The 5 Must-Have Components of a Winning Executive Resume

If you’ve viewed samples of executive resumes lately, you may realize that there’s an error in your document.

Do you have an executive resume that fails to clearly convey your strengths in just a couple of minutes? If yes, you’ll discover that simple modifications can turn you from being overlooked into a highly sought-after.

You can increase your chances of being selected for the sought-after corner office by reading this list of essential elements to create a modern executive resumes:

1 – Impressive Metrics.

Nothing, absolutely nothing you can claim about your leadership’s performance will be as powerful as the dollar figures that indicate the amount of revenue, cost savings or improvement in margins.

In today’s economic environment, businesses are able to do more with less and expect their executives to produce results in a matter of hours!

What’s this mean to you? A compelling brand message for your resume as an executive is no longer translated to “25 years of experience,” however, it could be a “50% rise in revenue within six months” or “rapid identification of $25K OPEX savings.”

Do you know how to gather quantitative information to add to your resume as a leader? Consider comparing your performance against the previous incumbent at the same post, in particular, if you’ve revamped contracts with vendors or changed the sales workforce.

Additionally, you could look back at past appraisals of the performance of projects you’ve led or led initiatives and then calculate the impact (more sales, more customers, higher volume, higher profits) generated by your efforts.

2 – Testimonials.

The recognition for a project that was completed on time, appreciations from top leadership for a new and profitable idea and praise from your colleagues are all important elements of information that should be included on an executive’s résumé.

However, many applicants don’t be aware that a congratulatory from a top C-level executive or a parent company executive could be credible proof of their accomplishments.

Kudos or quotes can be put on the top section of the resume or placed in an area of text next to the job you’re applying for (as in this example of a vice president of Business Development resume).

In any event, make certain to mention where the reference came from (“Joe’s standard of conduct is the primary reason for our record-breaking profits for Q4.” Chief Executive Officer, ABC Company), and make sure that it complements rather than replaces your message of the brand.

3 – Descriptive Job Titles.

You’ve made it into the highest-ranking position, and now you’re the boss of your own event… however, your employer hasn’t given you the title you deserve.

How do you create an executive resume that doesn’t have a name that indicates leadership? It is essential to demonstrate your authority by using an accurate title as well as a descriptive one to show your qualifications in the correct manner.

For instance, example, a Vice-President of IT can include a “CIO-Level Charter” to point out the higher-level tasks on a resume (especially in the case of companies that don’t have an internal CIO) as well as an Accounting Manager can include a “Direct Report to CFO” to demonstrate how he fits into the Controller’s role.

4 – Leadership ROI.

Have you generated revenue that is unmatched by other companies within your organization? Did you earn ten times your salary in profit? Don’t conceal these numbers in a sea of everyday trivia.

Executive resumes don’t need to follow a specific structure; however, most resumes begin with a stale outline that is based on generalizations.

If your summary of your leadership resume is still describing you as a “proven leader” who is “self-motivated,” it’s time to step things up to the next level! Place your ROI in the spotlight with a catchy tagline that highlights your highest achievement on the top of the resume.

Examples include:

23% Year-Over-Year Growth Since 2008 – Despite Economic Downturn

Technology Leader Creating Market Edge in Cloud Computing Industry

Attaining Consistent #1 Market Share at Consumer Packaged Goods Company

5 – Brevity.

While two- and three-page executive resumes are trending, however, a narrative of 7 pages will certainly ruin your chances of being interviewed.

The hiring and recruiting authorities aren’t able to take in all the complexities of your career, no matter how important or pertinent they might be to your goals. It is better to reduce and streamline your resume to make it a powerful depiction of your work.

Do you have trouble trimming your executive resume down to the right length? Consider writing a brief description of your accomplishments using the formula C-A R which means Challenge Action, Result, and Challenge.

You should limit your C-A -R stories to five highlights per job. This makes it necessary to be more selective and reduce the length of your resume considerably.

In short, your executive resume needs to be more convincing than a simple list of the job title and budget; otherwise, you’ll be put away by those with a stronger message for your brand.

Utilize these suggestions to get your resume on the right track with the best professional resume writing practices, and you’ll be able to anticipate an increase in interest from prospective employers.