Common Executive Resume Mistakes_1

1Common Executive Resume Mistakes When you reach the executive level in your career, there is no room for error. You must exude perfection with everything you do. This is especially true with your resume, which is why the last thing you want to do is submit a resume with glaring errors. So what can you do to make sure yours is not filled with mistakes? Letเน�โ�ฌย�s take a look at some common executive resume errors that you want to avoid as youเน�โ�ฌย�re creating or updating yours. Forgetting a Clear Job Target Itเน�โ�ฌย�s never acceptable to submit a resume that looks like a generic template that you downloaded from a free website. At the executive level, there is absolutely no excuse for creating something that doesnเน�โ�ฌย�t focus directly on the position youเน�โ�ฌย�re interested in. Youเน�โ�ฌย�ve accomplished too much, and should have too much to say, to not be able to sculpt a masterful resume filled with your accomplishments. By submitting a resume that doesnเน�โ�ฌย�t tell your story, or define a clear position objective, youเน�โ�ฌย�re telling the hiring manager that you really donเน�โ�ฌย�t know who youเน�โ�ฌย�re applying with or why you really want the position. Excluding Personal Branding Once youเน�โ�ฌย�ve reached the executive level, it is important that you have already begun to differentiate yourself from others by creating your own personal brand. Companies are not looking for carbon copies at this level. They want to know that you can bring your own personal touch to their business in order to take it in a direction they have yet to imagine. As you create your resume, show how innovative you are. Show that youเน�โ�ฌย�re able to breathe new life into their organization. You canเน�โ�ฌย�t do that if you donเน�โ�ฌย�t breathe life into your resume by including your personal brand. Not Keeping Up With the Times As an executive, you probably already know that half of how other executives function is through some type of portable device, be it a PDA or smartphone. Itเน�โ�ฌย�s a good idea to keep this in mind as you create your resume. Why? Because many hiring managers will be checking resumes through their portable devices and may not feel good about trying to read densely-populated sentences on a tiny screen. That said, when creating your resume, write short, value-driven statements that get to the point but leave enough whitespace to not overwhelm busy managers. Missing the Obvious There is no excuse for having typos, grammatical errors or poor formatting in your resume. Again, you have to exude perfection even if we all know that no one is perfect. Since you know youเน�โ�ฌย�re not perfect, itเน�โ�ฌย�s important to have someone read through your resume for errors. Then have someone else read through it. Keep going until you feel sure that itเน�โ�ฌย�s as perfect as it can be. This way, your fabulous qualities wonเน�โ�ฌย�t be overlooked because you wrote เน�โ�ฌย�objetiveเน�โ�ฌย� instead of เน�โ�ฌย�objective.เน�โ�ฌย� Donเน�โ�ฌย�t let common resume mistakes ruin your agenda as youเน�โ�ฌย�re trying to create a reputation as a quality executive. As you craft your resume, work to carefully create perfection to increase your odds of making the impression you want. Heather Eagar is a former professional resume writer and is passionate about providing working professionals with current, reliable and effective job search tools and information. Compare the top writers for executive resumes at http://www.resumelines.com. Related Articles - executive, executive resume, common, common mistakes, errors, Email this Article to a Friend! Receive Articles like this one direct to your email box!Subscribe for free today!

