THE
7 MISTAKES
PEOPLE MAKE
When Writing An
EXECUTIVE RESUME
Plus....
20 Tips for Writing a Resume
That Gets Noticed
www.greatresumesfast.com
CONTENTS
MISTAKE 1
Focusing on what you DID and not what you ACHIEVED
4
MISTAKE 2
Using outdated writing practices and formats that aren’t aligned to
today’s job market or hiring standards.
6
MISTAKE 3
Writing about the past and not about the position you want NOW
8
MISTAKE 4
A lack of clarity and direction.
9
MISTAKE 5
A failure to identify and articulate your value proposition,
key differentiators, and personal brand.
11
MISTAKE 6
Writing for only one audience
13
MISTAKE 7
Viewing a resume as a tool that’s only used to apply to
jobs online instead of brand building.
14
20 Tips for Writing a Resume That Opens Doors
15
BONUS TIPS
20
2
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The 7 Mistakes People Make When Writing an Executive Resume (and 20
Tips for Writing a Resume That Gets Noticed and Gets Jobs
Thank you for downloading this free eBook, The 7 Mistakes People Make
When Writing an Executive Resume.
Have you recently realized that the job search process is nothing like what it
used to be?
Are you worried that it will take a lot more effort to stand out now, despite
having years of top-level experience under your belt?
As frustrating as this situation may seem, this eBook offers hope that you
can tackle these issues successfully with a bit of insider help.
You’ll learn which mistakes to avoid and tips for what it takes to get noticed
in a good way. Consider this eBook your blueprint to a better career.
Follow these tips and you’ll be one step closer to positioning yourself as a
candidate companies will compete over.
But before organizing your plan of attack, you must first understand which
common mistakes to avoid and what to do instead.
3
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MISTAKE 1
Focusing on what you DID and not what
you ACHIEVED
Over the past 12 years, I’ve reviewed tens of thousands of resumes, and there’s one thing I’ve
discovered most people put on their resume that almost guarantees it will get kicked out of the
screening process.
You may already know that to meet today’s standards, your resume needs to include the
following:
BRAND
The right
keywords
Clear focus
A targeted
audience
Authentic
branding
However, even if you get all of these items in your resume correct, this 1 common mistake will
hinder your chances of getting interviews.
What is the most common mistake people make on their resume?
Using duties versus accomplishments. They write about what they DID—and not what they had
achieved.
How do you know if you’ve made this mistake?
Here are a few common bullet points we see on our clients’ resumes when they first come to us:
Responsible for …
Duties included …
Demonstrated ability to …
When you use duties vs. accomplishments, you’re not telling the full story of your impact, and
you need the whole story if you’re going to spark the interest of hiring managers.
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For a task to become an accomplishment, think about dollars or percentages, as well as the
impact, increases, or decreases.
One of our clients, Jeff, was frequently contacted by recruiters but was having challenges getting
positions at the senior executive level (he was in the $300K+ salary range). He also wanted to
move his family from the East Coast to the West Coast.
His old resume was very wordy, with 10+ bullets under each position.
It listed what he DID—not what he had ACHIEVED.
We worked with Jeff to understand what his top achievements were for each organization. We
asked: “How is the company better because of you?”
We optimized his LinkedIn profile to reflect his level and attract the right interest.
His new resume presented him at a higher level and highlighted accomplishments that would
be relevant and of interest to his future employers. Getting them to say: “Look what he did for
Company X. He can do the same for us!”
After using the new resume and LinkedIn, he landed his dream job at a higher-level position with
a progressive company, a 30% salary increase, and a fully-paid relocation out West.
If you’re struggling to get attention for higher-level roles, try the following:
- Ask: How is this company better because of me?
- Highlight relevant accomplishments so employers will say “Look what they did, they can do the
same for us.”
Focus on what you
ACHIEVED—not what
you DID.
Ask: How is this
company better
because of me?
Highlight relevant
accomplishments so
employers will say “Look
what they did, they can do
the same for us.”
