C-Level Resume Tips: 5 Things you Must do to Update your 5+-Year-Old Resume

When should you update your C-level resume—when you change employers? Or maybe the day before an enticing employment opportunity closes? (Quick tip: you will have no luck if your answer is the latter). Your CXO resume is an ever-evolving document that should be updated on an ongoing basis to reflect updated employment experience, accomplishments, and career goals.

Writing and updating your executive resume can be stressful and frustrating, especially if a deadline is attached. One thing you can do on a day-to-day basis to make the processes easier is to keep an ongoing list of accomplishments, awards, and professional development you have completed. Before you know it, you will have compiled a list of items you may have otherwise forgotten that you can pull from to update your resume when the time comes.

Focus on These 5 Things When Updating Your C-Level Resume

  1. Your Target Position. Your target position may have changed over the last 5 years. When you update your resume, start by evaluating what changes you may need to make to target your CXO resume to your target position. Some previous accomplishments may need to be redescribed or even replaced to ensure your resume speaks to your new career direction.
  2. Resume Design. A modern executive resume design is paramount in communicating a professional, innovative, and competent executive leader. Resume designs have changed over the years, including layouts, colors, and fonts, and a new look may be the key to elevating your job transition.
  3. The Top-Third of the First Page. The top of the first page is where you get to grab your reader’s attention and draw them further into the document. Double-check your contact information and make sure the summary, career highlights, and core competencies reflect your current job transition target. Some items and topics may need to be swapped or rearranged to capture the new skills and accomplishments you want to highlight. If you are undertaking a significant target change, this section will likely need a significant revamp.
  4. Employment History. It goes without saying that the employment history section of your resume needs to be updated every so often; it is what comes to mind when most people think about updating their resume. Be sure to accurately capture transition dates and maintain consistent formatting and information between employment listings. Then, keeping your target position in mind, pick items from your day-to-day list of accomplishments that demonstrate your qualifications.
  5. Don’t overlook any education, professional development, awards, speaking engagements, or volunteer activities you have achieved or undertaken since your last CXO resume update! These will be easy to remember if you’ve kept track of everything on your day-to-day list of accomplishments.

To find out how we can relieve the stress and frustration of updating your c-suite resume update, book a complimentary and confidential call with us here.

Mary Elizabeth Bradford is the Founder and Executive Director of CEOresumewriter.com and Maryelizabethbradford.com and a past executive recruiter. A thought leader in the career services industry for over 20 years, she holds 5 distinct advanced certifications for senior-level resume writing, online branding and executive-level job search coaching (CERM, CMRW, CARW, MCD, NCOPE). She has been seen and heard in major media including Forbes, Time, WSJ, Newsweek and NBC affiliate stations. She holds 2 CDI TORI awards and is a top tier judge for the elite CDI TORI awards for four consecutive years. Mary Elizabeth Bradford’s elite team of award-winning, certified, top executive resume writers, former top executive recruiters, and global HR executives help many of the world’s premier C-suite, board members and thought leaders secure the transitions and compensation packages they want. She works with clients all over the globe.

If you are a Director, VP, CxO, or Board Member interested in an executive resume package or working directly with Mary Elizabeth, click to schedule a complimentary 15-minute call.