Category: executive resume writing

Updating LinkedIn for a stealth job search? 

How can you make it look like you don’t have a foot out the door?

Maybe you don’t want the boss to think you’re looking around, but you’d like to promote your skills for a next-level opportunity.

In 7 Must Know LinkedIn Tips for Executives, I cover ways you can put yourself “out there” at the start of your job search.

Keep these other things in mind when updating LinkedIn on the down low:

Your boss and teams are probably updating LinkedIn, too.

There’s now more than 10 million C-suite executives on LinkedIn, according to these LinkedIn demographics, with more joining every day.

In short, if you’re on LinkedIn, so is your boss – and they’re updating their Profile continually or considering it.

Your colleagues are also likely combing LinkedIn to see what co-workers are doing, and wondering how to properly adjust their own profiles while employed. (There’s nothing stopping you from joining them by looking at how they’ve described their own backgrounds.)

Your first step, described in 5 Steps to a Best-in-Class Executive LinkedIn Profile, is to add a LOT more content, which can benefit you by educating employers on your value proposition and making your profile findable on more keywords.

While you’re updating your own profile, keep an eye on whether your executive team and colleagues are doing the same  – and you’ll probably spot some revisions on their end, too.

Your LinkedIn update can promote your employer as well as your own career.

If you fear the boss looking over your shoulder, relax. Your LinkedIn profile can tout your expertise AND the company’s reputation at the same time, to everyone’s benefit.

First, think about how to market your employer’s value proposition and your role in it. Start by answering these questions:

• What product or service does your employer deliver, and what type of positive reputation do they have for doing it?
• How has your work helped them stay competitive or innovative in the field?
• If you met someone at an industry conference, what would you tell them about your employer?
• How would you describe your impact or legacy in the industry? In your team?

Then, turn these answers into a synopsis (for your About or Experience sections) that benefits both YOU and YOUR EMPLOYER, such as this example:

As Chief Revenue Officer for XYZ Company, I work behind the scenes to ensure our sales teams completely understand the B2B market for sheet metal components.

By partnering with suppliers on steel and fabrication requirements, we’ve created trend-setting, innovative products. Our sales and revenue metrics reflect a #1 ranking among major residential and commercial customers.

My role as CRO demands an insider’s view of product strategy, growth opportunities, lead generation, and marketing, enabling me to collaborate with senior executives and build a data-driven organization.

We strive to create a positive customer experience with the right talent, sales enablement, and integrity that has positioned XYZ as the premier source for quality building and roofing products.

This About section for a Chief Revenue Officer describes a company-focused and driven leader with the right skills to take the company forward – and to satisfy the needs of prospective employers.

Note the KEYWORDS added throughout this section, which help strengthen this executive’s searchability by recruiters.

Your LinkedIn update should, however, go light on confidential metrics.

Your resume and LinkedIn Profile are used differently: you can distribute your resume confidentially, but you can’t take back company secrets after they’re published on LinkedIn.

So, it’s best to tune your Profile to avoid disclosing confidential details on LinkedIn (even if you’re adding the same data to your resume).

Think about it: if you’re describing extensive turnarounds or transformation projects, this could imply that your employer is struggling. Showing how you’ve improved productivity might also show that your company doesn’t hire strong teams.

To decide how to update your LinkedIn Profile without giving away corporate secrets, consider the following:

• Are there sensitive projects (such as a restructuring) you shouldn’t mention online?
• Do your achievements contain metrics, such as revenue or new customer volume, that are only known to company insiders?
• Would any of your accomplishments tip off competitors and give them an unfair advantage?
• Have you participated in “undercover” growth initiatives or M&A strategies not yet announced?

If any of these are true, consider removing the details or referencing them in a more “general” manner.

Your LinkedIn account should ALWAYS use a personal email, NOT a company email address.

You may have provided your company email address when signing up for LinkedIn, but if you haven’t changed it, now’s the time.

Your employer can not only see any email coming into your account (including any messages related to your job search), but could also take ownership of your account, making it inaccessible to you!

So switch over to a different address while your job search is just getting underway. This guide will help you change your primary LinkedIn email address.

Your future self (who may soon be employed elsewhere) will thank you.

To summarize, updating your LinkedIn Profile while you’re still employed is a great idea – and a common step for many leaders in today’s job market.

Take a moment to ensure you’ve portrayed BOTH you and your employer in the best light, even while searching for a perfect-fit new job.

Concerned about showing an employment gap on your resume?

Life happens and work gaps happen, too.

Executives, just like other candidates, often experience lapses in employment due to job searches, board work, illness, downsizing, performance, and of course, COVID.