5
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MISTAKE 2
Using outdated writing practices and
formats that aren’t aligned to today’s
job market or hiring standards.
The job market and hiring standards are constantly changing. Are you presenting yourself in the
best way possible?
In order to do yourself justice, present yourself in the best way possible, and stand out and get
noticed you need to modernize your executive resume and your approach to job searching.
Mark reached out to us for help with modernizing his executive job search. He had a beautiful work
history and impressive metrics. He was older (59) and his resume created barriers in his job search.
The job market and hiring processes had changed since he had last searched (5+ years earlier), his
resume looked dated, and it included positions from 25 years ago.
He was targeting innovative companies and startups and needed help presenting himself as fresh,
modern, and on the cutting edge of his industry.
A few strategies we used to modernize his resume:
We added some color elements without going overboard. Some color gives your resume a nice
POP to stand out and look fresh. Too much color can be overwhelming.
We included a sales graph to visually show his impressive revenue and gross profit impacts. Some
graphics are OK. As long as you include the text that’s within the graphic within a bullet point as
well, the computer screening systems (ATS) will still be able to parse the information and score
your resume.
15
YEARS
We added logos
of his impressive
list of Fortune 500
clients/partners.
We included only
the most recent
15 years of work
experience.
We removed dates
from the education
section of his resume
and LinkedIn profile.
Modernizing his resume
helped him to get
interviews with his top 5
target companies.
6
www.greatresumesfast.com
Another one of my executive clients, Michael, had just started a job search for the first time in 19
years. He was recruited into 5 previous roles by people who knew his work.
This was his first time actively searching.
His resume was outdated, too focused on his past work, and he admitted he didn’t know what
had changed since the last time he had job searched.
Here are a few of the strategies we used to modernize his resume and help him get 3 interviews
within 4 business days:
We focused on his impressive
impact—the most important
information that we wanted the
employer to know first so that they
would be eager to read more.
We wrote his resume with his
next position in mind. We used
accomplishments, keywords, and
experiences that were focused on
the step up he wanted to make.
We quantified his
achievements—cut costs by
25%, grew sales 40%, built the
#1 sales team in the region.
We wrote tight text, eliminating
extra filler words, adjectives, passive
language, and any content that
didn’t support his goal. We made
every word count.
We gave him a modern resume format that was
easy for employers to scan. Modern resumes must
give readers specifics, impact, and impressive
information to engage and interest them.
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www.greatresumesfast.com
MISTAKE 3
Writing about the past and not about
the position you want NOW
Too many people put all the focus on their past experience when writing their resume instead of the
next step they want to make in their career. When this happens job seekers will either not get any
interviews at all or they’ll find the interviews they do get are for positions that do not interest them,
or are unrelated to the step up they want to make in their career.
One of my clients, Christine, was in a VP role. She wanted to make a move into a C-suite position
within the next 6 months.
When she reached out to work with us, she knew her resume was not focused or aligned with the
COO role she wanted.
If you’re looking for a step up in your career, try the following
techniques that we used to help Christine land 6 interviews within
1 week for COO roles:
The entire resume was written to support her goal of getting a COO
role—including a targeted headline and branding statement.
If you’re unsure of the next position you want, be clear about it
FIRST—before you write your resume.
We put emphasis on her skills, experiences, and accomplishments
related to the COO role she was targeting.
We gave less prominence to the experiences and skills that were not related.
We used essential keywords that were specific to the COO role.
We read through job descriptions, researched the companies, and
uncovered the greatest needs/pain points and used the most critical,
related keywords.
We highlighted her core leadership achievements and areas of impact
that aligned most closely with the needs and problem areas related to
the COO roles she was targeting.
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www.greatresumesfast.com
MISTAKE 4
A lack of clarity and direction.
I see this mistake derail more executives than I can count. After helping 10,000+ executives in
75+ different industries I can tell you with a great deal of certainty that if you are not clear about
the direction you’re heading you won’t get very far.
