A summary is perhaps one of the most critical sections to have in your executive CV. That’s because it immediately gives recruiters and hiring managers an overview of the experience and expertise you possess.
What is an executive summary statement?
An executive summary is a short paragraph placed right underneath your contact details. It contains an overview of who you are as well as your most notable experience and expertise.
Simply put, it is the sales pitch you give to recruiters and hiring managers. It’s your one shot to get them interested enough to spend a few more moments on your CV to read this more thoroughly.
That’s why it’s essential that you take extra care in crafting your executive summary. Here are a few tips to help you do this.
1. Keep it concise and straightforward.
Executive summaries should not take longer than 10 seconds to read. That’s because this is the average time that a recruiter or hiring manager will spend on one CV at a time.
Using short sentences and simple words will help. Avoid using any industry jargons here, especially if you intend on applying for a senior-level position in another industry. This can make your summary confusing to read, and therefore, ineffective.
Another way for you to check this is by reading through your summary out loud and timing yourself as you do this. If you go beyond 10 seconds, go back and revise this.
2. Review the company’s job description.
Often, hiring managers and recruiters will specify in the job posting what the skills and qualities they’re looking for in a candidate are. Use this as a guide to know what details to include in your executive summary. By doing this, you’re quickly able to show the recruiter or hiring manager that you’re the right person for the job.
3. Get feedback from your friends.
Asking friends to read through your executive summary can give you valuable feedback on how effective it is.
Ideally, you’d want to choose friends who are either not working in your company or industry. The reason for this is that they’re not familiar with any industry jargon or precisely what it is you do. If they can’t understand what you’re trying to convey in your summary or are confused, then you’ll need to revise this further.