Your resume, however, is meant to be an impressive picture of your accomplishments, value proposition, and skills – NOT the place to bring up a potentially negative aspect of your work history.

So how DO you explain a gap in employment?

Here are 5 strategies for handling the gap – both on your resume AND in your interviews: 

 

1 – Realize that gaps in employment aren’t rare.

You aren’t the only leader facing this issue.

Maybe you lost your passion for the industry – or realized the company was headed for troubled times. Some executives find themselves job hunting after realizing their employer had a much different cultural, financial, or leadership philosophy (see Regret Taking Your New Job? What to Do Next).

Business Insider even suggested applicants with resume gaps should be seen as more valuable, as they have often experienced a period of upskilling, self-reflection, or career exploration.

Of course, layoffs, mergers, or restructuring inevitably hit many industries. All of these situations are, unfortunately, very common!

You may also find attitudes toward gaps have softened (as a similar shift has occurred with hybrid work). Your gap is probably not the huge issue you might think it is.

No matter what the cause, most gaps are easier to explain in person during your interview – and some won’t even come up, especially if years have passed since you left.

 

2 – Add a brief note to your resume if your gap occurred during COVID.

If you were unemployed between 2020 and 2022, you have plenty of company.

The pandemic and its impact on business disrupted many operations and left businesses reeling – with little opportunity to recover.

Many executives and senior leaders worked hard to keep the company afloat during this unprecedented time. When revenue tanked, costs soared, or supply chain issues surfaced, you may have needed to shut the doors or scale back teams.

If this happened to you, a COVID gap can be easily noted on your resume, with an entry such as “Left operation after COVID-related shutdown” under the description of your job.

Depending on the pandemic’s effect (especially in retail or restaurant businesses), you might not even need to mention why the operation didn’t survive.

 

3 – Leave a long-ago gap for discussion during your interviews.

You may fear disclosing a gap in your work history, no matter when it occurred.

However, it’s likely that recruiters or employers aren’t as concerned about a long-ago gap as you are. Downsizing and industry changes have become so common that you might not find it necessary to mention a lull in employment.

Here are situations where a gap from 6+ years ago may not be relevant (and you don’t need a resume entry):

• You transitioned from one leadership role to the next, but were unemployed for a few months while job hunting;
• Your executive team experienced a reorganization, and while it took a while to find your next job, you’ve been employed steadily for the last several years;
• Most of your industry or company took a substantial hit due to circumstances beyond your control (such as the fallout from a previous recession), and nearly everyone was unemployed at that time.

In these cases, try leaving your work gap to be discussed during the interview (and plan to be ready with a brief summary).

Resist the urge to over-explain on your resume or LinkedIn Profile, unless you are presented with evidence that these gaps are hurting your job search.

 

4 – Take action if a recent (non-COVID) gap could affect your brand.

Perhaps you left a former employer of your own accord in recent years, then went back to work. In this case, you SHOULD mention the gap on your resume.

It’s best to show this time between employers as a positive career step. For example, your work history can show an entry called Sabbatical or Master’s Degree Studies that covers the time you took to upskill, work on a special project, or attend an educational program.

You could also use Family Care to describe how you managed the needs of children, tended to an ailing relative, served as executor of an estate, or handled similar scenarios.

Don’t worry about the implications of these situations. Recruiters and employers have seen these circumstances before; you didn’t invent them!

Whatever you use, stick to the TRUTH and use a simple, concise description. (If your situation was more complex, such as incarceration or extended layoffs, consider working with a career coach to come up with an overall plan.)

The idea is to offer employers a glimpse of what may have happened, without dwelling too heavily on this aberration in your career.

 

5 – Bring the focus back to your personal brand.

Even if an employer comments on your break in employment, your best interview and job-search strategy is to emphasize what you OFFER.

If you’re prepared with a synopsis of your gap – coupled with reasons you can drive revenue, growth strategy, compliance, or technology modernization – this part of your employment will be less important.

As an example, consider these interview statements that place emphasis on the executive’s future contributions:

“It’s true that I left the manufacturing industry during a family situation that is no longer a factor in my life. I’m ready to continue delivering the same level of insight and change that took 6 of our regions to the top of the market.”

“Taking a sabbatical to re-center my career into non-profit was the best move I ever made. Combined with my development experience raising more than $7M in 2 different companies, I’m ready to lead the $25M in growth important to you today.”

 

The bottom line: no matter when and how your gap occurred, it may not be a deal breaker to employers.

Your executive resume and LinkedIn presence should always emphasize capable leadership and a strong value proposition, rather than draw attention to unrelated periods in your career.

