Executive Resume Tips: How To Make Your Executive Resume Stand Out

Eye-tracking research has shown that an HR professional will review your resume for a mere seven seconds, and companies are increasingly using automation to screen resumes. The days of sending a generic CV are out. You need to be able to stand out and make the connection that lands an interview. Experts share five fresh and practical ways you can do this: 1) Outsmart the robots; 2) Show off your skills; 3) Don’t restrict your work experience to just “work”; 4) Let the numbers do the talking; and 5) Keep your cover letter personal.

Outsmart the robots

Keeping the hiring process automated is one way to shave a little time off the list of candidates. However, if you think “data points” are the only thing that an applicant needs, you’re going to be disappointed. You need to appeal to hiring managers with actual human skills. Human resources professionals say that to do this, you need to put the following tips into practice: Start with a positive Use this line on your resume: “Work experience with high standards and high-touch customer service” Use this line on your cover letter: “The candidate possessed an outstanding combination of soft skills, high-level competence, and a high degree of customer service understanding.” If you have work experience, make sure to showcase it.

Show off your skills

The flipside of being able to “sell” yourself is knowing how to deliver on what you do well. Highlight what sets you apart from others and make the most of your strengths. One action step you can take is to be clear about what you do, exactly, so you can make clear your value proposition. List your skills (rather than the work you do) and highlight your accomplishments. Outsmart the robots Millions of people now sit at their desks with a phone or tablet in their hands. With more people in the workforce staying connected with work, many of these communications are taking place on the phone and tablet. While recruiters look at a resume first, many hiring managers or human resources professionals do a virtual screening in which they search social media, message boards, etc. for candidates.

Don’t restrict your work experience to just “work”

In your cover letter, you want to impress upon your HR contact that your work experience is not limited to the employment you held in a particular company or role, but also includes the many roles you have held at the same company over the course of your career. You also want to highlight the scope of your experience and show how your responsibilities and accomplishments have earned you the accolades you have achieved. 5 tips to make your resume stand out If you need an edge, focus on the skills you have developed and the knowledge you have acquired. Although employers typically consider a candidate’s tenure, in recent years, we have also seen a shift to a job seeker’s ability to demonstrate his or her skills.

Let the numbers do the talking

While the trend is toward software to read the content of your resume, traditional resumes are still highly impactful. They are more impactful than an online resume, and their bulleted format is easier to follow. Six Key Insights Five years ago, companies spent about 12 seconds looking at your resume. Now, they spend seven seconds. When you’re creating a resume, start by going through the top seven to eight areas companies typically use to evaluate a candidate: education, work experience, soft skills, industry, motivation, traits and attitudes, and past accomplishments. For the first couple of months, focus on those areas and optimize your resume accordingly.

Keep your cover letter personal

If you’re an early- to mid-career professional, one of the most successful strategies for landing an interview is being able to explain what you bring to the table, with your resume included. This cover letter is your chance to connect your work experience to your accomplishments, the skills you demonstrate and the experiences you’ve had. That way, your job history will make more sense to a potential employer. You want the cover letter to convey that you’re eminently qualified, with the experience to back it up. So stay clear of clichés, and avoid bland generic writing. The key is to position yourself in a way that appeals to the interviewers, rather than just skimming through the resume.