I want you to be proud of your resume, your career, and your self. Your resume chronicles what you are, how you performed, what you aspired for and what your potential is - perhaps your best and only biography. A good resume can fill you with pride, while a bad one can make you cringe. Be proud.Prince Peter
Updated 15th October 2024
The word résumé has a French root meaning summary or synopsis - of your career. More to the point the resume summarizes your skills, experience, education and achievements, and presents you as a viable and attractive candidate for a job or role. Your resume is your primary career marketing device.
Your resume makes the first impression on your prospective employer. It is your very own placement agency and your strongest tool during your job search. Your resume is your ally in your hard struggle to get the right job. It is your friend, your sales agent and your personal advertisement.
Your resume is therefore definitely the most important career document in your life. In your absence - it speaks for you, explains your career progression, focuses on your areas of professional and personal strengths and sells you as the ideal person for the applied job. Your resume is a chronicle of what you are, how you have performed, what your aspirations are and what you can achieve. The resume helps (or hinders! - if you have a bad resume) your job hunt more than any other one single factor.
Executive Resumes are resumes designed for top level management, executive cadre and C-level staff who are typically leading their organizations or large departments. Almost without exception an executive resumes needs to display leadership, vision and ability to independently take on higher responsibilities.
1. The main purpose of your executive resume is to win you a job interview. The common fallacy that a resume is supposed to get you the job will hold only if the job you are applying for is that of a resume writer!
2. Another extremely crucial purpose of the executive resume is to support you during the interview. I have seen even professional resume writers often make the mistake of assuming that the complete purpose of a resume is served when an invitation for the interview arrives. That of course is not the case as most of the questions asked by an interviewer are usually based on the direction given by the resume. A good executive resume will guide the interviewer towards areas which you want to talk about. Of course those areas should also be your selling points.
3. Another critical purpose of your executive resume includes avoiding the trash can!
: in the first 10 seconds - by creating a quick positive impression,
: in the first 30 seconds - by establishing yourself as not unsuitable for the job,
: in the first 2 minutes - by positioning you as an attractive candidate,
: and till you get your appointment letter - by positioning your profile as superior to the competition.
4. Even if you are not actively seeking a job, your executive resume will provide you with a sense of direction by forcing a disciplined response to key career questions that face you.
5. Though mostly used for job applications, your executive resume might also be required while applying for a freelance project, graduate school or an educational grant/scholarship.
One page whenever possible. Two pages, if not.
Since the purpose of your executive resume is to help the employer make a snap decision (seldom exceeding 2 minutes per resume) about sending you an interview invite, the shorter your resume the better. The length of the executive resume should be correlated to the time the employer can possible allot for you rather than the length or breadth of your career. If large multi-billion dollar companies, huge cities and great historical personages can have their sketches written in a single page, why can't you?
In India we do not yet have a standard resume length and I have seen executive resumes ranging from 3 sentences to 23 pages! I am a strong votary for a single page resume standard in India, which will not only allow clear and concise presentation of a profile, but also save millions of man-hours annually - for both employers and prospective employees.
The key elements of an executive resume are content, focus, uniqueness, structure and design. Each in it's own way is critical.
Content: Content is king. The message and information that you convey (or do not convey) will decide the fate of your resume. Include key relevant details that will help you and exclude all extraneous data - that should be your focus while developing your executive resume.
Focus: Communication, like everything else, works best when unambiguously focused. Choose an area (industry, expertise, function) that you want to focus on and define a place for yourself within that. Since the employer is looking at specific requirements 99% of the time, make your positioning as specific as possible in your executive resume. Don't be lazy! - you can easily identify the employer's focus area with some research.
Uniqueness: A large number of my clients initially feel that their profile cannot be differentiated from that of their peers within the same function. However, gradually they always come around to my point of view that even identical twins working for the same company in similar functions cannot possibly be identical. So the first step in presenting yourself uniquely (which in the final analysis is THE objective of the entire executive resume writing exercise) in your executive resume is to understand that you ARE unique.
Structure: Your executive resume should be structured logically. Ensure that important aspects that you have identified as critical to your candidature are presented as early as possible; after this they must preferably be repeated and substantiated. Important points should find supportive arguments or examples as early as possible in the resume. The information flow should not be counter-intuitive: e.g. a listing of your ancillary responsibilities should not precede your core job profile.
