Your resume is usually the first thing a potential employer will see when you’re searching for a job. Having the proper format may seem like a little detail, but it’s actually pretty important. You want to make sure you have it in a format that will stand out, but you don’t want it to be too over the top and risk looking unprofessional. The best executive resume format clearly highlights your accomplishments in a clean manner. Here are some important things to consider when deciding on a format for your executive resume.
Chronological Format is Key for Executives
The best executive resume writers will recommend a chronological format for executives. Recruiters like to follow along the timeline of your career. It’s effective for people who have specialized expertise in a certain field because it highlights their attributes and ties them into the job they’re applying for.
Be Clear With Your Points
You may be thinking it’s risky to not include dates of employment or educational experience on your resume. While some employers do pay attention to dates, the best executive resume writing service will tell you it won’t cost you a chance to interview. Again, as long as you are clear with the expertise and experience you have, recruiters generally won’t raise a red flag for missing dates.
Combining Chronological and Functional Formats Can Be Effective
The best executive resume writers may even combine the functional executive resume format with the chronological format. This requires a little more attention to detail and creativity, because you want to highlight your most recent and relevant experience.
Executives with extensive experience will have more success with this combined approach than new executives with little experience would. If you don’t have experience and still believe a combined format would help your chances, the best executive resume writing service can help you pull it off.
Finding the proper executive resume format is a touchy topic. The goal of your executive resume is to make it pop without going overboard. If you would like to discuss the format of your executive resume and what options you have, feel free to contact us at any time.
Resume builders can be helpful for people who need a starting point for crafting their executive resume. However, since most resume builders are limited in what they can do, they can’t be relied on completely most of the time. Many executives use executive resume writing services in addition to an online resume builder to help give the resume a professional appearance. Here are a few points you should remember when using a resume builder for your executive resume.
Resume Builders Can Be Good Starting Points
These programs are great for giving your executive resume a clean and professional look. They can even make your executive bio stand out if you are having a hard time doing it yourself. A lot of executives have the hardest time getting started with the format and appearance of their resumes, so a resume builder is a great resource to use to get started.
Don’t Rely on Online Resume Builders
While resume builders are great starting points, they shouldn’t be totally relied on. The people who have the most success landing a job interview by using a resume builder are involved in customer service, retail, sales and similar industries. It doesn’t mean those professions aren’t important; it just means those are the most in-demand positions at any given time, so the resume builders are programmed to meet those needs. From an executive standpoint, online resume builders may not give you everything you need to properly highlight your skills and accomplishments.
Professional Resume Writers Are Better Options for Executives
If you’re building your resume for an executive position, your time and energy would be better spent using the best resume writing service. You can actually talk to people in order to highlight your achievements, and those people are specialized in helping people land executive jobs.
Many executives will bypass the online resume builder completely, but it’s generally encouraged to do some work upfront before you talk to a service. At the very least, you should write your executive bio in your own words, so a professional can critique it and learn exactly what you’re looking for in your executive position.
There’s never anything wrong with using an online resume builder, but there’s nothing like using the best resume writing service. We are always open to helping you with your resume or locating an online resume builder, so feel free to reach out to us.
Experienced executives may be surprised at how resumes have evolved within the last few years since they updated theirs. In general, the information included in today’s resumes is very similar to what it was dozens of years ago, but the presentation has definitely changed. This is why many executives tend to use professional resume writing services to ensure their resume is up with the times. Let’s take a look back at how executive resumes have evolved over time and where they are currently.
Printed or Electronic?
Most professional resume writing services will suggest utilizing both printed and electronic versions of your executive resume. Printing out your resume and physically handing it to someone may seem old school, but it’s really the only guaranteed way you know they will look at it. With so many jobs posted online today, it can be easy for electronic copies to get lost in the shuffle. However, many companies rely on electronic resumes for keyword searching, so it’s still important to send it electronically as well.
Visual and Digital Resumes
Visual and digital resumes have become more popular over the last few years. They give you the ability to show off your creativity by demonstrating a skill or providing a work product you created electronically. However, the top rated resume writing services caution you about using this method in certain industries. These types of resumes are generally frowned upon when searching for an executive job, but a marketing or creative design hiring manager would likely appreciate it.
What is Best for Executives?
When executives craft their resume, it’s best to keep it simple and professional and make the important points stand out. The best executive resume writers can highlight relevant attributes within a standard resume format to make it pop out at the reader.
Hiring managers for executive positions tend to be traditional when it comes to the type of resume format they want to see. However, making your resume look exactly like everyone else’s is a good way to get yours passed over.
