I see a lot of executive resumes every day from job seekers who are considering partnering with me to get them out of their job search ruts.
Most of these resumes are written by the job seeker.
They tried so hard to make their resume look and sound like “an executive resume”, that they forgot to make it sound like them.
Think about the hiring decision makers reviewing hundreds of executive resumes that look and read the same. Imagine how they sit up and take notice when they see a resume that sounds like an actual person is attached to it.
If you truly want a resume that looks like “an executive resume”, it’s easy to do. Load it with resume-speak like:
“Responsible for”
“Results-oriented”
“Proven track record”
“Experienced professional”
“Dynamic manager”
and fill it with repetitive, obvious job descriptions and responsibilities. Do this and your resume will continue to get little or no response.
You’re not like everyone else so why would you want your resume to be like everyone else’s?
You know what makes you unique. You know how you make things happen, how significantly you’ve impacted bottom line, and what an asset you’ve been to your companies throughout your career.
Does your resume immediately and abundantly show this, or does the reader have to assume you have something to offer when they sift through vague, overused phrases?
This is where the power of personal branding comes into play.
But what does personal branding look like? Simply put, branding is the combination of your talents, strengths, value, and drivers. It takes into account the things you’re passionate about – the things you’re great at doing and can’t wait to get to each day.
Reflect upon what those around you (at work and in your personal life) say about you, how they introduce you to others, what they always rely on you to deliver. They can tell you what your key brand attributes are.
Make your resume stand out with what is unique about you:
- Let recruiters and hiring managers in on your value proposition and ROI.
- Zero in on how you tackle challenges impeding corporate imperatives.
- Show them how you’ve impacted bottom line for your companies.
- Give them monetized “stories” providing evidence of your promise of value.
Want to see an example of how this all comes together? Take a look at the resume of a CEO I recently worked with. I fictionalized any identifying information, but the rest is unchanged. “Paul” also needed a leadership initiatives summary and executive career biography.
Paul‘s resume and other career marketing collaterals really sound like him.
