As an executive, you have many options available to you when it comes to searching for a new job. If you have many years of experience, you may choose to use networking as your primary job search strategy. Other people may opt for different strategies. One thing professional resume writing services always say is to keep your options open with your job hunt. This could mean incorporating and utilizing an executive search company to help you land the perfect job. Some people shy away from these companies, but they actually could bring you some unforeseen benefits.
You May Learn How High Your Value Is
Sometimes you don’t know what your value is until someone tells you. The best professional executive resume writers can compare your experience level to others, but they can’t tell you what the demand is in any particular industry. An executive search company may be able to tell you exactly what salary you should be receiving based on your experience. You may be surprised at what the number is.
Executive Search Companies Know More
When you get in touch with an executive search company, they will know more about the ins-and-outs of the different potential employers than you’ll be able to find online or anywhere else. It is their job to do thorough research on a company, so they will be able to answer any questions you have. When writing your resumes that get you hired, you can tailor the knowledge based on the information provided. This will help your resume get recognized more easily since it will appear you have a greater knowledge base than other candidates.
Find The Right Fit With an Executive Search Company
Outside of knowledge within the business, an executive search company may be able to tell you what the culture is, what the work-life balance is and other information that may be important to you. This is information you can’t usually find online or by asking anyone unless you truly know someone closely that works at a particular place. When you have this information available, professional executive resume writers can word your resume to make it fit the culture and incorporate specific keywords to help get your resume recognized.
Professional Resume Services has some of the top professional executive resume writers to help you make the most of your job hunt. If you would like more information about executive search companies, or how our resume writing services can help, feel free to contact us anytime.
Are you about to begin your executive job search? Have you been searching for a job recently with no luck? Either way, you need to be careful with the wording in your resume. The best professional resume writers can tell you an extensive list of commonly used words that will make recruiters stop reading.
You may think those words apply to you perfectly, but so do hundreds of other people who send in their resumes to the same place. Here are some of the words you may think are harmless, but can actually drive recruiters away from your resume.
1. Enthusiastic
Every cover letter writing service sees this word come across their desk, and so do recruiters. If you aren’t enthusiastic about the job possibility, why would you be applying? This is just an unnecessary word that should be implied in your writing.
2. Motivated
Sending your resume is a sign of motivation—unless, of course, you choose to submit a terrible resume rather than seek the help of the best professional resume writers. There’s no need to explain why you’re motivated.
3. Creative
Creativity is something everyone thinks they have, but in reality, very few people do. Furthermore, those people likely aren’t searching for jobs. The word “creative” will get overlooked quickly because most people can’t back it up with proof.
4. Experienced
You’re showing your experience on the resume, so you don’t need to reiterate it. The best executive resume format will display your experience in a separate section, which needs no further explanation.
5. Team Player
It’s great to be a team player, but you don’t have to talk about it on your resume. The best professional resume writers will tell you to explain a situation in which you were a team player, but they will never actually write out the words. Everyone writes them, but you shouldn’t.
6. Results-Oriented
This may have looked good on a resume in the past, but not today. Any company hiring an executive expects them to be results-oriented. On the other hand, if you truly are results-oriented, your resume should show it.
7. Determined
This is another word that’s implied just because you submitted the resume. If you’re truly determined to get a job, go to a cover letter writing service to brush up your cover letter and resume. Don’t tell a recruiter you’re determined, because they probably won’t read anymore.
Professional Resume Services has some of the best professional resume writers in the industry to help you eliminate the common, yet unnecessary, words from your resume. Feel free to contact us if you need help tweaking your executive resume to make it more effective.
Executives commonly make the mistake of not updating their resume until they are in need of a job. However, the one certain thing about job security is the uncertainty of it. You could have a job one day and get laid off the next due to a number of circumstances. That just means you need to always have your resume ready to go so you aren’t scrambling if you do happen to lose your job suddenly. Here are some of the tips cover letter writing services will give you when revamping your resume.
Make Your Resume Searchable Online
Depending on the last time you went through a job search, employers may have still been going through physical copies of resumes. In today’s digital age, the best executive resume format is one that has searchable characteristics online. An HR manager spends an average of six seconds on any given resume, so if yours isn’t formatted for online viewing, it will quickly be passed over without even getting a chance.
Update Social Media Profiles While You’re At It
Speaking of online searchability, you need to clean up and update any social media profiles you have. Social media platforms like LinkedIn give you a great outlet to expand on your executive resume, but it’s different than the best executive resume format. Still, many employers see social media profiles as being an extension of your resume, so you can’t just focus solely on your one-page resume when you’re revamping it.
