Traditional thinking holds your resume should be no longer than one page, but have times changed? An executive resume service will typically urge you to keep it to no more than two pages. However, some will say three pages is appropriate in certain instances. The bottom line is there are exceptions to every rule, and although your resume should be well edited, the focus should be on content, not length.
Applicant Tracking Systems
One important factor to consider is the use of Applicant Tracking Systems to vet candidates. This system allows employers to read and scan resumes by search terms. The difference between a live person reading your resume and the Applicant Tracking System analyzing it is a human typically looks for accomplishments, while the tracking systems search for keywords. So what does this mean for you the applicant? Since it is a bit tricky to try to please the Applicant Tracking Systems, as well as the employer, the best approach is to focus on quality content.
Applying to a Specialized Field
Let’s say you are in a specialized field, such as medical or legal. You should consider using a professional curriculum vitae writer. They are pros at including all the details your field needs to cover, yet staying concise. They will work with you to highlight not just your education and past jobs, but achievements such as research and teaching experience, publications and grants and fellowships. They are experts at taking an overwhelming task and making it simple and effective.
Shifting Careers
Another instance in which a two or three page resume would be appropriate is if you are changing careers altogether. The applicant will have to cover their qualifications and skills that would pertain to both their current job and the one they hope to transition to. In this case, it’s absolutely fine to have a length of two to three pages. Again, the focus here is on quality and pertinent content, instead of length.
Trimming the Fat
If you find you still would like to trim off a little more length, consider digging into your oldest employment information. If you have to cut something, this is most likely the least relevant and important to employers. Some things to avoid: shrinking your font to a size too small to read easily, using a photo and not checking for typos. These may seem obvious, but it can be easy to forget the basics when you’re in the throes of writing.
Writing resumes and cover letters is a daunting undertaking. An executive resume service can be an invaluable resource in creating your best resume. Take some of the stress off of yourself and let a professional help you get that call back.
According to a famous study, employers spend an average of six seconds scanning a resume before deciding whether the candidate is worth calling for an interview. To put it mildly, that’s not a lot of time. With that in mind, the clear takeaway is you need to get the employer’s attention and fast. The question is, how? Here are a few tips in executive resume writing that will get you that call.
First Things First
Your cover letter is your chance to showcase your particular talents and set yourself apart. Rest assured, they do get read! Using an executive resume cover letter is the best way to get noticed right out of the gate.
Be Professional
While your friends may call you ‘Buttercup,’ your resume should not. Likewise, your email address should not be goofy or too casual. Avoid using photos as well. This professionalism will set the tone for the rest of your resume. Location matters as well: your employer wants to be sure you’re in the same area as the job. If you need help, take a look at a few executive profiles for direction.
Keep It Tidy
Be sure the structure of your executive resume cover letter is clean and neat. The columns should be aligned, and any bullet points should line up as well. A sloppy resume will indicate you are not taking this job search seriously, and likewise, the employer will not give you the consideration you deserve.
Dates Matter
The hiring manager of a company you apply to is going to make sure your past employment dates line up. In other words, they want to make sure you don’t have large gaps between jobs. That’s a huge red flag to any employer, indicating you might not be reliable.
Be Thorough
While it’s understandable you want to keep your executive profile to the point, you need to give enough details. Thoroughly explain your past positions and what responsibilities you held while in those jobs. Also, be sure to include your past achievements.
Are You Applying for the Right Job?
It’s understandable you may be applying for a position you’re overqualified for. You may be desperate for any job at all or find pickings are slim all around. However, a hiring manager knows you won’t stick around long, and thus, your resume goes to the bottom of the pile.
Attention to Detail
While it may seem obvious, many people forget to proofread. Make sure you don’t have any grammar or spelling mistakes. Even though everyone makes these type of mistakes now and again, this is another immediate disqualifier in the six-second test.
Follow these tips and you’ll have executive resume writing down in no time, ensuring your executive profile and resume pass the six-second test.
The best executive resume format can help you change careers.
