Creating a Resume That Gets You Hired

1. Resume Structure – Presenting Your Value

Choose the Right Format

Your resume’s structure sets the foundation for telling your professional story. Consider these primary formats:

• • Chronological Resume: Best for showcasing a consistent career progression.

• • Functional Resume: Ideal for career changers or those with gaps in their work history.

• • Combination Resume: A blend of chronological and skills-focused elements, perfect for senior professionals.

For most executives, a 2-page resume (CV) is just right. It gives enough space to show achievements without confusing the reader.

Smart Resume Margin Tips

Achieve a polished layout by following these tips:

• • Balanced Spacing: Ensure your margins aren’t too wide or too narrow. Overly wide margins can waste valuable space, while margins that are too narrow can make the page look cluttered.

• • Uniform Margins: Aim for consistent margins around your document (typically 0.5 to 1 inch) to create a professional and easy-to-read document.

Keep It Clean and Professional

• • Modern Fonts & Consistent Layout: Use fonts like Arial, Calibri, or Cambria, sticking to a uniform size (11–12 pt for body text and larger for headings).

• • White Space & Clear Section Headers: Organize your resume with headers such as “Professional Summary,” “Core Competencies,” “Experience,” and “Education” to ensure readability for both humans and ATS.

• • ATS-Friendly Formatting: Save your resume as a PDF to maintain consistent formatting and avoid graphics or complex designs that might confuse ATS software.

2. Content – Showcasing Your Expertise

Craft a Powerful Professional Summary

Your summary is the first impression you make. Use a resume summary generator, or AI for help and inspiration, and include industry-specific keywords that highlight your leadership and results. For example:

Proven executive leader with over 20 years of global experience driving transformative growth. Expert in strategic planning, operational excellence, and stakeholder engagement, consistently delivering measurable results.

Highlight Core Competencies & Key Skills

List 6-8 bullet points that feature both general leadership qualities and industry-specific keywords. This section should include:

• Strategic Planning & Execution
• Global Business Development
• Operational Transformation
• Financial Management & Profitability
• Change Management & Innovation
• Stakeholder Engagement & Board Governance
• Mergers & Acquisitions Integration
• Digital Transformation

Showcase Your Professional Experience

Present your career in reverse chronological order:

Detail Each Role: Include job title, company name, location, and dates of employment.

Focus on Achievements, Not Just Responsibilities: Replace generic descriptions with quantifiable outcomes. Use bullet points to highlight your process improvements. This approach shows how you’ve streamlined operations and boosted efficiency, making your achievements stand out.

For example:

• • Directed a team of 200+ professionals, achieving a 30% revenue increase within 18 months through a strategic product revamp.

• • Implemented cost-saving measures that reduced operational expenses by $10M annually while maintaining service quality.

For further guidance on crafting compelling bullet points, check out our article on Enhance Your Executive Resume with Powerful Bullet Points.

Online resume bullet point generators can help you create concise statements that clearly showcase your achievements.

Try Experteer’s Free Resume Builder – an intuitive tool that crafts ATS-compliant, professional two-page resumes to help you stand out.

Include Key Accomplishments and Notable Projects

• Engineered a turnaround for an underperforming division, restoring profitability within one fiscal year.

• Negotiated strategic partnerships that increased annual revenues by 25%.

• Launched a global digital transformation strategy that boosted process efficiency by 40%

3. Optimize for ATS and the Digital World

Integrate Industry Keywords and Skills

Analyze job descriptions for your target roles and incorporate relevant keywords throughout your resume. This ensures both ATS and human recruiters recognize your expertise.

• Use Action-Oriented Language: Start bullet points with dynamic verbs like “led,” “spearheaded,” and “optimized.”
• Quantify Your Achievements: Include measurable results (numbers and percentages) to highlight your impact.

For more insights on how to include industry-specific keywords and the right tools to position yourself as the perfect fit for any role, read our detailed guide on Elevate Your Executive Resume: Must-Have Keywords & Tools

Utilize ATS Tools and Resume Builders

• ATS Checker: Use online ATS checker tools to ensure your resume is compliant and optimized (for example, Experteer offers free resume parser).
• Resume Builder/Resume Maker: Tools like Experteer’s Resume Builder can streamline the process and help you create an ATS-friendly document for free.

4. Final Touches – Tools, Proofreading, and Consistency

Leverage Online Tools and Professional Help

• Resume Summary Generator: Craft an impactful introduction.
• Linkedin Profile Makeover: Ensure your LinkedIn profile aligns with your resume for a cohesive professional brand.

Final Checks and Proofreading

• Proofread Thoroughly: Use tools like Grammarly to eliminate errors.
• Seek Feedback: Have a mentor or peer review your resume for additional insights.
• File Organization: Save your resume with a professional file name (e.g., “JohnDoe_SeniorExecutive_Resume.pdf”) to ensure easy access and consistency.

Ready to Be Found?

Crafting a resume that not only gets you hired but also tells your unique leadership story is essential in today’s competitive job market. By following these steps—focusing on structure, content, ATS optimization, and final touches—you’ll create a resume that works as hard as you do. Don’t let your extensive achievements go unnoticed; start building the perfect executive resume today and unlock the door to your next career opportunity.