Sometimes it might seem like an Executive Resume is the kind of resume you needbecause “Top Level C-Position” is the top rung of the mythical career ladder. The problem with that thinking is the idea that there’s only one career ladder and it is an inexorable march to the one goal of CEO. The Executive Resume is for someone who is:
experienced in working within an organization and ready to transition to this type of position
interested in things like planning the strategic infrastructure of a Fortune 500 company or negotiating multi-million dollar partnerships
seeking positions as President, CEO, COO, CFO, CIO, CTO and other senior/c-level positions
In reality, there are many career ladders, and every rung is an important rung. Being a senior level executive is just one of them. That’s good, when you think about it, because if there were only one type of job, most of us would be pretty unhappy. Your resume is the tool you use to show potential employers how well you can fill the openings in their enterprise, and there are many varieties of job openings. Resumes need to be maintained: as we work, learn and grow, we change. Then the jobs we are suited for will change, too. An Executive Resume cannot help you ifyour experience and preference is that you explore managing a garden shop to see if you can blend your love of growing things with working beside people and learning business techniques. That’s why Professional Resume Services offers different types of resumes and a consultation with every one: When it comes to your resume, one size does not fit all.
An executive resume is a top-level tool in your repertoire, and it needs to be maintained or it gets rusty and out of date. When should you update your resume? Here are two clues to look for: Other co-workers are being promoted to positions you qualify for. If you have been taking classes, getting training certifications, or regularly attending seminars in your field and it isn’t on your resume; maybe it should be. Movement within an organization often depends on the applicant making sure their assets are on file and actively seeking positions. Do coworkers know you are interested in other levels in the organization? Do you keep tabs on what is opening up and apply for positions that interest you? It has been a year or more since you looked at your resume. It’s a good idea to have regular resume updating scheduled, just like you regularly have your car maintained. It’s a lot easier to do a tune-up than it is to replace an engine that blew out because of poor maintenance. In the same way, regularly looking at your executive resume and tweaking it to reflect who you are today keeps you aware of where you could use some extra training to qualify for that next level in your career. Executive resumes are important to maintain accurately. The top levels of the workplace require investing in the best tools available, and your resume is a snapshot of the package you offer as an executive in that workplace. If your resume needs to be updated to an “executive resume” level because you have reached that rung in the corporate ladder, it might be a good idea to consult with experts. The Executive Resume Package has a good overview of the process involved. Even if you decide you can do this yourself, it will give you an idea of the things you need to consider when updating your resume.
When was the last time you carefully assessed your executive resume? Perhaps you should take a look at your resume, and see if it is “on target” for the 3 important factors that every “executive” resume has:
Your executive resume is your image. Impressions are formed, wrongly or rightly, about your professionalism, abilities, and more. Everything plays into “image”, much of it subconsciously. The color of the paper, choice of font, style and standard of writing, organization of information, and more, form a picture of who you are as a prospective employee.
Your executive resume is your calling card. This is how a prospective employer refreshes their memory about the facts concerning you and your potential for their organization. This is how that prospective employer has the information needed to contact you when they want to call you in for an interview. Everything on your executive resume should be accurate, up to date, and easy to find.
Your executive resume is your responsibility. Even if you hire a professional resume service, yours is the final say in the finished product that is distributed. The level of professionalism and polish of the executive resume reflect the candidate for the top jobs. That candidate — YOU — are assumed to have approved every detail of your resume.
Because these important factors are a reality in every resume, it is highly important that your executive resume is “on target” as reaching the goal of a professional executive standard. Executive positions do require a higher standard of resume, one that is worth the higher compensation such positions are paid. It is your responsibility to make sure that the “image” and “calling card” in your resume meet these higher standards.
When you are distributing resumes your ultimate goal is to get the job.A job as a high power executive. In order to get a job you need to get an interview and in order to get an interview your potential employers need to be able to contact you. This is where your executive resume comes in. Your resume needs to have your name, address, email, and phone number at the very top of your resume in the heading. These will be the main forms of communication that an employer will use to contact you. If these are not clear on your resume then you may have lost the job already. Some people leave it off for confidentiality reasons, but I think that could be a mistake. To some recruiters or hiring managers, it seems suspicious. In this day there are some additional ways that an employer can contact you and judge you as an appropriate candidate for the position. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter are popular ways for employers to check up on there potential employees. In order to ensure they are really checking up on you and not someone with the same name you should put your profile names in a separate section on your executive resume. If you have a personal website, then put the URL on your resume as well. Make sure your online profiles are cleaned up and professional. Even top executives get turned down due to less than appropriate profile pics or posts. Your executive resume is all your potential employers have and you need to ensure that they are able to get a hold of you. Your executive resume is your calling card and if you do not have the correct information present, then you will lose the job opportunity and you won’t reach that ultimate goal you have been striving for: getting a job that is worthwhile.