My client Michelle was relocating to a major U.S. city. She’d submitted 50 applications via
LinkedIn but received no responses. To add to the challenge, she was also considering a career
change.
She knew her resume needed a facelift, and she needed clarity with her personal brand, value
proposition, and how she was different from other similarly qualified candidates.
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A few of the strategies we used to help her gain clarity
and get interviews with her top two target companies:
We led her through the personal branding process to gain clarity in
how others viewed her personal brand, her strengths, and which
industries/positions were a match for her interests and strengths.
Don’t be afraid to touch base with your network and ask questions.
You can use tools like the 360Reach survey or work with a 360Reach
Analyst if you’re interested in gathering feedback and data from your network
on how your personal brand is perceived by those connected to you.
Also, consider using assessments if you’re really struggling to get clarity. The Keirsey
temperament scale and the StrengthsFinder 2.0 are both well-known assessments that
can help bring self-awareness and direction. You could also consider enlisting the help
of a career coach.
Once we identified the direction, we developed her value proposition
and key differentiators in relation to the roles and companies she
was targeting. It’s important here to make sure you focus on a value
proposition and differentiators that are most relevant to the position and
direction you want to take.
We wrote a resume focused on her brand attributes, value proposition,
strengths, impact, and how all these bring value to the companies she
was targeting. Remember, it’s all about how you can bring value to the
companies you’re targeting.
We created multiple cover letters: Each one spoke to why she
wanted to make a career change, why she was interested in their
company, and how her fresh insight and perspective would be a
plus to THAT company.
It’s important to address the WHY behind your interest. Employers care and genuinely
want to know why you’re interested in their company and the specific opening.
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www.greatresumesfast.com
MISTAKE 5
A failure to identify and articulate your
value proposition, key differentiators,
and personal brand.
To move into the next level of executive leadership your resume must exude executive presence.
For your resume to have a powerful executive presence you’ll need to do the following:
BRAND
BRAND
Identify and express your
personal brand. Your
personal brand needs to
clearly show who you are.
You’ll want to include your
personal brand on your
resume, LinkedIn profile,
and in every interaction
you have with your
network and prospective
employers.
Uncover and describe
your brand benefits.
Your brand benefits are
3-5 distinct benefits that
differentiate you from
other similarly qualified
candidates. You’ll want to
include these in the top
third of your resume to
really stand out.
Craft a compelling career
story. Your experience and
accomplishments need to be
written in a compelling and
engaging way. You’ll want to
use quantifiable data, facts,
and figures when possible;
be specific as opposed to
general, and give weight and
emphasis to the experience
that is relevant to your goals
for the next step of your
career.
Finding common themes across your career can help you develop your
personal brand if you’re unsure what it is—or clarify your message if you
already know your brand. I can’t recommend the Reach Personal Branding
Survey enough if you’re in the discovery phase of the branding process.
11
www.greatresumesfast.com
Here are some questions you can ask to look for those themes:
•
What benefit or contribution do you add to the company?
•
What key achievements or successes have you had time and time again? Big sales?
Successful restructurings?
•
What would you say is unique about yourself and how you do what you do?
•
What do others see as the value you add?
•
Read through your LinkedIn recommendations and past performance evaluations and look for
themes. When you put similar words and phrases together, what picture do you get?
•
What do others say are your greatest strengths or most valuable qualifications?
•
How do others describe you?
•
What do your boss, team, direct reports come to you for on a regular basis?
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www.greatresumesfast.com
MISTAKE 6
Writing for only one audience
Countless job seekers believe that online job boards, Indeed, LinkedIn, and just online job searching
in general are the only ways to find a job. They obsess over writing a resume that will get through
applicant tracking systems (ATS). Don’t get me wrong—writing to get through ATS is important, but
it’s not the only audience that you need to write for when you are working on your resume.
