If you are an executive, you have probably passed Resume Writing 101. What you may need to brush up on, however, is Executive Resume Writing 1001. It's true that the basic rules of resume writing are the same whether you're a secretary or a CEO, but there are still a couple of tricks you can use to in-crease the effectiveness of your resume.
Write several resumes, if necessary. The higher up the ladder you climb, the more specialized the requirements of a job. So the more important the job is to you, the more you should think about writing a "customized" resume, one that is specifically geared to the job you want.
Let's say you hope to fill the position of "division manager" for an old, well-established manufacturing company. Suddenly, Proctor & Gamble has an opening. You've already got a resume that describes your general potential prowess as a division manager, so isn't that enough? No. Let's say that one job ago you worked for a competitor and reported to a very creative division manager; furthermore, the person to whom you would report at P&G is a tennis addict, and you have represented your company in organizing tournaments for junior players for several years. You definitely need to rewrite your resume to include these two very specific pieces of information because they may have some bearing on whether or not you will get this job. It's definitely worth the time and effort and the Sunday afternoon that will be required.
Don't use a professional resume-writing service. Of course, you can afford one-the best, in fact. And yes, the better services write solid, professional resumes. But many employers and all executive recruiters can spot one of these resumes a mile away. And they just don't reveal some very basic things about you-such as whether you can write a coherent sentence or spell "executive." Your resume is, in a way, the very first sample of your work that a prospective employer will see, and it should be your work and no one else's. Exception: Some executive-recruiting firms routinely recast job candidates' resumes into their own format. It's not a good practice, for the same reason that using a professional resume-writing service isn't, but if you want to work with this headhunter, you'll let him do this. Don't even waste your time protesting. In fact, if you protest, you may be seen as controlling or too detail-oriented.
Think twice about including a job objective on an executive resume. It's a mistake because you may write an objective that is too narrow and thus take yourself out of the running for another job, or you may write one that is too general and thus convey that you're in the market for anything you can get, or worse, not a very goal-oriented person.
The biggest reason, though, to skip the objective is that most people write very poor ones. They describe what they hope the company or job will do for them, when, in fact, a good job objective should describe what you could do for the company. Ned Klumpf commented that the typical resume objective reads like this: "I'm seeking a challenging position that will use my best abilities." It might better read, he says, like this: "I'm looking for an opportunity where my contributions will better the organization so that I will be able to contribute to my maximum ability." But since this is the kind of thing you want to emphasize during an interview, anyway, why not just wait and discuss your job objectives in person?
Pray there are no gaps in your career. Cover the ones you can (a year off to write a book, time taken by military duty, a year of graduate study), and ignore the gap you can't explain. Maybe the interviewer won't notice, but the chances that the gap won't be spotted are slight, so this is something you must be prepared to discuss and explain during an interview.
Finally, the Golden Rule of resume writing for executives is this: The heavier and more detailed (read: accomplishment-filled) the top part of your resume is, the lighter the bottom part should be. This means that if you have already held executive positions, and you've got nothing to apologize for or even explain when it comes to your experience, then you can drop a lot of excess baggage that you may have been carrying around since you wrote your first post-college resume. When you're seeking a senior vice-president's position in a bank and you've already been a bank vice-president for eight years, then you don't need to describe what your extracurricular activities were in college, just write the name of the college, the dates of attendance, and any academic honors. Similarly, just list professional organizations and affiliations unless you were an officer or organized something so important that it might help you get a job.
The Executive Resume
No one ever has much leeway in the format of a resume, but an executive has even less. You're too far up the ladder to use anything gimmicky; and the creative resume is definitely not for you. If a resume delivered in a film can got you your first break in the movie industry, now that you're in the executive ranks, don't even think about a replay. You should write a resume that is absolutely straightforward, particularly in its format. In briefs here's what your resume should look like:
- Use white paper. Any other color, including beige or gray, will look dirty if it's photocopied.
- Use black printing. It still looks black and strong if photocopies are made of your resume.
- Buy the best paper you can afford, a good bond, if at all possible.
- Print your resume on 8.2-by-11-inch paper.
It's okay to make photocopies of your resume or even to use an instant printer-most of the time. You can even send a copy of your resume to a company that is looking for a CEO, but a specially typed resume will have that customized look that was discussed earlier. As a rule of thumb, if the job really matters, send an original, customized resume.
The Executive Cover Letter
Send a cover letter with every resume you mail. Not to enclose one is a sign that you don't know the finer points of job hunting. It is also a missed opportunity to market yourself.
Write a cover letter on your own business letterhead. Never use personal stationery for job hunting. Like your resume, business stationery should be white with black type. Preferably, it should be 8.2-by-11 inches or slightly smaller and of similar or the same stock as your resume is printed on. If the paper stock of your stationery is different, it should be on superior stock to four resume; never write a cover letter on stock that is inferior o the paper you have used to print your resume. Your business stationery should be the best bond paper you can afford and it should be printed with a simple three or four-line identification: your name, address, city and state, and your telephone lumbers. Don't use any logos or mottoes. Choose a typeface that is clean and straightforward-and very businesslike. At this stage of job hunting, you want to fit in, not stand out from the crowd.
A cover letter should be written in business letter format. Start with a heading (your imprint), and follow with the date, inside address, greeting, body, close, signature, and typed name, in this order.
Even if your secretary typed the letter for you, her or his initials should not appear at the bottom, as is customary with your business correspondence. Neither of you is doing this on behalf of your present company. Nor should any job-hunting correspondence ever be typed on your present employer's letterhead; that announces to prospective employers that you don't mind pilfering from the boss.
If someone has requested your resume, enclose it with a short, typewritten note reminding them of this fact. If you are sending a resume on your own initiative, then the cover letter should contain the following information:
- A statement describing your interest in working for the company.
- The reason that you want to work for the company or the reason that you are sending them this resume.
- A brief highlight from among your many qualifications, particularly one that you know or believe is relevant to this job.
- A request for an interview. Say that you'll call within a week to ten days to set up an appointment.
Although the last item on this list may seem redundant (Why else are you sending a resume except that you hope to obtain an interview?), asking for an interview is like closing a sale. And good salesperson knows that you have to ask someone to but something directly, and that if you don't ask, you may lose the sale. It's not enough to simply show a prospective buyer the product. If you don't ask for a meeting in your cover letter, your resume may be filed away-or even thrown away.
A resume and cover letter are relatively minor steps in the interview process, but they are the first impression some employers have of you. As job-hunting tools, they must be done right to do anything for you.
See the following articles for more information:
- How to Start on the Right Foot in Your New Job
- What Are the Sources to Find the Information You Need
- The Background of Application Process
- How to Network and Take an Information Interview
