How to Make Your Executive Resume Stand Out

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In today's competitive job market, it is more important than ever to do what you can to make your application rise to the top of the heap. Designing a quality executive resume is the first step in getting your foot in the door for leadership positions. While there is no official set of rules to follow when it comes to creating an executive resume, there are things that you can do to make your document shine. Here are five ways that you can make your resume stand out from the crowd.

Leverage the Summary

The most important part of your resume is the summary. This is when you catch the eye of the recruiter or hiring manager and encourage them to keep reading for more information about your skills and experience. Make this count by using this space to truly sell yourself and your abilities. Be concise while still pointing to a few notable achievements that summarize why you are the best candidate for the position. The summary is where you want to highlight your strongest accomplishments. Do not be afraid to tweak this summary to be more specific for each job that you apply.

Make it Personal

Savvy professionals understand the importance of making a resume personalized to the job. It is easy to customize your resume to fit the position. While you may leave the meat of the resume intact, it is a good idea to customize the summary to highlight your relevant skills specific to that job. Tailoring the content to fit the position will drive home that you are the perfect candidate for the position. Part of the customization process is also understanding your audience. For example, a resume that is going to a recruiting firm may look slightly different than one being sent directly to a hiring manager.

Do Not Neglect Design

All of the sparking content in the world will not make a difference if your resume appears cluttered and messy. Start your creative process by selecting a simple font and sticking to it. The font size should be between 10pt and 12pt for maximum readability. Do not try to get too carried away with the font or the spacing. An adequate amount of white space will keep the copy from looking too cluttered. It is important that your name and contact information are displayed prominently at the top of the resume. While some amount of classic color is fine, do not get too artsy with the design. If you have an electronic resume, it is appropriate to link to other samples of your work.

Enlist a Professional

You do not want to skimp when it comes to creating your executive resume. For example, if you are looking to hire an Agile coach for your software development team, you are going to want to be 100% sure that this person is equipped to handle the rigors of this position. A well-executed executive resume will tell you what you need to know about any applicant. Investing in a professional executive resume package will ensure that you are able to market yourself in the best way possible. This individualized approach will make your resume stand out and get you that coveted interview.

Be Concise

When it comes to building your resume, sometimes less is more. While it is tempting to want to add more fluff to your resume thinking that it will make you a more attractive candidate, being concise is also important. You want the applicant reviewer to remain engaged. Using excessive wording or repetitive facts will cause the audience to lose interest. Employing the use of bullets and separate information blocks will make the relevant facts easy to locate and increase the overall readability of the resume.

You will never get the opportunity to interview for a position without a stellar resume that showcases your talents and experience. Taking the time to design a quality executive resume will go a long way in helping you to continue to advance your career trajectory and reach all of your goals.