How to Use Your Resume to Change Careers

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Change careers successfully with the best executive resume format.

The best executive resume format can help you change careers.


Writing a resume can be a daunting and tedious task. Between trying to figure out where to start an knowing what to include, creating a resume for a career change is even more difficult. Since a cover letter is crucial to your chances of getting noticed, opting to use a cover letter writing service is a great option. If that part of the process can be handled by a pro, writing the resume itself won’t seem quite so intimidating.

Are You Using a Functional Resume? Don’t!

First, let’s get familiar with the term functional resume. A functional resume is one that highlights certain skills, instead of the traditional chronological format. Those looking to change careers should use this technique to draw attention away from their former job titles and play up skills that may be relevant in their new desired field. This sounds like a great idea, except there’s only one problem: recruiters and hiring managers are all too aware of this method. They know you’re trying to hide something. They’ve seen it a million times, and it’s sure to get your resume in the trashcan.

A Better Approach

So what can you do instead? After you’ve used the best executive resume format, try to see things from the employer’s point of view. Don’t treat every potential employer the same; they all have different needs and desires. Some may put more emphasis on past experience, while others have requirements about personality, ethics, work style or drive. Second, do your research. You should know everything there is to know about the company you are after. Figure out what skills they value the most, and use that knowledge to your advantage. This will get you noticed by HR.
Third, don’t forget about any freelance or unpaid work you’ve done. This can be valuable when trying to change careers. Everyone has an executive bio, but this is one chance to stand out from the crowd. If it’s relevant work, it doesn’t matter if you were paid or not! If you don’t have any of this type of experience, now’s the time to consider it. If you’re truly passionate about a career change, you have to use every possible angle to your advantage.

Convince Employers You’re Committed

Now for the most important part. Since you can’t rely solely on your executive bio, you must communicate your passion for this position through your resume as well. Since you may be lacking the typical work history, this is where you can make up for that. It’s vital to emphasize you have thought this change through and are committed to it. The employer needs to feel confident you won’t quickly grow tired of the work and leave after they took a chance on you.
Now you know the basics: start with the best executive resume format, don’t use a functional resume and play up your passion. By using these tips, you will get in the door of your dream job in to time!  If you need more guidance during the process, consider enlisting the help of a cover letter writing service. There you will find all the tools necessary to create the best resume possible.

Does the Post Interview Follow Up Really Matter?

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Getting the job is about more than writing an effective resume.

Writing an effective resume is just the beginning of getting the job.


You’ve already spent your time writing an effective resume and have gone through the interview process with a potential employer. Determining the next step is critical to increase your chances of getting hired, but what is that next step? Some people simply wait by the phone or check their email repeatedly, waiting for word regarding whether they are invited for another interview or to accept an offer. In addition to writing resumes that get you hired, it’s important to evaluate whether a follow up is really necessary.

You Haven’t Heard Anything Regarding Your Application

In some situations, you may have submitted your application several days or a week ago and have not heard from the prospective employer. While this can be an indicator of disinterest, it could also mean the hiring team hasn’t had a chance to review your application or make interview phone calls. If there was no date indicated for replying to applications, it is acceptable to call the individual responsible for hiring to inquire about the status of your resume. When you make this phone call, make sure you get straight to the point in a polite manner. Ask whether they have received your application and if they require additional information to help them make the right decision. One call should be sufficient to attract their attention and keep you at the top of the executive bio pile.

After the Interview

Once you land your interview, how you respond after the fact can play a dramatic role in whether you are considered for the job. While a phone call isn’t necessary at this point, common courtesy dictates sending a hand-written thank you note or email as soon after the interview as possible. Thank them for spending the time with you and let them know you look forward to becoming a valuable member of their team. Too few candidates follow up after an in-person or over-the-phone interview, which means you will stand above the other candidates if you do.
Writing an effective resume is one of the best ways to make a great first impression when you apply for a new job, but it isn’t the only factor. In addition to creating resumes that get you hired, make sure you know when to follow up and how so you can make a lasting impression and increase your chances of landing the job of your dreams.

Important Changes You Need to Make to Your Resume

BlogExecutive ResumesResume Writing

Make changes with the best resume writing service.

The best resume writing service will help you make changes.


