In today's competitive job market, the executive resumes with the most compelling, hard-hitting career stories will get the attention and much desired interviews.
When was the last time you took a close look at your executive resume? How do you know if it is telling the right story for your career?
Ask yourself these questions:
- Are you making potential employers figure out or guess your career/job target?
- Is your executive resume too "me-oriented"?
- Are you choking readers with pages and pages of resume content?
- Are you only telling employers what you are paid to do?
- Does your executive resume fail to tell employers what makes you stand out?
- Is your executive resume missing the "beef" - no career achievements mentioned?
Your executive resume is a strategic marketing document and the product you are selling is YOU. At first glance, your executive resume must tell the reader - who you are, the unique value you bring to the table, and demonstrate through supporting achievement statements how well you performed in previous positions.
Don't make the mistake of creating a career obituary that is a laundry list of job responsibilities and task-driven statements. Make sure that your executive resume's story contains the following components:
What you can do for employers - qualifications, expertise, and personal brand
How many times you have done it before - length and breadth of career and experience
How well you have done it for other employers - bottom-line impact and quantifiable results
Check out this example of a manufacturing executive resume that tells a very strong career story.
Abby M. Locke, Executive Director of Premier Writing Solutions (www.premierwriting.com), is a Nationally Certified Resume-Writer and Personal Brand Strategist who helps senior-level professionals and C-level executives achieve personal success with customized, branded executive resumes and career marketing documents.
