Frequently asked questions for writing a leadership resume

1) How long should my resume be? Does it have to be one page?

You may have been told that your resume should be no longer than a page. This is a nice to have, not a must have. While it would be great if your resume was a one-pager, it just isn’t a hard and fast rule. Aim for one to two pages, and make sure everything on it is relevant, clear and concise. Don’t do anything to make what would be a two pager artificially a one pager, like making the margins really small or reducing the text size too much. We repeat: it’s fine if it’s two pages. A recruiter would much rather flip to the next page than need to read it with a magnifying glass.

2) Okay- so it can be as long as I want it to be?

At this level of experience, you’ve likely been working for quite a while. Nobody wants to read an eight page resume. Brevity is a virtue. Focus on your success story and your growth in a job rather than your responsibilities. Your job title likely conveys your seniority and level of responsibility, so don’t get too caught up in the details of your responsibilities and day-to-days. Focus on the impact and value you brought to the organization. Some examples: “I grew the X account from Y to Z”, “I brought in _ amount of new clients”, “I spearheaded our cloud migration initiative and led the company into the future.” Reframing each experience like this will help you cut out unnecessary details and save space.

2) Can I take off my first jobs? Should I? How do I decide what to keep?

You absolutely can. If it isn’t serving your story, get rid of it. We recommend including a section that says “early career” where you can list out your first jobs and highlight anything important you want to show like noteworthy companies or experiences. This way, you don’t waste space on any irrelevant details but you can still highlight what's important to you..  

3) What about college stuff? Graduation dates? GPAS? Student organizations?

Don’t include your graduation year, it just isn’t relevant when you’ve been working for a while. For the rest, unless it’s really important to you, we say get rid of it. It’s just cluttering your resume and it isn’t serving you overall. An exception, however, would be if it was integral to your story. I.e. “Helping drive diversity in technology has been a passion of mine for years. In college, I started a student organization to help more women get into STEM fields.”

4) How important is LinkedIn when job searching at this level?

So important. Don’t get overwhelmed, though, it isn’t rocket science. If you’re job searching right now, do these five things:

1. Make sure you have a great headshot. With the quality of cellphone cameras these days, there is no excuse. Have a friend or family member take a photo for you. It should be well lit, with a clear background, and feature only you (no group shots). There are many ways to look professional, so think about what kind of image you’re trying to convey about you and how you work, and dress accordingly.
2. Fill out your profile- include your education, certifications, skills, volunteer experience, and professional experience. If you’re a board member, volunteer or advisor, include it on your LinkedIn. Same goes here as with your resume, if it isn’t serving you, don’t feel the need to keep something on here. 
3. Add a headline. Your headline should be more than just your job title. Give it some personality and dimension. In our interview with Pamela Shand, she recommends making sure you include searchable terms in your headline. Think about your ideal job and what words someone might be searching to find someone for that job. Use those!
4. Add an “about” section”. This can be a more extensive, detailed version of your professional summary since you’re allowed a few paragraphs. This section is incredibly important to convey your experience and what you’re looking to do next.
5. Get active! Join groups, post, comment and like others’ posts, connect with those in your industry. The more active you are, the more people will take note and begin to think of you as a leader in your field.

Another great feature on LinkedIn is recommendations. You can find these by scrolling down past someone’s work experience. We encourage you to seek out recommendations from some champions of yours and to make them visible on your profile. These recommendations give your profile so much more depth and personality and help others really get a sense of who you are. 

5) I have a LinkedIn profile, is that enough? 

We hate to say it, but you should google yourself. If you’re applying for a senior role, your potential employers will likely do this. See what comes up and how it frames you as a potential candidate. You should have a curated internet presence. Think about what you’re being hired for and how these search results support that work. Work on curating some thoughtful results here. Some ideas: write articles (plenty of industry publications accept submissions for free, you can also write articles on LinkedIn or Medium), join a group (an industry group or to support a cause you’re passionate about), speak at an event, and get active on social medias that are indexed by Google like LinkedIn or Twitter. 

6) I work at a small/ lesser known company. I'm worried others might not understand how senior I am or how much experience I have. What should I do?

We encourage you to add in some detail about your role and your organization. If you work for a large or well known company (for example, a bank), you probably don’t need to do this. Otherwise, it can be very helpful for a potential employer to understand more about you and your experience. Explain the role and how it fits into the organization’s overall mission and goals. For example: “for the past seven years, I’ve been a founding team member at a start-up dedicated to X as the New Business Sales Manager. I created and institutionalized our sales processes and helped grow the business to 80 clients.”

7) Should I list out leadership skills on my resume?

By the time you reach this level, you likely have a brand or a narrative of who you are as a leader. Take some time to think about this and what kind of a leader you’d like others to perceive you as. Then, rather than simply stating that you are a leader or listing skills, talk about your leadership style and what it’s like to work with you. Give specific examples of leadership and what it’s like to work with you.

8) What is the best way to look? How do I go about finding a new job at this level?

At this level, it’s rare that you’ll find a job applying online. Most jobs will come through referrals, networking, personal connections, or a recruitment agency. If you’re job searching right now and in a bit of a rut, here are a few things you can do.

1. Start by clarifying your goals. What role or title are you looking for? What industries or companies are you hoping to target? This will help you focus your efforts and start networking more intentionally.
2. Get externally focused. Put yourself in situations where you’ll meet people that could “say your name in a room” or recommend you for open roles. 
3. Let others know discretely that you are open to something new. You don’t have to post about it on LinkedIn, just casually mention it to a few friends or mentors. Just putting it out in the world is sometimes all it takes for a great opportunity to find you. 
4. Have a bio ready that can be shared to introduce you. This should be more than your name, title and experience. Give it some personality. You can use our blog about how to answer “tell me about yourself” in an interview for a good starting point. 
5. Turn on “open to work” on LinkedIn. It increases inbound inquiries and is a good way of networking with headhunters and corporate recruiters. 
6. Get writing and publishing. Write articles on LinkedIn, Medium, or even industry publications. This will help you stay on top of people’s feeds and minds and establish you as a thought leader in your industry.