Add New Experiences and Keywords
Finally, if you’ve been at the same job for six months or longer, chances are you’ve gained some new experiences along the way. Be sure to remove any old or irrelevant experience and replace it with new experience. Don’t forget about updating your executive resume bio as well, since some things could have changed since the last time you updated your resume.
Cover letter writing services also suggest incorporating more keywords, since employers will search for those words. This may not have been important the last time you submitted a resume anywhere, but it is today.
Professional Resume Services is the industry leader in helping executives revamp their resumes for their upcoming job search. Whether you’re currently looking for a job or just haven’t updated your executive resume in a while, feel free to contact us at any time.
Spring is the most popular time of the year to get some cleaning done in and around the house. But it’s also a great time to clean up your executive resume! This is one of the busiest times of year for professional executive resume writers, so if you plan on using a resume service to clean up the cobwebs for your resume, now’s the time to make an appointment. However, if you want to learn how to tidy up your executive resume on your own, here are a few tips to consider.
1. Highlight Only Relevant Skills
Your last resume may have been filled with a lot of different skills in hopes of the relevant one getting recognized. Any executive resume writing service today will tell you to highlight only relevant skills, because hiring managers won’t take the time to read through them all. You’ve got six seconds to impress a recruiter, so make them count.
2. Remove any clichés
Words like “passionate,” “reliable” and “dependable” all may describe you perfectly, but the reality is everyone believes those words describe them as well. Do yourself and your resume a favor and remove these clichés, since they don’t add any value to your executive resume.
3. Update Dates
Depending on your age, you may need to update or remove a significant amount of dates on your executive resume. Dates are good to use to an extent, but if you are attempting to highlight experience from 30 years ago, chances are it won’t help you land your next job.
4. Be More Focused
The best executive resume services want you to target your resume more. The days of creating one general resume to send out to many different companies are over. Companies today want to see a resume tailored to their needs, so you need to comply if you want to have a chance.
5. If All Else Fails, Start from Scratch
Updating an old resume can take more time than just starting over from scratch. Sometimes even the best professional executive resume writers will suggest starting over with a clean slate. This will help clear your mind from all of the older accomplishments and experiences and allow you to focus on the more current experiences you can remember.
Professional Resume Services exists to help executives like you clean up their resumes for the next career opportunity. When you’re ready to do some spring cleaning on your executive resume, feel free to reach out to us at any time.
One of the biggest questions for many executives is whether it’s worth bothering with referrals when searching for a new job. Some people feel it’s unnecessary, especially if you have a lot of work experience. However, with the importance of networking in today’s business world, referrals ultimately go hand-in-hand. Even executive resume services will tell you to find the best referrals you can and combine them with networking to accelerate your job hunt. Here are answers to the common question of whether referrals are worth it.
The Right Referrals Can Help
You can’t just ask anyone for a referral and expect them to help you get the job. The best cover letter writing service will suggest to reach out to someone you know and trust, like a former boss, co-worker or simply a professional contact who knows you well.
The secret is to not only find referrals you know well, but also find people who have a mutual connection within the industry or company you want to work in. Companies want to hire people who they know or think they know well. Having a mutual connection is the best way to create that spark.
Don’t Focus Solely on the Job With Referrals
If you don’t have any mutual connections off the top of your head, you can use a service like LinkedIn to find them. The best resume writing service can help you locate different leads to get started with the process. You just have to remember these potential connections are people, too, and you won’t seem very approachable if you start talking about yourself right off the bat.
Instead, take a personable approach and give the person compliments on their profile, accomplishments and anything else you see. You’ll likely get a better response as a result and can talk more about achievements and how they got there before talking about yourself.
Talking to a Hiring Manager About a Referral
When you have a solid referral or two, you’ll have to talk to the hiring manager about them. A cover letter writing service can help you say all the right things about your mutual connection in the cover letter, but it’s up to you once you get an interview. Figure out what common traits you share with your mutual connection. If the hiring manager feels like they are hiring someone they know, you’ll be more likely to get the job.
Professional Resume Services has helped executives get the best referrals to expedite their job search. If you’re unsure whether you have the right referrals, or if you need the assistance of executive resume services, feel free to reach out to us at any time.
It’s widely understood that you have approximately six seconds to make an impression on a hiring manager with your resume—even for executives. The challenge is making the absolute most of those six seconds in creative ways without being too over the top. In some aspects, it’s good to have a traditional resume, but it won’t hurt to modernize it a bit. Of course, writing an effective resume in today’s competitive executive world can be difficult, so here are some tips for modernizing your resume for 2017.
