Career Management Alliance Blog

As an executive resume writer, I have the opportunity to see a lot of resumes that are in circulation, but failing miserably at their job.

They’re not capturing the attention of hiring decision makers reviewing them among possibly hundreds of others. And, if they do manage to get some attention, they’re not differentiating the job seeker and positioning them above the pack.

This is by no means a comprehensive list, but these are what I consider the top 10 worst offenders.

Four things that too many executive resumes lack:

1. A clear job target. Without a specific focus, decision makers reading your resume won’t make a connection between you and the job they’re trying to fill. They don’t have the time or inclination to sift through irrelevant information to see if you’ll be a good fit. Everything in your resume has to point to the requirements for that specific kind of job.

2. Personal branding. Especially in an economic downturn, personal branding makes more sense than ever. Companies are looking for good fit and personal chemistry. Branding generates chemistry and makes the candidate come alive on the page.

3. Value proposition. The value you bring your next employer needs to be abundantly evident, monetized, and linked to your brand.

4. Career success stories. When you show the reader exactly how you’ve accomplished all the great benefits you’ve brought to past companies, they can zero in on what you will do for their company. Follow a “Challenge – Actions – Impact” kind of framework to illuminate your successes.

Six things that too many executive resume have, but shouldn’t:

5. A designated “objective” statement. No one cares what you want. Instead of leading your resume with a statement saying what you want from the job, tell them, in a powerful brand statement, just what you will do for them.

6. Densely packed, hard-to-read information. With more and more hiring decision makers reviewing resumes on BlackBerries, the need for concise on-brand, value-driven statements surrounded by plenty of white space is obvious. Make it easy for them to read and quickly get to what they need to know about you.

7. Too many pages. Keep it to 2 pages. Remember that today’s resume is not meant to be a comprehensive career biography. As a marketing document, it needs to incorporate just enough compelling information to generate interviews.

8. Typos, grammatical errors, and/or poor formatting. This probably goes without saying. Errors are the kiss of death. Keep the formatting attractive, consistent, and easy to read. And make sure your contact information is correct.

9. Overused resume-speak. You’re not like everyone else. Your resume should reflect and embrace what makes you unique. Keep the content interesting and don’t fall back on cliches like “results-oriented”.

10. Passive verbs and repetitive, boring job descriptions. Draw in readers and hold their attention with robust action verbs that indicate your vitality and relevant key words that highlight your niche expertise. Don’t waste precious space reiterating obvious responsibilities. Avoid the tired, boring phrase “responsible for”.

Posted by Meg Guiseppi

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A few years ago I wrote an article for a careers industry newsletter re: why some resumes receive a continual stream of visitors but no tangible job offers. Inspired to write this during a particularly stressful time — I was attempting to sell my home, but people weren’t buyin’ what I was sellin’ — I felt a sudden empathy toward my resume clients frustrated at a protracted job search. My frustration with my house being on the market longer than the average was palpable.

I realized I needed to make some adjustments to hook the buyer and meet their emotional and pragmatic needs. Though initially I had felt the prep I did to communicate my beautiful home’s value was sufficient, I had a rude awakening that potential buyers weren’t seeing past the communication flaws that were glaring (and fixable), so I acted fast to better market my home, showcase the fine lines and benefits as a solution to their needs. It took a little roll up your sleeves research and effort, including a coat of paint in the main living quarters, but it netted quick results. Within a week, I garnered an offer and sold my home.

Are you like the ’stubborn’ home seller I once was, and thinking that you know what you’ve got to sell and how you are selling it will appeal to the buyer (employer)? Or, are you willing to research, listen, regroup and re-frame your unique value proposition to appeal to the readers’ needs and their areas of imminent pain?

