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Questions about Senior Level Resumes

Q. I’m applying for my first senior level (director) position. I want my resume to show that I’m ready for the challenge. How do I do that?

A. Good for you for recognizing that your resume must match expectations for a senior level position. When you are listing your skills, make sure that you feature leadership, financial (profit and loss), strategy, and talent development skills. At this level, no one is interested in your skill with Excel or Salesforce but in your ability to understand and meet a company’s goals and inspire others. Include technical strengths in your achievements if they affect the company’s bottom line (“Led conversion of multiple legacy systems to unified CRM system.”) Devote the most space in your resume to your most recent and relevant jobs. If you need two or more pages to summarize your career to date, that’s fine.

Q. I want more responsibility in my next position but my entire career has been in engineering. How do I transition from engineering to a senior leadership role?

A. As a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with a long career as a chemical engineer and project manager, I understand that you have approached your entire career one way: what do companies expect of an engineer? But now it is time to look at your career another way: what do companies expect of a senior leader? First, they expect the ability to solve problems; as an engineer, you’ve solved problems throughout your career. Second, they expect the ability to work with and lead a team. As an engineer, you have undoubtedly worked with many diverse teams and have probably taken the lead on at least a few projects. Third, your career may have sent you to other countries or involved communications with off-shore peers or clients. Global experience is an important plus for a senior leader. When you take a fresh look at your career—and I can help with that—you will find the experience that prepares you for a senior leadership role.

At Robin’s Resumes®, we help individuals reach their goal of a senior level position with resumes that are specific, targeted, and focused on results. Contact us today.

Writing Your Resume for Your Audience

The audience for your resume is a hiring manager or recruiter. When you write your resume, you must keep this audience in mind. Think of it this way: on a business trip, you would write different emails to your boss, your mother, your spouse and your best friend. The information might or might not be similar, but you would always frame it to match the recipient—the audience. Take these three steps to help your audience understand your resume and bring you closer to a job interview:

  1. Find out what your audience is interested in. View job postings and visit the company’s website. Check out the company on LinkedIn and other professional sites to read the concerns and interests of people who currently work there. Your resume should highlight the ways in which your background matches the company’s general culture and specific wishlist for the posted job.
  2. Use words and concepts that your audience understands. For example, the hiring managers and recruiters who read your resume may be in a slightly different industry or field and may not be entirely familiar with your profession. Define acronyms and avoid jargon specific to your previous employer. Remember, a resume is not a vocabulary or intelligence test for your readers.
  3. Keep the audience interested. Let your audience know right away that you have understood the potential job and its requirements; that you have the right skills, education and attitude to handle the position; and that you can prove your suitability by describing accomplishments at your previous positions. Keep the resume concise and remove information that is dated or irrelevant to your current job search.

At Robin’s Resumes® we take pride in developing resumes that hiring managers and recruiters want to read.