A High Caliber Executive Resume Should Ensure Recruiter's Undivided Attention

1A High Caliber Executive Resume Should Ensure Recruiter's Undivided Attention Resumes have to gain the recruiters attention and impress them if they are to achieve the intended purpose of getting the applicant selected to the next round. Depending on the job being applied to or the applicantเน�โ�ฌย�s background, the appropriate resume style will vary and the writer must realize and be aware of this. The higher the position applied for, the more competitive will be the vying for the top notch jobs be. This is why your executive resume should be power packed and be able to gain the undivided attention of the recruiter. If not, the chances of obtaining that certain position will be rather slim. Requirements of an Executive Resume An executive resume is written when applying for a job in the executive level. The main feature which sets this resume apart from all other types is the length. The resume written for executive positions will be approximately two to three pages long. As a result applicants have more room to include their accomplishments in detail. This additional space should be fully utilized in to highlighting the skills and achievements which directly match with the position being applied for. Writing the Resume As the executive resume has more details than the standard resume applicants should have a basic understanding of the format. As the goal of the resume is different than the standard resume, applicants should write differently as well. As employers are not only hiring on the basis of the applicantเน�โ�ฌย�s skills but also assessing the personal traits, interpersonal skills and communicational flare, these should be highlighted to gain the attention of the prospective employer. An effective resume will highlight all the accomplishments to date the skills as well as the personality of the applicant and do this in a moderate but confident tone so that the message is neither over imposing nor lame. Key Element of the Resume As employers look for skills rather than goals in this type of resume, applicants should not waste a lot of time on their job objectives and qualification summary. Although these things are required, applicants should provide the เน�โ�ฌย�executive profileเน�โ�ฌย�. Although it is somewhat similar to the qualifications section in a standard resume, the เน�โ�ฌย�executive profileเน�โ�ฌย� will have to be written with great emphasis. The profile should indicate at a glance, the applicantเน�โ�ฌย�s value to the company in an executive position. Bear in mind that not all individuals are geared to be managers and hold managerial responsibilities. Some are born followers. Therefore an executive resume should showcase the managerial and leadership qualities in the applicants which can eventually get them selected. Writing a resume should be done professionally and applicants should not take the risk of being rejected if they do not know how to write their resumes properly. Seeking help of professional resume writing services is one option available while gaining a good knowledge of how to write effective resumes is another. The later can be a difficult task unless you have a flare for writing since merely getting educated on resume writing can not guarantee a good resume. Since no one is concerned as to who wrote your resume but how it is written and what it conveys, choosing professional help can be a wise choice for an executive resume on which much stakes are riding. Writing a high quality Executive Resume is your ticket to a top notched white color executive position. Getting a high caliber Resume is therefore a prerequisite if you intend to land the job. It is rather a wise decision to get it written by a professional resume writing service as the one which the author is one of the premium resume writers of. Related Articles - Executive Resume, Resume, Email this Article to a Friend! Receive Articles like this one direct to your email box!Subscribe for free today!

A High Caliber Executive Resume Should Ensure A Recruiter's Undivided Attention

1A High Caliber Executive Resume Should Ensure A Recruiter's Undivided Attention Resumes have to gain the recruiters attention and impress them if they are to achieve the intended purpose of getting the applicant selected to the next round. Depending on the job being applied to or the applicant's background, the appropriate resume style will vary and the writer must realize and be aware of this. The higher the position applied for, the more competitive will be the vying for the top notch jobs be. This is why your executive resume should be power packed and be able to gain the undivided attention of the recruiter. If not, the chances of obtaining that certain position will be rather slim.Requirements of an Executive Resume An executive resume is written when applying for a job in the executive level. The main feature which sets this resume apart from all other types is the length. The resume written for executive positions will be approximately two to three pages long. As a result applicants have more room to include their accomplishments in detail. This additional space should be fully utilized in to highlighting the skills and achievements which directly match with the position being applied for.Writing the Resume As the executive resume has more details than the standard resume applicants should have a basic understanding of the format. As the goal of the resume is different than the standard resume, applicants should write differently as well. As employers are not only hiring on the basis of the applicant's skills but also assessing the personal traits, interpersonal skills and communicational flare, these should be highlighted to gain the attention of the prospective employer. An effective resume will highlight all the accomplishments to date the skills as well as the personality of the applicant and do this in a moderate but confident tone so that the message is neither over imposing nor lame.Key Element of the Resume As employers look for skills rather than goals in this type of resume, applicants should not waste a lot of time on their job objectives and qualification summary. Although these things are required, applicants should provide the "executive profile". Although it is somewhat similar to the qualifications section in a standard resume, the "executive profile" will have to be written with great emphasis. The profile should indicate at a glance, the applicant's value to the company in an executive position. Bear in mind that not all individuals are geared to be managers and hold managerial responsibilities. Some are born followers. Therefore an executive resume should showcase the managerial and leadership qualities in the applicants which can eventually get them selected.Writing a resume should be done professionally and applicants should not take the risk of being rejected if they do not know how to write their resumes properly. Seeking help of professional resume writing services is one option available while gaining a good knowledge of how to write effective resumes is another. The later can be a difficult task unless you have a flare for writing since merely getting educated on resume writing can not guarantee a good resume. Since no one is concerned as to who wrote your resume but how it is written and what it conveys, choosing professional help can be a wise choice for an executive resume on which much stakes are riding.

