Can Resume Templates Work in the Senior Executive Job Search Arena?
The executive resume has been declared dead so many times over the years and in that time we have seen the advent of various supporting career marketing materials spanning personal websites, video bios and even interviewing software. However, none of those new contenders have even come close to replacing the executive resume. In fact, today just as decades ago, as soon as senior executives find themselves in job search mode and start reaching out to their network and recruiters, the first question they typically encounter is: Can you send me your resume? Creating a sharp and branded executive resume is thus one of the vital first steps when getting ready to launch an effective executive job search campaign. Hiring a Pro or DIY? Hiring a resume pro with years of experience in properly positioning executives in job search mode, is obviously a good idea, particularly if you struggle to brag about yourself or if just thinking about creating and formatting your own resume gives you the chills. But what about if you simply prefer to work on the document on your own but would need some structural help? Can resume templates and DIY solutions be a good idea? We have all seen ritzy looking Windows resume templates or those cool looking graphic resumes posted by “Open to Work” candidates on LinkedIn. But do they work? Be Aware of Applicant Tracking Systems Admittedly in the senior executive arena the preferred way of job hunting is via effectively tapping into the hidden job market, but you want to nevertheless be prepared for online application and recruiter database upload scenarios. In such scenarios, your resume will get parsed by Applicant Tracking Systems (“ATS”) and quite a few of the ritzy looking templates you can find on Word or Etsy were not created with the functioning of ATS in mind. Content Needs to King Another point to bear in mind when contemplating a resume template solution is that quite a few of the available free templates were created with mere visual appeal in mind. While visual appeal is certainly a crucial factor in creating a top-notch executive resume, the visual appeal should not go so far as to compromise content and written information flow. The greatest initial visual appeal will not carry you through various rounds of executive interviewing when the actual message doesn’t pack enough of a punch. So, if you want to create your own executive resume and career marketing materials with the help of templates, you should make sure to use templates that were created with an ATS as well “content is king” approach in mind. My trusted fellow Job Search Strategist Sarah Johnston of the Briefcase Coach recently co-founded a new job search marketplace, the Job Search Journey, aimed at helping job seekers who prefer to create their own career marketing materials. So, if you are considering creating your executive resume rather than hiring an executive resume writer, you should check out Sarah’s platform to ensure you start working with a solid and well-designed template www.jobsearchjourney.com. A template created by actual job search specialists, vs. for example graphic designers, will empower you to create engaging content to persuade your target audience that you are the right fit candidate. Still not sure how to go about creating your executive resume? Feel free to shoot me an email: [email protected]. Comments are closed.
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