If you need to use professional resume writing services to get tips and tricks on your executive resume format or for any other help, feel free to contact us at any time. Crafting your executive resume is an art, so it’s important to find a good balance between what hiring managers want to see and what is going to get yours noticed over all the other applicants.
One common theme among executives is they tend to make the same mistakes on their resumes. The good thing is the mistakes are usually easy to correct and avoid in the future. The bad thing is many executives don’t want to change anything, so they won’t stand apart from the rest of the group as a result. When you use the best executive resume writing service, you’ll be able to learn about your resume’s flaws and can correct them accordingly. Here are some of the mistakes people most commonly make, and how you can avoid them when crafting your executive resume.
1. Be Clear
Executives tend to use a big vocabulary and large, sophisticated sentences. While it may seem impressive to you, an HR manager doesn’t want to read through it. Any executive resume writing firm will tell you to be clear with your words and sentences. Use action words in short sentences to make a greater impact on the reader.
2. Keep it Simple
Simplicity is key with any resume, including executive resumes. Many executives like to make an extensive executive bio on their resume to highlight accomplishments. While it’s important to talk at length about accomplishments, the executive bio isn’t the place for it. Short and sweet is the best way to go.
3. Talk About Accomplishments, Not Responsibilities
You can mention what job responsibilities you have, but don’t waste a lot of space doing so. Instead, talk specifically about what you accomplished. Use some numbers and statistics rather than general statements, but don’t overdo it.
4. Target Every Resume
The first thing the best executive resume writing service will tell you is to target every executive resume to the company you’re applying to. Sending out the same resume to every company will be obvious and will likely get yours thrown out of the group. Learn a little bit about each company and make it clear in your resume that you can help them grow and prosper.
5. Include a LinkedIn Profile Link
You have to have a complete LinkedIn profile if you’re an executive today. If you’re sending out executive resumes, include the link to your profile in your resume. Recruiters and companies want to see you’re connected to other executives. Not only does this show you’re social, but it also gives them a little glimpse into your personality.
You may be making some critical mistakes like these in your executive resume and not even know it. Feel free to reach out to us if you have any concerns about how your executive resume looks.
The short answer to this question is no! You definitely don’t want to make your executive resume and your LinkedIn profile the same for a variety of reasons. Most professional executive resume writers can help you distinguish the differences between each and why the differences are important. We’ve also given you some more details on the differences below.
LinkedIn Should be More Informal
Recruiters and HR managers will go to your LinkedIn profile to learn more about you as a person. This is generally evident in your writing style, so be sure to make it more informal to give it some voice. There are big differences between resumes that get you hired and your LinkedIn profile, and it’s important to distinguish the two.
Also, don’t mistake an informal voice for being unprofessional. There are creative ways to make your LinkedIn profile professional and informal. If you struggle with that aspect, executive resume services can help.
Executive Resume Summaries Should Be Short and Targeted
Executives tend to make their summaries extensive, because who doesn’t like talking about themselves? However, your executive resume summary should be short and to the point. LinkedIn is the place to talk more in detail on your summary. Summarize your entire career, your accomplishments, strengths and anything else to make you stand out. Most professional executive resume writers will tell you to put just enough information in your executive resume summary to make a recruiter or potential employer want more information about you.
Recruiters Want to See Different Information
Your chances of landing your next executive job will take a big hit if your executive resume and LinkedIn profile are identical. It could signal to a recruiter that you’re lazy, not creative, or just don’t understand what LinkedIn is used for.
Generally, an executive resume should talk about business details, while LinkedIn should be more conversational about how you accomplished certain things. In a nutshell, your executive resume and LinkedIn profile should combine together to give an employer a clear picture of who you are both professionally and personally.
There’s a fine line between crafting the perfect executive resume and writing a solid LinkedIn profile. Many executives use executive resume services to help distinguish the two. If you’re struggling with finding the right balance, feel free to contact us at any time for help.
Considering the current state of the employment world, it’s commonplace for people to have employment gaps. However, a gap of a few months is much different than gaps of a few years. When you use an executive resume writing service, you can easily hide the small gaps or they can help you clearly explain the longer gaps. The main thing is to not let any employment gaps deter you from applying for executive positions. There are many ways to address the gaps where they won’t be a problem.
Don’t Worry About the Small Stuff
If you only had a few months of unemployment, you probably don’t even have to acknowledge it in your resume. Many professional resume writing services will only include the years of employment rather than months anyway. A few months here or there shouldn’t raise any red flags.