Many people create a resume and then don’t bother to make changes, even if they haven’t seen the success they wanted. When you’re creating your executive bio and resume, it’s critical to look for the following elements and make any necessary changes. Passing your resume through an executive resume writer from the best resume writing service can also help you make the right choices for the best impact.

The Font

Choosing a font is one of the biggest issues professionals have. While it’s important to make sure your resume stands out from the crowd, it’s even more important to use a font that’s easy to read and looks professional. Times New Roman and Georgia are preferred, while Arial, Calibri and Garamond are also acceptable.

Run Spell Check

It may seem obvious, but many people forget to run their executive bio and resume through spell check. Even if you are confident in your writing skills, spell check should always be used, not just once, but twice.

Don’t Worry about References

The best resume writing service will tell you references are important, but there’s no need to include them or even write they are available upon request. This fact is implied when you turn in your resume.

Use Keywords

Today, keywords are an important element in your resume, just like they are on website content. Because many resumes are submitted electronically, employers often run them through software to look for certain keywords. Choose your keywords from the job listing to which you are applying.

Eliminate Dates

Employers aren’t supposed to discriminate based on age, but it can happen, even if it’s unintentionally. This means the dates of your graduations are no longer relevant. If it’s been more than five years, it’s best to leave these dates off entirely.

Choose Powerful Verbs

Strong, actionable verbs are the best ones to use when it comes to your resume. Read through it a second time or ask an executive resume writer to help so you can remove any weak verbs and replace them with stronger ones.

Check Your Formatting

Formatting mistakes can be critical in whether you attract the attention of those in charge of hiring. All headers and footers should match, particularly if your resume spans more than one page. Everything else should be in perfect alignment, especially any bullet points used.

Focus on Numbers

Instead of simply stating facts, put it in numerical terms. If you helped boost sales by 20 percent, say so. When you use numbers, make sure they are in numerical form to better attract attention.
One of the fastest ways to lose out on a job is to make these critical mistakes on your executive bio and resume. Hiring the best resume writing service or an executive resume writer will help you get the job you want.

Find out how to answer the tough questions to improve your personal branding.

Answering the tough questions can enhance your personal branding.


For some, the executive resume cover letter and executive bio are the easy part. These individuals may feel confident in the way they look on paper, but when it comes to the interview, they may fear the tough questions and just don’t know how to answer them. Facing these types of questions when you aren’t prepared can create the wrong impression, costing you the job you’re looking for.

What Is Your Greatest Weakness?

You spend a lot of time filling your executive bio with examples of your strengths to show your prospective employer why you are the perfect candidate. It’s all part of your personal branding. Unfortunately, this is one of the most commonly asked questions. The key is selecting a weakness that has little to no impact on the position for which you are applying. Carefully read through the job description before you make your choice. In addition to letting them know what your weakness is, address how you are working toward strengthening this area.

Why Is There a Gap in Your Work History?

There are a number of circumstances that can lead to gaps in your work history. Perhaps you took time off to raise children or maybe you were laid off and had difficulty finding a new position due to a declining economy. While you can’t make up a job to fill in the gaps, mention volunteer work and other activities you did during those periods of unemployment. Anything that shows you remained productive during those times can help pad your resume.

Tell Me About Yourself

This may seem like a way to learn about your personal life, but most employers don’t want to hear about your family or your latest vacation. Instead, they use this question to learn in your words about your career past. Talk about your education and your past jobs, particularly your last career. Keep this portion of the interview short and to the point.

Has a Supervisor Ever Challenged Your Choices?

When interviewers ask this question, they aren’t checking to see if you’ve made mistakes in your past job. Instead, they are interested in how you handle controversy and how you resolve issues with your superiors. Be sure your answer reflects humility and shows you learned a lesson from the encounter. Don’t badmouth your past supervisors or give the impression you were in the right.
Tough questions are all a part of the interview process. In many cases, it’s not about the exact answer you give. In fact, many of these questions are designed to gauge how you respond to specific situations and help an employer determine if you are a good fit for their company. Learning how to handle even the difficult questions with confidence will increase your odds of landing the job you want, especially if a good interview is accompanied by an excellent executive bio.

Why Should You Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile?

BlogSocial Marketing/Online Branding

Your LinkedIn profile should serve as your executive bio.

Your LinkedIn profile serves as an executive bio.


