Writing a professional resume requires certain elements.
There are many common mistakes job seekers make throughout their searching process, especially where resumes are concerned. One of the most common is using the exact same resume for every position you apply for. Despite popular belief, your tactics for a job hunt cannot be one size fits all. Depending on the industry you’re in and the types of positions you’re seeking, you may have to adapt your resume to fit. This may mean having several copies for different purposes. Furthermore, there are many key elements to include while you’re writing a professional resume. Read on to find out just what they are.
Formatting Your Resume
The majority of the time, your resume is the first interaction a recruiter will have with you. You have to make it count. Poor formatting is one of the quickest ways to make your resume less effective. Unfortunately, it is also one of the easiest elements to forget about when you’re writing a professional resume. We recommend keeping these tips in mind:
Keep your resume brief. We recommend no more than three pages maximum for senior level employees. It isn’t necessary to detail all of your experiences throughout your career. Just the most relevant information will do.
Always save your resume as a PDF file. Everyone can view PDF files. There are few formatting differences between PDF reading programs, meaning your resume will stay uniform, no matter what computer has opened it. The same cannot be said for Microsoft Word files, where a number of factors can affect the appearance of your resume.
Use the right email address. It’s always best to use your professional email address, but one that is maintained by you and you alone. Listing a company email address can create poor implications.
Additionally, certain pieces of information must be covered with respect to your previous positions. Be sure to include the name of the company or organization you’ve worked for, an explanation of what they do, the name of your position, the dates of when you started and ended working with the company, your specific responsibilities, any achievements and personal contributions you made and your professional reputation among your coworkers, supervisors and others.
Showcasing Your Best Attributes
Presenting what you can bring to a company is just as important to your resume as including prior experiences within your field. It’s an excellent way of introducing yourself in a positive manner. However, there’s also an art to personal branding for senior level managers.
Be sure to research the companies you’re applying to prior to composing your resume. Adapt your industry knowledge and your past contributions in a way that shows you can match what your prospective employer is looking for. You should always try to make your resume as pertinent to the position as possible.
If you need further advice, reach out to one of the many executive resume writing services available. They can make sure you’re including all the information you need and none of what you don’t!
Don't Make These Common Executive Resume Mistakes!
Professional executive resume writers can help you avoid serious mistakes.
Just because one step of a larger process is the shortest doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the easiest. Take a job search, for example. The resume is often the briefest part of applying for a job. It’s often one page in length, and recruiters themselves only glance at them for a few seconds. However, the quality of your resume can make or break your ability to get hired. While you only have a few seconds, you should make them count. Figuring out how to market yourself to employers through your resume is the trickiest part. Luckily, our team of professional executive resume writers have helped us put together a list of ways you could be hurting your resume and your chances of landing your next position.
Don’t Include Jobs That Were Unpleasant or Didn’t Last Long
This will look dubious to employers at best because listing your shorter positions will lead to questions of why you weren’t there for long. Similarly, don’t include jobs that were nothing but an unpleasant experience for you. If you end up being asked about them during the interview process, you’ll likely have nothing good to say, which can impact this important first impression.
You Don’t Need to Write Out an Objective
Everyone applies to a job in hopes of scoring the position. Unless you are applying for a job in a completely different industry than what you’ve previously worked in, it’s fine to not summarize your intentions.
Don’t Write Fluff About Yourself
While you want to make yourself sound like the best choice, expounding upon all of your positive qualities is not the best way to go about it. When you make it to your first interview, your potential employer will size up what your assets are and what you can bring to the position and company.
Don’t Include Any Work Experiences That Don’t Pertain to Your Industry
Unless an otherwise irrelevant former position displays talents, skills or duties connected to the industry you’re in now, it would be a good idea to cut it out. It’s up to you to determine just how relevant your older positions are and whether they’re worth keeping.
There’s No Need to Include Your Photo
Most resumes will not ask for this, unless you’re in the modeling industry. If you’re in an executive field, you won’t need a picture at all. In fact, attaching one could, unfortunately, leave you vulnerable to hiring discrimination. We recommend avoiding adding photographs altogether.
Don’t Get Too Personal
You could easily get your potential employer in some hot water because they aren’t supposed to request certain personal details, such as your SSN, religion or personal traits.
