One common theme among executives is they tend to make the same mistakes on their resumes. The good thing is the mistakes are usually easy to correct and avoid in the future. The bad thing is many executives don’t want to change anything, so they won’t stand apart from the rest of the group as a result. When you use the best executive resume writing service, you’ll be able to learn about your resume’s flaws and can correct them accordingly. Here are some of the mistakes people most commonly make, and how you can avoid them when crafting your executive resume.
1. Be Clear
Executives tend to use a big vocabulary and large, sophisticated sentences. While it may seem impressive to you, an HR manager doesn’t want to read through it. Any executive resume writing firm will tell you to be clear with your words and sentences. Use action words in short sentences to make a greater impact on the reader.
2. Keep it Simple
Simplicity is key with any resume, including executive resumes. Many executives like to make an extensive executive bio on their resume to highlight accomplishments. While it’s important to talk at length about accomplishments, the executive bio isn’t the place for it. Short and sweet is the best way to go.
3. Talk About Accomplishments, Not Responsibilities
You can mention what job responsibilities you have, but don’t waste a lot of space doing so. Instead, talk specifically about what you accomplished. Use some numbers and statistics rather than general statements, but don’t overdo it.
4. Target Every Resume
The first thing the best executive resume writing service will tell you is to target every executive resume to the company you’re applying to. Sending out the same resume to every company will be obvious and will likely get yours thrown out of the group. Learn a little bit about each company and make it clear in your resume that you can help them grow and prosper.
5. Include a LinkedIn Profile Link
You have to have a complete LinkedIn profile if you’re an executive today. If you’re sending out executive resumes, include the link to your profile in your resume. Recruiters and companies want to see you’re connected to other executives. Not only does this show you’re social, but it also gives them a little glimpse into your personality.
You may be making some critical mistakes like these in your executive resume and not even know it. Feel free to reach out to us if you have any concerns about how your executive resume looks.
The short answer to this question is no! You definitely don’t want to make your executive resume and your LinkedIn profile the same for a variety of reasons. Most professional executive resume writers can help you distinguish the differences between each and why the differences are important. We’ve also given you some more details on the differences below.
LinkedIn Should be More Informal
Recruiters and HR managers will go to your LinkedIn profile to learn more about you as a person. This is generally evident in your writing style, so be sure to make it more informal to give it some voice. There are big differences between resumes that get you hired and your LinkedIn profile, and it’s important to distinguish the two.
Also, don’t mistake an informal voice for being unprofessional. There are creative ways to make your LinkedIn profile professional and informal. If you struggle with that aspect, executive resume services can help.
Executive Resume Summaries Should Be Short and Targeted
Executives tend to make their summaries extensive, because who doesn’t like talking about themselves? However, your executive resume summary should be short and to the point. LinkedIn is the place to talk more in detail on your summary. Summarize your entire career, your accomplishments, strengths and anything else to make you stand out. Most professional executive resume writers will tell you to put just enough information in your executive resume summary to make a recruiter or potential employer want more information about you.
Recruiters Want to See Different Information
Your chances of landing your next executive job will take a big hit if your executive resume and LinkedIn profile are identical. It could signal to a recruiter that you’re lazy, not creative, or just don’t understand what LinkedIn is used for.
Generally, an executive resume should talk about business details, while LinkedIn should be more conversational about how you accomplished certain things. In a nutshell, your executive resume and LinkedIn profile should combine together to give an employer a clear picture of who you are both professionally and personally.
There’s a fine line between crafting the perfect executive resume and writing a solid LinkedIn profile. Many executives use executive resume services to help distinguish the two. If you’re struggling with finding the right balance, feel free to contact us at any time for help.
Considering the current state of the employment world, it’s commonplace for people to have employment gaps. However, a gap of a few months is much different than gaps of a few years. When you use an executive resume writing service, you can easily hide the small gaps or they can help you clearly explain the longer gaps. The main thing is to not let any employment gaps deter you from applying for executive positions. There are many ways to address the gaps where they won’t be a problem.
Don’t Worry About the Small Stuff
If you only had a few months of unemployment, you probably don’t even have to acknowledge it in your resume. Many professional resume writing services will only include the years of employment rather than months anyway. A few months here or there shouldn’t raise any red flags.
Be as Honest as Possible
Nowadays it’s completely understandable for someone to take time off from employment to go back to school or to raise kids. If you had a situation like that, the best thing to do is be honest about it. You can explain in a sentence in your cover letter that you took time off to raise your family or to seek higher education. Place the section right in line with your employment history and you likely won’t be questioned about it in a negative way.
The tricky part is if you took time off to do other things like travel the world or if you just didn’t like your previous job. For those situations, you may need to consult with some of the top resume writing services to help you address the employment gap in a professional way that won’t hurt your chances of getting an interview.
Include Volunteer, Consulting, or Unpaid Experience
No matter what your initial reason was for leaving your previous job, you can easily fill the gap with any volunteer work, consulting, or unpaid experience you got. Some people believe they are ready to retire, but then realize they have to stay busy. Volunteering for several hours each week or gaining valuable experience elsewhere could be great ways to fill your employment gaps.
