Since becoming engaged in the job search process I have found “ageism” to be more real than not and that long-tenure at one company, where my experience lies, is actually not regarded highly by employers. Can you provide input on whether job-hopping is now en vogue and advise how I can show the breadth of my experience positively on my resume?

Potential employers are looking for breadth of experience and aptitude for working in different environments. If you can show movement within the company such as promotions and working in different divisions/departments then you can narrow the gap between you and someone who has worked in a variety of different companies. You should also be able to demonstrate that you were set up in roles that had an increased set of challenges and professional growth. When you interview, give examples that show you have the ability to be flexible and your tolerance for change, as well as your ability to generate new and creative ideas to show that you haven’t been blinded by working in one culture for so many years.

As far as job hopping there are many factors that influence it, among which are age and industry.

According to the Bureau of labor statistics (job openings and labor turnover survey 2005), the average American between the ages of 18 and 38 has held 10.2 jobs and younger individuals are more apt to change jobs. Another, earlier study showed that more experienced workers of the 45-54 range worked for the same company three times longer than 25-34 year olds.

I have found that executives who work in technology, private equity backed companies and turnarounds have changed jobs more. Stock options and the fast rate of advancement in technology make this more common and acceptable.

Job hopping may be more common but it’s not always the most desired by recruiters or potential employers. It can raise concern about a person’s ability to navigate politics in a corporation or their potential for boredom. For this reason, I always advise clients to add a line to their resume as to the reason for their transition if they have frequent moves.

Categories: Executive Career Management, Executive Resumes, Interviewing, Recruitment Trends, Rubin's Cube - Career Q&A
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The concept of branding is well known for such things as consumer products, companies, and employment experiences. Consider these examples:

As a leader in career management, BlueSteps has partnered with CareerSI to develop the ‘Resume Renovation’ project. Each month we will feature the resume of a BlueSteps member with a complimentary review by CareerSI’s experienced resume writer and noted author, Danny Huffman. For confidential, personalized expert resume advice, BlueSteps members can also contact CareerSI directly at www.careersi.com.

After kicking off this project last month with the resume renovation of AESC President Peter Felix, we now turn our attention to Della Giles, Director of BlueSteps.com.

Resume Renovation – Della Giles, Director, Bluesteps.com

Globalization has impacted employment with a blizzard of resumes for every available position. To stand out from the drift of others, a resume must tell a story with brevity for immediate impact or be lost to the storm. Fortunately, CareerSI certified writers are experts at developing and marketing material known for immediate impact and optimal results.

Della’s original resume skips her story and quickly bogs down in a line of bullets detailing passive responsibilities and duties. She has an impressive list of skills, but she’s expecting the potential employer to connect the dots instead of presenting a complete and compelling case to call her in for an interview.

Please click here to view Della’s original resume.

The Challenge – To surface the story relating her superior value to an employer:
In Della’s original resume you have to read between the lines; her hook, the two lines below her objective, is Della-centric (“I am seeking…”) and industry restrictive (“not-for-profit trade association”). The hook should not be about Della, but about what Della can do for the company who hires her.

Primary elements requiring attention:
The “hot zone” – the top third of the resume that proves the claims made in the hook – is absent in Della’s resume. Our first priority was to capture her story during our confidential interview, fusing her character with her experience as well as industry expectation in the hot zone; very easy in Della’s case, because it falls neatly into three “chapters”.

Equally important is to adopt an aggressive tone. Despite Della’s British humility, the resume is about her value to an employer, not her personality. Employers aren’t looking for tentative performers, and, as evident in her rapid rise to directorship and her stellar accomplishments, Della is not a tentative worker – that needs to come out in the resume.

Please click here to view Della’s renovated resume.

The strategy:
Della’s hook positions her to launch and transform e-commerce in any industry, not just associations, and it makes her very appealing to brick-and-mortar companies wanting to expand into the Internet. Those are pretty big claims though, so we immediately prove them with quantifiable data in the following three “chapters” of her story, carefully phrased to keep the industry broad to maximize transferability.

Drastically different than the traditional template resume, this executive resume is designed to be skimmed as well as read. Read “down” and you’ll see the first few words that catch the eye still tell the story - “Grew a startup subsidiary e-business”, “Transformed an organization”, “Drove innovative marketing”.

Next, her education not only backs up those claims further, it provides a visual break between the hot-zone and the career progression. Within her employment history, responsibilities and duties – which can be assumed from her title – are dropped in favor of strategic initiative-result statements reinforcing hot zone claims and serving as interview spring boards.

Total Package – In Conclusion:
The average executive looks at a resume for less than ten seconds. You only have moments to grab a decision-maker’s attention and relate your intrinsic value. If the top-third of your page doesn’t do the job, you won’t get the job.

Della’s original resume, though filled with tasks she delivers with superior skill, failed to make her case. The final renovated resume depicts a dynamic story of transferable value only hinted at before.

Take a few moments and reflect upon your resume. Does your executive resume tell a dynamic story of metric and immediate value? If you are not receiving results, now may be the perfect time to renovate your resume. Contact an executive CareerSI consultant immediately for a free resume evaluation at resume@careersi.com.

Danny Huffman is a Certified Professional Resume 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.

Categories: Executive Resumes, Uncategorized
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