Is the Executive Resume Dead or Dying?

No, the executive resume is not dead, and it’s not likely to disappear entirely.

But it’s not as important as it was before LinkedIn came along. Back then, it was the only thing hiring professionals and others had to help them assess candidates.

And it probably doesn’t look and read the way it did the last time you changed jobs, unless that was fairly recently.

Executive resumes have evolved over time to meet the needs of an ever-changing job search landscape.

They were once strictly career history documents often leading with a self-centered objective statement highlighting the candidates’ career goals. They included an outline of jobs held with perhaps a few boring words about responsibilities.

With such little information about candidates, most of them easily fit on one page.

Are You Convinced the Executive Resume Is Dead?

A resume, among other things, includes a career history, which any hiring professional will want to see.

Of course, your career history will also be in your LinkedIn profile, if you’ve completed that part of your profile.

But since you’ll be customizing your resume for each job and employer you send it to, it will better pinpoint what makes you a good fit for particular employers you’re targeting than your LinkedIn profile.

Remember that you only have one LinkedIn profile, but you’ll probably have several versions of your resume. That means that your LinkedIn profile has to be more generic than each of your targeted, customized resumes.

And your various targeted resumes may include sensitive information that you wouldn’t want to, or couldn’t, share with the world on LinkedIn.

The modern executive resume is now a personal marketing communication – showcasing relevant achievements, branding and metrics – that links good fit with value proposition.

A traditional “paper” resume does seem to have less value in job search today. But it, too, will probably always have some use.

For most job seekers and in most cases, emailing a digital version of their resume has replaced snail-mailing a hard copy.

Sometime along the way, video resumes became somewhat popular, although I hesitate recommending them for everyone. Too many people don’t perform well on camera. A video resume may work against them and sabotage their chances.

And if you think that the way to land a job in the new world of executive search is to post your resume to lots of job boards, think again.

Responding to job postings is just one aspect of today’s executive job search, so you shouldn’t be spending all of your time doing that.

Executive resume or LinkedIn profile: Which comes first?

Sometimes a resume comes first

If you’ve sent recruiters and other hiring professionals your resume, it will likely be the first these people are made aware of you. So your resume had better be a knockout.

Don’t think that a resume is just a formality – a quick rundown of your jobs with little else – because they’ll learn who you are in the interview.

Wishy-washy generic information about you that could apply to any candidate for the job simply won’t do.

Your dull resume will probably rule you out of even getting into the interviewing process where you’ll expect to share more about yourself.

Your resume had better capture their attention, make the case that you’re a good fit and convince them they need to talk to you.

And don’t be afraid to include things in your resume that may feel boastful to you. A resume is THE place to crow. Defining and communicating your personal brand helps you do this.

Instead of worrying that you’re bragging, it may help to think of it as educating people about the value you offer.

These days, a resume needs to do all those things to generate the interviews you’re seeking.

Because it will help differentiate you, generate chemistry and set you above the sea of sameness in most resumes, this kind of resume will never die.

And an ATS-friendly version of this kind of resume will more surely be called up from databases when recruiters and hiring professionals are looking for matches for jobs they’re trying to fill.

Sometimes LinkedIn comes first

On the other hand, when the same recruiters and other hiring professionals don’t find good-fit candidates from among the resumes sent to them, they typically turn to LinkedIn to source candidates.

In which case, their LinkedIn profile will be the first thing they see about these candidates.

To create a fully complete, branded LinkedIn profile, you’ll need to do the same kind of work you would have done to create a branded resume.

What’s that, you don’t have a LinkedIn profile or never completed the one you started years ago? Then how will they find you? See my Essential LinkedIn Guide.

To make yourself more visible and easier to find, you need to brand and build your online presence while monitoring your online reputation, following these guidelines as you go – Relevance, Quality, Diversity, Volume, Consistency.

But as noted above, the executive resume is not dead. So don’t give up on that paper/digital document.

You’ll still need it at some point in the hiring process.

You may not need it to land an interview, but you should still bring several hard copies when you have an interview, along with other relevant printed materials. This practice may never change. And, once you’re hired, HR is going to need a copy for their files.

Why the executive resume will never die

Networking is still, and perhaps always, what you should be spending most of your time doing.

In all likelihood, your networking efforts will include sending people your targeted resume which more distinctly positions you as a good fit than your more generic LinkedIn profile.

Unless you’ve sent them your resume, often enough these days recruiters and hiring decision makers source and assess potential candidates based on their online presence.

Typically they find people by searching LinkedIn profiles. They’ll find you and reach out to you (or not, if you have an anemic LinkedIn profile, or little to no online presence) before you ever locate them and send them your resume.

If you’re truly concerned that the executive resume is dead, and what you will do about it, consider what one expert said that still holds true, and is supported by many other experts.

Years ago Dick Bolles, job search pioneer and guru, and author of ‘What Color is Your Parachute?’ said, “Your Google results are the new resume.”

At the time it was a profound statement.

I don’t believe that’s entirely true but, in part, the new resume can be your online identity.

Are you still on the fence about “putting yourself out there” online? Read my post, Is Your Online Presence Strong Enough to Compete in Executive Job Search?

An interesting take on the value of the executive resume

Because so few job seekers do it anymore, the old fashioned strategy of mailing a hard copy of your resume with covering letter could be a powerful NEW differentiating tactic. It could draw attention to you and clinch an interview, if you’ve been overlooked.

Here’s advice from several years ago from Martin Yate, another job search guru, and author of the Knock ‘em Dead Series of job search books:

“Don’t smirk at the idea of traditional mail. We all like a break from the computer screen, so delivering your sales message and resume this way can be very effective. When you do this, note in the cover letter that you sent the resume by e-mail and that this additional approach is because you are really interested in the company and ‘wanted to increase my chances of getting your attention.’ Doing this demonstrates that you are creative and not a technological Neanderthal.”

I’ve confirmed with other resume and job search strategists that this strategy is a good one.

And, along with that, bring hard copies to interviews. They’re sure to be formatted nicer than what the interviewers might download. Overall, having a hard copy in hand makes it easier for anyone reading your resume.

The fact remains that the kind of information found in a resume (whatever the resume format) will always be job search currency – no matter what form it takes.

People assessing you will always want to know how you’ve added value in the past, indicating your potential to benefit their company in the future.

Personal marketing for job search will always be about aligning your qualifications, skills and personal traits with your target employers’ needs.

A resume may evolve into yet another different looking thing, but the purpose will be the same — to attract attention, generate interest and gain interviews.

More About Executive Resumes

How to Write An Irresistible Executive Resume in 10 Steps

Executive Brand Resume: Differentiate Your ROI Value Above the Fold

Executive Resume Length: One, Two, or Three Pages?

22 Things NOT To Put in Your Executive Resume