In a sea of social-networking sites that are primarily useful for, well, socializing, LinkedIn is a breath of fresh air for professionals. When you are active on this social networking site, you’re not just wasting time creating and reading pointless postings. You’re improving your marketability as a job candidate, making valuable job-seeking connections and increasing the odds of discovering or getting your next lucrative job.

Your LinkedIn Profile Is Like Your Personal Brand

If you are looking for an executive level job, it is imperative you optimize LinkedIn profile appeal so you will generate more profile views. The more people who view your profile, the higher the odds the right person will view it. There’s really no point even being on LinkedIn if your profile is incomplete, lacks important keywords and has a paltry network of connections.

Ever Heard of “Social Selling?”

The concept of social selling is relatively new, but it’s important if you’re trying to market yourself. Essentially, social selling involves building up a strong reputation (selling yourself) as an expert in your chosen field by being an active participant in social media (particularly LinkedIn). Every aspect of your LinkedIn profile, including your headline, photo, connections, executive bio and summary, should be crafted with care and to elicit a specific response should a potential employer view it.

How Should You Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile?

Now that you understand the importance of optimizing your LinkedIn profile, you’re probably wondering exactly how to do that. By far, the smartest way to go is to partner with a skilled and experienced LinkedIn profile writing service. When you are looking for an executive position, you can’t afford to take risks with something as critical as your LinkedIn profile. The writers at a LinkedIn profile writing service know how to use keywords effectively, add rich media that will generate attention, strategically organize a skill list to appeal to hiring authorities and more.
It’s always a wise move (and one that will save you time and anxiety) to outsource things not in your wheel house to someone who specializes in them. When your car needs an oil change, you could probably muddle through and do the job yourself, but you likely opt for the smart alternative and take your car to your auto repair shop. The same holds true for writing a resume, cover letter, executive bio and LinkedIn profile. If you have a computer, you could sit down and create these documents yourself, but if you trust a pro to do the job, these important components of your job search will probably be exponentially stronger than what you could create on your own.

Why Should You Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile?

Social Marketing/Online Branding

linkedinoptimize
In a sea of social-networking sites that are primarily useful for, well, socializing, LinkedIn is a breath of fresh air for professionals. When you are active on this social-networking site, you’re not just wasting time creating and reading pointless postings. You’re improving your marketability as a job candidate, making valuable job-seeking connections, and increasing the odds of discovering or getting your next lucrative job.
Your LinkedIn Profile is Like Your Personal Brand
If you are looking for an executive level job, it is imperative that you optimize LinkedIn profile appeal so you will generate more profile views. The more people who view your profile, the higher the odds that the right person will view it. There’s really no point even being on LinkedIn if your profile is incomplete, lacks important keywords and has a paltry network of connections.
Ever Heard of “Social Selling?”
The concept of social selling is relatively new, but it’s important if you’re trying to market yourself. Essentially, social selling involves building up a strong reputation (selling yourself) as an expert in your chosen field by being an active participant in social media (particularly LinkedIn). Every aspect of your LinkedIn profile, including your headline, photo, connections, executive bio and summary, should be crafted with care and to elicit a specific response should a potential employer view it.
How Should You Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile?
Now that you understand the importance of optimizing your LinkedIn profile, you’re probably wondering exactly how to do that. By far the smartest way to go is to partner with a skilled and experienced LinkedIn profile writing service. When you are looking for an executive position, you can’t afford to take risks with something as critical as your LinkedIn profile. Certified resume writers at a LinkedIn profile writing service know how to use keywords effectively, add rich media that will generate attention, strategically organize a skill list to appeal to hiring authorities and more.
It’s always a wise move (and one that will save you time and anxiety) to outsource things not in your wheel house to someone who specializes in them. When your car needs an oil change, you could probably muddle through and do the job yourself. But you likely opt for the smart alternative and take your car to your auto repair shop. The same holds true for writing a resume, cover letter, executive bio and LinkedIn profile. If you have a computer, you could sit down and create these documents yourself. But if you trust a pro to do the job, these important components of your job search will probably be exponentially stronger than what you could create on your own.

