How to Use Your Resume to Change Careers

Change careers successfully with the best executive resume format.

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.

How to Highlight Yourself in Your Resume

BlogExecutive ResumesProfessional ResumesResume Writing

Look at yourself with outside eyes when writing a professional resume.

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.

How to Create a Great Executive Sales Resume

BlogCover LettersExecutive Resumes

Talk to an executive resume writer about your sales resume.

An executive resume writer can help you create an effective sales resume.

If you’re involved in the sales industry, you already know the importance of a great pitch. The ideal pitch should take only a few seconds to hook a consumer and can be the ticket to making a worthwhile sale or gaining a regular client. The same factors apply to your resume and executive resume bio. These serve as a self-pitch, meant to illustrate your experiences, skills and other related attributes to hiring managers. Keep in mind recruiters have only a small amount of time to view your resume. If you go into too much detail and don’t stick to relevant information, you risk being skipped over entirely. Let us offer you some advice on how to make your resume stand out from the rest.

Include the Awards You’ve Earned

Awards serve as excellent proof of good work and help illustrate you’re excellent at your job. When you include this in your executive resume bio, make sure to clarify what the award was for, as well as the amount of competition you were up against. The larger volume of people you had to compete with, the more your skill level will be apparent to recruiters.

Summarize Who You Are

The first component of a winning resume should be a summary about you—the exceptional qualities you have to offer to the company’s position, your professional history and a little about yourself and your experiences.

Go Into Detail Where You Need To

We recommend you focus specifically on illustrating your duties at your old positions. Talk about the quotas and accounts you had to manage, as well as the size of them. Create a clear depiction of your responsibilities and how you tackled them head-on on a regular and outstanding basis.

Don’t Forget the Numbers

When you’re detailing the significant aspects of your job experience, you should remember to include the numbers involved. They’re a frequent part of executive sales careers, after all. Talk about your standings among other employees at your old companies, as well as in your particular branch in said companies. Explain the percentage by which you improved profit margins and the number of sales you landed throughout your time at your previous job.

Pitch Yourself

Combining the elements we’ve explained above and considering how you want to present yourself will help you to become an excellent executive resume writer. Be wholly truthful about your accomplishments, but spin them in a way that explains why you’re the best at what you do. In other words, picture yourself exactly as a product you’re trying to put on the market and clarify why you’re a cut above all the rest.
Resumes are tough to master, but anyone can grow into a great executive resume writer with a little help and effort. All it takes is knowing how to pitch yourself properly and thus appeal to job recruiters who are searching for someone with your talents. If you need a little extra help getting started, consider contacting a cover letter writing service. There you’ll find all the tools you’ll need to write the best resume possible.

How to Makeover Your Resume for Social Media Marketing

BlogExecutive ResumesSocial Marketing/Online Branding

An executive resume bio requires you to narrow down your experiences.

In the past decade, the job market has been adapting to the growing technological age we live in today. Naturally, this means the old ways of job hunting are on their way out, and those who are searching for a new career have to adapt their application methods in a way that helps them market themselves to today’s hiring managers. This is vitally important for those interested in getting into social media professionally because the entire industry thrives on snappy marketing and wit by nature. Here is some advice to help aspiring social media marketers spice up their resumes and LinkedIn profiles and land better job opportunities.

Focus on Your Skills

Practically every job in this day and age requires some sort of skill, meaning your skills are the most vital part of catching an employer’s eye and landing a job. You must market yourself in a way that presents what you can offer to a company in terms of job experience and professional skills in a way that is concise, direct and appealing.

Cut Out Any Fluff

You should only include skills that are relevant to the job you’re applying for. In other words, make sure your executive resume bio stays simple. Resumes are supposed to be brief and eye-catching. While you’ve probably gained many remarkable accomplishments, it’s not worth informing employers about every single one of them. Pick only the ones that matter to the field you’re hoping to enter. Some relevant skills relating to social media marketing are video production, especially for YouTube and other streaming sites, blog writing, researching for marketing purposes, the ability to advertise well on social media and a good grasp of Twitter, as well as other social media networks.

Include Any Relevant Career Experiences

Just like your skills, you should really only talk about career experiences that pertain to your aspiring field. This will give recruiters an idea of what you’ve done before and can thus bring to their company. Get to the meat of your social media skills. Cut out everything that has nothing to do with social media work and your skills in relation to the field. If you do these things, you’re guaranteed to be much closer to the type of resume employers are looking for.
When you first craft a resume or begin delving into LinkedIn profile development, it may seem all too tempting to put as much of your professional background onto your resume as possible to appeal to employers. However, this isn’t the best way to land jobs. Recruiters often have to sort through several hundred resumes at once, leaving only a few seconds for them to glance at yours. Make those seconds count. Your resume should be to-the-point and catered to your desired industry. A LinkedIn profile service can often help you achieve these goals.

