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January 05, 2013
Learn how to land a career you love
Executives have to be aware of how they present themselves in their career, and the hiring process is no exception. They have to think about their executive presence—and how their executive presence translates to their resume—if they want to attract and gain access to career opportunities.
Here's the #1 mistake executives make on their resume, and how to fix it.
#1 Mistake Executives Make? Looking Narcissistic and Desperate.
The number one mistake executives make on their resume is looking narcissistic and desperate. The reason? They're using outdated resume templates.
When you have an overdone resume with script fonts, tons of self-important paragraphs about how awesome you are written in the third person, and italicized, bold, and underlined areas, it's just too much. It screams old school. It screams full of yourself. It looks like you're trying too hard and it sends the wrong message. Not to mention the applicant tracking systems (ATS) can't effectively read those things, so you'll probably get screened out of the hiring process before a human being even looks at your resume.
As an executive, you have to think about that first impression: how you're formatting your resume and what you're choosing to put on it. Also, think about the translation in terms of the three components of executive presence: gravitas (depth of knowledge), communication (delivery of knowledge), and appearance (style of delivery). How you're choosing to present these things matters deeply because so much will get lost in translation on your resume if you don't do it correctly.
So, how do you create an executive resume that impresses employers without looking narcissistic and desperate?
Focus On Intellectual Humility & Emotional Intelligence
Executives should focus on intellectual humility and emotional intelligence when creating their resume to avoid looking narcissistic and desperate.
How do you write and format a resume that shows intellectual humility and emotional intelligence? Well, first take out all of the subjective text and superlatives and only include facts. Recruiters and hiring managers just want to know the numbers. What were the results? Quantify your work experience and accomplishments. You don't need to hype it up, which leads us to what they call empty space or white space.
You should see a shockingly large amount of white space on your executive resume. It's going to feel weird, but it's intentional. Simplification helps the reader focus their eyes on the most important stuff. This means you should also simplify your formatting.
On your executive resume, use an 11 pt., clean-line font like Arial or Calibri, not a script font like Times New Roman. Also, make sure you have one-inch margins to further ensure that white space effect, and no bold, italics, or underlining except in very specific places because what happens when something is bold, for example, is that the eye goes there. Knowing how to bold something strategically on your resume is key because studies show recruiters and headhunters spend an average of six seconds skimming your resume. If they do not see in those first six seconds the most important things they were told to assess you on, they won't take a deeper look.
The point of the executive resume is to force the recruiter to contact you, to force the people who are interested in your brand to contact you. Too much content, and it's easier for them to dismiss you. This is what we mean about intellectual humility and emotional intelligence—to know not to oversell yourself. You don't want to oversell yourself. So, if a recruiter tells you they needed more information and that forced them to call you, you know your resume has been written and formatted correctly, and you didn't come across as narcissistic or desperate. You came across as an executive with intellectual humility and emotional intelligence who effectively translated their executive presence on their resume.
Want To Learn How To Build Your Executive Presence?
If you're an executive looking to advance in your career, you need to make your executive presence a priority. This includes your online executive presence. Failing to consistently contribute online in a meaningful way will put you on the fast track to being irrelevant and forgotten.
Join J.T. O'Donnell, LinkedIn Influencer and founder and CEO of Work It Daily, for this 3-hour live class designed to help you overcome these hurdles and stand out in the new normal of 2021 and beyond.
During this class, you will learn how to:
- Assess your executive presence to determine what you should convey online
- Make your resume, LinkedIn profile, and other professional branding tools say more by intentionally sharing less
- Create a "content tree" to ensure you always have plenty to share online
- Select the right types of content to share to maximize your ROI
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Although the project team may focus on the key performance indicators and strive to meet these targets by using proven project management techniques, there are several other techniques the team can use in order to make a direct, positive impact on the final results.
What Does Top Management Really Want From Their Projects?
File:Board of Directors of the Workman's Circle Loan Association ...commons.wikimedia.org
When prospective projects are presented to the board of directors for approval, there are only two things they are really interested in:
- Will the project make money?
