Often, when we see advice for writing resumes, it’s geared toward those in the early or middle stages of their careers, or those making lateral moves. And while certain aspects of resume-writing standards apply no matter the career level (typos are always bad news, for example), when you are writing a resume for an executive or C-level position, there are some important distinctions that you can’t afford to ignore.
At the most basic level, a senior or executive resume differs from a professional resume in the simple fact that companies expect more from executive level employees. Your resume needs to reflect the fact that you are prepared for the top of the food chain, and that you have the experience, accomplishments, and career victories to prove it. Executives are expected to have a higher level of skill in areas such as leadership, decision-making, and strategic management, as well as the specific “hard skills” demanded by the role, and an executive resume needs to tell a career story that clearly shows those skill areas.
The good news is that executive resumes can — and are generally expected to be — more detailed and nuanced than professional resumes. An executive resume’s pages must contain detailed information about your skills and experience, presented in an easy-to-understand, compelling format that demonstrates that you not only have the chops for the job, but an understanding of the current business environment and trends. No problem, right?
Know Thyself
The first step to a killer executive resume is to determine how you want to present yourself to employers — in other words, what is your personal brand value proposition? Spend some time thinking about your career path, what has driven your success, what the underlying themes of your overall trajectory have been, and what differentiates you from other executives.
Once you have narrowed this down to a brand statement, craft that into an executive summary that makes it obvious to employers why you are the absolute best person for the job. Look at your executive summary — which will replace the “objective” on professional resumes — as a “So what?” statement. If an employer received your resume and asked, “so what?” your executive summary should answer that question.
Use a Strategic Approach
Most professional resumes are in either a chronological or functional format. On an executive resume, a chronological approach often means that employers have to search through decades of jobs and accomplishments and draw their own conclusions about the candidate’s fit for the job, while a functional approach usually means that they receive a list of skills and achievements without a lot of context.
Therefore, a strategic approach that combines both the best aspects of a chronological format, with a select accomplishments section, is best, as it puts the skills and accomplishments in context. In any case, there are a few important things to remember:
- Business and financial achievements must take precedence. Executives must demonstrate impact — and it must be done in quantitative terms. You need to show that you can make money, save money, drive growth, and manage productivity and efficiency. Highlight that first.
- Choose achievements that align with your target position. As an executive, you might have several decades of experience, and many accomplishments. You cannot include them all. Focus on the achievements and highlights that are most relevant to the position you want and best demonstrate your abilities in that area.
- Use active, descriptive language. Using terms like “responsible for” might be an accurate description of what you did in the past, but it doesn’t tell employers how successful you were. Again, quantify your results and demonstrate your competency in these areas. Avoid overused, vague terms that don’t mean anything.
More Than Words
With an executive resume, how you format and deliver the document can be just as important as what you include in it. Companies are looking for leaders who are in-step with current trends and are tech savvy, and if you follow outdated resume advice, you might be opening yourself up to age discrimination, if not skepticism about your understanding of the modern business world.
Therefore, avoid making the following errors:
- Including a home phone number. Unless you are unemployed and home all day, just include your mobile number.
- Including a photo. Photos are distracting, and a company may think you are too old based on your photo.
- Listing technology skills that include programs or skills that should be a given. Employers assume you can use Microsoft Word, email, etc. Don’t waste space spelling that out. If you have top-notch, advanced Excel skills, that is an exception, but tech skills should focus on high-level programs.
- Using templates. Your resume should appear fresh and up-to-date. If you don’t have the skills to write and design something that looks 2018, not 1998, work with an executive resume writing service to develop your application package.
- Sending hard copies. Unless specifically requested to do so, only send resumes electronically.
Like any other resume, an executive resume is a sales pitch to get your foot in the door for an interview. However, the expectations are much higher, and if you fail to deliver here, employers will assume you won’t deliver in the job either. Therefore, if you are applying for C-suite jobs, develop your resume to reflect your C-suite capabilities.