What’s the first thing you think about when you start preparing or updating your resume? A common misconception today is thinking you have to craft your resume to be more general since you don’t know exactly what an employer wants to see. The reality is hiring managers are looking specifically for people who understand their needs and have the skills and knowledge to solve their problems. The key to getting recognized is writing an effective resume geared toward acknowledging those specific needs and demonstrating why you have the skills they are looking for. Targeting your resume is critical today, and here’s why it’s so important.
Targeting Doesn’t Limit Your Job Search
Your first thought when the best executive resume writers tell you to target your resume may be that you’re limiting your job search options. There’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all resume. Employers need to see specifically how you can help their current and future situation, so only including relevant information in your resume is critical. When writing an effective resume, your time is much better spent researching a potential employer and targeting the resume accordingly rather than trying to create a general resume to reach a wider audience.
What To Do Before Writing Your Resume
The top resume writing services always suggest thinking hard about exactly what you want to do at your next job. Once you have your goals and desires set, you can search for potential employers that can help you achieve those goals. Take a look at what attributes and skills the company needs and identify where you can help them out the most. When writing your resume, be sure to demonstrate your brand clearly so the hiring manager will know exactly who you are, what you stand for and how you can help the company achieve its goals.
Make Your Resume Stand Out
Hiring managers want to see you’ve done your research on them before sending in a resume. The best executive resume writers can help you with relevant keywords and phrases employers want to see. When you value the idea of working for an employer, the hiring manager will be able to see it and you’ll have a better chance of getting called in for an interview.
Professional Resume Services knows it can be difficult to wrap your mind around targeting a resume. While resume targeting has always been important, employers today take it much more seriously in their efforts to narrow down candidates to find the right fit. We take pride in being one of the top resume writing services and are here to help you with your job searching journey. Feel free to reach out to us at any time for assistance when writing your targeted resume.
Have you ever felt like you were spinning your wheels during your job search? You may be putting forth a lot of effort but not moving forward as quickly as you’d like. Sometimes it’s best to take a step back and evaluate your strategy and make some alterations as needed. If you need to, get advice from an executive resume service or a professional LinkedIn profile writer to help you jumpstart your searching efforts again. Here are a few great tips to help you speed up your job search.
Focus On Your Personal Brand
Every action you take should boost your c-level personal branding. Whether it’s at a networking event, writing a resume, developing your LinkedIn profile or anything else, your brand should always be front and center. If recruiters or hiring managers can’t get a good sense of who you are as a person or a worker, they’ll be hesitant to take the next steps with you in the job interview process. Focusing on c-level personal branding is only going to benefit your job search efforts.
Network Online And In Person
Networking has always been an essential part of a job search and will continue to be. You can network around the clock if you want to with platforms like LinkedIn. In fact, many people start conversations on LinkedIn before meeting at a formal event, just so there’s already some familiarity there. Just be sure to have a professional LinkedIn profile writer review your profile to ensure you’re not making any critical mistakes inadvertently.
Target Your Resume
An executive resume service can help you target your resume to the employer you’re interested in. You can send out as many resumes as you want, but if it’s too general then companies will see right through it and toss it to the side. Resume targeting is critical today, so it’s well worth the time and effort to find out exactly what a company wants and how your skills fit.
Build A Positive Online Presence
You have to assume any potential hiring manager is going to do an online search for your name. This is another reason why working with a professional LinkedIn profile writer is important. They can emphasize certain keywords to ensure your profile shows up high in the search results. Do an online search for your name and clean up anything that doesn’t demonstrate your overall brand.
Professional Resume Services understands how frustrating it can be not knowing what employers want to see. Our executive resume service goes beyond simply writing error-free resumes. We can work with you throughout your job search, answer any questions you may have and make any tweaks along the way. If you’re ready to speed up your job search and get into the job you want quicker, contact us to see if there’s any way we can help.
