As a leader in career management, BlueSteps has partnered with CareerSI to develop the ‘Resume Renovation’ project. To kick off this new feature, AESC President Peter M. Felix worked with Danny Huffman at CareerSI and had his resume renovated. The question we all ask ourselves is will I really see value in having my resume written by a Professional Resume Writer? See for yourself as the proof is in the before and after documents below.

Resume Renovation - Peter M. Felix, President, AESC

As times have changed, so have marketing strategies. In an era of immediacy, resumes must aggressively display value and bottom-line contribution.

The challenge with Peter’s resume was that it lacked an aggressive and metric approach and an immediate call for action.

Please click here to view Peter’s original resume.

The Challenge - Visual display and prioritizing data while developing a metric-based document:
Peter’s original resume, though three pages in length, was thin, lacked measurable accomplishments and did not maximize the top third of the resume (the hot zone). Omitting irrelevant or outdated information while quantifying contributions, I chose a one-page resume to be the effective option.

Peter displayed unique qualities hidden in his original document. Unfortunately, the fact he was a proven and well-respected industry expert was lost. My goal in this campaign was to highlight his breadth of knowledge so the reader felt compelled to make direct contact.

I decided to show readers instant ROI by displaying direct results in the hot zone.

Primary elements requiring recognition:
The original objective, career summary and skill set were packed with pertinent information but this was not revealed in an aggressive, marketable manner. Given current marketing strategies, formatting and revision was a necessity.

Please click here to view Peter’s ‘renovated’ resume.

Retained original elements:
Education and awards preceded employment history and this approach worked well; given the prestige associated with the universities, I followed the same approach but decided to slightly alter the layout of the details into a reader and space-friendly format.

Secondary elements and comments:
An exhaustive CV approach has not been visited in the United States for many years, and many global/international executives have not updated their material during this time. Peter was in the same situation. As industry expectations have changed, the original resume lacked a senior-executive perception due to the CV format. Additionally, several discriminatory concepts needing attention included age (going back 40+ years) and use of pronouns. Resumes are an aggressive selling agent, not a long-winded exploratory expedition.

Regarding employment history content, there were effective numbers in the original document but much remained hidden or were misplaced. If not renovated, these quantifiers would have been lost if not for a resume renovation.

Total Package - In Conclusion:
The quality of a resume is determined by the action it generates. Given today’s instant return/gratification business paradigm, resumes must market ROI and call to action immediately.

Materials lacking power are discarded within seconds. Peter’s original CV, though loaded with great information, lacked a catalyst triggering the reader’s decision to act. Ultimately, the final result was a resume that positions the client as an executive who can lead, expand streams of revenue and deliver substantial results.

Danny Huffman is a Certified Professional Résumé Writer (CPRW), Certified Employment Interview Professional (CEIP) and a Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC), as well as co-founder of Career Services International (an executive career management company catering to senior and six-figure professionals. As an experienced executive writer and noted author, Danny has assisted thousands of professional across the globe.

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New and updated features of Version 5 will include:

• A much broader choice of function and industry descriptions to select from when creating or updating your Executive Profile, as well as the option to specify any relevant work permits that you hold. This will enable you to more accurately represent your experience within your Executive Profile and provide more detailed career data for researchers using the BlueSteps database to locate candidates and sources.

• The integration of our new Blue Kroll feature allows executives to verify certain key pieces of their work history using Kroll Background Check. If you choose, this information can then be shared with our member search firms, providing a third party guarantee of your experience and achievements that helps you to stand out in searches made across the database.

• A range of industry-leading information and resources covering all aspects of the retained search industry and the executive job market. Content will be provided by our AESC member search firms and industry leaders, and will include original worldwide industry reports and surveys conducted by the AESC. You will also be able to track search activity across a variety of markets and view continuously updated search activity data from the BlueSteps database.

• The new Resume Renovation project will allow a BlueSteps member to receive a full complimentary resume review with our sponsor CSI, which will be featured on the website and in our monthly newsletter.

• New online training courses provided by our AESC Campus department and industry leaders will offer education and learning based around career management topics including executive compensation and personal branding.

Categories: Executive Career Management
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