There may come a time in your career when you’re ready for a change. Obvious challenges are present when making a career change, and none are more evident than trying to write resumes that get you hired. Some of your skills may transfer over to your new career, but many of them won’t. Your main goal should be to discuss in your resume which skills you can use from your previous career, as well as why you want to make the career change in the first place. Employers will have plenty of questions for you, but writing an effective resume can answer a few of them. Here are some tips to consider when writing a career changing resume.
Discuss Transferable Skills
Every company wants new employees to have a solid mix of technical skills as well as soft skills. Depending on the nature of your career change, some of your technical skills may not transfer over well. Instead, executive resume writing services may suggest focusing on soft skills like your personality, work ethic, leadership, communication and more. Strong soft skills are transferable to almost any profession, so clearly showing your strongest skills backed by examples will make the most significant impact.
Target The Company
The key to writing an effective resume is targeting the specific company you’re applying for and demonstrating your understanding of their needs. The same is true even if you’re going through a career change. While you may not have the hard skills listed in their job requirements right now, if you have a complete understanding of what the company’s overall needs and goals are, you can shift your resume to target those aspects. Using examples from past experiences to show how you helped previous companies meet their goals will show your track record of success. And when you show an understanding of the company’s goals, they’ll be more impressed that you’ve done your homework and will then know you’re serious about the career change.
Demonstrate Your Passion For The Career Change
Employers today don’t necessarily like taking chances on candidates. They would rather hire someone with the exact experience they desire in their industry. That’s why executive resume writing services will suggest writing your resume to show a clear passion for what you want to accomplish with your career change. Demonstrate how thoroughly you thought the career change through and why the position is exactly what you’re looking for. Employers will look for any reason to not hire a person in your position, but when you show your passion on paper, they’ll be more likely to at least give you the opportunity to interview.
Professional Resume Services knows how difficult it is to change careers. However, when you put forth the effort to write resumes that get you hired, the result is well worth the time and energy. Your resume always needs to be perfect regardless of the situation, and everything is magnified when you’re changing careers. Writing a career changing resume is tricky, so don’t hesitate to contact us if you need help getting started.
Everyone has their own opinions about what part of a resume is the most important. The truth is you don’t really know which part is most important, since every hiring manager is different when it comes to what they prefer to see. One component the top resume writing services always recommends polishing is the executive resume summary. This is your chance to make an impact on the reader and set the tone for the rest of the resume. Here are some tips to consider incorporating into yours.
Show Some of Your Personality
Your executive resume writer will suggest incorporating some personality into your writing so the summary doesn’t sound generic and dull. But of course, you don’t want to be too casual either. Being natural in how you write and giving a little insight into how you approach work every day could be impactful.
One of the best ways to accomplish this is by offering your approach and belief of the ideal workplace culture. If your personality is to create a positive environment in the office, then don’t be afraid to make this statement in your summary. An office culture is a critical component of a successful business, so if you have the ability to enhance it, it will add another reason why the hiring manager wants to interview you.
Briefly Mention Your Past Work Results
Select the best quantifiable results and mention it in your resume summary. These results can be from teamwork or individual achievements. The best resume writing service can help you with the wording of your summary to make it impactful, but there’s usually never any harm in talking a little about your success. Just make sure these results are relatable in some way to the employer you’re targeting so they will see the results as transferrable.
Talk About Any Recognition You’ve Received
Internal or external recognition is also something an executive resume writer will suggest incorporating. You could mention a quarterly award you won, a speaking engagement you were honored to have, an article you had published or anything else. These types of recognition are direct results of your hard work, so a potential employer usually likes seeing it on your resume summary.
Professional Resume Services is honored to be recognized as one of the top resume writing services. We take great pride in helping executives transform their cover letters, resumes, summaries and helping them with anything else related to their job search. We are always willing and ready to help you in any area you need, so feel free to reach out to us at any time to start the conversation.
Many professionals get caught up in trying to make their hard skills and expertise sound good, and forget to highlight the soft skills they have. When you’re talking about high-level executive positions, every candidate will have similar hard skills on their resumes and cover letters. What can distinguish you more than anything are the soft skills you possess, since those are unique to every individual. Here are some tips for demonstrating these soft skills in an interview, even when you aren’t specifically asked about them.
