In order to write a CV for an executive role, you need to understand the difference between an entry-level CV and that of an executive one. When you take the role of an executive CV writer, you should focus on depicting your leadership qualities and the impressive progress that you have made in your career.
Focus on your resume content first and foremost
One of the first things that you would notice in the best executive resumes is that they have very strong content which is craftily composed for a specific audience. Even if your resume has all the right ingredients, it will fail to impress employers if it is not effectively presented. Therefore, you must first focus on the content of what and how your resume should contain. Of course, you can always seek help from a professional executive resume writer to do the job for you. However, if you wish to do it yourself, here are a few tips to follow that will help you prepare a winner director-level resume. Remember, a good resume is 80% content and 20% presentation. Therefore, your resume shouldn’t serve as your biography. Rather you should be marketing your skills and expertise through it.
Add your contact information
Modern executive resumes include your name and contact information as a header. Include the following in your header.
- Your complete name and other relevant honorifics (example: Sarah Finch, MD.);
- Your cell phone number;
- Your personal email address. Make sure the email address is of formal nature and not some cute, fancy nickname. The best would be to have an email address that has just your name. Many hiring authorities prefer a Gmail account over Hotmail, MSN, AOL, or any other. Don’t forget to hyperlink your email address;
- Your professional social media accounts such as LinkedIn. Make sure to hyperlink the address;
- Your postal address. This is optional as many people wish to avoid it for privacy reasons.
Next, include a summary. Although, a well-written executive resume markets your professional accomplishments effectively. If your resume holds an impressive work experience that speaks for itself, there is no need for a summary. However, if you do wish to write a summary of your work accomplishments, write short, crisp sentences that highlight your competencies. You don’t need to include a career objective. Most probably, your prospective employers won’t be interested in it.
Work experience
The work experience section in an executive resume should showcase the valuable experience that you have gained over the years. It should show your experience rather than actually telling it to your audience. You would often observe a similarity in the best executive resumes, which is that the information present in the bullet form of work experience is often showcased in numeric form as a testament of your value to the prospective employer.
While presenting your work history, remember to use chronological order as most employers give preference to this order as it provides them the utility of viewing your career trajectory clearly, making sure that you are not hiding any job-hopping. It is always beneficial to provide the scope of your position and a short overview of the organization where you worked while mentioning each position in the work experience section. It is always handy to elaborate your bullets in a way that they carry your accomplishments in quantified form, as opposed to just providing job details. No matter how tempted you are, it is never a good idea to hide employment gaps. Being honest is the way to go, and one should provide both year and month while showcasing tenure for each position.
Being transparent about by whom you were employed and whether your position was a permanent one or contractual or even consultancy based would do a world of good to you, keeping in mind that the best attribute your employer is looking for is your honesty when it comes to working history.
Education
This section holds a lot of importance to your employer as it will show whether you are adequately equipped with the relevant educational qualification. When you are listing information in this section, make sure that you don’t mention any degree that you haven’t completed unless you provide clear status about the anticipated date of its completion.
It is also wise not to mention a degree that you started in the past but is no longer taking courses for it. You might have an intention of proceeding with it in the future, but on the other hand, it will not put up a good case of your temperament. To make this section more presentable in the executive summary, include additional sections for certifications, awards, publications, recognitions, community involvements, and speaking engagements.
Use clear, powerful fonts
Top-performing professional executive resumes are easy to read and understand. It is therefore important to use clear fonts. Format your copy in a formal style, using 12 points for body paragraphs. Use Times New Roman as it gives a formal look to your resume. Here are some amazing tips that will help your resume stand out from the crowd:
- Don’t use infographics or any images in the resume.
- Avoid using flashy formats.
- Keep it simple and easy to read.
- In the entire copy, don’t use more than two different font types as it can add clutter.
- Keep some blank space out next to the text to leave some white space
- Format your body copy to 12 points while the heading should be 18 points maximum
- Be consistent with your formatting throughout the resume
Spell and grammar check
Your resume is a reflection of your personality. If it is full of errors and typo mistakes, it will show that you are not a suitable candidate for any position that expects you to be more responsible. It is so important that your resume is absolutely error-free and without any mistakes or issues. Here are some top tips to keep your resume one of the best ones the hiring manager receives!
• Firstly, don’t bank on the spell check software alone
• Ask a trusted friend to read it out loud to find out if there are any mistakes
• Don’t use the first person. Everybody knows the essay is all about you. So, don’t use first person
• Try professional editing software that will remove any errors from your document and give better suggestions
Conclusion
Forming a top-class executive resume becomes a lot easier with these easy-to-follow guidelines. Create a winner’s resume and get an executive position in no time. Your success mainly depends upon how well you market your skills and expertise on the paper called CV. Good Luck with your new job already!