What every executive should know before writing their resume

By Maureen McCann, BA, MCRS, MCIS, MCCS Senior Career Consultant & Strategist

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Years ago, I played a pivotal role in making hiring decisions for a small organization. Most of the resumes I received looked very similar to one another. These days, as one of Graham Management Group’s senior strategists, I still see many resumes that look alike. It is apparent that through the years, something systemic continues to compel people to create documents that look the same. So, what could be the cause?

To find out more, I embarked on a small test by Google searching “resume templates.” My search turned up about 913,000 results in 0.19 seconds.

When you think of the term “resume template,” you may get an image in your head of a black and white document, written with basic Times New Roman font. This is not surprising. It seems that most people use a Microsoft Office template to create their resumes. Even if they don’t use an actual resume template, they generate something that looks like a template. If you do a Google search and randomly click on the samples, you’ll find that most resumes you find look alike.


How do you avoid looking like other job seekers? Here is my list of top five don’ts when it comes to your resume:

Don’t use a template: Using a template resume is like telling employers they are not worth your time and effort. It demonstrates lack of interest in the position and shows that you are a follower, not a leader. Rather than go this route, consider a customized, well branded document that reflects who you really are – a highly valuable six-figure professional.

Don’t list irrelevant information or positions: As a six-figure executive, you likely have hundreds of things you are able to share with many employers. Dumping this information onto anyone is a no-no. Instead, identify the talents and abilities the company is looking for in an ideal candidate. Once you have done that, focus your efforts on five to ten competencies and clearly articulate how you bring value to the company because of your expertise in these areas.

Don’t speak about generic experiences: If asked, most people will agree they are ‘team players’, that they are ‘motivated’ and ‘results-oriented’. Can you think of people who are not these things? Of course, you can. The problem with these vague and very general terms is that they have become throwaway jargon that most jobseekers put in their resume as a hail-Mary pass. You will have to support every qualification you claim with a specific and quantifiable example.

Don’t identify a laundry list of activities: No one wants to know about all the activities you have been involved in since you graduated grade school. This is not only boring; it lacks focus and does nothing to demonstrate the real value you bring to an organization. Instead, entice your reader with action words that help the reader understand your capabilities. For example, rather than saying you were “responsible for a team of 50.” You might say something like “accelerated team performance, driving 50 senior managers to increase productivity 12%.” Some of my favourite verbs include: accelerate, discern, drive, pilot, champion, envision, and spearhead (to name a few).

Don’t make assumptions about your reader: Never assume the reader knows what you know, or even who the reader(s) will be. The first person to screen your resume may not be a person at all – it may be a computer. No matter who reviews your resume – a junior human resources clerk, a temporary employee, an outside recruiter, or a CEO, it must speak to that person. With that in mind, here is one more suggestion that is very important: avoid the use of acronyms – even when they are commonly used in your industry. While there are some exceptions, whether you have a BA[i], MBA[ii], you work for DND[iii], or NASDAQ[iv], you work with SAP[v], SQL[vi], you have your CGA[vii], belong to TEC[viii], or work in IT[ix] as a CIO[x], not to be confused with the other CIO[xi], never use TLA[xii]s in your CV[xiii]. Are you confused, yet?

How do you create a fantastic impression? Try these strategies:

Create a career brand with a value proposition: To make yourself irresistible to your target audience, you must first identify and understand the qualifications and talents the employer is looking for in an ideal candidate. You can learn tons about an organization through the internet and by talking to people within the company. If you are stuck, imagine you were going to hire someone for a particular position; what would be the few fundamental items you would need to know about the candidate before making a selection from a pool of applicants? When you think like your target audience, you can uncover items to feature in your resume.

Identify what makes you an ideal candidate: Creating a comprehensive profile of the value you have to offer an employer is crucial to your success in job search. Many six-figure executives overlook some of their obvious talents in favour of soft skills like leadership and motivation. Both of these talents are valuable, just be sure you aren’t overlooking your post-graduate work, your twenty years of experience in information technology, or your nationally ranked business achievements in favour of softer, loftier abilities.

Tailor your experiences to your reader: Companies hire employees for any number of reasons, but most likely to add value to the company’s bottom-line. Think of ways you can attract your reader. Identify how past contributions added value to bottom-lines of previous employers. Where possible try to add a quantifiable result. For example: ¨Increased membership 58% after establishing a strategic plan, and sound governance and management practices.”

Practice the C.A.R. formula: The Challenge, Action, Result formula is used to build context into your resume. When you take the time to identify the action you took, and the results that you achieved – you are building a story for the reader. Instead of saying “Planned a national conference.” Why not explain the achievement in the C.A.R. format: “Planned national conference for 200 members and achieved 25% increase in membership, despite four new competitors entering the market.”

Customize your format: If your resume looks like all the other resumes, chances are good your resume will wind up in the same location – the circular file. To stand out – lose the black and white resume with the Times New Roman font and remember to keep it simple. Too much colour will say you are trying too hard and you don’t know how to fit in. If you want to step up your resume, my suggestion is to hire a professional. At the very least, check out some of the examples here http://www.grahammanagement.com/resume_samples.xpg.

As you may already know, most executives retain career consultants to help them stand out from their colleagues. A client recently engaged my services because his resume was not producing interviews. Without a strong resume, he felt he would never receive an invitation to meet face-to-face. Working with the client one on one, I could tell he was struggling to identify why a company might hire him. A week after our resume session, he was presented with his customized, strategically crafted executive portfolio. Here was his reaction:

“May I say I am stunned in the draft product delivered to me. I need only say this... I let my wife read the
resume that you produced last night, her comment was. "I have the urge to finish reading this whole resume, [with or without] the background details.” For me, that is unbelievable. [Graham Management Group] said to me one of the goals is to have the reader not be able to put the resume down, and that is the first (unprompted by me) comment she had. How amazing that was. Clearly, this is going to be a great asset. Many thanks for this fantastic product, you were correct when you said I would be pleased...only more so!”

Make certain your resume leaves an impressive first impression, and has a long lasting impact with your reader. 



[i]Bachelor of Arts
[ii]Masters of Business
[iii]Department of National Defence
[iv]National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations
[v]Systems Applications and Products
[vi]Search and Query Language
[vii]Certified General Accountant
[viii]The Executive Connection
[ix]Information Technology
[x]Chief Information Officer
[xi] Chief Investments Officer
[xii] Three Letter Acronym
[xiii] Curriculum Vitae


Maureen McCann is an award-winning, inspiring, and resourceful master certified resume strategist and career consultant, and senior advisor for Career Professionals of Canada. As senior Consultant for Graham Management Group, Maureen assists executives, managers, and six-figure professionals through the full scope of career transition. You can contact Maureen and find further information and articles directly at www.GrahamManagement.com.