Writing a professional resume will help you stand out.
Most people already recognize the need to stand out from the other candidates by wiring an effective resume that showcases their skills. However, many of those same people have no idea how to accomplish this goal when writing a professional resume. The following tips will help you find new ways to make sure hiring managers notice your executive resume cover letter over all the others.
Dress Up Your Cover Letter
Every great resume begins with a cover letter that addresses the hiring manager and lets them know why you are considering the position. Unfortunately, this can be an area that many people struggle with, making it difficult to set yourself apart from the other candidates. It shouldn’t simply be a summary of what is included in your resume; instead, it needs to be a personal message to the hiring manager to help them see you as the ideal fit for their business culture.
In general, your executive resume cover letter should answer the question of why. This is your time to tell prospective employers why you are considering a position within their company and why you are the ideal candidate for the job. It can be useful to find a connection between something you have to offer and what they are looking for. Many hiring managers make the decision to request an interview based largely on the contents of the cover letter.
Create an Outstanding Resume
Once you have a cover letter that makes a great first impression, you need to focus on writing an effective resume that sets you apart and shows employers why you are the smart choice. When writing a professional resume, make sure to only include the relevant skills and experience, as well as a concise, narrative work history. This information will give employers a clear view of what you bring to the company.
Instead of listing work experiences that are unrelated to the new position, consider adding a section for non-work activities. This can give them a better idea of your personality to help them determine if you are a good fit for their company cultures. Therefore, it’s important to show them who you are, rather than simply what you can do.
As you consider your options for your future career, it’s essential to find ways to make sure you stand apart from the hundreds of other resumes that cross a hiring manager’s desk. From your executive resume cover letter to writing a professional resume, it’s up to you to show a company why you are the best fit for the job, especially over the other candidates who have applied.
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.
You c-level resume should use keywords to attract attention.
Keywords in a resume? Who needs them? If you’re trying to land a c-level position, you need them! More than three quarters of employers rely on keywords to narrow their vast pool of applicants to choose the most promising and bring them to the interview stage.
Why Keywords Are Important in a Resume
Recruiters looking for the winning c-level resume for a specific position rely on automated resume databases to cull through hundreds and often thousands of online resume submissions collected by a firm. When a recruiter places an ad for a position opening, he or she usually includes a punch list of must-have criteria for the successful applicant.
Similarly, when sorting through resumes of applicants responding to the position, he or she will use must-have keywords. These might include the name of the city where the position is based, specific skills, required foreign languages, programming languages or educational degrees. The recruiter enters these keywords into his or her search criteria and may immediately cull 4,000 resumes down to 76. He or she will then quickly scan those 76, spending literally seconds on each one to decide if it is a “keeper.” The more must-have keywords he or she sees in that brief scan, the more likely that candidate will move to the next stage and land a phone or in-person interview.
Effective Ways to Use Keywords to Boost Your Interview Odds
You can use keywords to your advantage when you know how important they are. When you are applying for a c-level job, jot down buzz words from the punch list of “must-have” qualifications in the job posting. In addition to using these words often and as near the top of your resume a possible, use them in your cover letter. Recruiters expect a good executive resume cover letter to be concise and to the point and to spell out quickly why they should take a closer look at the resume it is introducing. Fitting in the most important keywords without appearing to “keyword stuff” your cover letter is an art. The best approach is to enlist guidance from the best resume writing service you can find to boost your chances.
Beyond creating an intriguing executive resume cover letter, it’s a good idea to create a “skills” punch list to include in your resume. Regurgitate the “must-haves” from the job listing into a “skills” section for your resume. Last but not least, use keywords naturally throughout your resume to boost the odds a recruiter’s automated system will flag you as an outstanding candidate.
Invest in Skilled Professional Help
When you’re seeking a c-level position, your c-level resume should change with each job you apply for. This can be time-consuming and a bit mind-boggling if writing isn’t your forte. Don’t risk losing out on a perfect position because your resume or cover letter wasn’t up to par. Do yourself a favor and hire a pro with a proven track record. Contact us and leave the details to us.
