It’s Wednesday already and I am looking forward to welcoming the month of July – barbeques, road trips, and beaches…at least that’s the plan so far. Gotta love summer!
I recently wrote an executive summary for one of my clients and noticed that why the career document was only one page, the amount of work, time and effort took just as long as a normal two-page resume.
Now, I was not working slow, it just takes that much effort to develop a concise, targeted career document.
Bottom line, lengthy written communication does not work well in executive resumes…in the world of growing technological tools, increasing data overload and shrinking attention spans, you have to get your message across with fewer words.
In executive job search and overall career management, we want others to see, feel and experience our essence and our brand both in person and on paper. Your goal is to have employers and recruiters “buy” you, long before they meet you face to face.
Think of today’s executive resume as the “Cliff Notes” for your career story – tell it quickly, tell it concisely, and tell it accurately. Fewer words on your executive resume does not mean that you have less to offer or that you are less qualified, it is the QUALITY and not the QUANTITY of your resume’s content that matters.
For example:
A) BEFORE – Completed major organizational restructuring while overcoming critical market challenges including retail consolidation, landscape shift, the new shopper and pricing promotion trends.
B) AFTER – Orchestrated organizational restructure amidst growing market constraints and industry challenges.
The context and complexity of the leadership task did not change in statement B, but I got the message across in 10 words. When it comes to executive resumes, stick to the key facts and top achievements and save the extras for dinner conversation with your family:)
