Executive Interview 101: Supporting Data: Creating the body of your resume!

Creating a resume that provides a concise view of your background, is inclusive of all relevant experience, and feels authentic can be a challenging and time-consuming effort. The Functional Tagline (FTL) & Functional Resume Tagline (FRTL) each provide a solid foundation toward ensuring your resume has a strong and positive initial impact that will leave your audience yearning to know more. In this article you will learn how to add your specific roles and their supporting content to your resume.

A resume is your PERSONAL and AUTHENTIC marketing document. When done correctly, it speaks to one’s background of experience in the way that they believe best captures them as a holistic professional. It also provides the appropriate level of initial context for those who are not familiar (with them or their work) and helps serve as a guide for productive conversations that eventually leads to an ideal alignment.

Like an effective marketing presentation, a resume should remain informative, concise and provide specific details that support the information provided in the Title, Functional Tagline& Functional Resume Tagline. This is where these prior elements become crucial to creating and framing the appropriate and “value add” content.

Now, on your resume, and located under your FRTL, you will begin to break down your background by ROLES within companies and then provide bullet points with specific supporting details. Your resume should be two things if nothing else:

ROLE BASED and in CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER

Why chronological order? Ease of read! Chronological order, starting with most recent experience, keeps the focus on the most relevant content. Each role should represent a meaningful change in your career history i.e., company /industry functional focus change, promotion, an increase of responsibility, size, scope, etc.). Comparatively, a “project based” resume focuses, not on the individual but instead on actions taken by a “system” or “group” within a company and provides less details on holistic and individual impact.

To create the example below, I used the Functional Tagline& Functional Resume Tagline examples from the former articles. ?and converting it into the easiest and most reader friendly format for presenting this information. Example below:

__________________________________________________________________________

Technology, LLC????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????2011 - Present

Vice President, Global Sales Leader (Digital Technology)

Technology LLC is a $6 BL in revenue Technology Services provider that operates in sixty-six countries with 25000 employees.

Reporting directly to the Chief Growth Officer with responsibility for our North American Technology Sales Portfolio and Team managing an active pipeline over $55ML. Leading 10 direct reports over 150 total professionals conducting marketing, presales and sales activities across 6 separate technology offerings (Business Applications (development), Managed Services, Modern Workplace, Data Science etc.) to clients in 6 separate industries, Financial Services, Health & Life Sciences, Retail, Manufacturing and High Tech.

*Now you will provide the supporting details, my preference is to use bullet points.

·????????Collaborate across the top 230 leaders, and teams, to drive cross functional sales and marketing strategy over a multibillion revenue pipeline focused on the sale of enterprise digital transformation

·?????????Direct and lead the successful closure of marquis and +50ML revenue enterprise, cross functional technology sales

·????????As a Sales Leadership subject matter expert, function as the “accountable party” and drive the successful closure of the following firmwide engagements:

o?? ?This is where you will list relevant sales/projects where you had a measurable impact leveraging your cross functional skills

·????????As an industry subject matter expert, function as the key client facing partner to drive the successful closure of the following firmwide Financial Services engagements:

o???This is where you list the most significant and recent sales/engagements/projects that show your industry specific skills (if applicable)

·????????Architect and work with a senior team of leaders to deliver training on all aspects of marketing and sales

·????????Lead as a “player/coach” throughout all aspects of sales process to ensure support for client and delivery partners

·????????Partner with marketing team to increase demand generation and lead effective processes to ensure conversion rates achieved are 60%

·????????Led growth in new capability areas from 0-60ML in revenue and growth of existing organizations by 45%

·????????Proven sales excellence confirmed through acquired new log business development and repeat customers due to delivery with excellence

·????????Chosen by senior leadership to function as a firmwide representative for (insert initiative/ERG group)

?_________________________________________________________________________

Common Questions:

How many years of experience should my resume cover? I recommend covering a 15-year period, which typically meets the background check requirements and fulfils your commitment to provide the interviewer clarity.

What should I do with the career history over 15 years? Have a section to summarize the additional experience (see below).

*Additional Career History (from most recent)

Company B, Chief Client Facing Engineer 2005-2007

Company A, Senior Engineer promoted to Senior Client Facing Engineer 1998-2005

What about my educational background: Add this information under “Additional Career History”? I recommend only including the relevant bachelor’s, master’s or PHD Degree. If you have multiple degrees, create a separate document and reference it as “Additional Educational Background available upon request.” Same goes for Clearances, Certifications and Patents!

What about the additional special interest groups, conferences, associations, that I am a part of? The relevant and current information is included under “Industry Affiliations” on your resume.

What about all the content I have put out in the white space? That should be accessible on your LinkedIn Profile and referenced at the bottom of your resume.

*Published articles and white space material available on LinkedIn or by request.

What about a zesty line including my family specifics and personal hobbies? Unnecessary to add to a resume, and rarely feels authentic. You should keep a list for easy referenced during conversations after relevancy is determined.

What about a photo of me? You should have a LinkedIn Account with a recent and accurate professional photo and that is where this information is most appropriate.

Will I still need a written resume if I have a bio, a video resume, a Tic Toc resume (lol!) fill in the blank? YES!!! Despite the multiple ads suggesting the resume is o-v-e-r, until one of these other venues can provide the data and data access needed for a recruiting system to leverage, resumes will remain an important part of your career.

What is the ideal length of a resume? Two pages and using the above it will not be hard to do!?