 

Need to update LinkedIn for a stealth job search – while still employed?

How can you make it look like you don’t have a foot out the door?

Maybe you don’t want the boss to think you’re looking around, but you’d like to promote your skills for a next-level opportunity.

In 7 Must Know LinkedIn Tips for Executives, I cover ways you can put yourself “out there” at the start of your job search.

Keep these other things in mind when updating LinkedIn on the down low:

Your boss is probably updating their LinkedIn profile, too.

There’s now more than 10 million C-suite executives on LinkedIn, according to these LinkedIn demographics, with more joining every day.

In short, if you’re on LinkedIn, so is your boss – and they’re updating their Profile continually or considering it.

Your colleagues are also likely combing LinkedIn to see what co-workers are doing, and wondering how to properly adjust their own profiles while employed. (There’s nothing stopping you from joining them by looking at how they’ve described their own backgrounds.)

Your first step, as shown in 5 Steps to a Best-in-Class Executive LinkedIn Profile, is to add more content. You can do this while keeping an eye on whether your executive team and colleagues are doing the same – and you’ll quickly realize you are NOT alone.

 

Your LinkedIn update can promote your employer as well as your own career.

If you fear the boss looking over your shoulder, relax. Your LinkedIn profile can tout your expertise and the company’s reputation at the same time, to everyone’s benefit.

First, think about how to market your employer’s value proposition and your role in it. Start by answering these questions:

• What product or service does your employer deliver, and what type of positive reputation do they have for doing it?
• How has your work helped them stay competitive or innovative in the field?
• If you met someone at an industry conference, what would you tell them about your employer?
• How would you describe your impact or legacy in the industry? In your team?

Then, turn these answers into a synopsis (for your About or Experience sections) that benefits both YOU and YOUR EMPLOYER, such as this example:

As Chief Revenue Officer for XYZ Company, I work behind the scenes to ensure our sales teams completely understand the B2B market for sheet metal components.

By partnering with suppliers on steel and fabrication requirements, we’ve created trend-setting, innovative products. Our sales and revenue metrics reflect a #1 ranking among major residential and commercial customers.

My role as CRO demands an insider’s view of product strategy, growth opportunities, lead generation, and marketing, enabling me to collaborate with senior executives and build a data-driven organization.

We strive to create a positive customer experience with the right talent, sales enablement, and integrity that has positioned XYZ as the premier source for quality building and roofing products.

This About section for a Chief Revenue Officer describes a company-focused and driven leader with the right skills to take the company forward – and to satisfy the needs of prospective employers.

Note the keywords judiciously added throughout the text – strengthening LinkedIn SEO on terms relevant to a job search.

 

Your LinkedIn Profile should contain a toned-down version of your achievements.

Your resume and LinkedIn Profile are used differently: you can distribute your resume confidentially, but you can’t take back company secrets after they’re published on LinkedIn.

So, it’s best to tune your Profile to avoid disclosing confidential details on LinkedIn (even if you’re adding the same data to your resume).

Think about it: if you’re describing extensive turnarounds or transformation projects, this could imply that your employer is struggling. Showing how you’ve improved productivity might also show that your company doesn’t hire strong teams.

To decide how to update your LinkedIn Profile without giving away corporate secrets, consider the following:

• Are there sensitive projects (such as a restructuring) you shouldn’t mention online?
• Do your achievements contain metrics, such as revenue or new customer volume, that are only known to company insiders?
• Would any of your accomplishments tip off competitors and give them an unfair advantage?
• Have you participated in “undercover” growth initiatives or M&A strategies not yet announced?

If any of these are true, consider removing the details or referencing them in a more “general” manner.

 

Your company email address should be changed to ensure access to your LinkedIn account.

You may have provided your company email address when signing up for LinkedIn, but if you haven’t changed it, now’s the time.

Your employer can not only see any email coming into your account (including any messages related to your job search), but could also take ownership of your account, making it inaccessible to you!

So switch over to a different address while your job search is just getting underway. This guide will help you change your primary LinkedIn email address.

Your future self (who may soon be employed elsewhere) will thank you.

 

To summarize, updating your LinkedIn Profile while you’re still employed is a great idea – and a common step for many leaders in today’s job market.

Take a moment to ensure you’ve portrayed BOTH you and your employer in the best light, even while searching for a perfect-fit new job.

Concerned about showing an employment gap on your resume?

Life happens and work gaps happen, too.

Executives, just like other candidates, often experience lapses in employment due to job searches, board work, illness, downsizing, performance, and of course, COVID.

