Executive Resumes Aren't Personal -- They're Business

This article was originally posted on Forbes.com

Last month, I was approached by a client who was looking to step up to a vice president of operations role at a major international organization. The company had expressed interest in him, but they wanted to see a formal resume. That's where I came in.

Brad and I worked together to unearth his related career achievements, define supporting metrics, and nail down his value proposition. In a week, I had a new executive resume ready for his review.

He loved it. Except…

He thought the resume should include more content, beyond the current 2-page format. His reasoning? He wanted his entire 30-year career history present.

Brad felt deeply attached to all of his career roles and was proud of each experience. The trouble was, earlier career details were unrelated to the executive-level target. By including unrelated content, he risked "watering down" his message and weakening its impact.

As an executive resume writer, I come across many professionals who mistakenly see their resume as a career chronology (everything they’ve ever done) and not as a strategic career tool. Shifting perspectives isn’t easy, but it’s necessary for resume and job search success. Your resume may be all about you, but it isn’t meant for you.

What Brad wanted to see on his resume didn’t matter. Instead, he needed to put himself in the shoes of the reader (the employer) and imagine what they wanted to see.

Keeping Personal Preference Aside

I urged Brad to approach his entire job search like he would a business project. He would need to have a clearly defined plan of action, executable steps, a focused target, and a sharp sales presentation.

That's where the resume comes in. If a resume is written with the end-goal in mind and aligned with a prospective employer’s needs, it presents you, the candidate, as an essential business solution. Ask yourself: is your earlier career history going to help you "seal the deal?"

Brad agreed his wasn't. He let go of his personal preferences and agreed to strategically position resume details for the reader. He stopped worrying about his desires and put the employer’s necessities first. A sound strategy.

If you find yourself falling down the same rabbit hole as Brad, here are three core requirements to keep your executive resume focused and on track:

1. Know your audience. Have a job posting in hand or a job target in mind and always write for that audience. Always.

2. Know yourself. Yes, the resume isn’t meant for you, but it should specifically point out your qualifications and value-add. You can’t sell something you don’t understand. If you aren’t sure what your unique value proposition is in relation to the job, seek help from a career professional to sort it out.

3. Know what matters. Ensure you have a solid grasp of modern resume trends and requirements. Successful resumes need value, clarity, targeted content, qualifications, achievements, and metrics all packaged in a succinct format. If you find yourself struggling to unearth and compile things on your own, commission support from an expert. You can also learn more about current resume trends on my blog.

Executives, approach your resume with a business mindset to reduce personal bias. By considering the needs of your target audience, resume content will remain focused, thought-provoking and engaging.

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Adrienne Tom is a multi-certified, award-winning Executive Resume Writer, Employment Strategist, and Interview Coach at Career Impressions. She packages executives and astute business leaders for high-level employment and career success!

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