9 Signs That Your Executive Resume Won't Make the Cut

19 Signs That Your Executive Resume Won't Make the Cut If you've been in the same position or industry for years, it can be hard to come up to speed on executive resume writing trends when a job search suddenly looms in your future.What if you leave out relevant facts? What if employers don't realize everything you've accomplished in your executive career? Worst of all, what if a lesser-qualified applicant makes the cut--while you don't?First of all, take a deep breath! Most employers are aware that you've worked your way up the corporate ladder to reach an executive role. The chances of being eliminated because you didn't describe that mainframe bank conversion from 1995 are slim to none.However, you'll find that it pays to ensure that your executive resume writing abilities are cutting-edge. While a resume used to be merely a single-page rehash of your career, it's now a pivotal document that can prevent you from landing interviews at your desired level.Take a careful look at these 9 common executive resume writing problems--and the fixes behind them that can boost your interview potential:1) You're unsure as to what a resume should look like, so you're tempted to use that built-in template from Microsoft Word.Fix: One of the biggest mistakes in executive resume writing is presentation. Like any other career marketing document, an executive resume must quickly convey your unique value proposition and brand.If you're not sure what a truly effective, branded resume looks like, use an Internet search to find executive resume samples that can give you strong visual examples.2) You've added an objective statement because you're not sure what else to put at the top of your resume. Besides, how will employers know what you want if you don't specify it?Fix: Since objective statements are seen as self-serving, their popularity has long since passed.Using a leadership summary instead, combined with a clear job and resume title, can show employers why you're their top executive candidate and give them an idea of how you will solve their business problems.3) You're concerned that employers won't realize what you've accomplished unless you include everything you've done.Fix: It's important to realize that recruiters are becoming increasingly turned off by too-long resumes that resemble novels.When writing an executive resume, the focus must be primarily on the results that you've attained--preferably in dollar figures. Keep the resume to 2 pages for improved readability and a better reception from recruiters.4) You've crammed your resume into a single page because you've always understood this as a requirement, shrinking the font to make everything fit.Fix: While you might think of the single-page rule as a requirement for resume writing, this idea actually got its start from the era of typewriters!These days, effective resume writing practices dictate the transformation of tightly crammed documents into easy-to-read, 2-page resumes, while using a font of at least 10-11 points.5) You're having trouble recalling all the revenue numbers, budget figures, and other facts of your career, but you've spent a lot of time describing your duties.Fix: Task-oriented resumes, particularly at an executive level, just don't cut it any more. Most hiring authorities are interested in your results, especially in terms of dollar figures.If you can't lay claim to specific amounts for your resume, state percentages of revenue improvement or cost reductions that reflect your achievements.6) You've added block-paragraph descriptions of each major achievement or job, rather than breaking up your text.Fix: The intensity of the job market has made speed-reading a must. In order to make your resume scannable in a mere 10 seconds, add plenty of white space by using bullet-style sentences.7) Your last job isn't that relevant to your career, so you've decided to use a functional resume to cover this fact.Fix: Functional resume formats, which rely on skill descriptions while minimizing work history, have never impressed employers.To carry sufficient impact, an executive resume must show your career history in reverse chronological format. Use the executive summary to mention important facets of your background that are relevant to your goal.8) You're proud of your long tenure in the industry and want everyone to know that you have "over 25 years" of experience.Fix: Nothing tells an employer that your skills are outdated faster than a summary like this, which can reveal your age while missing core elements of your qualifications.Writing a compelling executive resume means that the focus must shift from meaningless summaries to the impact of your work on bottom-line profit, expenses, and efficiency.9) With so many possibilities to use your skills, you've added all of them to your executive resume so that employers can figure out what jobs you're qualified to perform.Fix: A general resume doesn't tell employers why you're perfect for a specific position.If you find that your qualifications extend to more than one job type, create different variations of your executive resume tailored to each position, incorporating a relevant brand proposition and competencies in each version.In summary, even if it's been light years since you wrote your last resume, you CAN bring the document up to current trends, using corrections for common misconceptions that will help win the interviews you deserve.