Design: The visual design of your executive resume is helpful at two separate levels. Firstly, it will attract attention in the crucial 10 seconds of the first look and extend the life of your resume to stage two. Secondly, it will make for easier reading once your content convinces the employer to give it more time.
All these will not only help you create a good executive resume, but will also present you as an intelligent professional with organizational, writing, analytical and logical thinking skills.
If you are serious about your career, you require a serious executive resume to propel your career forward. You could be male or female, applying in India or abroad, for top strategic positions or senior functional roles. You could be a seasoned Country Manager, Regional Profit Centre Head, VP Finance, Admin Manager, Design Engineer, CEO, Sales Head, CFO, Professor, Scientist or COO with decades of experience, or you might be a management graduate seeking your first high profile post-MBA job. If it is a truly remarkable executive resume that you require, then Vibranturre could be what you seek.
Vibranturre is the best executive resume service in India (and probably Asia), and one of the best in the world. So if you believe that yours must be really be the best executive resume that money can buy, you are probably just a click away from it.
The hero of this single-page script, your executive resume, is indubitably - YOU.
For most people, their resume is often the only biography that is ever written for them. So go ahead and present yourself in the best possible light in your biography.
Approach your executive resume as if you are creating an advertisement for you - because you actually are! Talk about what makes you valuable to a prospective employer and what made you valuable to your previous employers. Underscore your skills, strengths and expertise areas with appropriate accomplishments from your work history. List your other achievements and qualifications - academic, personal, training, other passions etc.
Show that you are the best - because the objective of this entire exercise is to choose one (or more) of the best from a selection of competing candidates.
Perhaps in your confessional autobiography or in a letter to your mother - but not in your executive resume. Your resume is your own personalized advertisement; can you name the last ad you saw that listed all the weaknesses and problems of the product? Right!
If you feel that a particular facet or characteristic might work to your disadvantage, go right ahead and delete it from your executive resume. However, take an exception to this rule if you feel strongly that a missing piece of information is too obvious or that it might convey a deliberately incomplete image of your self (for example, an obvious gap in employment). The best option is to turn any perceived weakness into a strength; if that fails, try to neutralize the weakness by de-emphasizing its importance - perhaps by positioning it aptly or using language strategically.
Having said that, understanding your weaknesses, either through introspection or through talks with friends and experts, will be of immeasurable help in an interview context but even more critically in choosing job positions that use your strengths most aptly.
Whether it is getting a job, negotiating a deal, completing a marathon ..whatever.. in the final analysis whether you lose or gain depends on a thin margin of error. Maybe the fact that Vibranturre is India's best executive resume writing service might be the advantage that will win the day for you: and be the difference between you and the other 5-50 failed candidates. Do you think you deserve the best? If you do, perhaps Vibranturre offers you great value.
You are the best judge of the value of your resume and, in the larger perspective, of your career. Quantitatively analyzing the worth of your days might be an objective method to start this process. So assuming that you are drawing a salary of ₹ 500,000 per month, and assuming you work 25 days a month, your daily earning is inr: ₹ 20,000. Similarly a salary of inr: ₹ 750,000 would work out to daily earnings of inr: ₹ 30,000 and so on.
Now, decide if your payment for a truly high quality executive resume equals, in time and effort, what you might gain by getting that job, or maybe by winning a job a few weeks earlier. For example, on a monthly salary of ₹ 500,000 you would gain ₹ 200,000 if you get the job just 10 days earlier.
Also, decide if the price is worth the feeling of facing your interview with higher confidence. Decide if the price is worth knowing that you will probably be correctly identified a superior candidate based on the sheer quality of the resume alone.
Of course I am not even calculating the value of being short-listed for an interview, when without a truly standout executive resume you would not have been even invited for the interview.
Perhaps you can also compare it with what that value represents in terms of other purchases. For example, what you pay for a truly stupendous executive resume might be roughly equal to the cost of a few days in a hotel suite or a fraction of the price tag on a wedding dress. Well, the decision is always yours to make.
Sure.. with different executive resumes.
While an individual might possess the skills to apply for jobs in varied functions and industries, even the best executive resume can seldom achieve such multi-tasking proficiency efficiently. The reason is simple: different successful job pursuits involve differentiated focused presentations about the self, different interview perspectives, different organizational expectations - in short altogether different approaches.