- Will it be executed in a safe, ethical, and compliant manner?
Everything else is really up to the project team to deliver in the most efficient way.
Most project managers I have known are quite astute in their knowledge of the PMBOK (which I am a firm proponent of!) and follow its guidelines in order to meet the P&L margin expectations generated at signature of the project charter.
As P&L responsibility is arguably THE most important measure of a project manager's success, the projects are usually executed with the main intent of avoiding any margin erosion in the process rather than actually identifying opportunities to INCREASE the margin.
In this piece, I will share with you the specific hacks I have used during project reviews involving the board of directors as well as other key stakeholders in which margins were actually improved in a number of areas and with specific controls in place.
Project Hack #1: Management Of Change (MOC)
Group of businessman standing next to a text Business Proc… | Flickrwww.flickr.com
One of the most challenging parts of project management is ensuring that the scope and associated deliverables are clearly defined. I think it is of upmost importance that the project manager be involved during the development of the scope deliverables so as to avoid ambiguities while giving the project team the best chance to execute a successful project.
Even if the scope is not 100% bulletproof, the project team can still manage it in such a way that any potential changes that arise during execution can be studied carefully to determine their impact, both internally and externally.
When the customer introduces a change, or external MOC, this is the opportunity for the project team to calculate the impact on the costs, schedule, and quality so as to determine if a change order request will be presented to the customer. This is a classic example of MOCs and a way for the project team to increase the margin based on its ability to "sell" the change order to the customer.
When internal changes occur, either by some department of the company or the project team itself, the internal MOC is raised and the project team analyzes the impacts much like the external MOC. Cost savings may not necessarily need to be passed over to the customer and these savings will also help the bottom line of the project.
Successful project teams maintain a MOC register with the positive and negative impacts per change and in a balance sheet format so as to be able to show how this process contributed to better financial performance of the project.Project Hack #2: Document Management
Woman surrounded with paper KZ4LB | from mircosoft clipart | Flickrwww.flickr.com
I find that the vast majority of project managers focus their attention on the main documents they feel are important to process, rather than creating an exhaustive list of ALL of the documents that must be supplied.
With project documentation requirements becoming increasingly complex, mostly due to legal, compliance or environmental regulations, the need to have a complete document register per project is paramount.
Most contracts have specific time periods to submit and return documents through final approval.
In the case of a huge valve project I worked on, one of the contract requirements was:
- Supplier must submit drawings within four weeks of contract award
- Customer must comment or approve drawings within two weeks of receipt from supplier
- Supplier must resubmit drawings to respond to customer comments within two weeks of receipt
On this project, our team issued more than 100,000 documents, the vast majority of which were never commented or approved by the customer within the contractually agreed time period.
When it came time to negotiate change orders, late penalties, and other contractual terms, the project team displayed the complete document register with the time periods for each and every document processed.
The customer was astonished when our project team showed them that they were more than 500 days late and that this was directly responsible for the late valve deliveries experienced.
The customer originally asked us to pay the air freight to recover the schedule, but ended up paying the air freight for the materials without applying any late penalties. We also charged them expediting fees from our manufacturing facility as well so the final positive impact on the P&L was more than 2%!Project Hack #3: Milestone Billing Management
Cash Flow | A word cloud featuring "Cash Flow". This is lice… | Flickrwww.flickr.com
Some project managers feel that the financial billing process of their projects is something that should be managed solely by finance, with minimal inputs from the project team. This simplistic approach may result in invoices being paid, however, without considering all important cash flow.
As they say, time is money, and the invoicing process is right up there on the list of my top priorities when managing a project.
You could have actually had the most robust MOC process and improved the margin, but actually cost the company financially due to late issuance and also late payment of customer invoices.
On a half billion dollar project I worked on, the deliverables followed a series of 7 milestones for which the company would be paid increments through final delivery and installation.
Milestones 1-4 covered activities such as engineering and raw materials whereas milestones 5-7 covered delivery of the products as well as final installation.
The process was further complicated by partial deliveries of items, readjustment clauses for inflation, as well as realignment for currency fluctuations.