Writing an eye-catching resume can be a tricky task. We hope these tips will be just what you need to help you write resumes that get you hired. If you find you need extra help, top rated resume writing services are available to help you improve your resume and land your next great job!
Writing an executive bio should include testimonials.
Your resume is the one surefire way to market who you are and what you can do. Top resume writing services understand this. The companies considering employing you know this too. As such, your resume will be scrutinized in every way possible during the hiring process. While there are many improvements you can make to your resume, one of the easier ways is to add testimonials.
Testimonials Lend Credibility
Talking about who you are is tough, but it’s also easy to spin your abilities in a positive light. Whether you’re just writing an executive bio or developing personal branding for senior level management, you need every advantage. Even if references aren’t required until down the road in the hiring process, you need an edge. If the selection is between you and another candidate, you will need extra support tipping the scales in your favor. Including testimonials would be that tiebreaker.
Testimonial How To
You know resume writing is an art form. Adding testimonials to your resume is too. It’s likely you have quantifiable results and qualified expertise for the job you’re applying to. You can clearly articulate your abilities and how well you do your job. The problem is hearing these great things from you is nice but much more powerful when said by someone else.
So here’s how to enter testimonials into a resume for your benefit:
Combined with work experience. One powerful way to add testimonials to your resume is by combining them with relevant work experiences. For example, let’s say you list being the top sales person in your company with a sales staff of 300 people in your resume. Below that, you could add a testimonial from your manager saying, ” …the best sales person I’ve worked with in the last 10 years,” to ensure your bio stands above the rest.
Whole testimonial section. If you have two to four testimonials you’d like to include in your resume, add a whole section for them. Place this section in your resume just like you would an “Education” or “Work Experiences” portion. It’s important to note each quote you include should be from solid contacts that can verify your abilities.
Testimonials make great filler. One of the best ways to add a testimonial to your resume is through inclusion in another section or as a filler. For example, if you’re an in-demand copywriter, you could add a testimonial as filler under your “Skills” section. If you claim to write copy that converts up to 10 percent of organic web traffic, a past clients testament to your abilities with a website link will add significant value to your resume.
While adding a testimonial to your resume is a good way to improve the document, some people need a little more help. A professional resume writing service can critique your resume and help you make the best of your testimonials.
You’ve probably heard that statistically, employers spend an average of eight seconds scanning a resume. Obviously, that’s not a lot of time to make a lasting impression. If your resume is cluttered, unorganized and the text and font are clunky, it just might get passed over. Here are some tips for writing an effective resume that will ensure your resume gets the attention it needs.
Clear Sections
Your resume should have clearly demarcated sections. Top rated resume writing services might suggest using italics or a bold fold to differentiate between those sections, such as Education and Work Experience. There should be a break in the reader’s mind between different types of information.
Alignment
Align your text to the left. Since the eye naturally returns to the left, this is the most natural and readable format. However, align dates and locations to the right, which helps to separate that information and makes it easy to scan. Speaking of formatting, keep it consistent. Don’t start using “creative” formatting techniques in order to squeeze everything into one page. It’s more important your resume be clean and readable than be limited to one page.
Use Numbers and Symbols
Whenever possible, use numbers and symbols instead of text. They will grab the eye and be easy for the employer to quickly refer back to. Keep bold text and all caps to a minimum. You want to use these sparingly in order to truly highlight important information.
Fonts
Choose one, or two at the most, and make them clean and simple. Keep in mind your resume will likely be going through an applicant tracking system, which will not pick up special fonts or graphics. So not only are these cluttered and hard on the eyes, but it might prevent your resume from getting into anyone’s hands to read. Top rated resume writing services suggest sticking with plain, classic fonts.
Bullets
Do use bullets. It breaks complex pieces of information into readable chunks and makes it simple to reference back to these points. It also draws attention to your accomplishments, information you really want to highlight.
Use White Space
Using plenty of white space is much easier on the eyes than large, dense chunks of text. It creates a clean, well-designed look that’s appealing to the reader.
Writing a clear, effective resume can be a daunting task. If you want to be sure you get the attention of your desired employer, you might consider using a professional resume writing service. Allowing an expert to help you craft a successful resume will dramatically increase your chances of landing your dream job.