To further underscore my thoughts here, I’d like to share a link to a Blog entry by Nick Corcodilos, Ask The Headhunter, which delightfully resonates with my sensibilities. Here, you’ll find his references to how to make yourself stand apart in a ’sea of mediocrity’ and ‘voluminous’ competition. The posting, titled, “Coveted, lucrative, and rare’ (great attention grabber!) also leads into a commentary on why ‘art’ is a key component (of 3 that Nick lists) in standing out in this sea of mediocrity. In other words, he advises, don’t just say that you do what other ‘accountants’ do well (i.e., follow the rules and run accurate numbers); but show your ‘art in accounting’ and how it involves your abilities to identify and capitalize on trends in your company’s finances.’ And to be able to make these claims, you must also be ‘advancing the art in your work’ on a regular basis. Nick’s Blog entry refers to a total 3 guideposts to ’standing out’ among your career competitors, but I wanted to zero in on this one for purposes of my post. To read Nick’s full entry, you may link to:

http://corcodilos.com/blog/48/coveted-lucrative-and-rare

To recap, I fear that many job seekers feel that if they are simply honest and straightforward in communicating in their resume ‘their’ favorite and most proud moments, results and qualities/qualifications, that the reader (decision-maker) will pursue them as the hot commodity they are. The problem, though, is that the owner of the resume often will miss the point in communicating what differentiates them from the pack of other talented job seekers, as well as what will resonate with the reader’s current needs and rolls up to their company’s bottom line … thus derailing the job seeker’s goal of surpassing the competition and cinching that next great interview conversation.

Jacqui D. Barrett, MRW

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From time to time a prospective resume client says to me, “I don’t know what kind of job I want. I just need a resume.” Unfortunately, I have to tell that job seeker that they’re not ready to work on their resume.

I know the very thought of diving into a job search can be at once scary, daunting, and filled with unknowns. And the entire job search landscape looks and feels different than even a few years ago. But don’t start out by investing time and/or money in an unfocused, generic resume. You can’t possibly move forward with any success if you don’t know what kind of job you’ll target in your search. You can’t get a great interview-generating resume under your belt without comprehensively targeting it.

Think about the hiring decision-makers who will be reading your resume. If it doesn’t immediately strike a chord with how you’ll fit a specific job they’re trying to fill, they’ll move on to the next candidate’s resume. Everything in your resume has to align as much as possible with the specific qualifications and areas of expertise they’re looking for. With probably hundreds of resumes to review for any given position, they don’t have the time or inclination to figure out how or where you’ll fit into their organization. Your resume needs to immediately tell them you’ll be a good fit.

If you don’t have a clue about what you want to do next, a great starting point is job-hunt.org. This site is a treasure trove of free resources, articles, and links to other helpful websites. I regularly send job seekers here when they’re on the fence about their next career move. Here you can find:

~ Hundreds of informative articles to help you decide what to do next so you can focus your search and your resume.

~ Information on how to target specific employers and find their job openings.

~ Links to hundreds of sites by industry to find job descriptions for practically any kind of position.

~ Advice on how to navigate a safe, informed, and successful online job search.

The site covers so many bases it can be overwhelming. But pretty much everything you need to know about real-life and online job search is there.

Posted by Meg Guiseppi

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I’ve just returned from the Career Management Alliance annual convention where I had the opportunity to learn from and hobnob with renowned resume writers and other thought leaders in the careers industry.

A fellow resume writer, I always like to see what John Suarez, founder of Success Stories Ink, has to say. Once again he gave a presentation that delighted everyone and deeply hit home. Aside from offering monumental “little” formatting tips we all should master and insightful advice on content, he shared his joy for the actual writing process. As he put it, so many of us are “verb-aholics” who derive great pleasure from crafting a clever turn of phrase to nail a client’s value proposition or specific contribution. Although we love hearing our clients gush over the final product, impressing them is not our mission. John noted that we are not in the “word” business. We are in the business of using words to sell our clients.

We’re constantly balancing our creative bent and desire to please our clients with the imperative to focus on what hiring decision makers who will be reading their resumes are looking for. A beautifully written and presented document will not open doors for the client if it doesn’t deliver the goods – that candidate’s potential value to their next employer.

What marks us as experts and brings true value to our clients is our talent for mining critical information, knowing what to put in the resume and what to leave out, and packaging it all in a brand-focused, value-driven document that attracts attention and brings them to life on the page.

I was tickled by another interesting point John made. We know that branding is an essential component in today’s career marketing documents, and most top resume writers have jumped on the “brand” wagon. But we’ve been branding our clients all along – by finding the best ways to differentiate them from competing job seekers. We just didn’t have a name for it until recently.

Meg Guiseppi

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Thanks to Louise Fletcher for her recent blog echoing a frustration I sometimes have with clients editing resumes I’ve written for them. She calls it “worditis” when job seekers insist on including every defining moment in their careers, from the time they entered the workforce.

