The Executive Resume: A Slightly Completely different Set of Guidelines

Rosalinda works for a US-based international company. A number of years ago, she took over the Canadian division, which had been previously underperforming, and turned things round for the better. About six months ago, she seized an opportunity to share some of her strategic ideas and ideas with higher management. They liked what she had to say and not too long ago opened up a new VP position that’s ideally suited to her, especially since it would contain implementing the initiatives she suggested. She wants to strive for the promotion, so we worked collectively to overhaul her old resume. We took it from the mid-level manager resume she used when she first received hired to one that reflects the executive she’s develop into during her time with the company.

Rosalinda (not her real name, of course) is transitioning her career upward as a «new» executive, so it’s no shock that she had quite a bit to find out about how one can current herself in a new way through her resume. However, I’ve also worked with many seasoned executives who do not seem to know that if you’re an executive, you must follow a slightly completely different set of rules when developing your resume.

Under you’ll discover three specific reasons why the executive resume is so different from an everyday resume.

By the way, I’m defining «executive» as executive directors, senior directors, vice presidents, c-level officers, board members, and anyone focusing on a strategic leadership position in their career.

Length

For the individual contributor or the mid-degree manager, we anticipate to see a two-page summarized resume that shows about 10-15 years of work history. Experience previous to 10-15 years ago could be displayed or not — it’s totally optional. However, for an executive, we want to see the career progression in full. Except, in fact, for the minor jobs you had early on — there is not any have to show the job you had as a pizza delivery driver once you were in school.

There’s additionally loads more info to be included on the first web page within the first part, which is the profile or abstract section. On a regular resume for a non-executive function, this part may be as quick as one or two sentences, or it could possibly be up to a half-web page long. On the other hand, for some executive resumes, especially for c-level and vice president candidates, the profile or summary section fills the entire first page.

Because of those two factors — more years of experience and more information within the profile — the executive resume is often three, typically even four, pages in length.

Executive Profile

As I just talked about, the profile or abstract section will, in most cases, take up the entire first page of the resume, and the content material of that page is the second main reason why the executive resume is so totally different from an everyday resume.

No matter what level your position — whether you are an executive or not — the abstract or profile section wants to inform about and show proof of your worth proposition. If you’re an executive, you additionally must add in something about your leadership model, as well as incorporate more language relating to your strategic business acumen.

The executive’s profile will embody the usual: a succinct positioning assertion, industry-specific key words, and something about your unique worth proposition. However it can even embrace key words that mirror strategic-level thinking and responsibilities — phrases like «P&L,» «investor relations,» and «industry forecasting.»

The mainity of resumes that I develop for shoppers include a career highlights section. On the standard resume, it’s a separate section that’s sandwiched between the profile and the experience sections. Typically it will probably be included as part of the profile section somewhat than be inserted as a stand-alone section. Nonetheless, with the executive resume, I always include it as part of the profile.

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