Important Soft Skills That Translate To Any Job
The most important soft skills an executive resume service suggests highlighting include:
Of course, there are plenty other skills you could have, but these are some of the main ones that translate to any given job. Some of these skills may not fit naturally into your resume, but you can include them in your LinkedIn profile and you definitely need to mention them in your interview.
Demonstrate How Your Soft Skills Have Worked Previously
You’re going to be asked mostly about your knowledge and expertise in an interview. But if you really think about it, you likely used a mix of your soft skills in order to earn the knowledge you have today. Consider a particular aspect of a previous job you were an expert at. You may have become an expert at it because of repetition, but you also likely had to use critical thinking, innovative thinking, problem solving and more to achieve the result. Demonstrating these soft skills allows an interviewer to really see how your mind works, which is extremely beneficial when the outcome of the project you’re describing was successful.
Relate Soft Skills To The Job Description
Every good executive resume service will tell you to tie your soft skills in with the job description when writing a resume. It’s also important to remember the aspects of the job description when talking about your soft skills in the interview as well. You can talk specifically about a project at your previous job, but be clear about how your skills can translate to the job you’re interviewing for. Don’t make the interviewer try to piece this together themselves, since they could miss out on a key point you’re trying to make.
Professional Resume Services does more than simply write resumes and cover letters for executives. From the moment you reach out to us, we will help you throughout your job search, all the way until you land the job you’ve always desired. Whether you need help optimizing your LinkedIn profile, tweaking your resume or knowing how to answer interview questions, don’t hesitate to contact us at any time for guidance.
There are two types of job seekers today: those who think cover letters are somewhat fun to write, and those who think they are a complete waste of time. Regardless of where your feelings are, cover letters for your resume are more important today than ever before. Like resumes, you can’t be too general in your cover letter or the reader will see right through you. By doing a little research on the company you’re interested in, you can create a targeted cover letter to get recognized. Here are some of the top do’s and don’ts when crafting yours.
Don’t Rewrite Your Resume
Too many people make the mistake of thinking their executive resume cover letter should simply be a summary of their resume. The hiring manager already has your resume, so it’s a waste of time to simply rewrite it. Instead, take advantage of the opportunity to demonstrate your understanding of the company’s needs and follow it immediately with how you can meet those needs. Your language in your cover letter doesn’t necessarily have to be as formal as the resume, but it shouldn’t be as informal as something like your LinkedIn profile.
Don’t Create A Generic Cover Letter
Hiring managers will be able to easily see if you’ve reused your executive resume cover letter. They are looking for your specific skills as well as how you think they fit into what they need. If you just make general statements about how companies today need what you have to offer, there’s a higher chance of your cover letter and resume getting tossed to the side and never really considered.
Choose A Few Skills To Match The Job Requirements
While you may have an abundance of skills, a hiring manager would rather see just a few of them on your cover letter. In fact, any cover letter writing service will suggest taking just a few of your skills to focus on and clearly show why those skills will help the company. Those should be the most important skills to you and the company, and you can always talk about your other skills during the interview process.
Be Personal
One of the most important aspects of an executive resume cover letter that often gets overlooked is the personalization factor. With the amount of information we have available to us today, you should be able to find a name to address your cover letter to. And if all of your searches come up empty, it usually never hurts to give the company a call and ask the receptionist for the name of their hiring manager.
Professional Resume Services is a cover letter writing service that also focuses extensively on resumes, LinkedIn and many other aspects of job searches today. Cover letters have never been more important, so crafting the perfect one will give your job hunt a nice boost. We understand it’s not always quick and easy to write a cover letter, so feel free to contact us if you need assistance with yours.
The most basic piece of advice to consider with your executive resume cover letter is to make the greeting personal. The generic greeting of “To Whom It May Concern” is no longer an acceptable way to begin your cover letter, as it’s too impersonal. With the information we have available to us today, a little effort in finding the right person to address it to will go a long way in making your cover letter stand out in a good way. So how can you find out who to address your cover letter to when the recipient isn’t obvious? Here are some tips to consider.