Importantly, since the requirements and expectations from different jobs might vary greatly, you may naturally assume the appropriate cultural mindset for the specific job. Unlike you, your executive resume cannot customize itself automatically! So, when applying for different job profiles do apply with separately customized executive resumes for each targeted job profile. In fact even when applying to the SAME designation and function in different companies, try to send focused resumes that highlight your differing, specific potential value to each employer.
Aim everywhere and you will get nowhere. So choose carefully and focus determinedly.
Understanding yourself.
Deep introspection is the most critical part of your executive resume creation process. Talk to the person who knows you best - yourself - and answer critical questions about what you want to achieve through your resume. Delineate your objectives, target industries/companies, functional and professional strengths and expertise areas.
Ask yourself questions that you might expect in a tough job interview: find objections to your candidature and incorporate rebuttals within the body of your executive resume - without making a list of all your weaknesses! At Vibranturre our intensive discussion sessions are designed specifically to force introspection through the right questions (uniquely and different for each person) and uncover all main aspects of your profile.
Make extensive notes on yourself, your skill sets, your achievements, your strengths and each of your job tenures. Bug your spouse and close friends to write brief SWOT analyses for you. Ask skilled friends or qualified professionals to conduct mock interviews. Once you have used all these avenues your executive resume writing process can begin.
Visually the executive resume should be attractive and easy to read. A single look should automatically draw the attention of the reader to the main 1-2 points you want to strongly convey in the executive resume. Please ensure quality in each of the following facets in your executive resume.
Paper: In India, use size A4 sheets (8.27 inch width, 11.69 inch height) and print only on one side of the paper. Standard size is preferred as it allows the employer to easily file your executive resume. While white or off-white paper is the standard, feel free to use other light colored papers - if you feel that your personality, and that of the applied for job and that of the employer, allows it.
Font: Use clear typefaces like Verdana, Times New Roman, Helvetica or Tahoma. Font size ranging from 9 to 14 points is best: however different fonts have different sizes for the same font size, so use as appropriate. Preferably use just a single font within your executive resume or expand the selection to two to include an additional font for emphases or headings.
Cover: Do NOT fold your executive resume. Use an apt hard paper/plastic cover to hold your resume. If mailing, type the apt addresses clearly at front and back.
Printing: Laser print your executive resume, if using physical copies. Its simple, effective and cheap.
Design Consistency: Follow simple and consistent rules of design within your executive resume. Italics, alignment, boldface, bulleting, underlining, and font sizes should reflect similar ideas throughout the resume. For example, if your first header is middle aligned and bold, the next one should be too; or if job dates are in month/year format they should be similarly formatted throughout the executive resume.
This is going to be one long list!
As a general rule anything that jeopardizes your chances of job success or any irrelevant data that simply takes away space and attention from your primary communication must be excluded. Some examples are:
Reasons for Leaving Jobs: Desist from going into reasons for leaving any of your previous jobs in the executive resume. It is irrelevant, unless asked in the interview. Also, those stories may not present your earlier employer or yourself in a positive light. So, even during the interview this is an area full of live mines waiting to explode in your face - beware!
References: Usually each employer has its own organizational policies regarding references - which will not change irrespective of what you mention in your executive resume. So generally just skip this; at most simply indicate the availability of references.
Confidential Information: Information that your current or previous company treats as confidential should be treated as such by you in your executive resume. In case you divulge such information, why should a potential employer not expect such behavior from you again?
Negative Remarks: Avoid direct negative comments about any individual or institution in your executive resume. It will take away the focus from key strengths and achievements - and will anyway seldom work to your advantage.
Controversial Topics: Avoid even a hint of controversy in your executive resume. First, because even if you are right you will not be present to defend your position. Second, even if you are present (during the interview) the precious time you have earned is not for arguing the pros/cons of a welfare society, presidential electoral system in India or job reservation in private sector, but for making a sales pitch to win yourself a job.
There are scores of stylistic and strategic mistakes you can make while developing your executive resume. The worst however are the following:
Dishonesty: Ethical issues apart, being untruthful in a document that can be checked for its verity any time in the future is also not intelligent. Besides, why do you lack the confidence and faith of winning the job on your own, with the truth? Be truthful in your executive resume.
Copying: Plagiarizing a friend's or colleague's nice looking executive resume is a truly silly solution even for a lazy person. But instances of copying complete resume sections verbatim (or sometimes even the entire resume - truly! - with just the name changed!) is common. The fact that both the copier and the copied lose credibility when the two resume are compared (since most things are copied, we have to assume that the job applications might be sent to similar places as well) demonstrates the exceptional lack of intelligence in this approach.
