Is That Your Resume? Or a Billboard in the Desert?
My #1 goal for your executive resume is that it gets read. I want an employer or recruiter to click and download the file, or (if anyone still does this) physically pick up that piece of paper and take a look.
Unfortunately, there are several barriers you’re putting up to prevent this from happening, and it’s seriously hampering your job search. In other words, you’ve reduced your resume to a nice, new, shiny, clean, white billboard in the middle of a desert – you think it looks good, but you’re essentially saying nothing, and saying it to no one.
The first way your resume is like that billboard in the desert is if it begins with an objective. Especially at the executive level: no, no, a thousand times no! That was back in 1982 when people were starting their resume writing with, “To obtain a dynamic position with growth potential in your progressive organization.” Those days are long, long over!
There’s much more on how to change your resume from “deserted” to “dazzling” in our webinar, "How To Write A Perfect Resume." You can see real-world examples of how to make these changes.
The best job search advice is: everything today is about value. What is the value you can deliver to the potential employer? Hint: your value does not lie in your “communication skills,” “results-orientation,” or “team attitude.” Once you’re a 6-figure candidate, you must translate your value into dollars and cents.
For example, a nonprofit professional targeting an executive director role could emphasize, “program planning,” and “fund development,” among the areas of expertise on his resume. Major nonprofits need these competencies far more than, say, “computer skills,” to advance their missions.
A VP of sales pursuing the same title in a larger organization needs to stress successes in, “new market penetration,” and “customer acquisition strategy,” which are more specific than, say, “sales team leadership.”
The next several posts will talk about other ways to heal your resume from billboard-in-the-desert disease. We talk about all the strategies in, "How To Write A Perfect Resume." You’ll learn precisely what you need to do to get ahead of the competition.