Search For The Email Address
Most of the time a job listing will include an email address to send your cover letter and resume to. The name in the email address may not include both the first name and last name, but usually will at least include the last name. Do a quick Google search for the name in the email address, along with the company name. You may find the biography of the person on the company’s website, or at least give you a lead on how to conduct further searching. If all else fails, a cover letter writing service may be able to help you identify key information in the job posting to help lead you to the right person.
Utilize LinkedIn Creatively
Many hiring managers today will post job openings on LinkedIn. If you found the posting on LinkedIn, then take a look to see if the post was made by an individual or by the company’s profile. Address your executive resume cover letter to that person if it’s clear who posted it. If it’s not clear, then you can take a look at the company’s LinkedIn profile and see if any employees are listed. Doing this research on LinkedIn will help you write targeted resumes and cover letters to increase your chances of getting recognized.
Give The Company A Call
When you’ve exhausted all of your resources and simply cannot figure out who to address your cover letter to, feel free to give the company’s main phone number a call. Or if the company is nearby, drop by the office and ask the receptionist for a business card of the hiring manager. As long as you’re not pushy or over-aggressive and are truthful with why you’re requesting the information, you may be surprised at how willing they are to give you at least the hiring manager’s name.
Professional Resume Services is more than just a resume and cover letter writing service. We take pride in helping every client we work with, and always take the time to understand their specific needs, concerns and desires. Too many executives make the mistake of brushing off their cover letter, but the truth is resumes and cover letters carry equal importance. To learn more about how we can help you in every aspect of your job search, feel free to reach out to us at any time.
There’s no single secret to help executives create the perfect resume that will lead to an interview with every application. However, when you’ve incorporated key components within your resume, the chances of landing an interview increase exponentially. The best executive resume writers will keep their resumes as clear and concise as possible, only offer information relevant to the job itself and will never have any errors. Here are some of the basic tips for writing resumes that get you hired.
Stick With Providing Relevant Information Only
It’s tempting to put as much information on your resume as you can think of and hope the reader will pick and choose what they want to read. The truth is if they see irrelevant information, they may stop reading the resume altogether. When you’re thinking about relevant information to include, think about the experiences you’ve had that could lead to success in the role you’re applying for. You may be proud of a certain accomplishment or certification you’ve earned in the past, but if the experience doesn’t translate to your potential new role, then it’s just wasting space on your resume.
Use Clear And Concise Wording And Formatting
Every professional resume writing service will highlight the importance of being as clear and concise as possible in every aspect of your resume. The length of your resume should be no more than about two pages and the formatting should incorporate enough white space to make it easy to read. Bullet points are great to use, as they highlight important achievements and are impactful to the reader. The good news is you don’t have to be an expert at tightening up your resume. You can put the relevant information in a document and rely on your professional resume writing service to clean it up for you.
Eliminate Grammatical Errors
You can never proofread your resume too much. It doesn’t matter how clear and concise your resume is, or if you are clearly the best candidate for the job from an experience perspective, grammatical errors can quickly get your resume thrown out. Your resume is the first opportunity to make an impression to a potential employer, but the chances of even getting a phone interview diminish quickly when there are glaring typographical errors on it.
Make Your Resume Targeted
One of the best ways to create a resume that leads to interviews is to target the specific employer. This will not only grab the attention of the reader immediately, but it will also show you’ve done your homework and are legitimately interested in the company. The best executive resume writers will identify a company’s needs and include facts and statistics on their resume about how they can help.
Professional Resume Services wants to help you write resumes that get you hired. The end goal of every resume you write should be to ultimately get the job, but the first step is getting an interview. No matter what stage you’re at in your resume writing adventure, we can help whenever you need us. Never hesitate to contact us along your journey to finding the executive position you’ve always desired.
When you work hard to optimize your LinkedIn profile, it’s only natural to consider whether you should upgrade to the premium version to take full advantage of the benefits. Depending on where you’re at in your job search, LinkedIn Premium could be exactly what you need and the expense could be well worth it. But still, knowing exactly what you’re getting from the membership ahead of time will confirm you’re making the right decision. Here is some information many LinkedIn profile writing services suggest taking into consideration before upgrading.