If you consulted during this time, that counts as a position! Gather up what you did and add that to your resume as a role. Adding that experience will be a benefit and show the reader that you were still working.
The main takeaway professional resume writing services will tell you is to not worry too much about employment gaps. There are plenty of creative ways to fill those gaps to make them a non-issue, so feel free to reach out to us if you need assistance.
A question that comes up periodically that I wanted to address is people wonder whether they should include any hobbies or volunteer work on their resume. The short answer is: it depends. Most of the time, these things won’t hurt your chances of landing a job interview. However, you have to be smart about what you include. If you are at an executive level, leave them off. If you are entry level or professional level, or a non-corporate profession hobbies and volunteer work can be used to help your chances, but you need to keep these tips in mind.
Be Smart About Which Hobbies to Include
Stay away from including any hobbies revolving around politics or religion. Both of these are controversial topics, and can hurt your personal branding. There are very few jobs out there where including these types of hobbies could actually help your chances of getting an interview. Otherwise, you’re taking a big risk of offending the person reviewing your resume. You don’t want them to throw your resume aside because of your political or religious views.
Volunteer Work is Generally Good to Include
There generally isn’t anything wrong with incorporating volunteer work or community outreach into your resume. In fact, most of the top rated resume writing services will encourage you to include community involvement over hobbies. Volunteering demonstrates to a potential employer that you like to be active in the community. The more well rounded you are, the better you will appear on paper. Volunteering is also a great way to network, so there is a business aspect to it.
Focus on Hobbies Beneficial to the Job
Make sure the hobbies you include on your resume pertain to the job in some way. If you are going for a horticulture role and in your free time grow a specific kind of plant, then yes, add that. For example, it won’t do any good to talk about your passion for cooking if you’re searching for an executive job. However, if you frequently play golf, it could be attractive since companies like to take clients or business partners out for golf if they share the same passion.
A good rule of thumb to go by is hobbies won’t be the reason you get an interview, but they can be the reason you don’t get one. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions or need assistance with the hobbies or volunteer work section of your resume.
Finding a job in the 21st century requires both the ability to self-promote and a bit of marketing savvy. With the invention of sites like LinkedIn, it is now easier than ever to show prospective employers what you can offer them. Having top-notch resumes and cover letters is vital when trying to get taken seriously by business professionals.
Targeting your resume for a particular job is a great way to show an employer how well you’re suited to that company and position. When trying to create targeted resumes that get you hired, be sure to consider the following factors.
You Don’t Have to Start From Scratch
The biggest mistake you can make when trying to create targeted resumes and cover letters is starting from scratch. Your existing resume will have a lot of useful information in it and can be altered to make it more targeted. Ideally, you will want to have a “summary of qualifications” section on your existing resume.
Each time you apply for a new job and want to target the resume, you can edit this section to make it specific to a particular company. By not throwing the baby out with the bathwater when it comes to your resume, you will be able to save a lot of time and energy.
Make Your Cover Letter Shine
One of the first things an employer will look at is your cover letter. Droning on about things unrelated to the job you are applying for will usually end in your resume getting tossed aside. You’ll want to make sure your cover letter is written as concisely as possible. Carefully read over the job listing and see what type of qualifications the company has outlined.
Baiting the hook with a great cover letter is an important part of landing the right job. Working in the relevant experience you have may make your cover letter more appealing. However, many executives flounder when it comes to crafting their cover letter simply because they have so much experience, it can be hard to know what’s worth including. You have to learn where to trim the fat—which the top rated resume writing services can help you with!
Show The Reader of the Resume You Have Done Your Homework
Your main objective when trying to create targeted resumes that get you hired is standing out from the other applicants. Doing your homework when it comes to the company you are seeking employment with is wise. A great way to catch the reader’s eye is to include something in your cover letter regarding the company’s history.
Don’t be afraid to delve deep with your research and learn as much about the company as you can. Merely mentioning a company’s Fortune 500 status will not garner as much attention as a lesser known factoid about their achievements or their work in the community. An easy way to get a feel for their brand and their proudest achievements is through their website. Pick out facts that align closely with your own qualifications and try to relate the two.
Once you get started, you will probably realize creating a targeted resume is not an easy process. Letting top rated resume services, like Professional Resume Services, handle the targeting process could mean better job search results. Be sure to contact us to discuss how we can help you in the pursuit of resume excellence.
Some older people believe they should easily be able to get a new job because of their extensive experience. While that seems reasonable, there’s a lot more to take into consideration. A lot of companies today are looking for younger people out of college with a few years of experience and new ideas. The general perception is older people won’t come in with those new ideas and may be difficult to train. Here is a quick guide for older employees embarking on a new job search.
What to Put In a Cover Letter
The best resume writing services will suggest not bragging about your experience. Instead of indicating how many years of experience you have, simply state your “significant” experience. Also, avoid re-stating your job history in your cover letter. Even though your approximate age will be evident in an interview, you don’t want to show your age on paper. You should consider emphasizing your willingness to learn and adapt to new ideas and combine that with your proven experience and results.