The only reason for an address in your executive resume is to facilitate a reply. Most replies will be over phone or email, so the address is optional in almost all cases.
Still, some Indian applicants commit the gaffe of mentioning not one, but two addresses - a "permanent address" and then a "present address" - in their resumes. It is a confusing and irritating practice.
Include your your phone number (essential), your email id (essential) and your current mailing address in short (optional). That will do.
ANY experience that enhances the overall strength of your executive resume by aptly underlining your skills or showcasing your achievements can be included in your resume. However, part time work experience is usually most useful when you have very little experience, which is not the case with most executive resume owners.
Still, if you are seeking a functional shift or are moving to a new industry, then relevant work exposure even if it is part time may be useful. Remember that the value of any experience is determined by how relevant it is to your prospective employer. So, make the choice that suits you best.
Nowhere.
As a rule, do not include references in your resume. Almost no company requires references as a pre-qualification for an interview. The most that is required is to indicate availability of references; even that is superfluous because each organization has its own HR policies, inclusive of the number and type of references required before the candidate is appointed officially; that will not change irrespective of what you mention (or not) in your executive resume.
Also, as your executive resume is an initial communication, please do not divulge confidential/personal information about your referee like their address, email or contact number.
Yes!
Inclusion of hobbies and interests in your executive resume serves two purposes. First, it can be used to support skills or characteristics that you have already mentioned in your resume. For example, being a local Chess champion might support your claim of competitive spirit and analytical thinking; or mountaineering as a hobby might indicate good health and teamwork skills.
Apart from the specific relevance to the job application, mention of your hobbies and interests offer an additional arena for establishing rapport with the interviewer. After all the employer is also a flesh and blood person - though some job applicants dispute that! Also, all good interviewers bring a personal touch to the interview - your hobbies are often a great way to find a balance between your personal and public selves during the interview.
Since any break in your career progression is an automatic red flag when your executive resume is being viewed, identify the gaps in your work experience and de-emphasize them as much as possible. Ideally, avoid dates suddenly going missing from a sequence. Often that will simply highlight that gap in your employment and unnecessarily make the employer concentrate on the missing link - and make that a definite discussion point for the interview!
Preferably no direct explanations should be given at this stage of your job application process within the executive resume; if required that can happen at the interview.
However if you feel that the gap in your employment is very obvious and might be a stumbling block, try to indirectly portray it as a strength within the executive resume. For example, if you were on a long break to support your parenthood, saying it clearly and boldly, and showing why that makes you what you are today, is a much better approach than sweeping it under the carpet.
Else, try to fill that gap by uncovering work experience you might have gained during the period of non-employment. You might have given specialized expert advice for certain businesses, or headed certain civic or local area bodies, or even contributed to certain voluntary organizations. These can either be directly incorporated as work experience or slotted separately as Additional Work Experience. If it is the latter, use the Functional Executive Resume format instead of the usual Reverse Chronology format.
It is certainly a matter of choice to include personal information in your executive resume. But even in situations where the company does not demand such information as your gender or age, you could offer that information if you are confident that it furthers your candidature.
Inclusion of further details follows the basic rule stated earlier - include all relevant details that will help you but exclude all extraneous data. Exclude height, weight and other vital statistics, unless the job applied for specifically demands it. Do not include your father's and mother's names or occupations; unless you think it will help. If your marital status helps, put that in; else avoid it. Put in whatever you feel will help you - within ethical and moral limits.
It happens more often than you might imagine that your Designation or Job Title is an inaccurate or inappropriate reflection of your actual work profile.
The best option in such cases is to either replace the designation with a job description in your executive resume. For example, Profit Center Management or a more accurate job title like Branch Manager could replace a less useful designation than say Officer Fourth Class which could be be included in small type.
A executive cover or covering letter is basically an email or letter that accompanies your executive resume, introducing you and stating the reasons for your resume to be sent to the particular prospective employer.
A few basic tips to start with: unless specifically asked to desist, a covering note or letter should accompany ALL resume postings.
When emailing a resume, never attach a cover letter; a short covering note in the body of the email is best.
Apart from the primary purpose of being a short and informative introduction to your profile, your executive cover letter or cover note email can serve some very important functions.
A good executive cover letter allows you to address an actual decision maker within your target company and helps you establish a personal rapport with that person. That obviously presupposes that you have made the effort to get their name and designation.
