At the executive level, it is essential to ensure that your resume or CV stands out and demonstrates the impact that you have had – and are capable of. With our current economic state and the recent job market conditions, it is critical to have a document prepared that will facilitate the transition into or among the c-suite. There are a few recent executive resume trends that have emerged and remained in 2019 that will enhance the successes of your resume and are essential to consider.
Concise Yet Effective
For as long as resumes have been a part of the job search, professionals and candidates have debated the appropriate page length of an effective document. It can be tempting to provide a resume that exceeds three, four, or even five pages to include all of your highlights from your professional career. However, even at the executive level, it is critical to deliver a document that will capture and hold the attention of stakeholders. Hiring managers often spend less than 10 seconds on a resume before making a decision about moving forward; therefore, anything longer than two pages will not be read.
The reputation of individuals at the executive level often proceeds them, with networking and industry-wide reputations often being closely tied to a professional’s name. Your document still needs to highlight your ‘big wins’ and key accomplishments – but you need only include the most central and impressive achievements, focusing on those that are most relevant and recent. Strategically determining which highlights to include will allow you to effectively and efficiently identify what content to discuss to secure the attention and interest of readers.
Quantitative Over Qualitative
Many executives may be considered ‘collaborative change agents’ or ‘strategic visionaries’ – at the executive level; ultimately, it is expected. Instead of focusing on generalities and ‘soft skills,’ further demonstrate your executive success with quantifiable metrics and numbers. An executive is expected to drive the bottom line and propel the organization forward – showcasing past examples of such successes will bolster the credibility of your resume and effectively secure the often-fleeting attention of recruiting managers and stakeholders.
Examples of critical, quantifiable information might include year-over-year revenue growth or generation, percentage increases in efficiencies, decreases in costs, or multi-million or -billion-dollar projects or clients secured. Your impact on the bottom line and the financials of an organization will be the most impactful highlights – use them carefully.
It is very wise to invest in executive resume writing services as they have been proven to provide executive-level employees guaranteed success. For assistance in crafting a concise, quantitative-based executive resume that will allow you to make a seamless career transition, check out our executive resume writing services here.