VP Gets Help Maturing a Mid-Level Resume

VP Gets Help Maturing a Mid-Level ResumeVP Gets Help Maturing a Mid-Level ResumeThis vice president of systems engineering knew how to hone technology, but needed help tuning his resume.A large technology company is getting swallowed by a larger technology company. After 20 years of rising through the ranks, this 46-year-old executive knows full well he may not be part of the meal.close dialogAdvertisementclose dialog/* effects for .bx-campaign-1012257 *//* custom css .bx-campaign-1012257 */.bx-custom.bx-campaign-1012257.bx-type-agilityzone .bx-close z-index 2-ms-keyframes bx-anim-1012257-spin from -ms-transform rotate(0deg) to -ms-transform rotate(360deg) -moz-keyframes bx-anim-1012257-spin from -moz-transform rotate(0deg) to -moz-transform rotate(360deg) -webkit-keyframes bx-anim-1012257-spin from -webkit-transform rotate(0deg) to -webkit-tra nsform rotate(360deg) keyframes bx-anim-1012257-spin from transform rotate(0deg) to transform rotate(360deg) bx-close-inside-1012257 top 0 right 0 /* rendered styles .bx-campaign-1012257 */.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257.bx-active-step-1 .bx-creative *first-child padding 0width auto.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257.bx-active-step-1 .bx-creative background-color transparent.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257.bx-active-step-1 .bx-close stroke whitebackground-color blackborder-style solidborder-color whiteborder-width 1pxbox-shadow 0px 0px 0px 3px black.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-group-1012257-3RBnJGC position absolutetop 50%left 50%transform translate(-50%, -50%)z-index -1.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-element-1012257-wryzWV5 width 55px.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-element-1012257-wryzWV5 *first-child animation-name bx-anim-1012257-spinanimation-duration 800msanimation-iteration-count infiniteanimation-timing-function linear.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-group-1012257-lyDBLV9 width 900pxheight 550px.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-group-1012257-me4p1bl padding 10px.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-element-1012257-ZdLO37u width auto.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-element-1012257-ZdLO37u *first-child padding 2px 4pxfont-size 10pxcolor rgb(255, 255, 255)text-transform uppercasebackground-color rgb(0, 0, 0)background-color rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.34)At the level of higher management, like vice presidents and directors, there may be more of a chance of not being acquired with the new company, said the pre-sales systems engineering vice president, who requested anonymity for himself and the involved companies because of the legalities involved with the merger. So its better to explore a new opportunity.After two decades with the company, this technology VP knows plenty His expertise lies in consulting and product development, along with IT services and software. Hes got nuts-and-bolts technology know-how and business acumen, along with global business o peration experience, managerial experience of 800 pre-sales technical support staff who support revenues of $7 billion to $8 billion, and much more.Bringing his resume up to his levelNevertheless, he was challenged when it came to communicating the depth and breadth of his worth on a resume - particularly given his high ranking on the corporate ladder. And without that powerful document speaking on his behalf, he knew his chances of getting a foot in the door when interviewing were severely diminished.Writing a resume, going through the interviews, thats not something Ive done often, he said. Especially writing the resume, I havent done that in such a long time. The issue I had, I didnt know how to write one at my level.Before he was introduced to Ladders professional resume-writing service by a colleague, the VP wrote one himself. What he produced exhibited a host of classic resume problems First, the 3.5-page document was too long. It also failed to reflect the VPs status properl y. The VP also made a mistake typical of those unfamiliar with equal-opportunity laws in the United States He included personal information such as age, marital status and nationality at the resume top.But the most problematic aspect of his original document was that it didnt tell a resume reader what the VP is good at and what he wants to do, according to Tina Brasher, a certified professional resume writer who works with Ladders and recently reworked the resume.His original heading read Professional Services IT Executive. What would you think hes qualified to do? Brasher said. From a resume readers viewpoint, he could be perceived as anybody from a manager to a C-level executive a CIO (chief information officer) or a CTO (chief technology officer). His resume was giving out a poor and an incorrect impression right off the bat with that heading.He was also trying to focus the readers attention on cross-functional and cross-cultural expertise, Brasher said. But those words - cross -functional and cross-cultural expertise - by themselves in a subheading dont mean a hill of beans to a resume reader because they dont communicate what hes really skilled at doing.DIY can turn into imitation, often of poor examples Brasher streamlined the resume to two pages, reworking every aspect of it, including the summary paragraph, which she changed totally, the VP said.Brasher also stripped out what she called fluff phrases from the summary paragraph - phrases and words that resume readers have seen 10 million times, she said. Those included subjective terms such as highly qualified, results-focused, effectual leader, has talent for, energetic and confident.(Such wording) doesnt tell the reader what he wants to know, Brasher said. What they want to get out of a resume is 1) How can you make the company money? and 2) How can you save the company money? Theyre looking for a resume not only for that but Are you qualified for the job opening I posted? And Whats your skill set? How did you make a positive difference in the company you just left? How are you different and more valuable as an employee from John Smith whose resume I just read or John Doe whose resume Im about to read? The resulting document is as different from the original as night and day, Brasher said, and the VP agreed.In terms of experience and achievement, she got it down to being very concise and right to the point of highlighting my achievements and so forth, he said. Tina, she just did a wonderful job. She came back with two pages. The content was superb. She knew exactly what needed to be done at my level. Im so happy with the result that I got. The combination of the worksheet Tina gave me and Tinas editing resulted in a completely new resume that I really like and that reflects my accomplishments.