By Alyssa Gelbard, Founder & CEO, Point Road Group
You never know when a great job opportunity will arise, so it’s important to have a strong resume at the ready that shows who you are
today and positions you well for where you want to go
next in your career. If you’re not confident in your resume and know that it doesn’t convey your strengths as a candidate, you’ll likely skip the opportunity or lose out to others who present better.
Writing a resume may not be enjoyable, but avoid the temptation to add new information to an old resume. This shortcut won’t accurately reflect the true value you can bring to a company. If you’re starting with an outdated resume, it likely has a more executional bent and doesn’t include your involvement with executive-level things like strategy, transformation or M&A.
Here are 3 mistakes that finance executives often make on their resumes and how to fix them right now.
1. Superfluously Long Summary
A summary, by definition, should provide a brief snapshot of who you are, not restate your life story and include multiple lists of skills and expertise. If it takes up half of a page, it’s too long. Plus, with so much information crammed in, readers are bound to overlook key points. Instead, aim to provide readers with an overview of what you bring to the table. Show the unique value and perspective you have based on your experience. Highlight key areas of expertise and major contributions to tell prospective employers, “Here’s what I can do for you.”
2. Laundry List of Duties
Demonstrating leadership and impact is essential for a strong executive resume. When describing your employment, avoid exhaustive “Responsible for…” lists. Instead of tasks, highlight results and accomplishments, quantifying when appropriate. Show how you’ve solved problems and contributed to strategy, expansion, innovation, transformation, revenue growth, efficiency etc. Instead of including everything you’ve ever done, focus on content that’s most valuable and relevant to what you’re looking to do next.
3. Over-Summarized Career Progression
On resumes, senior finance professionals often over-summarize multiple roles they’ve held with one employer and include their most recent title only while listing the dates of their entire tenure with that company. This is doubly problematic. First, it’s false. If you’ve been CFO for the past 5 years and previously were Vice President of Finance for 4 years, stating CFO only on your resume incorrectly implies that you’ve held this position for 9 years. Second, reducing roles and experience to one title hides career progression, which is a highly valuable narrative. Instead, list all titles to show growth and that your contributions were impactful, recognized and rewarded.
If you haven’t updated your resume in a while, review it closely to ensure it reflects your current value and speaks to the job level you’re interested in. Whether actively looking for a new job, dipping your toe in for a search or to be prepared just in case, take the time to evaluate and rework it strategically so you’ll be well positioned to apply to great opportunities.
Read more at:
https://pointroadgroup.com/executive-resume-mistakes/