Be as Honest as Possible
Nowadays it’s completely understandable for someone to take time off from employment to go back to school or to raise kids. If you had a situation like that, the best thing to do is be honest about it. You can explain in a sentence in your cover letter that you took time off to raise your family or to seek higher education. Place the section right in line with your employment history and you likely won’t be questioned about it in a negative way.
The tricky part is if you took time off to do other things like travel the world or if you just didn’t like your previous job. For those situations, you may need to consult with some of the top resume writing services to help you address the employment gap in a professional way that won’t hurt your chances of getting an interview.
Include Volunteer, Consulting, or Unpaid Experience
No matter what your initial reason was for leaving your previous job, you can easily fill the gap with any volunteer work, consulting, or unpaid experience you got. Some people believe they are ready to retire, but then realize they have to stay busy. Volunteering for several hours each week or gaining valuable experience elsewhere could be great ways to fill your employment gaps.
If you consulted during this time, that counts as a position! Gather up what you did and add that to your resume as a role. Adding that experience will be a benefit and show the reader that you were still working.
The main takeaway professional resume writing services will tell you is to not worry too much about employment gaps. There are plenty of creative ways to fill those gaps to make them a non-issue, so feel free to reach out to us if you need assistance.
A question that comes up periodically that I wanted to address is people wonder whether they should include any hobbies or volunteer work on their resume. The short answer is: it depends. Most of the time, these things won’t hurt your chances of landing a job interview. However, you have to be smart about what you include. If you are at an executive level, leave them off. If you are entry level or professional level, or a non-corporate profession hobbies and volunteer work can be used to help your chances, but you need to keep these tips in mind.
Be Smart About Which Hobbies to Include
Stay away from including any hobbies revolving around politics or religion. Both of these are controversial topics, and can hurt your personal branding. There are very few jobs out there where including these types of hobbies could actually help your chances of getting an interview. Otherwise, you’re taking a big risk of offending the person reviewing your resume. You don’t want them to throw your resume aside because of your political or religious views.
Volunteer Work is Generally Good to Include
There generally isn’t anything wrong with incorporating volunteer work or community outreach into your resume. In fact, most of the top rated resume writing services will encourage you to include community involvement over hobbies. Volunteering demonstrates to a potential employer that you like to be active in the community. The more well rounded you are, the better you will appear on paper. Volunteering is also a great way to network, so there is a business aspect to it.
Focus on Hobbies Beneficial to the Job
Make sure the hobbies you include on your resume pertain to the job in some way. If you are going for a horticulture role and in your free time grow a specific kind of plant, then yes, add that. For example, it won’t do any good to talk about your passion for cooking if you’re searching for an executive job. However, if you frequently play golf, it could be attractive since companies like to take clients or business partners out for golf if they share the same passion.
A good rule of thumb to go by is hobbies won’t be the reason you get an interview, but they can be the reason you don’t get one. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions or need assistance with the hobbies or volunteer work section of your resume.
Five Excellent Ways to Kick off Your New Year’s Job Search!
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Many people put their job search on hold throughout the holiday season, and that’s ok! With the New Year here, now is the time to revamp your job search and kick it off the right way to set yourself up for a great 2017. No matter what stage you’re in with your job search, it’s never too late to get started. In fact, the tips we provide here are great for anyone, whether you’re just considering a new job or if you’re ready to send resumes to different companies.
1. Attend Networking Events
Even the best resume writing services will tell you the best way to put your resume to use is to network with other professionals. As an executive, your name has to be known in the industry to have any kind of credibility. So go out and make it a point to meet new people every week to kick start your job search!
2. Set Achievable Goals
Setting unrealistic goals can put a damper on your job search because it’s easier to get discouraged. If one of your goals is to grow your network, get in touch with an executive LinkedIn profile writer to help set you on the path of success.
3. Update Your Executive Resume
If you don’t have the skills for writing a professional resume, you’re not alone. That’s why many executives use the best resume writing services when it’s time to update their resume. There’s never a better time than the present to update your skills and accomplishments, so make it a priority to start the year.
4. Revamp Your Social Networking Profile
LinkedIn is one of the best tools to help you kick off your New Year’s job search. However, if it’s not developed properly, it could actually hurt your chances of landing the job you desire. If you need to, hire an executive LinkedIn profile writer to ensure everything you need to have on your page is there.
5. Be Open to Change
It’s easy to have tunnel vision when looking for a new job, but try to be as open-minded as possible. New career opportunities can come from anywhere, so if you have a closed mind you may end up missing out on a great new job.
The New Year is a great time to start your job search on the right note. If you need any more hints or help along the way, feel free to contact us.