Some executives come to me believing their resumes need to be complete career bios, especially if they haven’t been in the job market for several years and/or haven’t been in on reviewing resumes for new talent recruitment. I educate my clients in the early stages of our partnership about branding and differentiating them in their resumes, and have them view samples of my work to gain an understanding of what top interview-generating resumes look like today and what they can expect in their resumes.

Even so, when presented with the final product, some find it hard to let go of all the details encompassing their career history and concentrate on only the most salient points that will drive home their value. It can be painful for them to choose some contributions to set aside, although I reassure them their career story can be supplemented through supporting documents and in interviewing.

This dilemma presents itself only occasionally, but when it does, it can be a challenge to convince some job seekers that less really is more. Along with determining what information is the most important and compelling to include, part of my job as a resume writer is to package it all in a document that will actually be read. A resume needs to provide just enough information to capture and hold the reader’s attention. That can be accomplished in 2 pages. Too much information can turn the reader off and land their resume in the “maybe later” pile.

It makes sense that, with so many hiring decision-makers reviewing career marketing documents on Blackberries, possibly while they’re on the go, resumes offering concise, hard-hitting bites that are easy to get to will be better received than those packed tight with dense paragraphs. These “new” resumes make their jobs easier and can truly help the job seeker hit the mark and land faster.

Meg Guiseppi

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On his Personal Branding Blog, Dan Schwabel lists a series of insightful quotes he’s come up with over the years. He encourages anyone to use these gems, as long as he’s given credited.

I was particularly drawn to this one, which I think is dead-on advice for defining and crafting one’s authentic brand:

“You are the chief marketing officer for the brand called you, but what others say about your brand is more impactful than what you say about yourself.”

After all, your own evaluation of yourself is just one person’s opinion. Seeking the opinions of those who know your work and style well validates your own assessment and opens you to a deeper appreciation of your value, as well as what differentiates you from others doing the same work.

In my executive resume writing practice, I follow this direction when developing branding for my clients’ career marketing documents – especially for stand-alone brand statements. I have them ask several people who work closely with them about their performance and leadership talent. What these co-workers say may be the best indicator of my clients’ true value to their next employer.

Often the feedback is consistent and certain qualities and strengths shine through with each person’s input. Using this consensus, my job – differentiating my clients and reinforcing their brands throughout any documents I create – becomes much easier.

Posted by Meg Guiseppi

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You have all the information you need, you’ve identified your differentiating personal/leadership brand attributes, and you know what skills, qualifications, and personal qualities are required for the position you’re seeking. You’re ready to put it all together.

Pay close attention to the most important section of your resume.

The make-or-break area of your resume is the top of the first page, since it will be read first. Use it to your best advantage. This lead-in bite should introduce and encapsulate your personal brand and value proposition. It should be able to stand on its own to pre-qualify you for the position. Pack in as much critical information here as possible to draw in readers and compel them to consider you. It’s okay to bring forward select contributions that would chronologically land on the second page and place them in this eye-catching location.

Include a personal brand statement.

A stand-alone brand statement is still fairly cutting-edge so, in itself, will differentiate you. Of course, the unique and compelling content you deliver here will turn heads too. You may feel this isn’t right for your particular field or circumstances, or you may not be comfortable with such a bold statement. Your resume will still have great differentiating impact if you weave your unique combination of personal brand attributes throughout your resume and other career marketing documents.

Write from your own voice.

Cut the resume-speak. You’ve probably reviewed many resumes when recruiting new talent. You know how boring and lifeless they can be when riddled with trite catch phrases that don’t give any indication of who that person really is and what value they will bring to your company. Complement rich key word phrases with strategically placed colloquial phrases that echo your speaking voice and evidence your brand.

Limit your resume to 2 pages.

Pare down to the essentials. You need to include just enough to capture and hold the readers’ attention – you can do this in 2 pages. To provide deeper slices of standout contributions and further support your brand, supplement your resume with a suite of 1 to 2 page brand-focused, value-driven collateral documents – achievement or leadership initiatives summary, career biography, reference dossier, etc.

For the sake of brevity, in the “Professional Experience” section, there is no need to include repetitive lists of obvious responsibilities for each position you’ve held. And replace the overused phrase “responsible for” with robust action verbs – launched, pioneered, spearheaded, capitalized on, maximized, etc.

