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by Nestlé

Why Your Executive Resume Isn’t Getting Interviews(And What To Do About It)

Executives often lament to career professionals, especially executive resume writing professionals, that their self-written resumes aren’t generating results . Many times, these executives have developed resumes that follow the standards they were taught in college many years ago. Even when it comes to the broader job market, styles and expectations change in regards to resume writing . But complicating the issue even more, the expectations for an executive resume are almost totally different from those for a resume for a new graduate .

If your executive resume isn’t generating interviews , you can learn a lot by studying the methodologies used by professional executive resume writing firms. Here are some of reasons, say executive resume writers, that your executive resume may not be generating satisfactory responses.

* You’ve left the most important details off your resume.

Sticking to the counsel you were given in the past, you’ve probably worked to ensure that your executive resume is no longer than one page, and certainly no longer than two pages. This may be a critical mistake. A resume that is too succinct , skipping over the details of your many accomplishments for the sake of brevity , may actually call the executive’s credibility into question. Success stories and quantified results prove your claims of qualifications and are essential for illustrating how you will produce results as a leader of the next company. Of course, we all know that we have only seconds to capture the attention of the reader , and we’re often told that to do this we have to keep it concise. However, many executives need more than one or two pages when it comes to detailing their most compelling success stories . Do not omit your most important accomplishments just to adhere to some arbitrary and outdated rule about resume length. But do be sure that every word and element included in your resume has a purpose and promotes your focus and personal brand. Don’t go on needlessly!

* Your resume tells the reader what you want rather than what you offer.

This is a very important issue in the field of resume writing, and one in which you may still receive confusing recommendations. In the past, we have always been told to include an objective at the beginning of the resume. Of course your resume needs a very clear focus, and this focus needs to be obviously clear to the reader of your resume. But, should you create this focus through a professional objective statement? Most executive resume writing professionals will tell you this is a bad idea. The biggest problem with a professional objective is that it is self-centered rather than employer-centric. Rather than telling the reader what you offer to them and what you bring to the table, an objective tells them what you want. Instead, write an executive profile section that tells the employer how you can meet their needs and solve their problems, always using past achievements to illustrate this promise fo value.

* You’ve written a resume that goes into detail about previous job responsibilities.

You need to remember that your value as an executive to the prospective employer is not based on your knowledge about how to perform specific functions. This might seem weird to you when you first read it, but give it some more thought. Knowing how to do something is not the same as doing it. Rather than highlighting responsibilities, your resume needs to get across to the prospect your contributions and the results that you have been able to accomplish Employers do not want to know that you have been responsible for this and that, but rather they want to know how you put the responsibilities of your position into action. Be short on the detail and long on the achievements. This is proof to the reader of your resume that you are likely to perform for them in a similar way by reference to specific achievements, rather than a endless list of items that you were responsible for.

* You’ve written a resume that extends back no more than 10 years.

This is where you need to be strategic. As an executive, you are definitely likely to have had more than ten years of experience in order to get to the position that you’re in presently. While your most recent experience will be of most interest to employers , you can sell yourself short or even create doubt in the mind of the reader if you cut your resume off too early. There is a chance that an experience which dates back more than ten years is pertinent and compelling. For example, you might have worked for a particularly well-known company during an early part of your career, or have certain industry experience in the past that might be highly pertinent to the job of today. These would be justifiable reasons to extend your resume back as far as 20 years. Experience prior to 20 years that was still relevant could be included as a footnote but without dates, so that you’ve made the employer aware of it and will be asked about it in an interview. Also consider that readers will know you didn’t just begin your career as a vice-president ten years ago. If you cut your history off prematurely, you may actually leave the subconscious image that you are older than you are. In these cases, it may be smart to include your career path as far back as 20 years, to do away with the concern that you are hiding something.

* Your resume includes information that may cause (intentional or unintentional) bias.

Be very careful when it comes to divulging any personal information in your executive resume. Understand that for your resume to progress to the next level, to make the cut to the pile of executives that will be interviewed, you have to pass a screening that may be influenced by the personal preconceptions of the reviewer. As such, you should never give them a reason to defer . Your resume is not the place to mention your marital status, your birth date, the number of children you have, your ethnic background, your political views, or your religion. While you may be tempted to think that personal information gives an added dimension to your resume, you want to do everything possible to ensure your resume screens you in, not that it screens you out. If you choose to reveal anything personal (for example, a hobby that you learned you have in common with the interviewer), there will be a time and a place for such discussion when you are further along in the interview process.

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