The Executive Resume . . . It Better Be Hot Stuff!

It’s been said that there’s really no significant difference between an executive resume and a standard one.

Wrong!

If you qualify to be job hunting at the executive level, there’s a whole other set of expectations that apply only to you. Of course, these expectations go way beyond your resume. But this key document has to position you in the mind of the decision-maker as someone who is ready to step in and hit the ground running.

In preparing an executive resume you want to remember that an employer is going to looking at you not for what you’ve done, but for what you can do going forward. In other words, it’s a big mistake to focus on what you used to do for someone else and hope that will sell you to your prospective boss.

For example, the common wisdom is that your executive resume has to lead off with a lively “objective” statement. Nothing could be further from the truth. An employer could care less what you hope to get out the job or where you see yourself going with your career.

Instead, you want to lead off with an exciting summary or positioning statement that succinctly and enthusiastically announces what you’ve got going for you that can make a difference to your new boss and his/her organization.

And make sure your executive resume is short. Never more than two pages no matter how extensive your career and work history has been. Make it easy to read with plenty of white space. The reason for this is that resumes are initially scanned in 50 seconds or less.

An executive resume is expected to do more than pump up your pride in your accomplishments. An employer is looking for very specific, quantified background information that clearly zeroes in on how you can answer the needs of a prospective employer.

In fact, we often recommend to our executive resume customers that they present a carefully crafted proposal instead of (or in addition to) a resume. The proposal identifies corporate concerns and then outlines how you will solve key problems faced by the organization.

This kind of approach carries a lot more weight with decision-makers than a routine executive resume because it shows that you’ve taken the time to learn something about the organization and its leadership. And you’re willing to demonstrate your skills in coming up with a solution to pressing issues.

Now, the good news is that there is an amazing executive job search system that can show you how to be face-to-face with senior decision-makers in a matter of days!