10 Traits Every Executive Should Have

Executive Resumes

10 exec qualities
To be effective in upper-level management, you need a specific set of traits.  It’s also important to exhibit these attributes through your actions, as well as the company’s executive bio and your executive profile for social media. While there are other factors affecting your abilities as a manager, displaying these traits will increase your chances of success.
1. Leadership Skills
A personal drive to lead others is a necessity for those who want to serve on the executive level. While leadership skills can be acquired traits, an innate tendency to lead will serve you better in a position of power within a company.
2. Sales Drive
Some salespeople are adept at making a pitch, while others pride themselves in their ability to close. If you want to be a successful executive, it’s best to be skilled at both making a pitch and closing the sale. As a leader within the company, you will need to sell yourself, your ideas and the business on a regular basis.
3. A Realistic Viewpoint
Having a dream and goals is important for a successful career, but a realistic viewpoint is even more critical. You need to be able to recognize what is possible and execute the required processes to achieve those goals.
4. Patience
Patience is a virtue every executive should have. You can’t expect all of your efforts to produce results immediately. Patiently waiting for the proper timing and the right resources will help you bring your business to the forefront.
5. A Broad Perspective
Keeping short-term goals in mind is essential for ensuring daily objectives are met for your company, but having a broader perspective can be invaluable. Seeing the bigger picture will help you make smaller decisions along the way.
6. Courage
When most people think of courage, they consider the risks that need to be taken to move forward. However, courage can also be defined as the strength required to stop or change direction.
7. Financial Expertise
Many businesses have a finance division to handle the day-to-day financial elements. However, many companies want an executive team that can keep the budget in mind and understand how money flow factors into the function of the business.
8. Domain Expertise
Technology has become a major component in the world of business. You should command a basic knowledge of the latest technology as it relates to your industry. Don’t forget to showcase your technical knowledge in your executive bio.
9. Honor
The dictionary defines honor as adhering to what is right. In the business world, displaying honor lends an authenticity to your management style. An honorable philosophy and actions allow you to readily connect with your team and your customers on an emotional level.
10. Perseverance
The business world is rapidly changing, which can make it difficult to keep up and stay on top. This is why the drive to keep going, even when things aren’t proceeding as planned, is important.
If you need help highlighting these personality traits in your executive profile, contact us. Our professional resume writing services are designed to showcase your best attributes, making you more attractive to prospective employers.

10 Traits Every Executive Should Have

Executive Resumes

10 qualities every exec should have
To be effective in upper-level management, you need a specific set of traits. It’s also important to exhibit these attributes through your actions, as well as the company’s executive bio and your executive profile for social media. While there are other factors affecting your abilities as a manager, displaying these traits will increase your chances of success.
1. Leadership Skills
A personal drive to lead others is a necessity for those who want to serve on the executive level. While leadership skills can be acquired traits, an innate tendency to lead will serve you better in a position of power within a company.
2. Sales Drive
Some salespeople are adept at making a pitch, while others pride themselves in their ability to close. If you want to be a successful executive, it’s best to be skilled at both making a pitch and closing the sale. As a leader within the company, you will need to sell yourself, your ideas and the business on a regular basis.
3. A Realistic Viewpoint
Having a dream and goals is important for a successful career, but a realistic viewpoint is even more critical. You need to be able to recognize what is possible and execute the required processes to achieve those goals.
4. Patience
Patience is a virtue every executive should have. You can’t expect all of your efforts to produce results immediately. Patiently waiting for the proper timing and the right resources will help you bring your business to the forefront.
5. A Broad Perspective
Keeping short-term goals in mind is essential for ensuring daily objectives are met for your company, but having a broader perspective can be invaluable. Seeing the bigger picture will help you make smaller decisions along the way.
6. Courage
When most people think of courage, they consider the risks that need to be taken to move forward. However, courage can also be defined as the strength required to stop or change direction.
7. Financial Expertise
Many businesses have a finance division to handle the day-to-day financial elements. However, many companies want an executive team that can keep the budget in mind and understand how money flow factors into the function of the business.
8. Domain Expertise
Technology has become a major component in the world of business. You should command a basic knowledge of the latest technology as it relates to your industry. Don’t forget to showcase your technical knowledge in your executive bio.
9. Honor
The dictionary defines honor as adhering to what is right. In the business world, displaying honor lends an authenticity to your management style. An honorable philosophy and actions allow you to readily connect with your team and your customers on an emotional level.
10. Perseverance
The business world is rapidly changing, which can make it difficult to keep up and stay on top. This is why the drive to keep going, even when things aren’t proceeding as planned, is important.
If you need help highlighting these personality traits in your executive profile,contact us. Our professional resume writing services are designed to showcase your best attributes, making you more attractive to prospective employers.