Anyone can write a resume with basic components in it. However, since many people have this strategy, you’ll have a hard time standing out among the large pool of applicants for any given job. The keys to writing an effective resume today are different than they were several years ago. So if you haven’t been a part of a job search in a while, it may be worth hiring an executive resume writer to fully optimize your resume. The best resume writing service goes beyond simply writing resumes, though. Here are other attributes you should expect from your expert resume writer.
Attention To All Aspects of A Job Search
There are many more aspects of a job search than simply writing a resume and submitting it to the HR manager. The top executive positions aren’t located on online job boards or in classified ads. They are found through networking and other channels that aren’t easily visible. This means you have to utilize social media wisely, especially LinkedIn, attend networking events, create original expert content, enhance your personal brand and more. The best resume writing service will provide you with tips on all of these points so you’re well-rounded in your job search.
Focus On Personal Branding
Personal branding is critical today. Your presence online is often how you’ll be perceived in reality, so be sure to clean up your online brand. If you aren’t sure what your online brand is, then do a Google search for your name and see what comes up. Your expert executive resume writer can help you slowly change your image by providing you with ideas for original articles and engaging with other professionals. The goal is to have your name tied with positive attributes that make you appear as an expert in your industry.
Tailored Strategies Based on Your Skills And Interests
Coming up with a job search strategy is often the most difficult part job seekers struggle with. The best resume writing service will help you develop effective strategies based on where you want to work, the type of work you want to do and your current and future interests. Generic resumes won’t get you very far in the job searching world today, so tailoring your resume to particular companies will demonstrate how valuable you can be to that specific company.
Professional Resume Services offers valuable insights and expertise into the job searching landscape today. If you’re like many executives, you may not have had to search for a new job in a while. Strategies have changed drastically over the years, and our expert team can quickly catch you up to speed and help you out every step of the way. Be sure to contact us if you’re getting ready to begin your job search, or even if you’re already in the middle of it, and we can help you discover the opportunity you desire.
What’s your strategy as an executive job seeker? There’s no right or wrong answer to the question, and sometimes it takes trial and error to truly figure out what the most effective strategy is for you. Even then, adjustments must be made along the way. Simply thinking you can write resumes that get you hired isn’t the best strategy overall today. With the digital age we live in, it requires more work and effort to get recognized. Here are some ongoing strategies you should consider incorporating into your job search regularly.
Always Be Active on LinkedIn
Having a complete LinkedIn profile is great, but being active on the platform is even better. Consider working with a LinkedIn profile writer to get the basics of your profile taken care of. At that point, you can join LinkedIn groups, revisit old connections, post original content, comment on other people’s content and more. The point is the more people who see your name, the more attention you’ll get. Just be sure not to overdo it to the point where people may get tired of hearing from you.
Be Creative And Insightful With Content You Post
Posting original content relevant to your industry is a great strategy for standing out among the competition. While executive resume writer services can help you put together a solid resume, your expertise is required to write original content. You can post these articles on your website or publish them on your LinkedIn profile. The idea is to be creative and insightful with each post so you’ll earn some credibility with each one.
Keep Your Name Relevant With Comments on Posts
Find a good balance between the original articles you post and the comments you make on other posts. When you make engaging comments or ask insightful questions, you could spark a discussion with other readers or the writer themselves. People appreciate comments on their articles and you never know when it could lead to something greater.
Have A Resume Always Prepared
Writing resumes that get you hired today means having various versions of your resume targeted at the companies you’re interested in. Once you’ve researched your targeted companies, consider working with executive resume writer services to have a resume prepared when the opportunity arises. Whether you need to send it to a connection electronically or physically at a networking event, you should always be prepared.
Professional Resume Services enjoys talking with executive job seekers about their strategies. In addition to helping write resumes that get you hired, we can also help you with developing your LinkedIn profile and taking other steps to ensure you’re ready for new opportunities. No matter what stage you’re at in your job search, feel free to contact us at any time for assistance along the way.
When writing an effective resume, demonstrating your personal brand is critical. Most executives have similar skills and achievements, so what can set you apart from the rest is the overall value you bring to the table. While your brand is what it is, you can tailor the message in your resume depending on the company you are targeting. This may mean one of your most important achievements at your current company shouldn’t go on your resume when applying for another company if it’s not relevant. Companies today want to know what value you have to offer them specifically and here are some tips to help you show this clearly.