Writing a resume can be a daunting and tedious task. Between trying to figure out where to start an knowing what to include, creating a resume for a career change is even more difficult. Since a cover letter is crucial to your chances of getting noticed, opting to use a cover letter writing service is a great option. If that part of the process can be handled by a pro, writing the resume itself won’t seem quite so intimidating.
Are You Using a Functional Resume? Don’t!
First, let’s get familiar with the term functional resume. A functional resume is one that highlights certain skills, instead of the traditional chronological format. Those looking to change careers should use this technique to draw attention away from their former job titles and play up skills that may be relevant in their new desired field. This sounds like a great idea, except there’s only one problem: recruiters and hiring managers are all too aware of this method. They know you’re trying to hide something. They’ve seen it a million times, and it’s sure to get your resume in the trashcan.
A Better Approach
So what can you do instead? After you’ve used the best executive resume format, try to see things from the employer’s point of view. Don’t treat every potential employer the same; they all have different needs and desires. Some may put more emphasis on past experience, while others have requirements about personality, ethics, work style or drive. Second, do your research. You should know everything there is to know about the company you are after. Figure out what skills they value the most, and use that knowledge to your advantage. This will get you noticed by HR.
Third, don’t forget about any freelance or unpaid work you’ve done. This can be valuable when trying to change careers. Everyone has an executive bio, but this is one chance to stand out from the crowd. If it’s relevant work, it doesn’t matter if you were paid or not! If you don’t have any of this type of experience, now’s the time to consider it. If you’re truly passionate about a career change, you have to use every possible angle to your advantage.
Convince Employers You’re Committed
Now for the most important part. Since you can’t rely solely on your executive bio, you must communicate your passion for this position through your resume as well. Since you may be lacking the typical work history, this is where you can make up for that. It’s vital to emphasize you have thought this change through and are committed to it. The employer needs to feel confident you won’t quickly grow tired of the work and leave after they took a chance on you.
Now you know the basics: start with the best executive resume format, don’t use a functional resume and play up your passion. By using these tips, you will get in the door of your dream job in to time! If you need more guidance during the process, consider enlisting the help of a cover letter writing service. There you will find all the tools necessary to create the best resume possible.
Writing a professional resume requires looking at yourself in a new light.
Resumes have one sole objective: to illustrate to a recruiter or hiring manager how you’re the best person to serve the company you want to work for. If you’re in the process of writing a professional resume, you should keep the concept of selling yourself to an employer in mind. Think about the desires an employer seeks in a potential employee as you describe yourself and how you are the best person available. Of course, this can be trickier than it sounds. To learn how to do this, we have a few handy pieces of advice for you. Here is some of the best information you can include on your resume to help yourself stand out.
Talk About Your Skills
Including a section that specifically highlights your ‘Core Competencies’ (and is titled as such) will help you bypass the automation that sorts through applicants and gets hiring managers to give you a closer look. Use the job listing you originally found as your guide by paraphrasing some of the requirements listed there. Apply them to your own previous work experiences by discussing how you’ve fulfilled these duties at your old workplaces.
Describe Some of Your Achievements
As the classic writing advice goes, “show, don’t tell.” Rather than talking about how you’re the best, use facts to explain. Talk about what you’ve achieved over the years and how this has helped the companies you’ve previously worked for. You can do this through several means, such as elaborating on awards you’ve won in the past.
We also recommend including a section detailing the highlights of your career when following the best executive resume format. In this section, you can add information about the most notable accomplishments you’ve achieved while working for a company, using numbers and other data to explain this. You should only do this if you’ve been especially successful in the past because this will work to your advantage by catching an employer’s eye and making them curious. As with the rest of your resume, stay concise.
Write a Summary About Yourself
This is just one vital element of the best executive resume format. You should add it underneath your contact details. Lend yourself a title that aligns with what you believe an employer desires. Again, keep this portion of your resume to-the-point. Ideal summaries are short—about only four lines at the most—and talk about how you can be of benefit to the company you want to work for, as well as the attributes you can lend. This will help you stand out.
We hope these tips will serve as a valuable resource for introducing yourself to employers in a meaningful and productive way. However, these are only a few great ways to make writing a professional resume an easier process. For more information and resources, consider contacting executive resume writing services.
