7 Things You Don't Need on Your Executive Resume

Watch the video to streamline your executive job application by removing outdated elements and understanding the current expectations in the job market.

1. Job Positions and Outdated Information Older than 15 Years

At this stage of your career, you've accumulated a rich history of companies, positions, and achievements. The challenge now is how to encapsulate it all within a concise resume.

The good news? You don't have to.

Instead, focus your resume on experiences from the last 15 years, limiting it to three or four positions, more or less. Experiences older than 15 years may portray an outdated version of you to employers and executive recruiters. These responsibilities may no longer accurately represent your current competence and leadership identity.

Recruiters and employers are primarily interested in your recent activities. The older a position, the lower its priority for hiring managers, unless it directly relates to the current job you're interviewing for.

Utilize the limited space on your resume to craft a compelling narrative and showcase achievements that align with the position you're applying for. Your goal is to present a cohesive brand for your next role.

If you wish to highlight your entire 25-year career progression, you can summarize positions, segments, or organizations from 15 years earlier in just 1-2 sentences. This allows you to offer a brief overview of your earlier roles without overshadowing the primary focus on your recent and relevant experiences.

The same principle applies to your college achievements. If you graduated more than 20 years ago, consider them outdated and provide only a concise mention.

2. Balancing Soft Skills in Your Skillset

Your current skillset reads as follows: communication, strategic thinking, problem-solving, empowerment, team motivation, integrity, empathy, and delegation.

You might be asking, "Isn't leadership primarily about soft skills?" Indeed, that's correct, but there's a caveat. Many candidates tend to go overboard, and executive recruiters are well aware of this. Listing an excess of soft skills can potentially undermine your credibility.

I typically advise my clients to strike a balance, aiming for a composition of 2/3 hard skills and 1/3 soft skills. If you decide to include soft skills, ensure that they are demonstrated in your achievements rather than merely stated as keywords.

I recommend showcasing your soft skills through tangible accomplishments. In fact, I've created a video on transforming your main achievements into compelling stories that set you apart.

3. Crafting a Leadership Brand Instead of a Career Objective

If you're applying for an executive position, recognizing the paramount role of communication is essential. Your executive résumé, in essence, serves as a communication piece. The key to effective communication lies in understanding your audience—tailor your message with your audience in mind.

A career objective, centered on your desires from the employer, might inadvertently convey a lack of communication skills and a failure to grasp the employer's perspective.

Moreover, relying on a career objective may unintentionally narrow your opportunities. If you apply for a position not precisely aligned with your stated objective, it signals to the employer that it may not be the perfect fit for you.

To circumvent these challenges, I advocate replacing the objective section with a leadership brand on your executive résumé. Highlight what you bring to the table, how you can contribute value to the company, and articulate your principles in alignment with the company's purpose and values.

4. Transforming Job Descriptions into Accomplishments on Your Resume

While detailing job responsibilities is effective for middle management positions, it won't make you stand out for executive roles. Focusing on responsibilities rather than accomplishments may raise a red flag, suggesting that you are more focused on tasks than on achieving impactful results.

Here's the difference:

Instead of: "Drove operational excellence, established manufacturing standards, and led initiatives to enhance product quality."

Write: "Spearheaded a quality enhancement initiative that resulted in a remarkable 35% reduction in warranty and goodwill expenses. Secured industry-leading status in operational standards."

Executive recruiters are keen on understanding how candidates surpass daily tasks. While it's crucial to list responsibilities, emphasizing results and accomplishments is more compelling.

Executives are expected to drive results, and showcasing accomplishments demonstrates a proactive and impactful approach to leadership.

5. Mitigating Company-Specific Acronyms

Pay close attention to company-specific acronyms, especially if you've been using them consistently over the past decade within the same company.

Do not assume that those reviewing your résumé will automatically comprehend what these acronyms stand for and why they are noteworthy. Ensure clarity for diverse audiences by writing out the full phrases.

6. Omitting Personal Information and Irrelevant Hobbies

Everyone has hobbies, whether it's biking, hiking, or gardening. While it's commonly believed that a unique hobby can make you stand out, executive recruiters and hiring managers are generally indifferent to how you spend your free time, the number of children you have, or your marital status, especially when they have hundreds of resumes to sift through.

With tight deadlines, critical positions to fill, and strategic challenges, recruiters spend a mere 6-8 seconds reviewing a CV before deciding on its suitability for a vacancy. Unfortunately, 80% of CVs do not make it past this initial screen.

Save details about your personal life for later; they have no place on your resume. Instead, focus on showcasing your professional qualifications and achievements within the limited space.

Your Mailing Address

Including your mailing address in your resume was once standard practice. However, for those pursuing an international career with a willingness to relocate or work remotely, specifying your mailing address is often unnecessary – and it may be better to leave it out.

Many of my channel viewers are seasoned leaders in global organizations, likely having lived in multiple continents or countries. Being open to the right opportunities, compensation, and contract conditions, which often include full expat coverage for family, housing, and children's education, listing your mailing address becomes superfluous.

On my own résumé, I include the city and country where I currently reside, along with a note indicating "open to relocate." This provides recruiters with an understanding of my time zone and signals my international background.

7. Eliminating First-Person Pronouns

Your resume inherently revolves around you, so there's no need to explicitly state that. Rather than writing, "I managed 5 employees," simply state "Managed 5 employees."

For example:

Instead of: "I led the integration of IoT devices on the factory floor, reducing downtime by 62%."

Write: "Led the integration of IoT devices on the factory floor, reducing downtime by 62%."

This streamlined approach not only saves space but also imparts a more direct and professional tone to your achievements.

If you are serious about advancing your career to the senior executive level and want to ensure that your next move is fulfilling, submit your application to the 1% Academy program.

Book a free strategy call.

During the call, you will meet either myself or one of my team members. We will discuss your current career status, your goals, and evaluate if you are a good fit for the program.