Our project team created a "Milestone Invoice Register" aimed at proactively managing the nearly 1,000 customer invoices that would be issued on the project.
By tying the register to the schedule, collecting the supporting documentation for each milestone as soon as it was available, and also preparing the invoices ahead of time, we were able to release the invoices earlier than expected and expedite approval by the customer.
At the same time, we maintained close communication with the customer's AP department throughout the project so as to resolve any issues immediately.
As a result, milestones were issued ahead of schedule and payments received quicker than expected. The net result was a cash cycle of less than 40 days (vs. 100 days on previous projects) and positive cash flow throughout the project.
Top management was very impressed at this result as it allowed the company to reduce its interest rate payments as well as free up cash for an important acquisition.Project Hack #4: Cost Reductions
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Cost control is a fundamental part of the project management profession.
During this process, communication with supply chain is vital so that the key supplier contracts are issued and managed as per the budgets calculated during the bid stage.
An effective project team will try to influence the negotiation of these contracts so as to obtain more favorable pricing or other commercial conditions.
At the same time, they may suggest alternate suppliers for certain scope in order to reduce the overall cost of the project.
Logistics is a key area in this aspect and options such as ocean vs. air freight, alternate airports, or shipping lanes can be opportunities to further optimize the cost.
At the same time, optimization of the project team's allocated hours, as well as hours allocated from other departments is another way to reduce the overall cost to the project.
The cost control team should also participate in the MOC and financial billing processes so that cost benefits can be achieved in these areas as well.
A successful project can greatly benefit from an active and alert cost control team who is always searching for cost reductions that help the bottom line!Project Hack #5: Incremental Revenue
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I have always subscribed to the notion that project managers make great sales people.
When you think about it, the project management function is basically managing a business within a business, yet with a strong customer focus in all areas of the project.
The project manager must fully understand the customers' needs and what makes them tick so that they can communicate effectively while negotiating issues that always come up during project execution.
The project manager needs to establish a very close relationship with the customer so that a level of trust is created.
During the course of this relationship, it is not uncommon for the customers to inform the project managers of additional business opportunities that may be of interest to both parties.
The project manager can then relay this valuable information to the sales organization to determine if and how the opportunity can be explored.
The project manager can also identify opportunities on the actual project being managed, such as scope being executed unsuccessfully by other companies for which the customer may want to change suppliers.
There may also be opportunities beyond the originally intended scope, such as installation services for the products being supplied by the project team, monitoring of assets, or, in the case of one of my projects, digital and procurement services to be supplied as a bolt-on to the original contract.
Top management is usually quite impressed when the project team shows all of the incremental business secured as a result of successfully managing the original scope.
There is no doubt that projects can be very successful when applying proven project management techniques such as waterfall or agile. When managing highly strategic projects, project teams can take their success to the next level by implementing these few hacks and thus increase their visibility with top management in the process.
Actually, there are multiple ways to do exactly that. Let's take a look at eight.
1. Apply For Open Positions
This isn't the most effective way to get your foot in the door at most companies, but it does still work for some. To maximize your chances of landing an interview, make sure you customize your resume by adding keywords from the job posting and write a disruptive cover letter.
Why isn't this an effective way to bring your candidacy to a company's attention? First, you have maximum competition for each role you apply for since applicants typically number in the hundreds or higher. Second, only 15% of available jobs are ever advertised on job boards, which means you're overlooking 85% of open positions at any given moment.
2. Follow The Company On Social Media & Interact Online
The vast majority of employers offer you multiple ways to interact with them online—Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and one or more company blogs. If you're targeting specific companies (Have you created your interview bucket list yet?), make sure you follow them via social media.
Even more important, though, is to interact with them through that media. "Like" them on Facebook and comment on their posts. Review their LinkedIn profile periodically and "like" their updates. Retweet their Twitter posts and share their blog posts. Give them the impression that you're interested in them as an employer.