Focus on the Top Third of the Page
This is a key factor for any resume, whether they’re traditional or modern. Modern resumes, however, allow for more creativity. For instance, consider adding a splash of color. When you talk to executive resume writers about the jobs you’re applying for, they may suggest using colors only for headings or in your personal information section, but not in your achievements. The top third of your resume is what recruiters see first, so it’s important for it to stand out.
Use the Right Amount of Creativity
Most professional resume writing services will tell you to avoid using vibrant colors for your resume if you’re applying for an executive position. If you overdo it, it will look like you’re applying for a graphics or marketing job. Executive recruiters tend to like traditional resume formats, so using the right amount of creativity to get noticed can be difficult. Instead of using bright colors, use different text sizes and bolding as an alternative.
Consider the ATS System
Many executive resume writers tend to shy away from a lot of creative things like tables, text boxes, charts and other similar objects. The reason is if an employer runs your resume through an ATS system, it may not be able to recognize keywords. You can still modernize your resume by using a larger text size, bolding, italics, underlining, highlighting and other features to highlight specific accomplishments. This will ensure your keywords remain intact and you’ll also have a resume that stands out among the rest. On the other hand, not all companies use an ATS system and you want to add a bit of formatting creativity to appeal to human eyes as well (i.e. human resources, recruiters, hiring managers, etc.).
Writing an effective resume takes some time and skill, and that’s exactly where Professional Resume Services excels. If you’re looking to modernize your executive resume this year, feel free to contact us at any time.
You may be under the impression that executive resumes are outdated thanks to the rise of networking and social media. However, a well-crafted resume can be just as effective. In today’s business world, there aren’t many people who aren’t connected at all times. That’s why when you’re sending in your executive resume, you need to make sure it’s mobile friendly. There’s nothing more frustrating for a recruiter or hiring manager than not being able to view a resume from their mobile device. If you aren’t sure how to make your resume mobile friendly, a good executive resume writing service can help.
Recruiters Work On-The-Go, Too
Time is limited for everyone. Since you only have approximately six seconds to impress a recruiter with your resume, even the smallest mistake is magnified. A recruiter may be on a business trip, on lunch break or just away from the desk for any other reason. If they read your email with the resume attached, but can’t view the resume clearly, it could be lost in the shuffle.
Make Your Resume as Easy to Read as Possible
There’s a lot of discussion about the best executive resume format, but sometimes the best one is one that’s simply the easiest to read. You don’t have to be one of the best executive resume writers in the world to make your mobile friendly resume more accessible. Mobile devices are designed to make life simpler and more convenient. Make sure your executive resume fits those characteristics to have the greatest chance for success.
Increase Your Interview Opportunities
Many professional executive resume writers will tell you having a mobile friendly resume will increase your chances for job interviews. When you make your resume and contact information easy to view on a mobile device, the recruiter can contact you immediately, rather than having to wait until they return to the office. Hiring managers want to streamline their hiring process as much as possible, so when they have a chance to set up an interview quickly, they will do it most of the time. If you have a resume that’s difficult to read on a mobile device, your interview chances will decrease.
Having a mobile friendly executive resume is important nowadays. To ensure your resume is mobile friendly, feel free to contact us to get in touch with the best executive resume writing service.
There was a time when soft skills were considered resume filler—something to make the resume look longer, but not bringing any value to it — fluff. Times have changed, and companies actually use different soft skills as parameters to weed through the abundance of resumes they get. However, there is still a balance to using your soft skills to your advantage in your executive bio or resume. Here are some of the most common soft skills to add to your executive resume.
Organizational Skills
Every company likes an organized person. This is the most commonly used soft skill on an executive resume cover letter because most people believe they are organized. The reality is this soft skill needs to be on your resume, because most companies will include it in their job requirements.
Team Player
This is a good example of a soft skill where you can give real experiences to demonstrate. Talk about times where you had to give up something that benefited you to help the team as a whole. No one wants to hire a selfish executive, so make sure your executive bio clearly demonstrates how you have been a team player at your past jobs.
Great Communication Skills
The best executive resume writing services will always highlight the importance of good communication skills. At an executive level, you will have to talk to people within and outside your organization, so you have to represent the company with class. This is another soft skill you can highlight with real examples. Talk about different meetings, interviews or speeches you’ve given in the past to show how great of a communicator you are.
Find A Balance of Soft Skills and Hard Skills to Incorporate
No matter which soft skills you decide to incorporate in your executive bio, you have to find the right balance between them and your hard skills. These three soft skills are good complements to the hard skills you list on your executive resume or cover letter, so be sure to use them to your advantage.
The key to incorporating the right soft skills into your executive resume is to read different job descriptions closely to see which ones they are looking for. If you aren’t sure which soft skills you need to highlight, or if you’re having a hard time finding a good balance of hard versus soft skills, feel free to contact us.
