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Your resume is your chance to summarize your strengths, stand out from other candidates, and land the interview of your dreams. It’s also a good place to start laying the foundation for the career you’re hoping to build with a prospective employer.

Here are seven ways to build a resume that demonstrates your leadership skill and potential:

  1. Gather examples.

When looking for examples of leadership you’ve demonstrated in the past, ask yourself two questions: “What did I do?” and “How did I do it?” For instance, if you were put in charge of the team after the previous team leader fell ill, the “what” may be “led my team to meet its third-quarter goals” and the “how” may be “by adapting quickly to leadership and improving communication.”

  1. Put a number on it.

Quantifying your results helps hiring managers see exactly how you succeeded as a leader. Options include “increased membership by 12 percent,” “Delivered project $1500 under budget and two weeks early,” or “Produced 5 percent more widgets than anyone else on the team.”

  1. Emphasize leadership-related soft skills.

Communication, collaboration, organization and time management are all skills leaders need for their teams to succeed. When you’ve used these skills in past jobs, mention them on your resume to build an image of yourself as a leader.

  1. Pay attention to the job posting.

Scan the job posting for words related to leadership. Include both obvious words like “leader” and “manager” and words that point to leadership-essential soft skills like those mentioned above. Work these words into your own description of your accomplishments in your resume, so the hiring manager can see you “speak the same language” when it comes to leadership.

  1. Mention results.

Wherever you can, mention the result your leadership produced. For instance, if you were asked to lead a project, mention that you were put in charge – and then mention how the project succeeded.

  1. Make it clear.

Good leaders know that communication isn’t restricted to word choice. Good communication also depends on information being easy for recipients to parse. Choose a resume format and layout that make it easy for hiring managers to see the most important details of your job.

  1. Get an ally.

Have a trusted colleague or friend review your resume. Also, consider sharing your resume with a recruiter. Your recruiter can help you position yourself as a leader and find companies that embrace your approach to leadership.

At SMR Group, our recruiters help sales and marketing professionals connect with some of the best jobs and employers in the medical device, pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Contact us today to learn more.


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