Two Main Features LinkedIn Premium Offers
There are four different levels of LinkedIn Premium at different price points. The two constant features across all levels is the ability to contact with anyone using LinkedIn InMail messages, and the ability to see who has viewed your profile in the past 90 days. The InMail feature is convenient since you don’t have to be connected with someone in order to send them a message. This feature itself makes networking much easier. And with the ability to see who has visited your profile in the last 90 days, rather than just the last five viewers with the standard LinkedIn version, you will always know who is interested in you.
Take Advantage of The Free Trial
Almost every executive LinkedIn profile writer will suggest taking advantage of the free trial of the premium version you’re interested in. This trial lasts 30 days, so be sure to take advantage of each day. Explore all of the various features and make note of the advantages it provides. If needed, you can work with LinkedIn profile writing services to help you decipher the main differences and gauge whether the value is worth the price point of upgrading.
No Long-Term Commitment
The best part about any of the LinkedIn Premium levels is the commitment is only month-to-month. So if you optimize your LinkedIn profile during the free trial and don’t see much value in return, then you can go back to the basic version with no obligations. In fact, many LinkedIn profile writing services work with executives who upgrade to a premium version for just a couple of months to build up their connections, or even land a new job, and then revert back to the basic version. Everyone sees different value when using LinkedIn, so you can determine its value after using it for a while.
Professional Resume Services offers LinkedIn profile writing services because we understand how important the platform is for job searching. We always recommend taking advantage of the free trial period offered and determining its value after that. Feel free to ask your executive LinkedIn profile writer as many questions as you can as well, and they will give you the facts and opinions based on their experience. And never hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about LinkedIn or anything related to your job search.
LinkedIn is a platform you can use for many different aspects of your career. One of the most important ways to use it is when you’re on the hunt for a new job. Whether you just created a new executive LinkedIn profile or you’ve had one for years, you need to make sure it’s updated and optimized for your job search. As much as your profile can help you, it can hurt you just as quickly if you don’t display the right information. Here are some tips to consider before you actively begin your job search.
Optimize Every Section For SEO
Recruiters and hiring managers have certain keywords and phrases they search for online. Knowing which words those are takes a little effort and research on your part, but you’ll have to do that anyway if you have a fully targeted resume. Any professional LinkedIn profile writer will suggest optimizing every section for SEO, since you don’t know which section a recruiter will place the most emphasis on. The more relevant keywords you have, the easier it will be for a recruiter to find you.
Balance Personal Branding With Hard Skills
Your executive LinkedIn profile is the perfect place to highlight your personal brand. Sometimes it’s not appropriate to demonstrate your personal brand in your resume, but LinkedIn can be used to build on the resume itself. You can still mention your qualifications and hard skills, while also showing who you are as a person and a professional. Having a balanced LinkedIn profile like this will help differentiate yourself and you’ll have a better chance of piquing the interest of recruiters or hiring managers.
Increase Quality Connections
Part of your LinkedIn profile development should be increasing the amount of quality connections you have. The more connections you have, the more credible you’ll seem. However, randomly asking people to connect with you won’t do any good. Quality connections can come from previous co-workers, classmates, people you’ve met at networking events or even people from common LinkedIn groups you’re involved with.
Be Active
Most recruiters will look at how active you are on LinkedIn and what your activity entails. Commenting in groups and sharing content are good examples of engaging activities. Not only do these activities demonstrate your interest in certain topics, but they also can show your expertise and leadership, depending on your interactions with the content. You don’t want to be overly active all the time, but commenting and engaging with a few pieces of content daily is just right.
Professional Resume Services understands the importance of LinkedIn profile development in today’s job searching climate. In fact, many employers require applicants to include a link to their LinkedIn profile when they apply for a job, so it’s critical for you to have yours updated and optimized. We have a professional LinkedIn profile writer ready to assist you in this regard, so feel free to reach out to us if your profile is in need of a quality revamp.
