Are you consistently sending out your executive resumes, but getting zero responses or are you being bombarded with phone calls for positions that are completely outside of your capabilities?

If this describes you, it is time to take a close look at the message your resume is sending to potential employers. Your goal with an executive resume is “Sell Me” not “Tell Me” – by placing a laundry list of job responsibilities and task-driven statements, you are only telling readers what you get paid to do. However, a hiring manager needs to know “What can you do for me (qualifications, expertise, and personal brand), how many times have you done it before (length and breadth of experience), and how well have you done it (bottom-line impact and quantifiable results)?

1. Stop Making Potential Employers Guess

Your executive resume is a strategic marketing document and the product you are selling is YOU. At first glance – especially in the resume profile section – the reader should know who you are and the value you bring to the table.

If you are unsure of your job target or immediate career goals, a generic resume is not going to help you. A focused, targeted executive resume convinces hiring managers that you are the right person for the job. Which one of these executive would you trust as your next CFO?

Candidate A: By training and professional experience, highly qualified in financial and strategic management of business in many industries.

Candidate B: Performance-driven finance executive with deep expertise in spearheading initiatives that strengthen internal infrastructure, expand revenue-generating capabilities, and maximize ROI for startup and high-growth companies.


2. Stop Using A “Me-Oriented” Resume Objective

It is understood that if you are in job search mode, you are seeking positions that offer growth opportunities and fit into your long-term career goals. However, if that is the only story your resume is telling, employers will not be impressed. You need to hook them in with buying motivators. Instead of starting of your executive resume with a self-centered objective statement that screams “I am only focused on my needs”, use brand-focused statements of value that show employers how they gain from bringing you on board. Which candidate seems like the right fit for a manufacturing executive position?

Candidate A: Seeking a challenging leadership position in manufacturing and product operations.

Candidate B: Pioneering manufacturing executive with proven success in devising manufacturing and plant operating strategies that eliminate redundancies, increase production output, and deliver productivity, quality, and efficiency improvements.


3. Stop Choking Readers With Pages And Pages Of Your Resume Content

Potential employers want to know the depth, scope, and breadth of your experience and related responsibilities; however, you do not need to create a career obituary in order to effectively sell yourself. Even if you have more 20 years of experience, you can still create an effective executive resume that highlights your key qualifications without weighing down the document with too much detail or inadvertently “aging” you. Here are two effective ways of handling early career experience without having to flush out every job you had since high school.

Choice A: EARLY COMPANY EXPERIENCE: Delivered significant contributions to company’s revenue growth and production output through Manager of Engineering & Maintenance and Project Engineer positions.

Choice B: EARLY CAREER: Held series of executive management and leadership roles including VP, Finance/Controller for several national restaurant chains.

4. Stop Telling Employers Only What You Are Paid To Do

While you always need to communicate to employers about the scope of your leadership and management responsibilities, don’t get so tied to your tasks that the executive resume falls short on your value proposition. Good facts/statistics to consider are budget size, the number of direct/indirect reports, the number of divisions or branches you manage, sales/revenue objectives, the number of clients, local, national or regional offices, and the title of your immediate boss.

These details should be condensed to three to five sentences in a paragraph, peppered with vibrant action verbs, industry keywords, and should be completely void of overused, passive phrases like “Responsible for the development of marketing plans for clients in the West Coast region." Maximize your valuable resume space for details on important projects, achievements, and other accolades.

Before: Manage daily activities for real estate portfolio for investment management company and supervise staff members.

After: Challenged to deliver 10% return on $700 million investment portfolio in unpredictable, evolving real estate industry. Oversee all daily activities including ROI maximizations, client relations, loan negotiations, and investment dispositions.

5. Stop Making It Hard For Employers To See What Makes You Different

Okay, so you are a technology executive in the financial services industry, but how do you stand out from your peers who do the same thing. Extract strong statements from your performance evaluations or management feedback reports to make an immediate connection, generate real interest, and entice employers to call you in for a personal interview. Who would you be interested in meeting?

Candidate A: Fifteen years experience supporting corporate IT operations and application development in complex 24x7 environments involving multi-site locations.

Candidate B: Primary architect and pioneer of groundbreaking, “first-of-its-kind” technology initiatives that reposition companies for long-term sustainability and continued financial success. “He is truly a strategic thinker who can ascertain the business challenge and deliver an innovative, technology-driven solution.”

6. Stop Leaving The “Beef” Off Your Executive Resume

You can tell me that you are great, but unless you demonstrate your “greatness” through strong, high-impact achievement statements, I am going to have a hard time believing you. Remember it is important to communicate the context in which the achievement was made – in other words, saying that you grew revenues 25% in one year sounds fantastic, but if it was already growing at that pace then your actual contribution was minimal. Which of the following candidates sound like a powerhouse to you?

Candidate A: Saved the company thousands of dollars during first year on the job.

Candidate B: Achieved zero lost time and 100% staff productivity during 12 consecutive months for first time in company’s operating history — saving company $500,000.