Learn by Example – Three Sample Executive Resumes
………..”One Example is Worth a Thousand Words.”
Resume development can be a challenging task. Not only must you gather and prioritize many aspects of your professional career and educational background, you must also display this information in a visually appealing format.
Reviewing a sample resume for executive candidates, or at least important segments of a resume, can be helpful when determining your best options for format and design.
One of the primary aspects of successful resume writing is how you present your career focus. Any recruiter will tell you that companies hire people who are focused on succeeding at the job that they are offering. You want your executive resume to tell any recruiter or resume reviewer that you are that perfect candidate, and you want to tell them in a very obvious way.
Here is one sample resume segment for an executive seeking a top sales or marketing position:
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Senior Sales and Marketing Executive
Consumer Products * Marketing Management * Sales Forecasting
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Note from this sample resume segment that our executive gives his primary professional focus, plus three specific areas of expertise. By placing this type of information early in the resume, it increases the interest of the recruiter, encouraging the continued consideration of the resume.
The next challenge is to demonstrate why you are a top contender for this job. This is best done by describing past circumstances where your actions where highly beneficial for your employer. In the following sample resume, the executive candidate uses powerful bullets.
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Bigtime Cosmetics Company, Inc., Chicago, IL
Vice President, Sales July 2005 to Present
• Secured exclusive agreement with the Acme Drug Store Company for premier product placement, leading to a 3% increase in annual retail sales.
• Marketing efforts resulted in Award of Merit (2009) by the American Marketing Association for their Consumer Products Division.
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Note the lack of the personal pronoun “I.” Whenever possible, make statements without constantly saying “I did this” or “I accomplished that.” Your resume will sound more factual and less self promoting.
The third sample resume segment for executive resumes utilizes a “Challenge, Action, Results,” or CAR approach. This approach allows you to tell a powerful story of success in a very few words. Here is an example of this approach:
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Bigtime Cosmetics Company, Inc., Chicago, IL
Vice President, Sales July 2005 to Present
Challenge: Faced three successive years of shrinking market saturation for products aimed at the 15 to 25 year-old market.
Action: Negotiated improved product placement with four major retailers known for heavy patronage by the desired demographic.
Result: Annual sales for the targeted products increased by 5%, increasing company profitability by over $250,000.
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Having the best resume message is only half of what you need for a successful executive resume. Creating a format that keeps the reader interested in your candidacy through the entire document is crucial to your job hunt success.
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