Your resume, however, is meant to be an impressive picture of your accomplishments, value proposition, and skills – NOT the place to bring up a potentially negative aspect of your work history.

So how DO you explain a gap in employment?

Here are 5 strategies for handling the gap – both on your resume AND in your interviews: 

 

1 – Realize that gaps in employment aren’t rare.

You aren’t the only leader facing this issue.

Maybe you lost your passion for the industry – or realized the company was headed for troubled times. Some executives find themselves job hunting after realizing their employer had a much different cultural, financial, or leadership philosophy (see Regret Taking Your New Job? What to Do Next).

Business Insider even suggested applicants with resume gaps should be seen as more valuable, as they have often experienced a period of upskilling, self-reflection, or career exploration.

Of course, layoffs, mergers, or restructuring inevitably hit many industries. All of these situations are, unfortunately, very common!

You may also find attitudes toward gaps have softened (as a similar shift has occurred with hybrid work). Your gap is probably not the huge issue you might think it is.

No matter what the cause, most gaps are easier to explain in person during your interview – and some won’t even come up, especially if years have passed since you left.

 

2 – Add a brief note to your resume if your gap occurred during COVID.

If you were unemployed between 2020 and 2022, you have plenty of company.

The pandemic and its impact on business disrupted many operations and left businesses reeling – with little opportunity to recover.

Many executives and senior leaders worked hard to keep the company afloat during this unprecedented time. When revenue tanked, costs soared, or supply chain issues surfaced, you may have needed to shut the doors or scale back teams.

If this happened to you, a COVID gap can be easily noted on your resume, with an entry such as “Left operation after COVID-related shutdown” under the description of your job.

Depending on the pandemic’s effect (especially in retail or restaurant businesses), you might not even need to mention why the operation didn’t survive.

 

3 – Leave a long-ago gap for discussion during your interviews.

You may fear disclosing a gap in your work history, no matter when it occurred.

However, it’s likely that recruiters or employers aren’t as concerned about a long-ago gap as you are. Downsizing and industry changes have become so common that you might not find it necessary to mention a lull in employment.

Here are situations where a gap from 6+ years ago may not be relevant (and you don’t need a resume entry):

• You transitioned from one leadership role to the next, but were unemployed for a few months while job hunting;
• Your executive team experienced a reorganization, and while it took a while to find your next job, you’ve been employed steadily for the last several years;
• Most of your industry or company took a substantial hit due to circumstances beyond your control (such as the fallout from a previous recession), and nearly everyone was unemployed at that time.

In these cases, try leaving your work gap to be discussed during the interview (and plan to be ready with a brief summary).

Resist the urge to over-explain on your resume or LinkedIn Profile, unless you are presented with evidence that these gaps are hurting your job search.

 

4 – Take action if a recent (non-COVID) gap could affect your brand.

Perhaps you left a former employer of your own accord in recent years, then went back to work. In this case, you SHOULD mention the gap on your resume.

It’s best to show this time between employers as a positive career step. For example, your work history can show an entry called Sabbatical or Master’s Degree Studies that covers the time you took to upskill, work on a special project, or attend an educational program.

You could also use Family Care to describe how you managed the needs of children, tended to an ailing relative, served as executor of an estate, or handled similar scenarios.

Don’t worry about the implications of these situations. Recruiters and employers have seen these circumstances before; you didn’t invent them!

Whatever you use, stick to the TRUTH and use a simple, concise description. (If your situation was more complex, such as incarceration or extended layoffs, consider working with a career coach to come up with an overall plan.)

The idea is to offer employers a glimpse of what may have happened, without dwelling too heavily on this aberration in your career.

 

5 – Bring the focus back to your personal brand.

Even if an employer comments on your break in employment, your best interview and job-search strategy is to emphasize what you OFFER.

If you’re prepared with a synopsis of your gap – coupled with reasons you can drive revenue, growth strategy, compliance, or technology modernization – this part of your employment will be less important.

As an example, consider these interview statements that place emphasis on the executive’s future contributions:

“It’s true that I left the manufacturing industry during a family situation that is no longer a factor in my life. I’m ready to continue delivering the same level of insight and change that took 6 of our regions to the top of the market.”

“Taking a sabbatical to re-center my career into non-profit was the best move I ever made. Combined with my development experience raising more than $7M in 2 different companies, I’m ready to lead the $25M in growth important to you today.”

 

The bottom line: no matter when and how your gap occurred, it may not be a deal breaker to employers.

Your executive resume and LinkedIn presence should always emphasize capable leadership and a strong value proposition, rather than draw attention to unrelated periods in your career.