Will a General Resume Work for Your Executive Job Search?

BlogExecutive ResumesProfessional ResumesResume Writing

General resumes are almost never resumes that get you hired.

Resumes that get you hired are never general.

A general resume is exactly that – general. When seeking an executive position, your resume needs to be a focused presentation of relevant skills. You need to be able to demonstrate how you can benefit your target company in an executive capacity. The types of resumes that get you hired are polished, concise and tightly targeted. Writing a professional resume highlighting core executive talents is a must. If you aren’t confident in your ability to market yourself and your specific strengths successfully, hire the best executive resume writing service you can.

Targeted and Concise

In today’s human resources department, your resume is quite likely to be ‘read’ by applicant tracking systems or software before it is seen by HR personnel. Due to this, industry-related keywords are an essential part of resumes that get you hired. Without those keywords in a natural, correct concentration, your resume isn’t likely to make it past the applicant tracking program. Using a general resume almost guarantees a company using this hiring tool will pass over your resume completely.
Once your resume gets in front of human eyes, industry experts estimate it has about 10 seconds to capture the attention and interest of a hiring manager. One of the best executive resume writing service skills is the concise, direct presentation of the most relevant information, the information the reader uses to decide if it is worth reading any further. That alone is worth considering professional executive resume preparation.

Don’t Stray from the Purpose

While who you are, what you’ve done and how much you know all have value, resumes that get you hired are not quite so “I”-focused. Instead, that information is relayed in the context of what specifically you can do for that company should you garner that executive position. That is what potential employers are interested in: how choosing you will benefit their company in real, concrete terms. Your general resume simply can’t accomplish that.

The Art of Presentation

Another of the best executive resume writing service advantages has to do with how responsible and professional it makes you appear. That is more than your education, work history, skills and talents. A polished, professional executive resume has no spelling or grammar errors. It is professional and efficient in style, adhering to formal executive business communication norms. These things communicate information, letting potential employers know what they can expect in your professional demeanor and executive style.

Don’t Waste Time and Effort

In this competitive job market, a general resume, especially when seeking an executive position, is a waste of time. It is unlikely to yield the results you hope for and can actually harm your chances of landing the position you want. Instead, invest time and effort in crafting targeted, professional resumes that get you hired. If you aren’t up-to-date with the latest in successful resume writing, invest in having your executive resume professionally written for you.

Should You Use Your Blog as a Professional Resume?

BlogExecutive ResumesResume Writing

Do you know the best executive resume format?

Is a blog the best executive resume format?

You know you need resumes that get you hired, but what is the best executive resume format? While most people still rely on traditional layouts for their resume, others are looking for something different to help them stand out from the other candidates. Many professionals have a blog they use to showcase their expertise, but is it really the best way to let your prospective employer know you are a good fit for the position?

A More Authentic Feel

When people are putting together their resumes, they often put their best foot forward, working hard to make sure everything is worded in a way that appeals to employers. Creating blog posts is an entirely different process that typically gives employers insight into your personality and can provide a more authentic feel for whether you will be a good fit for their business. They will be able to get inside your head and see how you think to help them make a more informed hiring decision.

A More Detailed Sales Pitch

Resumes that get you hired only give employers a brief snap shot of your career and the skills you have to offer. While some employers only need this information, along with an interview, more employers today are interested in making sure individuals are the perfect fit before extending an offer. A blog can give them a more in-depth look at what you know and whether you have the skills necessary to get the job done. In fact, there are people who have been hired based on their blog alone.

Other Benefits of a Blog as a Resume

There have been many other benefits to considering a blog in place of or as a supplement to your resume. Using your blog can be an excellent way to distinguish yourself from the other candidates for a job. It also provides insight into how well you can express yourself and your ideas. If you are applying for a job that requires a solid understanding of blogging and how it can be used, having a blog that can at least supplement your resume is an absolute necessity.
Blogging may seem like a great way to share ideas and provide readers with valuable insight about your industry, but today, it can actually help you land a job as well. In fact, many employers are searching the Internet to gather more information on candidates, even if they have already submitted a traditional resume. While it may not yet be the best resume format, it is a valuable tool you can use to increase your chances of landing the job. An executive resume writing service can help you determine whether the blog should serve as a replacement of or a supplement to your resume.

