After experiencing nothing but upward mobility throughout your career, a stalled executive job search can feel like quite a blow. Why isn’t anyone calling about your extraordinary qualifications?
The answer is simple: every single one of your competitors has an extraordinary background too.
If you’re like nearly every executive I’ve ever spoken to, you understand this but haven’t reflected that in your executive resume. You’ve tried to go it alone with your career marketing materials, thinking there’s no one better prepared to write about you than you.
But consider the following things an executive resume writer can do that you likely haven’t been able to:
1). Answer the question, “Why You?” with striking clarity and conciseness.
I see many executives take the approach that the broader the profile, the more doors will be opened. But it’s the simplest and clearest messages that are often the most influential. It is no surprise that the reader who needs to filter out numerous candidates opts not to shortlist you because you have not provided clarity and focus in your resume.
An executive resume writer will help you narrow down who your audience is and what they need. Furthermore, because they specialize in executive careers, they will be able to immediately detect differentiating brand attributes—unique traits and abilities that go beyond “results-oriented” and “strategic”—to build a compelling and one-of-a-kind message.
2). Filter through decades of effort to determine what’s important and what is information overload.
If you’ve spent many months turning potential calamity into business value or otherwise driving exciting change, it can be hard to let go of those achievements on your resume. But if they don’t provide proof of your fit for your current objective, they are just muddying the water. An executive resume writer will differentiate between which of your innumerable feats to include and what to eliminate in order to simplify your story.
3). Write your executive resume for skimmers, not word-for-word readers.
As an executive, you’ve likely reviewed many resumes yourself. Did you cozy up by the fire and read every single word? No. You likely skimmed them in under a minute for key information.
An executive resume will create a visual strategy that draws the eye to the most critical and differentiating points. Visuals may be used to highlight staggering growth or other metrics, level of authority held (P&L), quotes by superiors, or anything else that the reader should not miss about your exceptional background.
If you’re convinced that you need professional help, here is a tip for selecting an executive resume writer: CERM-certified professionals are a great place to start, but also look for industry recognition such as the TORI awards, publications, or otherwise expert status.
As you consult with service providers, determine whether their model enables significant one-on-one time and deep-dive analysis of your background—and that you are not being rushed through a resume “mill”. Quick-fix models are unlikely to give you the undivided attention your executive background warrants.
