should also remember to include relevant volunteer work on your resume, especially if you are new to the job market, because your involvement shows that you have the ability to work with others to complete projects and achieve goals.
3. People you have worked for, even if you didn’t realize it. If you had a paper route, babysat for the neighbor’s children or even ran the school snack shop, these are all examples of employment and your willingness to work hard.
4. Instead of including references on your resume, have a separate reference page (formatted to match your resume) prepared to leave with employers, should they ask when you’re applying. Be sure to have your reference’s phone and email information.

One final tip-always ASK a person to be a reference for you-don’t just put their name and information down. You don’t want a friend/colleague getting a call from your potential employer and then acting like they don’t know what the employer is talking about and/or have no idea what they should be saying on your behalf. Tell your references what types of job you’re applying for as well as well as what company/hiring manager may be calling for them for information. Communication is key in making sure your references give the right impression of you to potential employers.

We all know the importance of having a professional resume when it comes to applying for jobs and helping to find our way up the career ladder. When it comes to the content that needs to be included in our resume there are loads of places you can look for help and advice with what to include and how to lay it out. At the end of the day, the look of your resume is important because it is all about creating the right impression and giving yourself the best possible chance of job success.

One thing that many people don’t give consideration to is the contact information that we include on this and the impression that can give our potential employer. The biggest downfall for this is the email address that we choose to put on our resume.

Many of us have a personal email address that we have had for a number of years, maybe even dating back as far as our teenage years. There are different trends for setting up an email address, but it stands to reason that anything like “VodkaLover@email.com” or “SexyGal@email.com” aren’t really suitable for a professional  resume. As your contact information is the first thing an employer will see on your resume, having a silly email address will get you judged immediately, and could prevent you from getting an interview.

Be safe and professional. Create a free email address along the lines of “firstname.lastname@email.com” to use as a contact address on your professional resume. Using your actual name, rather than a silly email address will give the reader a much better first impression.

Take a look at your resume with fresh eyes – can you honestly say that it is written well enough to get an employer’s interest? It is easy to forget just how many people you may be up against when it comes to applying for a job and just how tough the competition to be. The person in charge of deciding who goes through to the interview stage of a job application process is probably going to be reading loads of different resumes over a short period of time. You need to make sure that your resume stands out for all the right reasons and commands attention.

Although what your resume says and the skills that it showcases are important, you need to give careful consideration to the layout of your resume. People will take one glance at your resume and will know immediately whether or not they are interested in reading more about you. It might not seem fair, but at the end of the day first impressions count, so you need to make sure that the first impression your resume gives is a good one.

There are many standard templates you can use as part of a word processing program and if you are after a standard resume, then this will suit you perfectly well. What it won’t help you do is create a resume to get excited about or something that is going to make sure that people pay attention to you. You need to ensure your resume is created in a manner that will make the reader stop and pull your resume out of the pile.

If you are serious about job hunting and making sure that you have the best chance of job success, you may want to consider hiring a professional resume writer to ensure that your resume is creative and flawless. Professional resume writers are trained to highlight your best skills and achievements, as well as can write your resume so that it markets you, and shows employers the value you can offer their company. Remember, the first step to your next career is getting your resume read by employers-will your resume stand out above the rest?

Most people are usually well aware of the fact that having a high-quality, well-written resume is the best way you can go about getting the job of your dreams. There are loads of ways in which you can make sure that your resume has the ideal layout and wording to help you land a job, however,  it is also important to make sure that your resume is suited to the position you’re applying for.

When it comes to applying for jobs, you’re going to find a job hunt much more effective if your resume is written to match specific job descriptions. Your experience and skills listed on your resume should coincide with the qualifications listed in the job description, otherwise, potential employers may write you off at the first hurdle.

However, if you are applying for a job that is much grander and in essence a better job, then it makes sense that your resume needs to step up to the mark. If you are going for a higher-paying job, and one that gives you a much better chance of career progression, then you need to ensure that your best career achievements and leadership skills are highlighted in your resume.

If this sounds like you and you want to make sure that you can go for a promotion, or higher-level position, then you may need to look at having an executive resume created. This goes above and beyond a standard resume and is essential if you are going for any type of executive or c-level (President, CEO, COO, CFO, CIO, CTO) positions. An executive resume must be powerful and have a “wow” factor that will attract employers looking for executive-level candidates.