8 Secrets of Senior Executive Resume Writing

18 Secrets of Senior Executive Resume Writing In a job market as competitive as today's, each job seeker must employ every advantage possible. This is especially true at the senior level, given their level of compensation and the strong competition for these positions. A powerful executive resume is your most important career advancement tool and its creation should not be taken lightly.Successful senior executive resume writing requires focus, organization, understanding of the prospective employer and strong content. Here are my eight tips improve your senior executive resume writing skills.1. While your senior executive resume describes your accomplishments, its focus is not you. The prospective employer is your resume's true focus. Each resume section should reinforce why hiring you would benefit the company.2. Consider a job search a sales process. The product is you; the customers are the prospective employers and your resume as a brochure. Design your senior executive resume to create interest in the product (you) by demonstrating your future value to the organization.3. The first thing a reader sees, your contact information, must present a professional individual. The use of nicknames or funny email addresses will limit your potential success. Build credibility from your very first words.4. Use the career objective section of your resume to convince prospective employers that you seek the position they are offering. The moment the reader believes you are either unqualified or uninterested, you are no longer in contention.5. Descriptions of your past career achievements are the most important part of your executive resume. Present yourself as a successful, motivated individual. This is much more than a list of past job titles. It should show how your abilities created past success benefitting your past employers. Provide quantified, tangible information detailing these successes.6. Know your customer, or in this case the prospective employer. Senior executives are selected not for what they personally do, but for their ability to lead others to success. Leadership is always a prized quality. Create excitement in the reader as you detail how your leadership led to important organizational success.7. Your educational achievements are more than a list of past degrees. Senior executives have built important skills through professional development and community involvement. Do not forget to include past leadership in trade associations, professional societies or prestigious civic organizations. Just remember to keep it professionally related.8. The truly successful resume not only contains impressive information, it looks attractive and is easy to read quickly. Format your senior executive resume with short, easy to read paragraphs and use an attractive type font. Happy job hunting!

