Executive Resumes: Using Your Hiring Perspective When Writing

As an executive in search of a new position, you have a distinct advantage that many other job seekers don’t have: experience with hiring. Most executives have been responsible for hiring direct reports or, at the very least, have taken part in the hiring process with other company representatives. If you have this experience, why not use it to your advantage?

As you write your own executive resume, you can embody the people who will be responsible for hiring you by utilizing your own hiring perspective. If you’re not sure how to get started, here are four steps to help you move in the right direction:

Step #1: Recall Prior Instances as a Hiring Manager

The first step in the process of creating your executive resume from a hiring perspective is recalling prior instances when you served as a hiring manager or part of a committee in charge of hiring candidates. Try to remember three to four different occasions when you contributed to the process and what mindset you were in when you began reviewing resumes. Also, take time to think about what other hiring managers have said about resumes they saw to help you gauge what others might think when viewing yours.

Step #2: Think About What You’ve Wanted to See in Resumes

The next step in the process is to recall what you’ve looked for when reviewing resumes in the past. Have you been easily annoyed by too much clutter, did you wish that a candidate had not included so much personal information, or did you hope to see more about how their employment history related to the positions they applied for?

Really take time to think about what you hoped to see when reviewing resumes so that you can ensure you don’t leave out pertinent details when writing yours.

Step #3: Write Down Questions You Would Ask Candidates

Finally, take time to write down some questions that you’ve considered when reading resumes in the past. Did you wonder whether they had any additional expertise that they didn’t mention on their resume? Were you wondering how the information on their resume proved they were qualified for the positions they were applying for? Did you want to ask why they didn’t add a career summary or executive branding statement?

Any questions you’ve wanted to ask that addressed some areas of lack in a candidate’s resume should be written down. This way, you can ensure that you don’t miss these details when sculpting your own.

What’s great about writing an executive resume from your hiring perspective is that you get to think from the standpoint of the person who might hire you. If you take advantage of this unique way to internalize the resume writing process, you can create an executive resume you’re confident will score you an interview.