3. Arrange An Informational Interview Within Your Target Department
This is an old strategy that still works. An informational interview is just that—an interview you schedule to access insider information about an occupation or employer. It is not a job interview and shouldn't be treated as one. Rather, this is your opportunity to ask the questions you're not likely to find answers to on the internet.
Used strategically, informational interviews help you explore the company's culture and structure and determine which departments are most likely to have roles that match your skills and capabilities.
4. Request A LinkedIn Introduction
When you come across a hiring manager on LinkedIn that you want to connect with, find another LinkedIn member who knows him or her and request an introduction (not right away). When you stop by the profile of someone you want to connect with, LinkedIn shows your mutual connections. If you leverage these specific connections into an introduction request, you're essentially getting a "warm" referral.
Make your case to the connection you want the introduction from. Sell them on the reason you want the introduction and assure them your request is serious. We strongly recommend leveraging a "serving" approach that involves offering something of value before you make a request of any networking contact.
5. Submit Your Marketing Materials To The Hiring Manager
Once you're connected to the hiring manager you can, of course, share your resume with him or her. However, keep in mind that many other candidates are doing the same thing. It would be smart, therefore, to look for a way to make your candidacy stand out.
The best way to stand out from the competition is to write a disruptive cover letter, where you can tell your connection story and get hiring managers at "Hello." Remember that you never get a second chance to make a first impression.
6. Build Connections In The Company On LinkedIn
LinkedIn also tells you how you're connected to companies when you visit a firm's profile. Take advantage of this feature to help you deepen your connections with the company.
Request introductions to other folks in the same firm and issue invitations to others in the department you're targeting. Identify key employees in the company relevant to your search and review the groups to which each one belongs. Find an industry group they're a part of that you are eligible to join and do so. This establishes a third-level connection without you having to tip your hand or approach the contact. Best of all, once you achieve this third-level connection, you can message that contact directly without requiring an introduction.
7. Research External Recruiters & Build Relationships
As you build connections in a target company, try messaging those contacts to find out which external recruiting firms they use for the types of positions you'll be pursuing with them. Once you identify one or more external recruiters, build connections with them as well.
It's critical to leverage a "give to get" strategy with recruiters since they are inundated by emails, voicemails, and LinkedIn messages/invites from candidates. If you approach them in the same way you'll have to battle to stand out. Why not approach them differently from the start? Offer them something of value and allow your candidacy to prove itself over time. You'll stand head and shoulders above the crowd as a result.
8. Court The Hiring Manager
With #5 above, we mentioned sending your resume to hiring managers. An even smarter strategy is to court the hiring manager over time as we just recommended doing with recruiters.
Research the hiring manager via your favorite search engine and check out as many social media profiles as you can find. Ask your mutual connections to tell you about the person's interests and the needs faced by his or her department. Then, brainstorm resources you can share with him or her that they may find helpful before you bring your candidacy to their attention. Prove your worth first and a deeper connection is likely to follow. After a time, you can then request a phone call or meeting with the person to explore ways you may be able to contribute in more significant ways to their team.
With a little ingenuity and a fair amount of persistence, you can get your foot in the door at almost any company you can find. Make use of as many resources as you can, including as many social networking options as you're comfortable with to build a web of connections with your target companies. The result will be more interviews and more job offers—a decent payoff for a little work.
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This post was originally published at an earlier date.
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It has a long and technical name, but in portfolio school, we just called it "fear of the blank page." It's that anxiety-inducing few moments right before getting started on something. I may have had 253 ideas buzzing around my head after a client meeting, and I am excited to get started on the project, but inevitably, and just for a short moment, this blank page panic happens when I sit down to get started.
What Makes A Blank Page So Scary?
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
In the blankness, the page carries endless possibilities, which is great, right? On the flip side of that, one finds internal resistance and a fear of failure. Your mind will tell you, "Hey, it could be great…but then again, it could also be total disaster." As humans, we are built to avoid the thing that causes fear. This aversion to fear is what has kept us alive for thousands of years.