6 Tips For Writing A Winning Executive Resume

16 Tips For Writing A Winning Executive Resume Itเน�โ�ฌย�s easier said than done to create a great resume when youเน�โ�ฌย�re under pressure to get it done. If you've had a long career and you've worked your way up over many years, this is definitely the case, as it's difficult to provide a sense of focus to your resume. But, of course, ultimately thereเน�โ�ฌย�s no excuse for having a subpar executive resume. If you're looking for new ways to gain some inspiration for your resume, here's a few tips to set you on the right track. Define a Clear Target One of the first things you want to do when organizing your executive resume is to define a clear target. You should always know a company's mission statement and as much information about their goals and history as possible. Doing some minor research helps you speak to the exact points that the employer's looking at in order to prove that you're perfect for the job. Make Sure to Brand Yourself At this point, you should be known for contributing something to your field. Your name and accomplishments should precede you, regardless of your field of expertise. Bringing that brand into your resume makes you different from others that are applying for the job, and shows why you're a valuable hire. You especially want to highlight attributes that show your ability to lead and attributes that make you unique and critical to an organization. Include a Success Story or Two Again, at your level, you should be known for having accomplished a lot. You want your successes to shine through in your resume. Showing how you'd overcome various obstacles to achieve those successes can also be immensely impressive and beneficial to your chances of getting a job. Leave Room for White Space When writing an executive resume, itเน�โ�ฌย�s often difficult to find a balance between including the right amount of information and leaving enough white space so that BlackBerry email cruisers wonเน�โ�ฌย�t be overwhelmed with information. Avoiding longer sentences and focusing on your word choice can result in a better balance for mobile devices, and will make an executive resume sound stronger if the statements are on topic and contain valuable information. Employers will appreciate an approach that's easy to read, yet still filled with important information. Edit and Re-edit There is absolutely no excuse for having misspelled words or grammatical errors in your resume at the executive level. If youเน�โ�ฌย�re not the best speller or grammar buff, you most definitely should have everyone you can think of edit your resume to avoid the embarrassment of being overlooked for something so elementary. Avoid Too Many Pages You may have a lot of information youเน�โ�ฌย�d like to include in your resume due to your extensive experience; however, as you know, managers are busy people with little time to read pages of accomplishments. So instead of writing five pages of details about yourself, try cutting it down to two pages and only including essential personal branding and marketing information. Hopefully these tips (and your short breather) have helped to give you some focus as you write your executive resume. Now itเน�โ�ฌย�s time to write the best resume youเน�โ�ฌย�ve ever laid eyes on. Are you an Executive in need of a job? Be sure your resume is the best it can be. Choose the company for your executive resume writing needs that is best for you and your situation. Do it today at http://www.ResumeLines.com Related Articles - career, executive resume, job search, executive job search, employment, Email this Article to a Friend! Receive Articles like this one direct to your email box!Subscribe for free today!

6 Keys to Becoming a Successful Executive Resume Writer

16 Keys to Becoming a Successful Executive Resume Writer Most people agree that a successful resume is the one that generates job interviews. So the big question is, how do you become a successful executive resume writer? Few truly important things are easy, but here are six keys to help you write an interview-generating resume.Key #1 - Prove Your Value: While every resume highlights past career activities, the greater point is how your past success might benefit this potential employer. The fact that you solved a shipping problem may not matter at a company with limited transportation issues.As much as possible, tailor your information to the needs of each employer. While you probably can't create a new resume for each job opportunity, build four or five resumes, each focus around different areas of concentration. Then make careful selections each time you send a resume.Much of your resume is generic and will probably apply to any situation. Consider what every company wants and include past success at things like controlling cost, increasing business or keeping existing customers satisfied.Key #2 - Demonstrate Leadership: Executives are hired because they can maximize the production of their team. The successful executive resume writer builds a document that clearly demonstrates how past strong leadership resulted in measurable, favorable outcomes. Remember, the successful leader always credits the team. Claiming an almost Superman-like ability will probably fail.Key #3 - Two Pages Are Fine: The "one page only" rule generally applies for individuals looking for entry-level or production employee status. If, and this is an important "if," you have sufficient powerful and impressive experience, education and training to warrant it, two pages is just fine. Even so, include 75% of what is most important to the employer on the first page.Key #4 - Get Help from Friends: Assuming that your job search is not a secret, your network of friends and acquaintances can be a huge help. Share your resume ideas and drafts with people whose opinions you respect and encourage their brutal honesty. Have someone else proofread your final document. Even a single undetected typographical errors and improperly used word can cost you countless interview opportunities.Key #5 - Present Your Complete Education: Your education didn't end at college graduation. Professional development, both formal and informal, are valuable assets to present. Service as an officer in an industry association demonstrates leadership. Don't sell yourself short when it comes to this part of your executive resume.Key #6 - Properly Present Your Age: This is a tough question. Should you hide your age? If so, how? Executives want to appear experience, but not old. While dates of employment are necessary, consider withholding things like the year you graduated college.Hopefully these six keys will help you write that perfect executive resume in no time at all.

