Most executive resumes in the United States read like job descriptions. That’s why they fail to get the attention of executive recruiters.
To land a senior leadership role with one of the top American companies, your resume needs to read like a tightly written, two- to three-page business case that makes your unique value obvious in seconds.
You must go beyond listing responsibilities and tasks. Saying “I was responsible for leading 300 indirect reports in North America” won’t cut it.
You need to prove bottom-line impact. Your resume must show margin impact, increased revenue or capital efficiency.
(Related: Best Executive Resume Writers In The U.S.)
10 Executive Resume Examples That Actually Work.
I created a resume example for each of the main C-suite roles, as well as a few roles that report into the C-suite.
Each contains a resume sample and a comprehensive writing guide.
Why Some Executive Resumes Win (And Most Don’t).
The best executive resumes adhere to these principles:
- Focus on placing the most important information front and centre. This means using a reverse-chronological resume format – always.
- Design matters. Use white space to separate the sections of your resume and make the resume look approachable. Resist the temptation to jam every empty part of the page with text.
- Front-load all achievements with power verbs that reflect your level of seniority (e.g., saved, drove, delivered), then prove each claim with numbers.
- As tempting as it will be to list every single detail about your previous job, recruiters will ignore an overly long executive resume. If applying in the United States, keep it between two and three pages long.
Important!
The phrase “writing your resume” is technically misleading. The process involves curation far more than writing. A strong resume is one with all irrelevant details removed.
