Strategies for Cutting Down an Executive Résumé Without Losing Impact

How do you cut a résumé that's too long?

How do you decide what to keep and remove?

This is a problem I run into with my executive clients each time.

With 15+ years of work experience, particularly in leadership roles, you've likely accomplished A LOT.

You're likely doing 1+ jobs, if not 2+.

So what should stay and what should go?

In my writing process, I usually end up needing to cut down from 4 to 5 pages to 2.

This is after closely reading and analyzing an open-ended, personalized intake of a6-7 questions.

Most clients return 8 pages of project details, leadership, and highlights and many give 15+! And it's all great info.

So how can you cut it down? Here's my best advice:

➡ Remind yourself that the point of the résumé is to get in the door. It's a highlights document, not a full CV of everything you've ever done. What is the highest and best of what you've done? Toss everything else, it's filler.

➡ Which of your achievements matches what the new employer is looking for? This should be your # 1 guide of what to include.

➡ Details for jobs over 10 years old are not as important. If it's huge and stellar, move it to a Key Achievements/Key Impact section at the top of the résumé to get more eyes on it. Over 15 years old? List only your job title, company, and the time you were there.

➡ Include details so that you stand apart from other applicants, and use fewer projects/initiatives/wins. Instead of a group of 8 bullets, use 3-5. People tend not to read more than 5 bullets in a section.

➡ Go through and cut out extraneous words like "the," "all of..." (replace with a number if possible), "successfully" (otherwise it wouldn't be on your résumé), and superfluous adjectives. I've stopped using 2 adjectives in a sentence, ever. Stick with the facts and the impact.

A too-long résumé will make a recruiter groan - and potentially miss the most important parts of your experience and expertise.

Use these guidelines to help you cut your résumé down so that it's fresh, clean, and detailed in a way that shows your leadership.

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