Benefits of using resume templates_1

1Benefits of using resume templates Whether you are newbie or a experienced in writing a resume, resume templates are always beneficial for writing a professional looking, eye catching, attention grabbing resume. Starting resume writing from scratch often seems very hard task. With the help of professionally designed resume templates you can save lot of effort and time on procedure. It doesn't matter what is your profession and your title. There are lot's of resume templates available over the Internet free of cost for almost every profession and title. Just google it! You just need to know how to make effective use of resume templates. People often seems confused on whether using resume templates good or bad. They think that using resume templates can make negative effects on the hiring manager as well as their dream job. Because hiring managers go through several resume formats on daily basis so they can easily find out the just edited and reused resume templates. But keep in mind you are not just copy-pasting the resume templates with same objective, strengths etc sections. But you are editing an existing resume templates adding your unique info in it and double checking your own work. Using sample sections in resume as idea generators for your own sections eliminate your stress. You can efficiently fill out the white space on resume. And believe me employer's don't care the design and white space of your resume. They know that you can craft out your resume with the help of word processing softwares, resume builder wizards etc. But they look for your skills and qualifications and achievements in resume. The visual appearance of your resume matters. Instead of worrying on resume design you should worry of proper formatting of a resume. Job search is daunting and intense task. Another major advantage of having basic resume templates created is you can produce a job specific resume by editing sections of resume templates and making appropriate changes in order of sections. Job search is daunting and intense task. Applying with the job targeted resume for each job is a good practice instead of sending same resume for every job. Make your very basic resume template and simply edit the sections to suites your job needs. You need to highlight certain skills and experiences while applying for a particular job. Professionally designed resume templates ensures that it is good format because professionals know how resume should look like. So you won't have to worry about the format while making job specific resume. The another key benefit of resume template is understanding how to word sentences in proper way. Sometimes you know what you want to write in resume but just don't know how to write in a professional way to make good impression on employer. After all your resume is very first impression on potential employer. That's why an attention grabbing, well written resume is a key to get interview as well as your dream job. If you provide a single paper sheet stuffed and jammed with irrelevant information it will negatively affect your chances of getting interview call. If you want to survive in competition you need to have unique resume which stand out above the other applicants. That's why using resume templates is very essential while writing a resume. The ultimate aim of the applicant is getting hired for the job they want. A well written resume with the help of professional resume templates can grab the attention of the employer and make good impression. This will tell the employer that you have given time to write a resume and you are really interested in job. These are the key benefits of using resume templates. However be careful while using it. If used in wrong way, it can negatively affect your professional reputation as well as your chance of getting interview and getting hired. Related Articles - Resume maker, resume templates, resume builder, free resume templates, Email this Article to a Friend! Receive Articles like this one direct to your email box!Subscribe for free today!

