An executive resume is a top-level tool in your repertoire, and it needs to be maintained or it gets rusty and out of date. When should you update your resume? Here are two clues to look for: Other co-workers are being promoted to positions you qualify for. If you have been taking classes, getting training certifications, or regularly attending seminars in your field and it isn’t on your resume; maybe it should be. Movement within an organization often depends on the applicant making sure their assets are on file and actively seeking positions. Do coworkers know you are interested in other levels in the organization? Do you keep tabs on what is opening up and apply for positions that interest you? It has been a year or more since you looked at your resume. It’s a good idea to have regular resume updating scheduled, just like you regularly have your car maintained. It’s a lot easier to do a tune-up than it is to replace an engine that blew out because of poor maintenance. In the same way, regularly looking at your executive resume and tweaking it to reflect who you are today keeps you aware of where you could use some extra training to qualify for that next level in your career. Executive resumes are important to maintain accurately. The top levels of the workplace require investing in the best tools available, and your resume is a snapshot of the package you offer as an executive in that workplace. If your resume needs to be updated to an “executive resume” level because you have reached that rung in the corporate ladder, it might be a good idea to consult with experts. The Executive Resume Package has a good overview of the process involved. Even if you decide you can do this yourself, it will give you an idea of the things you need to consider when updating your resume.
When was the last time you carefully assessed your executive resume? Perhaps you should take a look at your resume, and see if it is “on target” for the 3 important factors that every “executive” resume has:
Your executive resume is your image. Impressions are formed, wrongly or rightly, about your professionalism, abilities, and more. Everything plays into “image”, much of it subconsciously. The color of the paper, choice of font, style and standard of writing, organization of information, and more, form a picture of who you are as a prospective employee.
Your executive resume is your calling card. This is how a prospective employer refreshes their memory about the facts concerning you and your potential for their organization. This is how that prospective employer has the information needed to contact you when they want to call you in for an interview. Everything on your executive resume should be accurate, up to date, and easy to find.
Your executive resume is your responsibility. Even if you hire a professional resume service, yours is the final say in the finished product that is distributed. The level of professionalism and polish of the executive resume reflect the candidate for the top jobs. That candidate — YOU — are assumed to have approved every detail of your resume.
Because these important factors are a reality in every resume, it is highly important that your executive resume is “on target” as reaching the goal of a professional executive standard. Executive positions do require a higher standard of resume, one that is worth the higher compensation such positions are paid. It is your responsibility to make sure that the “image” and “calling card” in your resume meet these higher standards.
Avoiding Red Flags When Updating Your Professional Resume
One of the red flags an interviewer looks for is inconsistency in your information. If you have updated your professional resume, take the time to look at your cover letter and online information carefully to make sure they all match. I’m not saying to keep a falsehood consistent because lying is never a good idea, but I am saying that if you are not updating everything when you refresh one thing it eventually will look like you lied because the records are inconsistent. This is an easy trap to fall into because there are so many places your professional information can be found. If you have recently taken a seminar on a specialty in your field, you may remember to put it on your resume but forget about your LinkedIn profile. Do that three times and your online brand is lacking three important pieces of information about you. Do that ten times, and an interviewer will wonder what’s going on. This is also an easy trap to avoid! All you need to do is understand that updating your professional resume involves more than the pages you print out to mail with a cover letter or attach to an email. When you look at the professional resume packages offered, you’ll see that reflected. If you aren’t going to invest in a service like that, then it is a good idea to post a reminder to yourself in your resume folder that change to one means changing it all. You are a package deal; a composite of experience and training and perspective that will benefit an employer. Your professional resume ‘package’ is a composite of your online brand, resume, and any other information a potential employee can dig up. Keep your information consistent across that package and there won’t be any red flags to find.
Salary negotiation can be one of the most stressful parts of getting a new job.On the one hand, it is exciting to think about a new job and the possibility of earning more money. On the other hand, it can be nerve-wracking waiting to hear what your new salary will be. Do you accept the salary offer, negotiate it or reject it? What if you make a mistake and accept a salary offer that is too low, or try to negotiate one that is too high? These events are unlikely to happen if you do your homework before you get to the salary negotiation stage. A salary calculator can help you with this important homework.It can give you an idea how much your current salary is worth in another city. It can also give you median, low and high end salaries for given positions and industries in a geographical location. Some salary calculators allow you to compare the cost of living between two cities. You can compare the cost of living between the city you are in and the city where you have a job offer, or the cost of living between two cities where you have job offers. These calculators aid you in thinking practically about moving for a new job. Remember to factor in whether your new employer will pay relocation costs. If the employer does pay relocation costs, find out what the cap is on those costs. If you go over the cap amount, say, by hiring movers to move your grand piano, you may end up paying the extra costs. You are more likely to get the salary you want if you go into a salary negotiation meeting with facts based on the information you gatheredfrom salary calculators and other job search resources. This information backs up your work experience and your education. You put a great deal of energy into both, so make sure you get what you are truly worth.
