Employers today are using applicant tracking systems (ATS) more than ever before. The purpose of ATS is to help hiring managers electronically sort through large stacks of resumes and to filter out unqualified candidates. As an executive job seeker, you have to keep ATS in mind when writing resumes that get you hired. You could put together the best executive resume format, but if certain keywords are missing from the resume, then it could quickly be sorted away. So how do you know if you are defeating ATS or if it’s defeating you? Here are important points to consider.
Understanding Applicant Tracking Systems
Applicant tracking systems can differ, so job applicants never really know what criteria any particular system has. The majority of them will pick out specific fields in the resume, such as relevant experience, educational background, contact information and other common headers. ATS can also identify keywords throughout the resume and use all the information to provide the recruiter or hiring manager with a score for the resume. The employer will have a certain score they look for, and if your resume does not pass, then it will never be looked at by human eyes.
Keywords Are Critical
Using the right keywords in your resume is critical for getting a passing ATS score. However, ATS can identify keyword stuffing as well, so they have to be used appropriately. The best professional resume writing services will help you strategically place your keywords throughout the resume, based on the keywords located in the job description and job requirements of the posting.
Is it Possible to Defeat ATS?
Many job seekers work diligently to have the best executive resume format and focus completely on defeating ATS. While it is entirely possible to include the right mix of keywords and relevant information on a resume, you have to remember that once you pass ATS, an actual human will read the resume as well. For example, if a certain job description requires a certification, you will eventually have to back up your claim that you either have the certification or are actively working to obtain it. Simply including the word “certification” in your resume may get through ATS, but it won’t help you land the job if you can’t back up the claim when a human asks you about it. Professional Resume Services understands the struggle of defeating ATS. Writing resumes that get you hired today is more difficult than ever before, mainly because of the automation and technology available to help hiring managers sort through resumes. Our professional resume writing services are available to help you through these struggles, so don’t hesitate to contact us at any time for assistance.
Must Have Communication Strategies for Every Executive Job Seeker
Effective communication skills used to be added benefits for an executive job seeker, but nowadays it’s a requirement. You’re expected to have top notch communication skills, so if you’re struggling with your job search, it may be time to look into boosting that aspect. Sometimes people don’t even realize they are communicating ineffectively on paper or in person until they hear it from professional executive resume writers. The good news is identifying any potential flaws is generally straightforward and fixing them is entirely possible. Here are some must-have communication strategies for every executive job seeker.
Communicate Clearly on Paper
Your resume, cover letter and LinkedIn profile are the three main components any hiring manager will look at. Since you never know which one they will look at first, all three have to be worded clearly and concisely. The key to effective written communication is telling your reader why you are the best candidate for the job in as few words as possible. Even an expert writer needs someone to look over their work to ensure the proper message is being presented, and professional executive resume writers can be that resource.
Validate Written Skills With Great Interpersonal Communication
Being a well-rounded communicator means your written skills need to be backed up by your verbal communication. Your verbal communication skills are put to the test every time you talk to someone, whether it’s at a networking event, a career fair or even a job interview. You have a chance to boost your c-level personal branding every time you say a word, so choose each word wisely and practice effective communication regularly. The worst thing you can do is call yourself an effective communicator in your resume, but your speech isn’t as polished as you make it sound on paper.
Control Your Online Presence
Your online presence is huge in today’s world. Many executives make the mistake of thinking if they don’t utilize social media and don’t create an account for a LinkedIn profile, then they won’t have an online presence to worry about. The reality is their online presence is still there, but they just don’t have any control over it if they choose to ignore it. Align your online communications with your c-level personal branding and control the message you want people to know about you. Professional Resume Services places a big emphasis on communication every time we meet with an executive. It’s important for your resume style to match your interpersonal communication style, so we take the time to understand your strengths and weaknesses clearly. Communication is such a vital part of an executive job search, so contact us if you need help developing or tweaking yours.
