Avoid Making Mistakes on Your C-Level Resume
- Refrain from using flowery or superfluous language. While you may think that including lengthy job descriptions or ''fancy'' words makes you appear smarter, think again. Lengthy descriptions equal verbose language, which equals an unfocused resume. Potential employers aren’t stupid — they know when length is used to cover up a lack of qualifications or experience. Instead, be clear and concise. Just as you wouldn’t enjoy listening to someone ramble on about their qualities in person, no one wants to read a flabby, bloated resume.
- Avoid grammatical errors of any kind. If a spell check could catch all of your C-level resume errors, then you would have nothing to worry about. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case. Do not assume that your computer will correct sentence syntax, verb/noun agreement, or even all spelling mistakes. Instead, check, double-check, and even triple-check your work. Then, give your resume to someone you trust. This will allow a fresh set of eyes to catch any mistakes your own eyes have become accustomed to.
- List more than just the employer and location for your current and past jobs. According to an article on Forbes.com, you should list more than just your employer and the company’s location under your job description. Peri Hansen, a recruiting firm principal, says, ''Don’t assume that people reading your resume know what your company does.'' Be sure to list some specifics of your business, your organization, its revenues, etc. ''Otherwise,'' continues Hansen, ''I have to go online and look up a company description.''
- Emphasize the right qualities on your C-level resume. As with any other resume, you’ll want to include the things that will get you a job, and leave the rest out. As recruiter Paul Ray Jr. put it in the same Forbes article, ''I don’t really care what kind of a person you are. I want to know what you can do for me.''
No doubt you’ve already drafted a well-written resume. However, now that you’ve reviewed the potential mistakes listed above, you can make sure that your C-level resume is as close to perfect as it possibly can be. By proofreading your resume, providing the right information, and avoiding excessive length, you can create the kind of standout resume that C-level recruiters are looking for.