An effective executive covering letter also allows you to bring unique focus to your candidature in relation to the specific job and the specific company in question, especially as the letter can be less formal in structure and language than your executive resume.
Even a simple cover letter differentiates you from the many others who have not bothered with one - everything else being equal, you will stand a better chance!
An ideal executive cover letter will not exceed one page and the email cover note should try to fit within one desktop screen. Since the executive resume itself should not exceed two pages, an introduction longer than the main document might be a little comic, in addition to being irritating.
Always bear in mind that your goal is to convey your message as concisely and clearly as possible. Respect for the employer and their limited time will go a long way in getting you shortlisted by the right companies.
1. Though an executive cover letter works as an essential introduction to your executive resume, most candidates do not write a cover letter or cover note! That loses them an unrivaled opportunity to touch base with the employer very early in the game.
2. The second most common mistake is that most cover letters are addressed to - nobody in particular! Finding the name and designation of the personnel responsible for your application is just a matter of effort and wit. Don't miss this opportunity!
3. Another common error is to negate the value of the covering letter by posting a mass-mail letter that fails to display your specific value to that specific employer. Of course it will require some researched customization, but using information about the target company in your letter and showing a logical link between your past and the company's future is a tremendously effective communication tool.
4. In situations where you are applying through your own initiative, a frequent error is to simply not clarify the specific job designation or (at least) the functional and hierarchical position you are seeking. In this situation, at this introductory stage, it is your responsibility to analyze your fit with the company and specify the most apt position in your cover letter.
Well, why don't you know anything about the company you want to work for?!
If you hope to work for a company, expect to be paid by them, and plan to spend most of your waking hours with them if appointed, you better get to know about that company!
For the purpose of the executive covering letter you might first want to know the name and designation of the person you are addressing your resume to. A simple phone call or two could accomplish this. Further information about the company's history, track record, policies and plans can be easily researched online. If the company is low profile you can research through industry contacts or industry magazines.
In fact, if you are a serious job seeker you will take the extra effort to glean information from the company's staff or perhaps even from employees of its main competitors. This information will prove useful in customizing your executive cover letter and proposing exactly what benefits you can offer your future employer.
Your MBA application resume is possibly the most referred single document during the business school admission process. Working in tandem with the MBA application essays, your resume can be a formidable tool in your admissions quest. The job-oriented resume that you have been updating throughout your professional life will prove inadequate while attempting to portray the varied and differing areas of focus required in an MBA application resume.
Partner with Vibranture for excellent start-to-finish support on all aspects of your MBA application - including a standout resume that showcases your achievements, leadership, teamwork and organizational impact, and differentiates you within your business school applicant pool.
Differently Focused: Your career-oriented resume cannot showcase the varied, differing and additional areas of focused interest and achievement that you will need to convey to the b-school admissions committee. Keep this objective in mind and use 30%-50% of the resume for emphasizing your academics, community activities and hobbies, and give the professional section 50%-70% of the space unlike the 80%-95% you would otherwise.
Essay Connect: Your entire application should tell one unified story with a few chosen themes. So, reemphasize specific strengths that you want the ad-com to notice in your MBA application resume such that they support and accentuate the particular qualities/achievements that are highlighted in your application, especially in your essays.
Layman Directed: Eliminate industry-specific or technical jargon from your MBA resume. Even in a job-oriented resume or CV, a preponderance of tech jargon is unwelcome; but in an MBA resume (as in the MBA application essays) presenting to a lay audience is critical.
Theme: ALL communication is about choosing the right themes and presenting them with credibility. Essays, biographies, resumes.. whatever. Your MBA resume should therefore reflect the themes and achievements that will advance your candidature in the business school/s of your choice.
Substantiate: Use the right examples (briefly!) to strengthen and substantiate your claims. Quantify whenever possible. Claims without specific supporting corroboration will lack value.
Brevity: Keep it short. The shorter it is the more it will be read. Even if the b-school does not specify a maximum length, stick to a one page resume.
YOU: It is about YOU; get that focus in every part of the b-school application resume.
Truth: I have found that the main issue in not being truthful during the application process, is that the candidate's sincere lack of confidence in his own application shows through. Be honest.
Before you buy our services: Please take the time to read about our ethics, services and maybe refer our executive resume tips - I have written each word in those pages. If you identify with our approach and philosophy, I would be delighted to work with you. - Prince Peter, founder & ceo Vibranturre