Benefits of using resume templates

Benefits of using resume templates Whether you are newbie or a experienced in writing a resume, resume templates are always beneficial for writing a professional looking, eye catching, attention grabbing resume. Starting resume writing from scratch often seems very hard task. With the help of professionally designed resume templates you can save lot of effort and time on procedure. It doesn't matter what is your profession and your title. There are lot's of resume templates available over the Internet free of cost for almost every profession and title. Just google it! You just need to know how to make effective use of resume templates. People often seems confused on whether using resume templates good or bad. They think that using resume templates can make negative effects on the hiring manager as well as their dream job. Because hiring managers go through several resume formats on daily basis so they can easily find out the just edited and reused resume templates. But keep in mind you are not just copy-pasting the resume templates with same objective, strengths etc sections. But you are editing an existing resume templates adding your unique info in it and double checking your own work. Using sample sections in resume as idea generators for your own sections eliminate your stress. You can efficiently fill out the white space on resume. And believe me employer's don't care the design and white space of your resume. They know that you can craft out your resume with the help of word processing softwares, resume builder wizards etc. But they look for your skills and qualifications and achievements in resume. The visual appearance of your resume matters. Instead of worrying on resume design you should worry of proper formatting of a resume. Job search is daunting and intense task. Another major advantage of having basic resume templates created is you can produce a job specific resume by editing sections of resume templates and making appropriate changes in order of sections. Job search is daunting and intense task. Applying with the job targeted resume for each job is a good practice instead of sending same resume for every job. Make your very basic resume template and simply edit the sections to suites your job needs. You need to highlight certain skills and experiences while applying for a particular job. Professionally designed resume templates ensures that it is good format because professionals know how resume should look like. So you won't have to worry about the format while making job specific resume. The another key benefit of resume template is understanding how to word sentences in proper way. Sometimes you know what you want to write in resume but just don't know how to write in a professional way to make good impression on employer. After all your resume is very first impression on potential employer. That's why an attention grabbing, well written resume is a key to get interview as well as your dream job. If you provide a single paper sheet stuffed and jammed with irrelevant information it will negatively affect your chances of getting interview call. If you want to survive in competition you need to have unique resume which stand out above the other applicants. That's why using resume templates is very essential while writing a resume. The ultimate aim of the applicant is getting hired for the job they want. A well written resume with the help of professional resume templates can grab the attention of the employer and make good impression. This will tell the employer that you have given time to write a resume and you are really interested in job. These are the key benefits of using resume templates. However be careful while using it. If used in wrong way, it can negatively affect your professional reputation as well as your chance of getting interview and getting hired. Related Articles - Resume maker, resume templates, resume builder, free resume templates, Email this Article to a Friend! Receive Articles like this one direct to your email box!Subscribe for free today!

Are You Making the #1 Mistake on Your Leadership Resume

Are You Making the #1 Mistake on Your Leadership Resume Leadership professionals often spend significant time adding content to their resumes, showing career progression and detailing their strengths. So why does the average resume get only a minimal response?Most people don't realize that when it comes to touting their own skills at a six-figure level, presentation is EVERYTHING. When you choose that canned Microsoft Word template for your resume, you are laying the foundation for lackluster results.Now, opening a new document and choosing a built-in template might work fine if you're sending a quick email message, but it certainly isn't a good way to sell your key competencies if you're an aspiring leader ready to take on the world and boost your salary in the process.When it comes to writing the most critical document of your career, consider the message you are sending with the actual style of your resume, not just the content.Now you might ask: what's wrong with using that Word template? Well, first of all, it's made for EVERYONE to use. Can all professionals relate to your level of achievement? I doubt it.In addition, the font allows for only minimal wording to be used, with very short lines. Now, I don't know about you, but as a professional resume writer, I find it extremely hard to get critical information across in seven-word sentences.Third of all, the template doesn't convey status or prestige-the very components that drive careers at the upper echelon.The really amazing thing is that professionals who wouldn't dream of showing up at a job interview in less than a suit are giving a resume presentation that equates to wearing their Saturday jeans. Is this really the impression that you want to give your next employer?Case in point: Brad, a seasoned operations manager skilled in guiding large construction firms through periods of multimillion-dollar growth, came to me with 30+ years of experience stuffed into the standard Word template.Not only could he barely fit his achievements into the tight spaces allowed, the grid-like format required a font that didn't represent his stature. After we collaborated to review his work history, it was obvious to me that he could control costs, hire top-producing teams, and institute practices that made his employer very, very profitable in a short period of time.You can bet that these facts really jumped off Brad's new resume, leaving no doubt as to his career level and focus. Even with tightening up the wording on his accomplishments, I was still able to give the reader two full pages of detailed, concise information about him that would've otherwise been LOST if he'd continued to use the template.So, the next time you're in the midst of a job search, give your resume style the same attention and focus that you would apply to any business presentation with a professional style that speaks to your status and level of achievement.