You have a maximum of 30 seconds to impress someone who reads your LinkedIn profile summary. Many executives struggle with balancing the requirement of talking about yourself, while also explaining your impact on others. It’s challenging to do when you sit down and think about it, so sometimes it’s best to just start with LinkedIn profile development services for assistance. Being concise is key, since every single word matters in your profile summary. Here are the main things to keep in mind when developing yours.
Tell People Who You Are
Can you describe yourself in roughly 10 seconds? That’s about one or two sentences to explain who you are, what your identity is and what value you bring to the table. You don’t have to be a professional LinkedIn profile writer to put together these two sentences, but you do have to choose your words carefully. These first two sentences are critical, since people will generally choose to keep reading or leave your page depending on how intrigued they are.
Be Brief About What You Do
This is the part where you can get specific. Expand on your role within your company, your specialties, areas of expertise and a brief summary of what you do in a nutshell. Do your best to fit this information in three or four sentences to avoid getting too lengthy. If you choose to hire a LinkedIn profile writer, they will try to condense this section as much as possible, while still getting the point across.
Finish With A Bang
If you want to really know how to optimize your LinkedIn profile, it’s by finishing your profile summary with a bang. These last couple of sentences will be similar to your opening two sentences, but make them even stronger. Reiterate how your passion and expertise helps people succeed and how your success has translated into success for your company. Making the last sentence or two impactful will help make your profile summary memorable. Professional Resume Services understands the challenges of writing an effective LinkedIn profile summary. Our LinkedIn profile development services can help you develop the most impactful profile to aid in your networking and professional development efforts. To learn more about how to wow with your LinkedIn profile summary or about the many other services, feel free to contact us at any time.
Have you heard you shouldn’t apply for jobs during the holidays, since companies aren’t hiring anyway? This is one of the most common myths we hear this time of year. Not only is the statement not true, but it’s actually the opposite in some cases. Companies always accept resumes and cover letters because they don’t want to miss out on a quality candidate. Here are some of the top myths about holiday hiring you may hear, but shouldn’t believe.
Myth #1: Companies Don’t Hire During The Holidays
In most cases, a company is going to hire a candidate if the perfect person walks into their office. The holiday season may be slower from a job seeker’s standpoint, but it rarely has an impact on whether a company is hiring. In fact, some companies prefer to hire at the end of the year because they know the candidates who apply will be serious since they are conducting a job search throughout the holidays. So choose the best executive resume writing service and send in your resume.
Myth #2: People Are Too Busy To Network
This is actually the opposite during the holidays for most companies. The end of the year rush can be intense for some people, but there’s always time to network and be social. Keep your LinkedIn profile updated and reach out to business connections when you have a chance. This is a great time of year to connect or reconnect, and you never know when it could lead to an opportunity.
Myth #3: Jobs Posted During The Holidays Are Temporary
Some jobs are only temporary to get through the holiday rush, but it’s not fair to make this a general statement. And besides, temporary jobs can sometimes end up being a permanent job if you do the job well. You can always ask the employer if you’re concerned with the type of job being offered, but if it’s not specifically stated, you should assume the opening is for a full-time position.
Myth #4: Budget Constraints Prevent Hiring During The Holidays
Sometimes a company has extra money to invest at the end of the year, but sometimes it doesn’t. You shouldn’t refrain from writing resumes and cover letters just because you think a company won’t hire you during the holidays. Many companies leave room in their budget for an end-of-year hiring so then they have their staff in place to begin the new year. Professional Resume Services is here to help you develop your LinkedIn profile, craft the perfect resume or cover letter or assist with any aspect of your holiday job search. If you’re planning to look for a new job to start the new year, you shouldn’t delay any further. Feel free to contact us to learn more about holiday hiring myths and why you should update your resume today.
Being aggressive with an executive job search doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be pushy or demanding. Aggressiveness actually means spending a significant amount of time developing the best resumes and cover letters tailored to the job and company you’re applying for. There’s still a time and place for a follow up after you’ve applied for a position, but the vast majority of your work should be done beforehand. Here are some tips to consider throughout your job search.