One frequent question I hear from my clients (even those who are happy in their jobs) is, “How often should I update my resume, or should I?” After all, they aren’t looking for a new job and are happy where they are in their careers. This is a stumbling block that people need to get over quickly; you should always have an updated resume. From a practical standpoint, are you really completely content to remain in exactly the same position you are currently in for the rest of your career? Even movement within the same company can often come with a request for an updated resume. And isn’t movement the whole point? Keeping your resume updated for such occasions makes sense… especially if you are on a senior or executive track. Plus, you have most likely learned new skills, taken a few new classes or seminars, tucked some new accomplishments under your belt, and/or just generally changed since you took the position you are currently in, so your resume should reflect that. There is also the reality of economics to consider. Companies shift focus, change and develop over time. People lose jobs and move on to other careers. All of these factors mean that you will likely be hunting for another job some time in the course of your career. Having a resume ready to go will allow you to quickly find a new job. It’s also far easier to keep a resume updated than to start over and try to fill in the missing pieces. Keeping your resume updated makes sense, and is a practical way of handling your career. You will always be ready to hand over a current copy when the opportunity presents itself.
Civilian Jobs After Military Service: Finding Your Next Career
If you have recently completed military service and are looking for a new career, you might be surprised to find that your branch of the military has career resources and job search materials to help make your transition to civilian life easier. There are also many companies that specifically give hiring preferences to those individuals that have honorably served their country. In addition to hiring preferences, there are also educational opportunities available to help you find a new career. Many people, both military and civilian, falsely believe that being former military means you are only qualified to work in security or police careers. Nothing could be further from the truth. Today’s military trains men and women for careers in everything from medicine to computers. You just need to let people know what your specialty is in and the best way to do that is in your resume. When completing your resume, be sure to have a civilian look at it just to make sure that you aren’t using terms that are familiar only to someone in the military. You will also want to highlight your leadership abilities as well as your skills in your specialty area. When writing your cover letter, you will want to briefly mention your military career and how it trained you for the position that you are seeking. Civilian life is very different from military life, but leadership, honesty and reliability are important in both worlds. Employers recognize this, and many if not most know that an employee that is former military is likely to be an asset to their company in whatever capacity he or she is hired.
While LinkedIn has become extremely popular with businesses and companies, it still seems to be lagging a bit when it comes to those seeking jobs. That’s a shame because it’s one of the easiest and most effective job search tools available today. Many company hiring managers check LinkedIn before looking anywhere else for new employees.
The main reason that LinkedIn isn’t being used as much as it should be by job seekers is because it’s considered a form of social media and that term alone makes people think of it as a leisure activity. Nothing could be further from the truth where LinkedIn is concerned. There are, of course, a variety of ways to use the service and some are naturally better than others.
To start, you want to make sure that your profile is 100% complete. If you aren’t sure how to go about doing this, consider hiring a professional to translate your resume into your LinkedIn profile. Having a completed profile that stands out is a great way to give potential employers a good look at you before the interview process.
It’s also important to note that many companies are asking for your LinkedIn profile when you submit a resume. It has actually become so common that many people just include their LinkedIn URL on their resume to begin with.
LinkedIn can also be used overtly for an active job search. Because thousands of companies have company profiles and use the site for headhunting, many of their job openings are published on the site before, or even instead of, any place else. Once you have a completed profile, you can simply click a button and apply for a multitude of jobs.
Consider updating, or even beginning to use, LinkedIn as a job search tool. It’s a great way to be seen by thousands of companies fast.
This is probably one of the most common questions job seekers face when creating a new resume.The traditional chronological resume can be daunting when there is a gap in employment. Knowing that you will have to explain the gap during an interview can be even more daunting. No worries! There are several ways to deal with this problem, and any expert resume writer can easily communicate your value regardless of whether or not you’ve been unemployed for a period of time.
Employers understand that there are numerous, legitimate reasons job candidates have gaps in their employment records. You might have taken time away from work to pursue an advanced degree, care for a sick family member, or even raise a family. No matter the reason, it’s best to use a resume format that will highlight your skills and downplay these gaps. Remember that just because you were not officially working, it doesn’t mean that you were idle and learning nothing. You want to play up these points as much as possible without focusing on the periods when you were not employed.
A closely related issue is where someone has had many jobs in a short period of time. This can make a candidate look unreliable when printed on a resume. Again, a resume that highlights skills over chronological employment is normally the best fit. It’s not uncommon for freelancers, technical support personnel, and other contract workers to have been contracted by several employers during a short period of time. What is important is making sure that your resume shows the expertise and skills you learned, as well as what accomplishments you’ve achieved in each job.
The best resume writers will focus the reader on a candidate’s skills and expertise, to the point that gaps and/or short contract jobs become a non-issue. If you are writing your own resume, you need to do the same. If you are having your resume professionally created, discuss the matter thoroughly with the writer and make sure that the best possible version of YOU shines through in the final product.