For as long as I can remember, I have had a love-hate relationship with fear. For me, recognizing that fear was the only thing keeping me from doing a thing, and then deciding to do it anyway, has pushed me. Pushed me way, way, WAY out of my comfort zone at times. And it turns out that is a great thing. All of the achievements I am really proud of in my life were things that would not have happened if I had given in to my fears.
Why then do I still get that tinge of fear, even after all of these years for something as simple as getting started on a project? My thought on that is simple. It means I still care. I still want the outcome to be amazing. I still want to go past what I know and explore a new place, which is still scary, but worth it.
Taming That Tinge Of Fear
Photo by Filipe Dos Santos Mendes on Unsplash
Like most things, you get better at it with practice. Fear works the same way. If you keep leaning into it, it may still be there, but the time it takes to push past it dwindles. Say you are skydiving. The first time you jump, it probably took a whole lot longer to be ready to jump out of a plane than it did the 100th time. It is still the same element of danger, and same fear, but you have practiced taming it.
Now, about putting it into actual practice. It's very simple, stupid simple actually. I start with a brain dump of all the ideas in my head after a client meeting or about the project in general. It is an easy way to just get something on paper. It doesn't have to be perfect or even logical. It's just for you. The act of getting started IS the practice.
The rest of the work will fall into place once you get pen to paper. Some ideas you work on growing, others you let go. With practice, leaning into your fears gets easier to do, as does tackling the blank page.
If you have strategies you use for getting started or pushing past your internal resistance, I would love to hear them!
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Before we can dive into this important job search issue, we must first understand the purpose of a resume and LinkedIn profile.
The Purpose Of Your Resume & LinkedIn Profile
For job seekers, the purpose of your resume and LinkedIn profile is not to get you a job. It's to get hiring managers and recruiters to call you.
Optimizing your resume and LinkedIn profile is the key to getting your job application in front of the right people. Your resume should be optimized with the right keywords so it can get past the ATS, and your LinkedIn profile should be optimized so it comes up in search results when a hiring manager or recruiter is looking to hire professionals with specific skills or experience.
If you do these two things, your job application will end up in the hands of the hiring manager. But, that's not enough; you need to stand out against the other job applicants.
The best way to stand out in the screening process is to quantify your work experience—on both your resume and LinkedIn profile. But, you don't want to give too much information away. You want to include just enough information on your resume to make hiring managers and recruiters say, "This person looks qualified. They have the right skills and experience, and also some impressive accomplishments. But I want to know more. Let's give them a call."
See how that works? The purpose of your resume and LinkedIn profile is to land you an interview. It's to get employers to call you back. And it all comes down to optimizing your resume and LinkedIn profile and quantifying your work history on both.
Now that you understand the purpose of your resume and LinkedIn profile, you're probably wondering why they need to look the same. The answer is simple: hiring managers and recruiters watch out for inconsistencies in your work history.
Hiring Managers Need To Know Which Version Of Your Work History Is Correct
When the information in your "Experience" section on your LinkedIn profile doesn't match up with the information in your "Work History" section on your resume, that's a red flag to employers. They're left wondering which version of your work history is correct, or the most accurate. This inconsistency could be the difference between getting a call from an employer and having your resume tossed.
Yes, since your resume and LinkedIn profile are different, they will look different at first glance. But when someone looks closely at your work experience, they should notice that the information is the same. This doesn't leave any room for doubt in an employer's mind about how qualified you are.
Ultimately, hiring managers and recruiters don't like a bait-and-switch when it comes to your job application. Keep your work experience the same on your resume and LinkedIn profile to stand out in the hiring process and land an interview.
Do Your Resume & LinkedIn Profile Look The Same?
If you're reviewing your resume and LinkedIn profile and realize that there are some inconsistencies in your work history, be sure to fix them before you apply for your next job. You want to impress hiring managers, not confuse them!
Need help with your resume and LinkedIn profile? Sign up for our FREE Resume & LinkedIn Bootcamp today!
During this bootcamp, you will learn:
- How to properly format and optimize your resume.
- How to optimize your LinkedIn profile.
- How both of these tools can help you stand out.
Interested? Sign up now!
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