6 Easy Ways to Strengthen Your Executive Resume

Creating an executive resume is not just about listing your past jobs. It’s more complex. You need to focus on showing your achievements and making yourself stand out from other applicants. In this blog post, we’ll show you how to make your resume better and get more responses from employers.

You’re a fantastic business leader, no doubt about it! You excel at building, growing, and motivating teams. Your knack for crafting brilliant business strategies brings in millions in new revenue and expands your organization’s reach. You’re the driving force behind your company’s success. But when it comes to putting all of these accomplishments on paper, you hit a roadblock. Maybe you haven’t updated your resume in years, or you’re overwhelmed by the sheer amount of things to include. Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Many of our executive clients face the same challenge. The good news is, that creating an impressive executive resume is completely achievable. Here’s what you need to know.

What Sets an Executive Resume Apart

The executive job market is tough, especially with concerns about age discrimination. Gone are the days when a simple list of past jobs would do the trick. As an executive, you need a strong, carefully crafted brand to stand out. What sets you apart from other executives? Your brand should showcase your unique value to the organization. When you’re up against equally talented executives, your brand is what makes you shine. It’s how you distinguish yourself and get noticed.

Begin with a plan

As an executive, you understand the importance of planning before taking action. The same principle applies to crafting a top-notch executive resume. It all begins with a solid plan. Begin by identifying where you want to end up. When I work with executive clients on their resumes, I always ask them to identify a few positions they’re interested in. If you ever hire a resume-writing service and they don’t ask about your target job, be cautious. Having a job description in mind helps us stay focused and ensures that we create a resume perfectly tailored to your goals.

Questions to Consider While Planning

Suppose you’re unsure about which types of job descriptions to target. It’s essential to take a step back and ask yourself a few questions to guide your planning process. Are you aiming for a position in a large corporation, a smaller company, or perhaps a startup? Are you considering transitioning into a new industry? Are you looking for a lateral move or aiming for a position with more direct reports? These questions are crucial for clarifying your goals as you start the resume-writing process. If you’re feeling stuck at this stage, seeking guidance from a career coach could be incredibly beneficial. It will also save you time in figuring out your next target.

Create Your Executive Resume with a Focus on the Big Picture

Once you’ve identified your target positions, it’s crucial to decide what you want to highlight to the hiring manager or recruiter. This step will define your new brand and make sure it aligns with your target job. Branding is crucial in resume writing at every career stage, but for executives, it’s especially important. Your executive brand should showcase skills and competencies of the highest caliber. Think about the big picture and how you’ve made an impact on the entire organization, not just the tasks you’ve performed.

Questions to Consider For Executive Branding

Branding might not seem necessary for everyone, except perhaps for marketing executives. However, as you brainstorm your executive brand, consider these questions: Are you adept at revitalizing struggling businesses? Excelling in building strong customer relationships? Have you successfully expanded your organization into untapped markets? Make sure to share these achievements with the hiring manager and bring your unique brand to the forefront. Additionally, if you’re transitioning into a new industry, you’ll need to apply a career pivot branding strategy. Here’s some more branding advice to help you get started.

The Most Important Section on Your Resume

Remember this key point: the top third of your resume is prime real estate. With short attention spans and the natural way our eyes scan, this section is incredibly important. Use this space to showcase your brand and make yourself stand out!

A crucial part of branding yourself is crafting a strong executive summary. It not only grabs your reader’s attention but makes them want to learn more about you. One effective way to do this is by creating a tagline right under your name and target position that makes you memorable. This is where you establish your brand. Then, follow it up with a 5 to 6-line summary that gives the reader a deeper insight into who you are and what you can bring to their organization.

Emphasize Your Achievements at All Times

Accomplishments are crucial for your resume, and it should be built around them. As an executive, you likely have many accomplishments to choose from. The challenge is deciding which ones to highlight. This is where your target job descriptions come in handy. What does the company you’re applying to value? Are they seeking a turnaround specialist or someone experienced in leading global expansion? Once you’ve identified their priorities, create a key highlights section at the beginning of your resume. After that, you can continue to showcase relevant accomplishments there.

In addition to the key highlights section, incorporate accomplishments throughout your resume. Under each role, focus on highlighting accomplishments first, followed by the details. This approach ensures that your achievements are prominently displayed and grab the reader’s attention.

Your accomplishments should be the driving force behind your resume. Hiring managers need to see what you’ve achieved for other organizations to understand what you can do for them. You can enhance your resume by using relevant keywords and strong action verbs. Simply conducting a Google search can provide you with a plethora of great keywords and verbs to incorporate into your resume. This helps your accomplishments stand out and makes a stronger impression on potential employers.