Tailor Your Resume Specifically For The Job
Writing general resumes and cover letters won’t get you very far. One of the best things you can do is look at the details of all the requirements and insert the keywords you identify into your application papers. You may think an HR manager or recruiter won’t be able to know you’ve sent in the same resume to multiple different companies, but they’ve likely filtered through thousands of resumes in their career to know the difference between a general and specific one.
Read The Job Application Thoroughly
Missing a critical detail in a job application is a guaranteed way to be removed from consideration. For example, if a specific work sample is required for the application, not including one shows your lack of attention to detail. No matter how much you follow up, they will remember you didn’t follow directions from the application, so what makes them think you can follow directions if they hire you?
Make Connections
Once you’ve put together your best executive resume biography and filled out the job application perfectly, wait a week or two before following up. In the meantime, feel free to make connections with the HR manager or other company personnel via LinkedIn or other networking platform. Just be sure to optimize your LinkedIn profile before your reach out so it helps your case instead of hurting it.
Follow Up At Appropriate Times
Following up on a job application is important and effective if done at the right time. As mentioned, wait at least one week after you submit your application before you follow up. There’s sometimes no way to tell if your resume and cover letter get lost in the shuffle, so sending a quick email displaying your interest is recommended. A follow up email is an aggressive way to move your job search forward, but be sure to draw the line between being aggressive and being pushy. Professional Resume Services wants to be involved with all aspects of your executive job search. We can help you optimize your LinkedIn profile, craft the perfect cover letter or resume or even provide tips on how to show the right amount of aggressiveness during your job search. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you’re in need of assistance at any point during your job search.
How and When to Follow Up After Your Executive Job Application
It’s human nature to want to receive a response very shortly after sending in your executive resume for a job application. However, the reality is an HR manager likely has to filter through hundreds of resumes on top of their other job duties, so a quick response rarely happens. That doesn’t mean you should never follow up though. Your executive resume writing service will tell you there’s a right time to follow up, as well as a right way to go about it. Here are some tips to consider once you’ve sent in your resume.
Wait At Least One Week to Follow Up
The HR manager or recruiter likely won’t be contacting anyone for at least one week, so give them time to sort through the stack of resumes. Another tip to consider is sending in your follow up in the middle of the week, since Monday’s are generally the busiest days and Friday’s are more relaxed.
Choose Email Over Other Communication Methods
When writing an effective resume, you likely sent your job application for consideration via email. But even if you didn’t, your follow up should still be sent over email rather than a phone call or an in-person visit. Those two methods demonstrate aggressiveness and could be perceived as pushy. Email shows you’re interested in knowing the status of your application, but will give the recipient time to respond at their leisure.
Consider LinkedIn For A Follow Up
An HR manager’s email inbox may have been flooded with new applications, including yours, so sending a message through LinkedIn could be a welcoming change for them. Just be sure you’ve focused on your LinkedIn profile development prior to reaching out, since your profile will likely be looked at closely. A LinkedIn message could prompt the HR manager to dig through their stack of resumes to find yours, since matching a name with a face is ideal in most situations.
Show Interest Without Being Desperate
Desperation doesn’t look good on anyone. Instead of simply asking what the status of your application is, send in a letter of recommendation along with why you’re interested in working for their company. The key to an effective follow up is giving them something to remember you by. Professional Resume Services is here to help you with anything related to your executive job search. Whether you need some assistance with your LinkedIn profile development, writing an effective resume or knowing what to include in your follow up email, we are here when you need us. Feel free to contact us at any time to learn more about our services.
Writing executive resume cover letters is challenging enough. Executives may spend a significant amount of time writing their cover letter, only to have a simple mistake cost them the job. It’s easy to focus on the technical details and ensuring you’ve included the most important aspects of your skills and experience in your cover letter. However, you also have to make sure the most common mistakes are avoided. Here are the top three most common executive cover letter mistakes to look for.
Misspelled Words
Typographical errors happen, but you can’t let them happen in an executive bio or cover letter. A misspelled word could demonstrate to an employer your lack of attention to detail. Since your executive cover letter makes the first impression, some employers will assume these types of mistakes will happen in your work as well, and not hire you as a result. It’s not necessarily the fact that you made a typographical error, but not catching the error looks more concerning.
