Have you decided that your next career move should be for a C-suite or board level executive? If you can demonstrate strategic & operational cross sector experience, a strong professional network & leadership maneuvering, it will give you a winning edge. However does your resume also express your extensive experience, success stories & accomplishments?
Getting shortlisted for a senior role is very important & challenging task. Since you get only a few seconds to make a lasting impact, you should strategically position yourself as a perfect match on your resume.
It is a daunting task to summarize all your achievements, expertise & career synopsis in one page. It is of utmost important to convince potential employers of your transferable skills, leadership qualities, negotiation skills & multi sector/multi country strategic experience. The management are keen to explore your ability to guide & take the growth to next level strategically. You will not be hired to manage day to day operations.
You would certainly be inclined to include each of your managerial role, successful project, skills or degree you have acquired. However, doing so will result in disjointed resume & will not showcase a concrete value for potential employer. Such a strategy lacks focus & will signal confusing messages.
Due to busy & hectic schedule, professionals are unable to take a holistic & strategic view of their career. Many of them are not able to articulate their accomplishments /understate their achievements. Under selling your achievements will not provide a level playing field to compete with other C-suite role aspirants.
Building a winning resume for C-suite/Board roles takes time & require a professional expertise. A detailed discussion & consultation with a professional resume writer certainly give winning edge to leaders & experienced professionals. The following should be considered to get that perfect & interview winning resume:
Optimizing your resume
Most of us are so tempted to open a word file & start writing resume. However, a preparatory work before putting a single word on your resume document is the most important action your should consider. Have you even thought to setting up a business without defining an opportunity & a ready business plan. Similarly, you should figure out/identify your key achievements & success stories keeping target audience/readers in mind. Resume should be able this simple question “ Why Me”.
Craft curated & effective messages
Earlier, your resume was nothing but summary of your job role/responsibilities. Now-a-days, your resume is your marketing document/presents your business case. It details about the value you bring/have created, quantifies & measures your achievements. Tap into people’s emotions by portraying your career trajectory. Rather than focussing on your job title/responsibilities, you should strive to include Objective, Action & Result for each accomplishment/bullet points you wish to write in your resume. You have to ensure that your unique skills & abilities ranging from growth strategy, financial control, risk management, innovation, leadership to corporate governance is included in individual narrative.
The perfect executive summary
Similar to a pitch for a networking event or to a potential client/investor, your first three lines or executive summary should portray why you are best suited for a particular role. Focus on where you have created/added value, industry/sector you have worked, kind of relationships you managed & briefly summarize your expertise. Also try to include in case you have been part of some industry body/association or part of regulatory body.
Customize your resume for each opportunity
You cannot have one generalized resume for each opportunity. Although your skills, achievements & expertise will not change, you will have to re-shape those elements into different narrative for each opportunity. For executive leadership roles, you should focus on how have you boosted bottom line. Focus on commercial impact you have created & ability to deliver.
Focus on creating personal brand
Your LinkedIn profile is as important as your resume. LinkedIn profile is more personalized in nature & gives you an opportunity to showcase your professional interest, passion, your knowledge/expertise about a particular subject, your personality & your network. These all taken together helps you build your personal brand. Your resume is not only a summary of your achievements during your entire professional career, but also way to showcase why you are perfect for that particular role. You need to articulate your USP/value proposition in a compelling way.
In case you’re scouting for a c-suite role and looking to get your resume enhanced, get in touch with our resume coach.
