10 Powerful Changes for Your Executive-Level Resume

10 Powerful Changes for Your Executive-Level Resume10 Powerful Changes for Your Executive-Level Resume10 Powerful Changes for Your Senior-Level ResumeThis is the perfect executive-resume sample for senior-level job-seekers. Heres why.No matter what position youre gunning for whether its yourfirst job out of college, or youre a seasoned professional with your sights on the C-suite condensing your accomplishments and merits into one single document can be daunting. But if youre ready for a job change, a polished and updated resume is the one thing you cant skipYou might even argue that an executive-level professional has it tougher than the former. Youve likely held several jobs throughout your career, working your way up and maybe even getting your feet wet in completely different industries or departments. For a lucky few, you may not have even had to interview at all, landing positions and promotions through your network alone.The point is, at your level, the people youll be compe ting with for this job will come from many different paths. Your resume and your cover letter will need to impress.Our biggest tip? Get another pair of eyes on your resume. You know your work history inside and out, but how does it come across on paper? With our free resume review, youll get a confidential critique from a TopResume expert experienced with executive-level resumes including personalized recommendations and objective feedback. Often, its a few small changes that can make the biggest impactTo see what we mean, check out our sample resume for executive- and senior-level professionals below, and continue reading to learn about 10 of the most powerful changes you can make.1. Showcase your credentials at the top of your resumeThis is a quick and effective change for anyone, regardless of how many years youve been in the field Move your credentials, especially the ones that match your target position, to the very top of your resume. This is typically the first distributions -mix recruiters will look, so having them front and center enaya they wont get skipped.2. Include a link to your online profileDid you know that 90 percent of employers search for candidates social media profiles online before setting up an interview? Make it easy on them by providing links to your social accounts or professional websites near your other contact information. In our executive-level resume sample above, Jake includes a custom link to his LinkedIn profile.If youd rather keep your online profiles hidden from recruiters, make sure to adjust your security settings or change your account name so theyre harder to find.3. List your core skills near the top, in an easy-to-read formatNoticing a theme here? Even for executive-level positions, hiring managers will typically do a quick scan of your resume before getting into the details. To stand out immediately, make sure your core skills also referred to as core competencies or areas of expertise are listed in an easy-to-read format.Moreover, make sure youre choosing skills that directly correlate with the position youre applying for. Take a look at the job description, if you have it, and customize your resume accordingly. If done right, this should complement your executive summary, or career summary, which Jake includes near the top of this example resume, as well.Need help with writing your executive summary? Our resume experts can help with that, too4. Include a Selected Achievements section at the topIf youre a senior-level professional, you likely have a list of accomplishments to choose from. But this doesnt mean you should list everything youve ever done In Jakes resume, for example, he chose accolades and achievements that highlight the specific results and impact he made. His Selected Achievements section, sometimes called Career Highlights, allows for quick skimming to understand his performance highlights. While a section like this isnt mandatory, its a great way to show recruiters or hirin g managers what youre most proud of.5. Focus on your most recent work experienceMost resumes will benefit from a chronological format, as it shows your career progression throughout the years. Notice how Jakes resume sample places the most focus on his current position as Vice President of Human Resources. Spend the most time here, with your current or most recent job, including details that will show the recruiter what your role entails and what type of company it is (big? small? non-profit?). This rule applies even if you havent been at your current job for very long the only exception is if your current job is unrelated to your career goals or executive summary.6. Quantify your achievementsActions speak louder than words but on a resume, numbers can speak volumes. This is especially important as a senior-level professional, as youre probably handling things like budgets, department goals, or teams of people. Instead of leading with a vague statement, be specific, like Jake does in the resume sample above. Notice how he talks about the annual savings to the company driven by his leadership, as well as how many offices and staff members hes responsible for. 7. Use a two-page resume lengthIf youre surprised by this tip, youre not alone. Its a common myth that resumes should be restricted to one page Just dont get too lengthy. Two pages is a great rule-of-thumb for resume length that will allow you the space to showcase your work history and, more importantly, your accomplishments (quantified, of course).Bump your earlier and entry-level jobs to the second page and include only the most important details. Furthermore, make sure the positions youre including are relevant. If youre applying for an executive-level healthcare position, like Jake is, recruiters wont care that your first job out of college was scooping ice cream at the mall.Having trouble deciding what to keep? A two-page limitation will force you to decide which details are the most important and which details can be left out. Put yourself in the recruiters shoes, and go line-by-line through your resume. Is everything relevant and compelling? Great leise having trouble? This leads us to our next tip 8. Include only your past 15 years of experienceAt this point in your career, youve built up quite the history of companies, positions, and responsibilities. How will you fit it all in? Fortunately, you dont have to. Instead, restrict your resume to experience garnered in the last 15 years, give or take. If there are positions outside of this time frame that you feel are relevant, you can include those in a Prior Experience section just forgo the lengthy details. Still running out of room? Feel free to indicate a Career Note toward the end and list out noteworthy titles or company names in a more condensed format.9. Move your education to the end of the resumeAs a recent college graduate, your degree is often one of your biggest selling points.A few years into your career, it ma y have been your relevant work experience. But now that youve worked your way up the ranks, its time to shift the focus of your resume. Move your education details to the end of the resume, with the exception of any advanced degrees (see tip 1).10. Remove dates outside of the 15-year timeframeFor degrees, certifications, or other prior (but relevant) experience that fall outside of the 15-year timeframe, go ahead and remove the dates associated with them. The reason for this? They simply dont matter. If you feel like including relevant early work, like if it showcases the way your career has progressed, thats great Flaunt that not your age.Ready to upgrade to that corner office? Ensure that your resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile are polished and professional with our Executive Priority resume review package.Recommended Reading5 Signs You Need a Professional Resume CritiqueThe Fastest-Growing Industries for Executive JobsHow to Write a Standout Career Summary