Oftentimes, we’re so worried about getting through the dreaded screening system we forget that
there are human HR professionals or hiring managers that will read our resume—and ultimately, they
will be the ones calling us in for an interview. As someone who reviews resumes and has for more
than a decade, I can tell you I would so much rather see a resume that is easy to scan and not overly
text-dense. I personally prefer color, visuals, graphs, and bolded sections that direct my eye where to
look.
I’m not the only one. Ladders recently updated its popular recruiter eye-tracking survey for 2018. You
can read the findings yourself but the study stated the average initial screening time for a candidate’s
resume is just 7.4 seconds. That is not a lot for a C-level executive whose resume contains years
and years of experience.
The study found that top-performing resumes—where recruiters focused the longest—have several
key common traits. Those include:
Simple layouts with
clearly marked section
and title headers, all
written in a clear font.
Layouts that took advantage of
F-pattern and E-pattern reading
tendencies, with bold job titles
supported by bulleted lists of
accomplishments.
A detailed overview or
mission statement, primarily
located at the top of the
first page of the resume.
With these study-proven tips, you’ll want to avoid a text-dense resume that’s over-crammed with
content. Be sure to leave white space, and direct the flow of content so the reader can easily follow.
13
www.greatresumesfast.com
MISTAKE 7
Viewing a resume as a tool that’s only used to
apply to jobs online instead of brand building.
A successful job search is a diverse/comprehensive search. It’s not all about job boards or online
applications. LinkedIn reports that the top channel for quality hires is employee referrals (48%). If
this is the #1 place that employers are using to find new talent, then we need to think of a resume
as 1 tool in our job search arsenal, not the only resource we have available to us.
Matt came to us after
applying to 300+ jobs
online without any
interviews.
Here are a few of the strategies
that helped him to get 6
interviews within three weeks
at his target companies:
We rewrote his resume and
other career documents
then invested time in
job search and hidden
job market coaching to
help him find alternative
methods to search.
He attended professional
association meetings,
networking events,
conferences, trade shows,
and workshops to make
connections with people in
his industry.
He found/followed
companies and executive
search firms who post
their openings on Twitter
and Facebook.
He created a target company
list, then found the decisionmakers at those companies
and contacted them directly.
He sent a value proposition
letter via old-fashioned
snail mail to the decisionmakers he’d identified.
He worked to expand, build,
and leverage his network. He
kept working to make new
connections.
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20 Tips for Writing a Resume That Opens Doors
I’ll recap the tips here that I provided under each mistake above:
TIP # 1
A successful resume includes the following:
First and foremost, your resume should be unique to each job you’re applying for. So if
you’re sending out the same resume and cover letter with only minor tweaks, you will struggle to
land that next opportunity.
See, these two crucial pieces of information—your resume and cover letter—give employers a
glimpse at:
BRAND
The right
keywords
Clear
focus
A targeted
audience
Authentic
branding
TIP # 2
When you use duties vs. accomplishments, you’re not telling the
full story of your impact—and you need the whole story if you’re
going to spark the interest of hiring managers.
For a task to become an accomplishment, think about dollars or
percentages, as well as the impact, increases, or decreases.
TIP # 3
TIP # 4
Focus on what you
ACHIEVED not
what you DID.
Ask: How is this
company better
because of me?
15
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TIP # 5
TIP # 6
Highlight relevant
accomplishments so
employers will say “Look
what they did; they can
do the same for us.”
If applicable, add logos
of impressive Fortune
500 clients/partners.
TIP # 7
Modernize your resume. Add color elements without going
overboard. Some color gives your resume a nice POP to stand
out and look fresh. Too much color can be overwhelming, though.
Include a sales graph to visually show your impressive revenue
and gross profit impacts. Some graphics are OK. As long as you
include the text that’s within the graphic within a bullet point as
well, the computer screening systems (ATS) will still be able to
parse the information and score your resume.
TIP # 8
Include only the most
recent 15 years of work
experience. Remove
dates from the education
section of your resume
and LinkedIn profile.