Always keep in mind that the purpose of your resume is to differentiate you from everyone else competing for the same jobs and to best generate interest in you as a candidate. Branding your resume and loading it with concise, vibrant content will help you make this happen.

Meg Guiseppi

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When you differentiate your value over and above other candidates competing for the same jobs, you greatly increase your chances to attract the attention you deserve. Along with precise, tight writing and formatting, develop and incorporate your leadership brand and value proposition in your executive resume.

Begin building your executive career brand and value proposition.

Answer the following questions to evaluate your unique market value and begin pinpointing your brand attributes:

Personal/Career Branding

~ Where do your greatest talents lie and how have you used them in your role as a visionary leader?
~ What are the attributes and characteristics of the best in your field? Do you possess all of them?

~ What do you most want prospective employers to know about you?
~ What makes you better than anyone else doing the same work?
~ What jazzes you the most about your work? What things would you relish doing, even if you weren’t paid for them?

ROI & Value Proposition

~ In what critical areas did you add value? What actions did you take to accomplish this? How did the company benefit?
~ What are the top things you did for past companies that wouldn’t have happened if you weren’t there?
~ For what information and expertise did the people you work with consistently rely on you?
~ How well did you embrace the company’s brand and vision?

Use these questions as a starting point, then dig deeper and come up with a full, vivid profile of the best you have to offer your next employer. This kind of information in your executive resume provides evidence of your value, positions you above others vying for the same job, and compels the reader to feel she already knows you. Supply hiring decision makers with the critical information they are looking for and improve your shot at landing the job you deserve.

Next time: Part 3 – Anatomy of a Branded Executive Resume

Meg Guiseppi

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The standard achievement-focused executive resume we’ve come to accept isn’t cutting-edge anymore and doesn’t differentiate you the way it used to. New strategies have come to the forefront, so take advantage of them before they mainstream and everyone’s using them.

If you want to land at the top of decision makers’ lists, generate more quality leads, and incite more interest in you, consider how the following elements will improve your executive resume:

Put yourself in the reader’s place.

Too many executive job searchers fail to take into account the ever-changing needs of hiring decision makers reviewing their resumes. They want and need to see concise statements of value that immediately communicate who you are, what you have to offer, how you’ll improve bottom line, and whether you’ll be a good fit for the company. Make it easy for them to quickly access and digest what they need to know about you. When this information is supplied in a vivid, compelling way, it will capture the reader’s attention and encourage them to read the entire document. That can only increase your chances to be considered for the position they are trying to fill.

Keep it brief and value-driven.

Their need for brevity and precise writing is driven by a number of factors, including a lack of sufficient time to fully read every resume in front of them and the fact that more and more of them are reading resumes on BlackBerry-type devices, while they’re on the move. A tedious resume laced with repetitive lists of obvious responsibilities and densely-packed information can bog them down, or worse yet, bore them.

Position yourself above the rest with tight, brand-focused statements of value and ROI surrounded by enough white space to make each one stand out.

Next time: Part 2 – Start Building Your Personal Brand in Your Executive Resume

Meg Guiseppi

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The profile (or summary or qualifications section) of your resume is going to make you or break you. So why am I repeatedly seeing resumes that start with “Results-driven…” “Experienced…” Skilled…” or some similar tired language?

The profile is where you must make the potential employer stand up and take notice. No one notices language that 150 other candidates also wrote on their resume. Everyone considers themselves to be results-driven, experienced and skilled. So let’s talk about how to make your profile specific to you and you alone.

1) What can you actually come into the organization and do? This requires long consideration. The potential employer doesn’t only want to see what you know; he wants to see if your knowledge will benefit his company.

2) What are you historically known for? Evaluate your successes over the arc of your career. Is there a pattern? Do you nearly always accomplish turnarounds? Have you led a series of good start-up operations?

3) What are your areas of expertise? Go above and beyond key words in this section. Your expertise has more to do with HOW you do what you do. That means your flair, your style and your approach.

Applying these 3 points will get you noticed in the critical first 30 seconds. Then the employer will be more likely to spend a few minutes reading the remainder of your resume. Make sure the career history you present includes multiple examples that support your statements in the profile.

By Jewel Bracy DeMaio

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