You put what on your HR executive résumé ?!
8 essential tips for HR Professionals planning to commence a job search
It's embarrassing to be writing this, given we hire at senior level within the HR profession. Executives who more than in any other profession, arguably should know these basics when job searching. But right around the world, we have HR professionals who are making us sigh about they way they're presenting themselves.
Your contact email address must be appropriate. Even for HR execs, and even in this day and age, we're still getting applications from "foxylady@" and "motorhead@" and "happysmithfamily@" and "iliveforholidays@" In case children ever read this, I won't include any of the racier email tags. It doesn't impress us. It is unlikely to impress a prospective employer. It’s easy to create a new and free email address for the purpose of your job search, if you don’t want to give up the “fun” account. And don’t use your current work account - many potential hiring leaders will immediately wonder why you’re using company resources for personal gain.
If you’re going to use a photo for your CV/résumé and your LinkedIn profile, keep it professional. Frolicking on a beach holiday, tittilating glamour shots fit only for your partner to view, receiving (what appears to be) a lap dance in the company of your mates, or getting sozzled at a wedding might all make for fun pics, but not for your professional profile and especially not whilst you're hunting for work. And use a photo that resembles who you look like today - your corporate photo from 15 years ago might be your most flattering, but no-one likes surprises when it comes to meeting for an interview - you’ll instantly create doubt on what else you might have been lying about.
Overhaul your appearance for your professional photo and for prospective interviews. Your comb-over or punk pink hair or plunging neckline or tattoo sleeves might have been an non issue in your last job where you were very successful, and had a well established reputation. But you’re starting afresh when you change employers. And whilst we fully appreciate diversity and bringing your “true self” to work and believe that personal appearance shouldn’t be a factor, the reality is that this is often an immediate deal breaker. And you’ll likely never be able to prove this discrimination, so why take the risk. We’re not urging everyone to become boring city slick droids, but at least present yourself in a manner that is likely to be acceptable for the types of companies you’re interested in working for.
Protect your social media sites from prying eyes - recruitment agencies and employers are now regularly checking online profiles as part of the hiring process, and you will likely never know that it was really your cruise ship party exploits or ranting about the in-laws that prevented any chance of a hiring discussion; so again, there’s no upside in taking the risk.
Check the currency of your CV/résumé - the terminology and format and length has likely changed from when you were last in the market. Anyone who claims that all employers like only 2 page bullet point CV’s is plain wrong. Some employers actually like long and detailed CV’s. Some don’t. Get advice on a case by case basis and use your common sense to make sure your résumé/CV really contains all the essential and useful information that will spark enough interest and make an interviewer hopeful to meet you.
If you're going to have a personal statement on your CV, make sure its generic, or tailored to the role you're actually applying for. We just groan each time we see the claim of someone desiring extensive international work experience, only to find that they won't relocate or travel for work.
Review your interests if you've chosen to include these on your résumé. Reading books is ho hum. Competing for the best marrow grower prize whilst excelling at macramé is puzzling. Being a hostess at lingerie and intimate toy parties is too much information. Seriously - why would you put this on your CV???!!!
Lose the jargon and abbreviations that are unique to your employer company. References to the O.B.1. or the Ackybyte or the Trocky may have been standard in your last employer. Get them out of your résumé and out of your everyday language to avoid confusing prospective employers.
“Instead of a personal statement, why not a one line sentence that sums up your truly unique expertise or skills that would add value to the role you’re applying for? As a hiring leader - I want to know, fast, how you can help solve my business challenges”
Why is a resume even important for HR Executive role applications?
There is plenty of debate ongoing about whether the résumé or CV should even be utilised in an application process, particularly for senior level roles, where HR executives have big and complex stories that are best shared verbally; and given that the essential “chemistry” with business leaders and “culture fit” with companies cannot be easily ascertained from a document. The advent of technology also makes a traditional resume seem obsolete against opportunities to present a more individual presentation of skills and experience through a film or video file, or a digital portfolio. Arguably, bypassing a generic resume in favour of online skill and competency assessment tools would also help decrease bias in the hiring process, and ensure that candidates can “walk the talk” before taking up time with formal interviews - after all, a résumé or CV is your version of what you can offer, but doesn’t provide any real proof or substantiation.
Despite the debates though, the traditional résumé is still commonly expected by hiring leaders all over the world, who expect to secure an initial understanding of who you are, what you’ve achieved, and what you can offer. In instances where you’re forced through an online application submission, the content of your resume becomes especially important as recruitment software looks for keywords relevant to the role being hired for, and yes, this absolutely happens for senior leadership roles! And so long as the market remains competitive with many executives vying for the same plum roles, the résumé is more than just a document, but an essential tool to market yourself against competing job-seekers in order to secure interest from a recruitment agency and/or a hiring leader. Interestingly, many companies actually judge the résumé as an example of your executive writing and presentation ability, so it pays to put in the effort to get your résumé or CV to be as strong as possible.
For sure, there is so much more to ensure your success when wanting to change roles, but without getting these basics right, you'll be slashing your options. Take a long hard critical look at the way others would perceive you, even before they've met you, and use your résumé or CV to make a WOW impact right from the start. The kind of WOW that makes people want to meet and interview you rather than just be laughing about you.
About the Author
Leanne Morris is well known as a both an outspoken advocate and critic of the HR profession. With long standing networks across 94 countries in all specialist areas of the function, and a multi- continent work history, she is a sought after subject matter expert on international HR hiring trends and HR hiring best practice.