Writing a professional resume requires looking at yourself in a new light.
Resumes have one sole objective: to illustrate to a recruiter or hiring manager how you’re the best person to serve the company you want to work for. If you’re in the process of writing a professional resume, you should keep the concept of selling yourself to an employer in mind. Think about the desires an employer seeks in a potential employee as you describe yourself and how you are the best person available. Of course, this can be trickier than it sounds. To learn how to do this, we have a few handy pieces of advice for you. Here is some of the best information you can include on your resume to help yourself stand out.
Talk About Your Skills
Including a section that specifically highlights your ‘Core Competencies’ (and is titled as such) will help you bypass the automation that sorts through applicants and gets hiring managers to give you a closer look. Use the job listing you originally found as your guide by paraphrasing some of the requirements listed there. Apply them to your own previous work experiences by discussing how you’ve fulfilled these duties at your old workplaces.
Describe Some of Your Achievements
As the classic writing advice goes, “show, don’t tell.” Rather than talking about how you’re the best, use facts to explain. Talk about what you’ve achieved over the years and how this has helped the companies you’ve previously worked for. You can do this through several means, such as elaborating on awards you’ve won in the past.
We also recommend including a section detailing the highlights of your career when following the best executive resume format. In this section, you can add information about the most notable accomplishments you’ve achieved while working for a company, using numbers and other data to explain this. You should only do this if you’ve been especially successful in the past because this will work to your advantage by catching an employer’s eye and making them curious. As with the rest of your resume, stay concise.
Write a Summary About Yourself
This is just one vital element of the best executive resume format. You should add it underneath your contact details. Lend yourself a title that aligns with what you believe an employer desires. Again, keep this portion of your resume to-the-point. Ideal summaries are short—about only four lines at the most—and talk about how you can be of benefit to the company you want to work for, as well as the attributes you can lend. This will help you stand out.
We hope these tips will serve as a valuable resource for introducing yourself to employers in a meaningful and productive way. However, these are only a few great ways to make writing a professional resume an easier process. For more information and resources, consider contacting executive resume writing services.
5 Ways You May Be Hurting Your Chances with Your Email Communication
Emails are also an important part of executive resume writing.
Email is an important part of professional communication, especially in this day and age where everything seems to depend upon the use of technology. However, a certain finesse comes with sending out emails in a professional context—which, for some, may be trickier to master. If you don’t know the decorum for sending out emails to potential employers, you could be missing out on a slew of amazing job opportunities. Here’s some advice from one of the top rated resume writing services on what to avoid while sending out professional emails to recruiters.
Don’t Assume There’s No One on the Other Side of the Screen
Some companies use automated services to handle their recruitment emails, but others still prefer the human touch. Because of this, you should never assume who you’re emailing. Try to get your foot in the door by sending out your application early, since many employers only read applications sent before a certain date. Also, don’t make employers jump through hoops to read your emails by creating extra work for them to see what you’re sending. This is a surefire way to get your application passed over entirely.
Don’t Forget to Think About Your Audience
Just like with the executive resume writing process, figuring out the identity of your audience will help you tailor your email in just the right way. Depending on who you’re emailing, you may or may not want to include certain tidbits of information, meaning this part of the emailing process is definitely worth some serious thought. The identity of your audience also determines the tone of your email. This makes all the difference when connecting with the person you’re contacting.
Don’t Ramble
You have only a small amount of time to introduce yourself. Make every word count and work in your favor. Only include relevant information that will cater to what a recruiter seeks in a new employee.
Don’t Delve Too Much Into Your Own History
An email is like an advertisement; it’s meant to sell you to an employer as the best available. The best way to do that is to provide brief but factual information about who you are and how you would be a fine asset for their company.
Don’t Neglect Your Subject Line
You won’t be the only one contacting a certain employer. Because of this, you’ll need to stand out all the more. You can do this by writing a subject line that’s different from the rest. For instance, instead of including the title of the position you’re seeking, try including a brief title highlighting your personal expertise.
Professional emails and executive resume writing fall along the same lines in terms of how they’re written. If either of them are poorly composed, you risk not getting the job you want. You can avoid this by learning how to write resumes and professional emails more efficiently or turning to the help of professional resume writing services to get some extra know-how.
