When preparing a resume, you’re probably used to listing accomplishment after accomplishment. This is good, because employers look to accomplishments to gauge most employees.
However, at the executive level, there is more to consider than your accomplishments. Companies will want to see integrity, a vision for the future and good self control on your executive resume. There are ways to add these elements to your resume effectively. Here are some ideas you might consider.
Sell the Idea that You’re a Visionary
When writing your executive-level resume, you want to make sure to show employers that you’re able to create and follow through on a vision that matches the goals of the company. You want to show that you’re an “idea person” that challenges ways of conducting business.
Companies love the thought of shifting their business in new and innovative directions. You’ll have a big leg up on the competition by focusing your resume around ways that you’ve adapted your previous companies and changed them in ways that made them more innovative and current, especially if you can emphasize how you were able to motivate employees and adress challenges in unique ways.
Let Employers Know You Trust Yourself and Have Self Control
At the executive level, you are relied upon to make some pretty heavy decisions, many of which offer no blueprint for guidance. You’ve had to make gut-level decisions, likely on many occasions. Be sure to show that you’ve got superior instincts in your executive resume, and focus on how you’ve got sufficient self control to keep everything together in tough situations.
One way to get this done is by listing one or more instances where you were faced with a major challenge and overcame it. Whether you had to locate additional resources (money, workers) where there seemed to be none, or had to corral other execs to sit down and do some grunt work to accomplish a goal, if you succeeded in the end, you should definitely make mention of it in your resume. It’s still considered an accomplishment, you’re just explaining what you had to go through for that accomplishment.
Showcase Personal Integrity
When employers are looking for new prospects at the executive level, they want to make sure that the choice candidate is a person of personal integrity. You need to show that you’re accountable for mistakes, and that you’re honest and trustable in order to take on positions of high responsibility. Hiring committees do not want to have to worry about side actions and unethical activities from their executives. Often times, personal integrity can be showcased in a resume by the number of awards you’ve one or the quality of recommendations you’ve garnered from high-level execs who can attest to who you are as a person.
Executive resumes can be a bit tricky to write at times because you have to showcase so much more than with a standard entry-level or mid-career resume. The good news is that you undoubtedly have plenty of stories to tell, so as long as you focus on more than your accomplishments, you’ll be able to create a great executive resume.