TIP # 9
15
YEARS
Focus on your most
impressive impact—the
most important information
that you want the employer
to know first so they will be
eager to read more.
TIP # 10
TIP # 11
Keep your next
position in mind. Use
accomplishments,
keywords, and experiences
that are focused on the
step up you want to make.
Quantify your
achievements—cut costs
by 25%, grew sales 40%,
built the #1 sales team in
the region.
16
www.greatresumesfast.com
TIP # 12
TIP # 13
Write tight text,
eliminating extra filler
words, adjectives,
passive language, and
any content that doesn’t
support your goal. Make
every word count.
Use a modern resume
format that is easy for
employers to scan. Modern
resumes must give readers
specifics, impact, and
impressive information to
engage and interest them.
TIP # 14
To move into the next level of executive leadership your resume must
exude executive presence. For your resume to have a powerful executive
presence you’ll need to identify and express your personal brand. Your
personal brand needs to clearly show who you are. You’ll want to include
your personal brand on your resume, LinkedIn profile, and in every
interaction you have with your network and prospective employers.
TIP # 15
Uncover and describe your brand benefits. Your brand
benefits are 3-5 distinct benefits that differentiate you from
other similarly qualified candidates. You’ll want to include
these in the top third of your resume to really stand out.
BRAND
TIP # 16
Craft a compelling career story. Your experiences and accomplishments
need to be written in a compelling and engaging way. You’ll want to
use quantifiable data, facts, and figures when possible—be specific as
opposed to general, and give weight and emphasis to the experience
that is relevant to your goals for the next step of your career.
17
www.greatresumesfast.com
TIP # 17
Find common themes across your career to help you develop your personal brand if you’re unsure
what it is—or clarify your message if you already know your brand. I can’t recommend the Reach
Personal Branding Survey enough if you’re in the discovery phase of the branding process.
Here are some questions you can ask to look for those themes:
•
What benefit or contribution do you add to the company?
•
What key achievements or successes have you had time and time again? Big sales?
Successful restructurings?
•
What would you say is unique about yourself and how you do what you do?
•
What do others see as the value you add?
•
Read through your LinkedIn recommendations and past performance evaluations and look for
themes. When you put similar words and phrases together, what picture do you get?
•
What do others say are your greatest strengths or most valuable qualifications?
•
How do others describe you?
•
What do your boss, team, direct reports come to you for on a regular basis?
TIP # 18
Write a resume that will pass through the
initial screening easily.
Simple layouts with
clearly marked section
and title headers, all
written in a clear font.
Layouts that took advantage of
F-pattern and E-pattern reading
tendencies, with bold job titles
supported by bulleted lists of
accomplishments.
A detailed overview or
mission statement, primarily
located at the top of the
first page of the resume.
18
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TIP # 19
TIP # 20
Avoid a text-dense
resume that’s overcrammed with content.
Be sure to leave white
space, and direct the
flow of content so the
reader can easily follow.
Diversify your job search by
adding hidden job market
strategies to your search.
Find and follow companies
and executive search firms
who post their openings on
Twitter and Facebook.
19
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BONUS TIPS
TIP # 21
TIP # 22
Create a target company
list, find the decision
makers at those
companies, and then
contact them directly.
Send a value
proposition letter via
old-fashioned snail mail
to the decision makers
you identified.
TIP # 23
Work to expand, build, and leverage your network. Keep working
to make new connections. Attend professional association
meetings, networking events, conferences, trade shows, and
workshops to make connections with people in your industry.
The job market and hiring standards are constantly changing. Are you presenting
yourself in the best way possible?
Schedule a free strategy session to discuss your concerns, goals for your next career
move, and if/how our services might be able to help.
20
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INVEST IN A BETTER CAREER
Great Resumes Fast helps executives stand out, get interviews and get hired.
SCHEDULE A CALL NOW
PO Box 1673, Callahan, FL 32011
800.991.5187
info@greatresumesfast.com
904.263.4568
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