Networking is just as important as writing an effective resume.
The types of jobs you can get in 2016 are vastly different than what were available decades ago, all thanks to technological advancement. Furthermore, just as the careers available to prospective workers have transformed, so has the way we seek out jobs. Simply sending in applications to openings found on job listing resources no longer seals the deal. Networking is now the ticket to landing most jobs, which means you have to have connections to get desired positions. A large majority of lucrative jobs can no longer be found by scoping the classified section or browsing Craigslist. You have to know someone who already has experience in the industry and ask them to put in a good word for you. If you don’t have the right connections, this problem is easily solvable.
Try Going to Gatherings Related to Your Desired Field
One of the most important steps to attaining C-level personal branding is to get to know people already working in the field you’re aiming to enter. The type of event doesn’t matter so long as you’re out there and meeting people. It never hurts to do a little research before you go to an event, just for the sake of having an idea of who the guests will be and a sense of the best people to introduce yourself to. Bringing your resume can be a good idea, especially for career fairs.
Don’t Count Out the Connections You Already Have
The people you already know can be just as valuable a resource as any while you’re on your job search. This counts for literally everyone you’re familiar with. Write them all out and consider which ones will be the most helpful in terms of assisting with your search. Even if the manner in which they can help you is more indirect, such as them not actually working in that specific field, but knowing someone else who does, can aid in your search. Don’t hesitate to contact them, tell them your situation and ask them to put in good word for you, whether it is with their boss or an employee they happen to be well-acquainted with.
While the process of networking may be a daunting one, it can be infinitely valuable to you if you’re searching for a career. In fact, it’s just as important as writing an effective resume, and should be learned and mastered just as well. Both of these tools can be the key to creating C-level personal branding and landing the job you’ve always wanted, which makes the effort to learn how to perfect them worth it. For help with either of these job hunting tools, you have quite a few resources at your disposal. As the best resume writing service, Professional Resume Services can help you with either.
A professional resume writing service can help you find the perfect new job.
With the start of the new year, job hunting may be more important to you than ever, whether you’re on the lookout for a change or just beginning. One of the most helpful things you can do is to start polishing your search methods as soon as possible—so you can dive into the 2016 job listings with a rejuvenated attitude. We at Professional Resume Services have compiled an assortment of handy pointers for job hunting and writing a professional resume to start your new job search.
Figure Out What You Want the Most
If you aren’t yet sure what type of job you’re looking for, your search will only prove to be complicated and confusing. Try to think about the job that best suits you or your best talents and how they fit into the job market. Think about why you’re searching for a new career. Consider whether you want to change who you work for or what your work is entirely. Evaluate everything about your work experiences and desires thus far, including the benefits and disadvantages of your present job and what you want from a future job. Then you can begin to take the next step forward.
Create a Profile on LinkedIn
If you don’t already have a profile in LinkedIn, it’s a good idea to create one. LinkedIn is a valuable tool when it comes to job searching and can put you in contact with recruiters from companies across the country. Whether you’re setting up your profile for the first time or need to revamp it, it always helps to get as specific as possible. Tag your profile with keywords pertaining to the industry you want to work in. This helps recruiters locate you, meaning they can see what you can offer their companies.
Start or Improve a Resume
Writing a professional resume is one of the main keys to a successful job search. If you can afford it, consider hiring a professional resume writing service to help you out, either by writing your resume for you or giving you advice on how to improve it (and thus improve your chances of landing a great job). For even better chances, you can write separate resumes for each company you’re interested in to better cater to what they’re looking for in an employee. This will help you stand out to hiring managers.
Go After Your Dream Companies
Getting acquainted with individuals who are already working for the same company you want are considering will only serve to help your cause. Get to know as many people aligned with the company as possible. This will help you get your foot in the door with recruiters because you’ll have a larger number of people able and willing to put in good word for you.
Landing a great job is not an easy task, but these steps should help you get started on the right path. If you need a little extra help with any of these steps, consider enlisting the help of a professional resume writing service or a job counselor. As one of the top resume writing services around, our team at Professional Resume Services wants to see you succeed.