Don’t Be Tempted to Lie About Resume Gaps

BlogExecutive ResumesResume Writing

Explain gaps with the help of an executive resume writer.

An executive resume writer can help you explain gaps.

When you hire an executive resume writer, it can be tempting to leave out information regarding times of inactivity when it comes to your employment. In most cases, there’s a legitimate reason for time gaps. Perhaps you needed time to take care of an elderly parent, a sick child or just took a sabbatical. However, leaving these gaps of time unexplained can cause employers to have doubts or negative suspicions about your resume.

Why Gaps Have a Negative Connotation

Each company may look at resume gaps in a different light. There are some businesses interested only in your specific skills and aren’t concerned at all about gaps. However, for more competitive fields, even a single gap can take you out of running for a key position. Even though gaps occur for a variety of reasons, employers may have their own view of them. If you leave huge gaps unexplained, the other party is left with only their imagination as to why they exist. It is always better to explain gaps in your employment history.

Why It’s Not Advisable to Lie About Gaps

It’s likely just about everyone has been tempted to lie about gaps. For some, this means slightly adjusting dates to fill in the gaps; others try to fill in the gap by falsifying information. Either way, you are taking a big chance of discovery. Most legit businesses are going to take the time to explore your information thoroughly and are likely to find gaps on their own. This decreases the likelihood of your employment because it tends to raise too many questions and doubts.
Lying about gaps in employment can have many negative repercussions, but none as serious as if you are applying in a small industry. Smaller businesses make it easier for word to travel about any discrepancies. This can leave you with a tarnished reputation for many years, making it difficult to gain employment.

What’s the Best Way to Cover Gaps of Time?

The best way to deal with gaps is to be honest and upfront in your executive resume bio. Simply tell the truth about gaps. By providing explanations for why you were between jobs, you establish trust in the relationship. It’s much better to explain in your executive resume bio or executive resume cover letter that you took some time to raise your children or simply took a sabbatical than to remain silent about why the gaps exist.

What About Terminations?

What if the gap in employment exists due to a termination? Be truthful about why you were not a good fit for previous employers and use the opportunity to explain how you used the time between jobs to develop or maintain job related skills.
It can be important to work closely with a professional resume service who can help you create a complete resume. It’s imperative to create a gap-free document, from the executive resume cover letter to a complete and thorough resume.

What Are the Best and Worse Ways to Job Hunt?

BlogExecutive ResumesResume WritingSocial Marketing/Online Branding

The best resume writing services can help you hunt for a job successfully.

The task of finding your next job can quickly become overwhelming, especially if you don’t go about it the right way. While working with the best resume writing services and creating a solid executive LinkedIn profile can go a long way toward making you attractive to prospective employers, it’s important to learn how to walk the fine line between looking desperate and showing determination.

Mass Distribution

You spend a lot of time creating your resume so it seems like a lot of work to customize it to every employer you are considering. This can lead you to send out a mass resume mailing to every job you want. Unfortunately, sending carbon copies of your resume to every potential employer can actually cause you to lose your chance at the job. Instead, you need to do your research on every company you are considering and make minor adjustments that reflect the company philosophy and the exact requirements of the job to which you are applying.

Applying to Everything

If you’ve been looking for a job for a while, you may be tempted to start sending your resume out to every job listing you can find in the hopes of landing any job. While this may be necessary in some situations, it’s important to make sure you’re putting your executive resume in front of the right people. Think about what skills you have and which types of businesses are most likely to need someone with your skill set. An executive resume writer can help you focus on your skills and determine which job listings are worth your time.

Being Too Honest

Most people are aware they won’t get a job or could lose a job they thought they had if the employer finds out they have lied or exaggerated on their executive resume. While honesty is always the best policy, there is such a thing as being too honest. When you’re writing a professional resume and cover letter, there are some things you shouldn’t include, such as the exact reason you want the job, especially if it’s because of the pay grade, or your lack of experience. Instead, the best resume writing services will help you shine yourself in a positive light without stretching the truth or providing too much information.
While an executive LinkedIn profile may be a valuable tool in helping you get the job you want, your resume will still play a key role. Before you start your job search, however, it’s important to work with the best resume writing services to ensure you are taking the right approach to your job hunt. With their help, you can be sure you will make the best impression and increase your chances of landing the job you want.