You’ve worked your way up to a VP or C-level role, and now you’re looking for something new…
✅ A new corporate opportunity
✅ A consulting role
✅ Or maybe a Board of Directors placement
How do you encapsulate decades of progressive work experience into a two-page document and clear bullet points?
We’ve worked with hundreds of high-level executives for Fortune 100s, and honestly, we love working with executives. They tend to be articulate, energetic, and results-oriented. They have tons of great resume content, so it’s our job to cherry-pick the most relevant, illustrative examples and align the resume’s messaging with their career goals.
The complexity and breadth of executive resumes, however, can pose some challenges. Here are a few of the key strategies we use at Upword Resume to build executive resumes that open doors to the C-suite.
Focus on high-level achievements
The career that has brought you to this point has a lot of complexity…mergers, acquisitions, product launches, promotions, international expansions, system implementations, financial restructures…
But capturing all that detail into your resume makes for a document that’s dense, hard to read, and overwhelming. Plus, focusing on lower-level tasks undermines your role as a C-suite executive.
Resist the temptation to make your resume comprehensive. Instead, focus on your high-level deliverables and the end results of your work:
- Revenue growth
- Increased employee headcount
- Expanded product line
- Improved team productivity
- Better budget compliance
- Zero audit findings
- EBITDA improvements
- Efficiency gains
Each end-point result like this tells the story of all the lower-level tasks behind the scenes. That way, you don’t have to go into all the details. And, they make for a metric-driven, powerful document.
Something like:
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Grew new business by 40% as technical lead for the sales process from prospecting through deployment and implementation.Enhance performance 90% by conducting customer surveys, integrating the system into existing customer workflows, and testing.
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Reduced training timelines by 75% by training global users on system features and operations.
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Drove P&L growth from $640M to $1.48 through upgraded portfolios, enhanced sales, MBA, and renewal strategies.
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3X HDS Circle of Excellence recognition for exceptional sales support and client service contributions.
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ISO9001 Certification for Customer Support Services Operation. Oversaw 50+ global team members.
Use the journalist’s inverted pyramid
Your most recent roles are likely the most relevant and impressive, so they should get the most detail. Executive resumes can have 5 to 7, and even up to 12 bullet points for the most recent roles. Then provide less detail as roles get older and less relevant.
For roles that are more than ten years old, it’s acceptable to list the company, title, and a bullet or two–or no bullets at all. You can even omit older, less relevant roles entirely.
It can be a useful strategy to use a subheading such as “Prior Roles” or “Additional Experience.” This way, you’re showing the trajectory of your career development without wasting resume real estate on outdated info.
Include a Summary section
Begin your resume with a brief summary of your value proposition. Imagine a handful of other executives with your credentials and your general work history.
- What sets you apart?
- What are the problems you’re uniquely positioned to solve?
- What’s the sweet spot where you can deliver the most value for a company?
This section clarifies your positioning, gives context for the remainder of your resume, and helps a potential employer understand where you’re the best fit.
GLOBAL FINANCE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Product Strategy | International Relationship Management | Fortune 200 Sales Industry-recognized Business Development Strategist & Client Advocate. Track record devising and launching products and teams that deliver 360-degree value for ultra-net-worth and commercial clients while exponentially growing bank revenue and profitability. Repeatedly selected to build teams and lead successful business turnarounds in troubled markets, Talent for working across divisions to marshal company assets to advance client needs, Seeking people first, leadership-centric position to advocate for change within a global institution.
If you’re an executive looking for a partner for your resume and LinkedIn profile, Upword Resume offers a suite of services specifically for executives. We’ll match you with a resume expert who specializes in high-level candidates. You’ll have a phone consult with your writer to get clarity on your value proposition, career goals, and resume strategy. Then your writer will create drafts for your review. We’ll be the resume experts, so you can keep doing what you do best.
Learn more, here.
