3 Ways to Leverage a Well-Earned Executive Reputation in Your Resume
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Spent the majority of your career building a successful operation or business, only to find that you’re now in the job market due to unforeseen circumstances?

If your executive reputation has always carried you from job to job, it can be difficult to explain your stature to those outside your circle of influence. Many executives in these unprecedented times never even expected to need a resume, much less convey the magnitude of their accomplishments.

If you’re at a loss for words, try these 3 strategies to ensure that your executive resume (and biography, LinkedIn Profile, and cover letter) reflect the reputation that you’ve earned:

1 – Use your network’s feedback within your resume and bio.

Been commended informally, or received a glowing summary on your performance review? Be sure to weave this information throughout your career marketing documents.

Many executives pull a snippet of an endorsement or accolade and reference it on a leadership resume, allowing them to display performance feedback as proof of their achievements.

2 – Capitalize on your LinkedIn endorsements.

If you have yet to request or receive LinkedIn testimonials from others in your network, now’s the time to ramp these up. Even if you don’t personally believe these endorsements can add value, they will be looked over—in detail—by recruiters and your networking contacts.

Once you’ve started to gather this feedback, be sure to leverage it throughout your resume and executive biography, as described above.

3 – Describe the actual impact of your reputation within your portfolio.

Here’s where many executives stumble when writing their own resumes or biographies, as it can be challenging to figure out how to use valuable information on the status you’ve earned.

One of the easiest ways to speak to your reputation on your resume is to request (and use) casual endorsements, especially from others that might not otherwise be able to write you a public testimonial. These can include job-hunting colleagues or other executives on the verge of leaving your employer.

Analyze the feedback that you gain from others, looking for patterns in what they say about your work. Then, note the highlights and pull in this information into either descriptive phrases (such as “motivational leader”) or note the actual impact that you’ve had on a project (“Brought in $10M SAP initiative under budget”).

In summary, there ARE great ways to capitalize on the reputation you’ve earned in an executive career, by taking a few moments to gather and incorporate feedback from others. The result can be a much more powerful and relevant executive resume.