If you’re using a text-heavy resume and you’re not getting called for an interview, the reason might be that the employer is drowning in your lengthy description.
Recruiters don’t want to read through lengthy documents. They want a short, well-tailored overview that speaks to their needs while providing a concise introduction to coveted skills.
In other words, the easier your resume is to read, the more likely it will be read.
A common barrier faced by executives is summarizing solid career details.
To help with this, approach the resume writing process with the following goals: Quality over quantity. A resume is not a biography. It’s a marketing tool. Avoid listing a ton of dry, dusty work details that weigh down the file and detract from its value.
Instead, we focus on value and provide services tailored to your needs. Provide a sample of relevant facts related to the intended role.
Below is a short “test” to help you see if there are any issues with your executive resume. If you answered yes to any of the items below, grab your life jacket and begin your rescue.
Resume is more than 3 pages.
A typical executive resume is 2-3 pages long. At this career level, she doesn’t have to cram everything onto her one page, but a modern executive resume needs to be lean and concise to grab and keep busy readers’ attention.
Length alone does not determine the effectiveness of a resume, but very long or redundant files are rarely evaluated or read in their entirety. Save additional facts and supporting details for interviews. Treat your resume like a marketing pamphlet that summarizes your best and most relevant points, rather than a long and detailed career obituary.
Recent research Recruiters share they prefer two-page resumes – at all career levels, but again, the optimal resume length depends on: your Career story, target audience, years of experience:
The Employment History section is like a job description.
Long outlining each past role and focusing on duties and responsibilities is a waste of a major area of the resume. Employers are less interested in what you’ve done in your past roles, but more interested in what’s next. how good you performed in them.
Minimize responsibility and focus on personal performance. Spoon provides readers with value-driven, metric-based success snippets to boost confidence and excitement. Remember, Sell, don’t say.
Below is an example no to do. Text-heavy, job-focused summaries are hard to read and offer little value to the reader.
No bullet points.
Be careful if you are presenting all the details in paragraph format. Dense text isn’t just harder to scan and absorb. It hides important points.
Make it easy to read by bulleting the information in your resume, such as major achievements, major business successes, and personal accomplishments.
Below is a better example of how to lay out your resume content. Note the short, concise synopsis, followed by a highlighted line of major achievements, followed by a short, high-impact bulleted statement of achievements.
Long or many bullet points.
Too much of any one is never a good thing. Even bulleted statements should be within reasonable volume and length. Try to keep your points to no more than two lines on average to avoid obscuring information.
Also avoid the “bullet barf”. Bullet points are great for small groups, but they lose their effectiveness in long lists. Create 3-5 bullet points per position to give yourself space to catch your breath.
bullet barf. Not only are there too many bullet points in the examples below, but the bullet points themselves are not strong or impactful.
If too many filler words are used: “a, to, the, of…”.
These filler words may be justified in some cases, but should be removed as much as possible to tighten the content. It’s okay to use a more concise style of speaking and grammar in your resume.
Squeeze out the details and focus primarily on results and personal actions.
For example, instead of saying “You worked closely with five people on your team to create and execute new marketing campaigns that increased annual sales by 10%. “
I simply say this. “Worked with a team of 5 to create and execute a new marketing campaign that resulted in a 10% year-on-year increase in sales.”
Career history goes back over 15 years.
You don’t have to list every job you’ve ever had on your resume. Focus on your most recent work experience. This is because your role is likely to be more senior and related to your next career goal.
For executives, sharing at least the last 15 years of work experience is enough. Also, the further back you go in your resume, the less robust the information you need. Provide early career details only if experience is required or beneficial for the role being targeted.
Finding value is not easy.
This last point is the most important. So every employer has a headache that revolves around making money, saving money and being efficient. Your resume should clearly and concisely show how you are the solution.
Demonstrate value with clear examples of well-calibrated outcomes and successes. Prove your point!
Finally, don’t leave your readers wondering why you’re the perfect candidate. Spell it! Spoon your readers with bite-sized details of your value, and use similar words and keywords to increase interest and understanding.
The following example shows an effective resume and header, highlighting personal worth along with supporting results.
In summary, resume readers don’t care about: all detail. They are most interested in the facts that are important to them. They want results, but most importantly, they want to know if you can make a difference for them.
Keeping your resume “lean and clean” makes it easier for employers to find the key facts and the ROI you present as a candidate in your executive resume. Clean up your resume and use a clear format to ensure a smooth job search.