Brushing Up Your Resume
There is some gray area when it comes to what information to put on your resume when you have 25+ years of experience. It’s easy to list out all the jobs you have and their corresponding dates, but it’s also easy for a recruiter to add up your age. While age shouldn’t play a big factor in the job search process, the unfortunate reality of “agism” is there. Many executive resume services will tell you to focus on results in your resume. Besides, if you have so much experience to talk about, potential employers want to know what you accomplished with that experience. You can also summarize your early experience into a paragraph that lets the reader know what you did without the redundancy of jobs going back 30+ years.
Be Honest, But Not Too Extensive
You shouldn’t lie about your age, but you also shouldn’t give it to a potential employer willingly unless they ask for it. If you aren’t sure how to portray your age on paper, the best resume writing services can help you out. Lying on your resume or cover letter is the worst thing you can do. Sometimes you just have to be creative in order to get your foot in the door for an interview. At that point, it’s up to you to nail the interview!
Your Online Presence
Older employees may or may not be on professional networking sites like LinkedIn. Having a complete LinkedIn profile is great for adding accomplishments you don’t want to put on your resume. However, you have to also be careful with your LinkedIn profile development and avoid putting too much information out there. The use of keywords is critical when creating a LinkedIn profile. Sometimes people will overlook your age if they see you have the exact amount of experience they are looking for.
Once you’ve made the decision to start your career or change careers, you’ve finished the easy part. Now the job hunting process begins, and it can be mentally and physically draining. The first thing you have to learn is the key to writing an effective resume in order to have a chance at landing the job you want. However, that’s not the only aspect of getting a job. With so many approaches and tactics candidates use to get recognized, you need to know the best ways to get noticed. Here are my top three secrets you need to know regarding the job hunting process.
Most Jobs Are Discovered By Networking
If you spend hours a day searching through online job boards, you are wasting a lot of time. Since employers receive hundreds or thousands of applications through online job boards, it’s a minor miracle if yours gets noticed. Your time may be better spent attending networking events for the career you want to pursue.
Check out some professional resume writing services to have a top-notch resume ready to hand out to potential employers and recruiters. You will be surprised at how many jobs come from knowing someone within the industry rather than sending in a resume online or through email.
Employers Search Social Networks
Before you begin any sort of job search, you need to clean up your social media profiles. Most employers will search your name online to find out what you post and try to figure out your lifestyle. If you have embarrassing photos or post vulgar comments to your profile, you will quickly eliminate yourself from consideration. I can’t tell you how many rude political comments I’ve seen on FB and LinkedIn that will be an instant turnoff. Hold your tongue.
You should also spend a decent amount of time on LinkedIn profile development. LinkedIn is a trusted source for recruiters, and they will use it more often than not. Use the platform as an opportunity to showcase your skills and add on to what your resume already says.
Recruiters Don’t Spend Much Time Reading Resumes
On average, a recruiter will spend about six seconds reading a resume. Because of this fact, the key to writing an effective resume is to make it stand out immediately. Don’t ramble on about your experience or accomplishments. Summarize them as much as possible in bullet points or another easy-to-read format. Use bold and underlined text to also draw the reader’s attention to the areas you want them to focus on. By following these tips, your resume will stand out.
It’s standard practice nowadays for employers to check with references before deciding to hire a particular candidate. Now more than ever, it’s important to have credible references on your resume and to ensure they’ll give you a good review. Even going as far as staying in touch with your connections on LinkedIn will go a long way in making sure all your bases are covered when it comes to your references. Sometimes the best resumes that get you hired are the ones with the best references. Here are some quick ways to ensure your references are as helpful as possible.
Ask Your References Ahead of Time
Your reference may feel disrespected if they get a call from a potential employer on your behalf without you asking them first. This is especially true if you haven’t kept in touch with your reference for a while. If they are surprised to get a call about you, they probably won’t be as helpful since they weren’t prepared for the call. Just giving them a simple call ahead of time will go a long way in ensuring they help you out as much as possible.
Provide as Much Information About the Job as Possible
The best resume writing services will suggest giving your references details about the job you’re applying for. This will help them match the skills from your previous job to the one you want. Let them know the types of questions they’ll be asked so they’ll feel as prepared as possible. The last thing you want from your references is for them to be unprepared and not highlight your attributes as much as you’d like.
Choose Professional References Instead of Personal
The first thing a professional resume writing service will tell you is to use professional references instead of personal ones. If you lack work experience, you may have no choice but to use personal references, however. A potential employer assumes personal references will say as many good things about a candidate as they can since they are a family member or friend. Professional references will give more of an honest opinion and will be more likely to give them the information they want to hear about your skills and work ethic.
Thank Your Reference for Helping You
Once your professional reference agrees to help you out, be sure to thank them by sending a simple thank you note or taking them out to lunch to show your gratitude. After they answer questions from your potential employer, follow up with them to thank them again. You never know when you may need to use them as a reference again so show your appreciation as much as possible. Saying “thank you” is always a good thing.
