What Happens When You Work With an Executive Resume Writer: The Process Step by Step
Many senior professionals think about using an executive resume writer for months before they do anything about it. Part of the hesitation is cost. But a bigger part, in my experience, is not knowing what actually happens. How much time will it take? What will I need to provide? Will the writer understand my work? What if I do not like the result?
This post walks through what a good executive resume writing process usually looks like, step by step. Every provider works a little differently, so use this as a guide to what to expect and what to ask about before you commit.
Step 1: An initial conversation
Most good providers start with a conversation before you commit to anything. In my practice, this is the complimentary Clarity Session. The purpose is to understand where you are, where you want to go and whether the provider is the right fit.
This is your chance to ask questions. How does the provider work? What experience do they have with roles like yours? What does the process involve? Who will actually do the work? Our guide to choosing a CFO resume writer lists useful questions.
It is also the provider’s chance to check whether they can help. A good provider will tell you plainly if they think you need something different.
Step 2: Agreeing the scope and terms
If you decide to go ahead, you should receive a clear description of what is included, the investment and the terms. That may include your resume, LinkedIn profile, cover letter, board biography or interview preparation, depending on what you need.
Read the terms before you pay. Check what is included, how revisions work, what happens if you are not satisfied and how long the work usually takes. A professional provider will be happy to explain anything that is unclear. Our piece on what executive resume writing costs covers what drives the price.
Step 3: Gathering your information
Next, the provider collects information about your career. This usually includes:
Your current resume and LinkedIn profile
Position descriptions for current and recent roles
Performance reviews, board papers or reports that show your results, where you are comfortable sharing them
Advertisements or briefs for roles you are targeting
A questionnaire about your career, achievements and goals
You do not need to have everything perfectly organised. Share what you have. The provider’s job is to find the story in it.
Step 4: The in-depth conversation
This is the most important part of the process. A good executive resume writer will spend real time talking with you about your career, not just reading your documents.
The conversation usually covers:
The roles you want next, and why
The scale and scope of each role you have held
Your most important achievements, and what you actually did
The numbers behind your results
How you lead, and what people say about working with you
Difficult periods, such as redundancies, gaps or short roles, and how to present them
What makes you different from other candidates at your level
Many clients say this conversation helps them see their career more clearly. It is often where the strongest evidence appears, because people underplay their best work when writing about themselves.
Step 5: Strategy and positioning
Before writing starts, a good provider will agree how you should be positioned. Which roles are you targeting? What should a reader understand about you in the first ten seconds? What are the three or four things that make you the right candidate?
This step is what separates executive resume writing from formatting. The positioning shapes every line of the document. Our piece on positioning your executive resume explains why this matters.
Step 6: The first draft
The writer then prepares a first draft of your resume and any other documents. A good first draft should:
Lead with a clear summary of who you are and what you offer
Show scale and scope for each role
Present achievements with results, not just responsibilities
Handle any difficult areas carefully
Read clearly, in your voice, without jargon
Do not expect the first draft to be perfect. It is a starting point for your feedback.
Step 7: Your feedback and refinement
Next, you review the draft carefully. Check every fact, figure and date. Tell the writer what feels right and what does not. If something does not sound like you, say so.
A good provider will refine the documents until they are accurate and you are happy to use them. In my own practice, I offer a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee on your resume and LinkedIn profile. I keep refining them until you are satisfied.
Be specific in your feedback. “I am not sure about the summary” is harder to act on than “The summary makes me sound more operational than I am”.
Step 8: LinkedIn and other documents
If your package includes a LinkedIn profile, it should tell the same story as your resume but in a more conversational style. It should also help search consultants find you. Our guide to aligning your resume and LinkedIn profile explains how the two work together.
Other documents, such as cover letters and board biographies, are usually built from the same positioning.
Step 9: Using the documents
Once your documents are final, you should know how to use them. That includes adjusting your resume for different roles, keeping your LinkedIn profile active and approaching search consultants and your network.
Some providers also offer interview preparation and ongoing support through your search. Ask what is available and what it costs before you start.
How much of your time it takes
Most of your time goes into gathering information, the in-depth conversation and reviewing drafts. Plan for some focused time in the first week or two, then time to review each draft. Your provider should give you a clear idea of the timeframe at the start.
The more open and specific you are, the better the result, and the fewer revisions you are likely to need.
How to prepare for the in-depth conversation
You will get far more from the conversation if you do some thinking beforehand. You do not need polished answers. Rough notes are enough.
Before the call, it helps to:
List the work you most want a new employer to know about. Three to five pieces of work is plenty.
Find the numbers. For each one, note what changed, such as revenue, cost, cash, risk, time, team size or budget. Estimates are fine at this stage, as long as you flag them.
Think about your part, not just the team’s. Be ready to explain the decisions you made and why.
Remember the hard parts. What was at stake, what went wrong and how did you respond? These details often make an achievement believable.
Note what others say about you. Comments from performance reviews, board members or former colleagues can help show how you lead.
Be clear about what you do not want. Roles, sectors or types of organisation you want to avoid matter as much as the ones you want.
For example, a CFO might arrive with a note that simply says “refinanced debt, lower interest cost, board nervous, tight timeline”. That is enough to start. The writer’s job is to ask the questions that turn it into a clear, specific achievement.
How to give useful feedback on a draft
Your feedback shapes the final documents, so it is worth doing well.
Read it as the target reader. Imagine you are the search consultant or chair reading it for the first time. Does it make the case for the role you want?
Separate facts from style. Mark factual corrections clearly, such as a wrong date, title or figure. Then give your views on tone and emphasis separately.
Say what, and why. “Take out the second achievement” is useful. “Take out the second achievement, because that project was mostly led by my deputy” is far more useful.
Flag anything confidential. If a figure or project name cannot be shared, say so, and the writer can describe it another way.
Send your comments together. One consolidated set of comments is easier to act on than several separate emails over a few days.
Get one outside view, not ten. A trusted colleague or mentor can help. Too many opinions usually pull the document in different directions.
What a good process feels like
A good process should feel like working with someone who understands senior careers and how hiring decisions are made. You should feel listened to. Your documents should reflect your real experience, in language that sounds like you at your best.
Warning signs include a provider who does not ask detailed questions, sends a template, will not explain the process or pressures you to decide quickly. Our comparison of CFO and board resume writers covers the different types of provider and who suits whom.
Common questions
Do I need to know exactly what role I want? It helps, but a good provider will help you clarify it.
Can I use my own words? Yes. The documents should sound like you. Tell the writer if something does not.
What if I have confidential results? A good writer will help you present them safely, using ranges or descriptions. Our piece on confidential results explains how.
What if I have a career gap or redundancy? This is common, and a good writer will help you present it truthfully and confidently.
Know what you are buying
Working with an executive resume writer is an investment in how the market sees you. Knowing the process in advance helps you choose the right provider, prepare well and get the most from the work.
If you want to see how I approach this work, see executive resume writing.
If you are thinking about working with a resume writer and want to understand what you need, book a complimentary Clarity Session and we will look at where you are and what would help most.
