In my industry, there is an elite core of executive resume writers who are steadfast in their business ethics and prove a high-level of integrity and commitment to delivering truth. With all the talk of fake news these days, however, it got me to thinking about those in the industry who are less than ethical.
This fringe group of folks spread misinformation, untruths and fake claims in regard to executive resume writing.
Following are seven ways to identify an executive resume writer who speaks and writes truth.
A truth-telling resume writer …
1. Won’t leech onto phrases like, ‘create value’ and simply weave the keywords into your resume. They understand (through having written hundreds of other resumes) what ‘creating value’ intrinsically means and will come up with dozens of ways to illustrate how you (the candidate) create value for your target hiring manager, attaching measurable results.
2. Intuits the strategic questions to ask you (the executive candidate) to unearth the nuanced layers of ‘how’ and ‘why’ you have created value for a particular organization or series of organizations. It is through this context that executive resume writers differentiate your value from other candidates.
Hundreds of your peers tout being turnaround leaders or culture change experts, so the way you achieve results through these recognizable terms is crucial, because context matters, and the truth-telling exec resume strategist …
3. Never overlooks this valuable piece of the resume puzzle.
Which of the stories below builds the most value?
Non-Contextual:
➤ Responsible for growing startup business to $85M, including $67M digital media results.
Contextual:
➤ Launched ABC business amid hostile, consolidated, monopolistic environment. Grew from concept to $85M business in 6 years and 2nd most prosperous of its kind. Spurred >67M digital global media results in 42+ countries, catapulting industry legitimacy and ROI.
✧ Adapted to market realities and rapidly changing industry. Finessed investor relations with VC + PE firms.
✧ Rapidly developed + promoted competitor-challenging brand for industry awareness, penetration + access to higher-level relationships. Accelerated growth via underserved niche markets.
4. Synthesizes your storied complexity. They are capable of sifting through 20+ pages of thought-work and distilling it into 3 pages. It’s not just about selecting content; it’s also about amalgamating, rewriting, re-phrasing and melding disparate thoughts. This may involve birthing wholly new achievements stories distinctive from, but dependent upon, what you originally provided. In other words, strategic, truth-telling executive resume writers don’t just regurgitate what you wrote; they also are experts at synthesizing complexity.
5. Doesn’t just ask you to brain dump your career. They have an organized, orderly and strategic method that involves intellectual pushing and prodding to get at the material they need from which to weave your story. And, when you get stuck, they brainstorm with you, all the while holding you accountable as a thought partner.
6. Doesn’t guarantee the resume and consulting process will drive you to the job-offer door. While it is true that a well-written and strategized resume can sometimes be the sole reason you are attending an interview, many other factors impact the final hiring decision.
Claiming the resume is your easy button to that next job just isn’t true. That said, a poorly written resume can be a factor that rules you out of the hiring pool of candidates.
Truth-telling executive resume writers promise to do everything they can to provide the most focused and engaging story that conforms to your personality, your personal brand and to your value proposition.
Most importantly, they promise to conform the strategic content and design to your target reader’s needs, enticing them to want to know more.
7. Sees and feels your story, internalizing the underlying aspects and nuances of your career–and you, holding up a mirror to your exhilarating career stories. By vetting a genuine storytelling strategist, one who cares enough to put in the thought-work, who has gained thorough experience, training and education in the career storytelling industry, and who has proven herself or himself through a series of achievements and sustained relationships, you can rest easier and be confident in the investment of both time and money.
Your career will thank you.
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Dip your toes in the water with my low-cost resume starter kit. Email me for more information at jacqui@careertrend.net, or call 903.523.5952.
I am one of only 50 master resume writers and have crafted more than 1,500 career stories that put “your value into words.” My bachelor’s degree in writing/journalism allows me to apply a journalist’s eye to your career.
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