Utilize Keywords Effectively For SEO Purposes
You’ll have a hard time demonstrating your c-level personal branding if you don’t have a keyword-rich resume. SEO is critical in the landscape of job searching today to give your resume, LinkedIn profile or anything else a chance of being discovered. The good news is an executive resume writer can help you incorporate appropriate keywords while also keeping your brand in mind.
Show Some Personality
A quality aspect of c-level personal branding is showing what you’re most passionate about and what you will bring to the table at your targeted company. You can show some personality in your resume without getting personal. For example, when you write about your leadership style and techniques, the reader can get a good idea of the type of person you are and how you work with others. Without this personality, your resume may look the same as the other hundreds of resumes that come across a recruiter’s desk.
Include Metrics When You Can
Another key to writing an effective resume is incorporating metrics, statistics and numbers when they are appropriate and relate to the job you’re applying for. Don’t be shy about talking about these in your resume. Backing up your claims with actual numbers is powerful and can really hit home for a hiring manager when it relates to their company.
Only Show Relevant Information
The biggest mistake an executive resume writer always sees is when someone includes their past achievements that aren’t relevant to the job they’re applying for. Companies aren’t necessarily as concerned with what you’ve done in the past as they are with what you’ll do for them in the future. Don’t rely on the reader to make connections between the two. Your biggest accomplishment at a previous employer may not be beneficial at all to your future employer, so don’t include it if it’s not relevant.
Professional Resume Services believes c-level personal branding is what sets many executives apart from the rest. Executives often believe branding only happens during networking events. While this is true, your brand has to also be evident in your resume, cover letter, LinkedIn profile and anywhere else. Once a hiring manager can clearly see what your overall brand is, you’ll have a better chance of landing the job. Feel free to contact us at any time if you need assistance with clearly demonstrating your brand on paper.
Plenty of myths and misconceptions are out there when it comes to the best methods for conducting a job search today. If it’s been a while since you’ve had to search for a job, you may think the new trend is posting your resume to online job boards rather than visiting companies in person. However, you could be wasting a lot of time by making that your strategy. A professional resume writing service can help you create the best resume possible, but it doesn’t guarantee you’ll get the first job you apply to. Here are some tips and strategies to help you land your dream executive job in today’s digital age.
Why Networking is an Effective Job Search Strategy
Networking has been around since the beginning of time, and it’s still one of the most effective job search methods. However, the landscape has changed slightly and professionals are using their executive LinkedIn profile to lead their efforts. You can build a large list of connections via LinkedIn in many ways, including joining LinkedIn groups. If you have a targeted company you want to work for, you can search the platform to find employees there to connect with. You never know whom you may cross paths with, so networking is always worth the effort.
Clean Up Your Social Media Profiles
You have to expect recruiters and hiring managers to search for your name and check every social media profile you have. Be sure to clean these up so they reflect the personality you want others to see. There could still be some lingering posts from several years ago that aren’t appropriate, and you definitely don’t want a hiring manager to discover them. Once all the negative aspects have been cleaned up, you can optimize your LinkedIn profile and other platforms to enhance your personal brand.
Brush Up Your Resume
A professional resume writing service may need to check your resume for common mistakes. The same resume format you used to get your current job several years ago may not be attractive today. You also want to use more targeted language throughout your resume instead of just creating a general one to apply to multiple jobs with. With Applicant Tracking Systems and other technology employers have available, one minor mistake in your resume can ruin your job search. It’s better to have a professional look it over to be sure you aren’t sabotaging your job search before it even begins.
Professional Resume Services is a professional resume writing service that does much more than simply write and revise resumes. We understand the importance of a quality executive LinkedIn profile and work with our clients to ensure their image is consistent across all platforms. Landing your executive dream job today requires more effort than it did a decade ago, so feel free to reach out to us at any time for more tips to help you out.