Including Too Much Information
Any cover letter writing service will tell you to keep your executive cover letter short and to the point. Employers aren’t going to spend a lot of time reading a cover letter. If they see a huge block of text on a page, they may not even read the first sentence before tossing it aside. A clear and concise cover letter demonstrates your ability to communicate effectively. Having too much information can be portrayed as having poor communication skills, which isn’t a good trait to have as an executive.
Hard-to-Read Format
The use of white space, bullet points, margins and other formatting technicalities are important. When you look at your executive resume cover letters, you should be looking at a clean page that’s easy to read. Your cover letter represents you, so if you don’t take pride in how it looks, what are you telling an employer? How you represent yourself is usually a reflection of how you will represent the company, so use a cover letter writing service if you’re struggling with how to format yours. Professional Resume Services has helped hundreds of executives write their executive resume cover letters to perfection. Mistakes are easy to make, and not correcting them can be costly for your job prospects. Whether you need to start fresh with a new cover letter, or if you only need to tweak your current one a bit, reach out to us and we will be glad to help you.
Does Your Executive Resume Pass the 6 Second Test?
You’ve likely heard of the six second test when it comes to writing a professional resume. If not, it simply means you have an average of six seconds to impress a recruiter with your resume. If you don’t pass the six second test, it will get put to the side and never looked at again. Passing this test seems difficult on the surface to some executives, but when you break it down you’ll see it’s not as impossible as you think.
Incorporate White Space
The best executive resume writing service will tell you to incorporate just the right amount of white space to create the most effective resume. White space serves as a pause for the reader, and it makes your resume look less cluttered overall. Plus, it will make your most important accomplishments stand out since they are easier to identify on the document.
Use Keywords Early
Use keywords straight from the job description and list of qualifications early and often in your resume. If you’re lucky enough to get through the applicant tracking system with your resume, and into the hands of an actual human, they will scan the resume quickly for keywords. And if the recruiter can’t find any keywords within a couple of seconds, your chances of them continuing to read the resume drop significantly.
Numbers Stand Out
Numbers will stand out when writing a professional resume. A recruiter will identify numbers and read those sections first, since they usually provide information on how effective you were at previous jobs.
Demonstrate Leadership
One thing the best executive resume writing service will look for is whether your resume demonstrates leadership. Companies today don’t just want to fill an open position. They want to find a leader who is capable of growing the company and leading by example. When you demonstrate leadership qualities on your resume, you’ll impress the reader enough for them to consider you.
Have Social Media Links
By having social media links on your executive resume, you’re giving the recruiter easy access to more information about yourself. When the recruiter knows they can easily go to your LinkedIn page, they may set your resume at the top of the list of candidates to filter through. Professional Resume Services has the answers to the question of, “how do I create the most effective executive resume?” The main secret is passing the six second test. When you do so, you’ll give yourself much greater odds of getting noticed. Feel free to reach out to us for a resume evaluation to help you determine whether your executive resume passes the six second test.
Employers today are using applicant tracking systems (ATS) more than ever before. The purpose of ATS is to help hiring managers electronically sort through large stacks of resumes and to filter out unqualified candidates. As an executive job seeker, you have to keep ATS in mind when writing resumes that get you hired. You could put together the best executive resume format, but if certain keywords are missing from the resume, then it could quickly be sorted away. So how do you know if you are defeating ATS or if it’s defeating you? Here are important points to consider.
You have a maximum of 30 seconds to impress someone who reads your LinkedIn profile summary. Many executives struggle with balancing the requirement of talking about yourself, while also explaining your impact on others. It’s challenging to do when you sit down and think about it, so sometimes it’s best to just start with 
You’ve likely heard of the six second test when it comes to writing a professional resume. If not, it simply means you have an average of six seconds to impress a recruiter with your resume. If you don’t pass the six second test, it will get put to the side and never looked at again. Passing this test seems difficult on the surface to some executives, but when you break it down you’ll see it’s not as impossible as you think.