Writing the perfect resume may seem difficult to accomplish with all of the tips and tricks you have heard about. The top resume writing services can point out mistakes on your resume that you may not even believe is an issue. For example, we’ve all heard about the value of using bullet points in a resume, but did you know using too many bullet points is a sign of desperation in the eyes of an employer? Identifying mistakes like this can be tough, so here are five of the biggest errors the top resume writing services can help you discover and prevent.
Not Including Your LinkedIn Profile
Nowadays employers are going to look for social proof rather than simply relying on your resume to tell them what they need to know. Not including your LinkedIn profile link at the top or bottom of your resume may indicate you’re hiding something or you don’t want them to search for you online. Employers will try to find your LinkedIn profile anyway, so make it easier on them by providing the link.
Too Many Bullet Points
While it’s tempting to list out every achievement, skill and accomplishment you’ve earned over the years, try not to put them in the form of too many bullet points. Having more than about five bullet points may indicate you’re trying too hard to appear qualified for the job. It’s best to narrow down your most relevant attributes to the job you’re applying for and only include those.
Not Enough White Space
You never want your resume to be more than two pages, but you also shouldn’t stuff as much text as possible into those two pages. The best executive resume format will leave a good amount of white space around the perimeter of the document and between each section of the resume. This makes the entire document look cleaner and it’s much easier for the hiring manager to read.
Listing Political Affiliations
You may feel strongly about your political affiliation, but your resume is not the place to list it. One of the only times the top resume writing services will recommend listing your political affiliation is if it’s relevant to the job you’re applying for. Otherwise, it’s generally a big risk to include it.
Inconsistencies or Typographical Errors
Proofreading your resume thoroughly for typographical errors or inconsistencies is essential. Don’t rely on spell check offered by your software program, since it doesn’t always catch everything. Once you believe you have everything in order, allow a friend or a resume expert to proofread and critique it as well so you don’t miss anything.
Professional Resume Services can easily identify potential errors in a resume that aren’t necessarily evident to the average person. We know what hiring managers and recruiters are looking for and what the major pitfalls of any given resume are. If you’re unsure about any aspect of your resume, feel free to reach out to us at any time for helpful tips and hints to consider.
When it comes to writing an effective resume, there aren’t any magic secrets to get you the perfect resume that will get you hired to any job you want. Instead, the secret lies in doing research about the company or companies you’re interested in, tailoring your resume to them, highlighting your most valuable skills and never having any mistakes in it. These are some of the most basic tips everyone should incorporate in their resume, but an executive resume writer can help you take yours a step further. Here are two resume writing tips to consider to take your resume to the next level in terms of making an impact.
Show Some Personality
As difficult as it may sound, the best resumes will demonstrate some of your personality without sacrificing professionalism or a formal tone. A professional resume writing service may even refer to showing personality as demonstrating your own personal brand. Providing a single brand statement at the top of your resume may be a good strategy to consider if it’s strong enough. Otherwise, simply incorporating some of your voice into your writing throughout the resume can be just as impactful.
Make An Impact With A Quote
An executive resume writer may also ask if there’s a particular quote you find powerful or one that represents who you are as a person and a worker. This could be a quote you came up with on your own, a famous quote or even one you heard from a co-worker. Highlighting this quote at the top of your resume in or near the bio will make the biggest impact since it’s often the first area the reader will look. A great quote will help the reader determine what kind of person you are and what your value will be if hired.
Your Resume Should Flow Naturally
Showing personality throughout your resume and including a quote are two great tips to follow, but it’s also critical for the resume to flow naturally throughout. Once you’ve taken care of the details and feel great about how your resume looks, take it to a professional resume writing service. Sometimes you may be showing too much personality without realizing it, which can make it seem informal. Having another set of expert eyes take a look at it will tie up any loose ends.
Professional Resume Services always makes sure the basics of every resume are covered before getting into the details to make the resume stand out. When a hiring manager looks at a resume, they want to see something different. The biggest mistake executives often make is drafting their resume in too formal of nature, which sounds just like every other resume that gets sent in. To learn more about how you can add some extra personality to your resume, contact us at any time.
