Applying to a Senior Executive Service position is not easy. Not only must you demonstrate excellence as well as a great amount of leadership, but you must also go though the fastidious SES hiring process, which includes SES resume writing, ECQ preparation and the much dreaded interview with Uncle Sam. SES resume writing can be often difficult and overwhelming, due to the amount of data that is required. Usually, SES resume writing is left to professional Federal resume writing services that specialized in SES resume preparation. However, if you are qualified for a Senior Executive Level job opening, you’re more than qualified to provide your own SES resume writing,, if you want to. If you are up to the task, here are some helpful tips to get you started.
·Provide as much personal data as is requested. At this level, nothing is too personal.
·Do be specific in your writing. The person in charge of hiring you at the Senior Executive Level doesn’t have the time to try to figure out the vagueness of your SES resume writing.
·Reply EXACTLY to the listing. The vacancy announcement at the Senior Executive level has specific rules, which you need to follow. Diverting from the guidelines or leaving out an essential part of the application process will show that you lack the ability to follow basic instructions, which will get you disqualified.
·Do offer relevant data only. It does not matter how great your accomplishments are; if it is not not related to the job opening, the employer won’t care.
·Do provide the ECQ data that is requested. This is an unspoken standard at the SES level. In case you need to know, ECQ’s cover five basic elements: leading change, leading people, results driven, business acumen, and building coalitions.
·Don’t forget important information. It might take three or four revisions to get your SES resume writing done, but you need to ensure it is thorough.
·Limit yourself to two pages, maximum. Great SES resume writing is about quality, not quantity.
·Don’t attempt writing your SES resume on your own unless you are sure you can do it. You can outsource your SES resume writing needs, which will get better chances of being hired than if you write your own resume.
·Don’t give too little. If the data is relevant, no matter how beginine it may seem to you, put it in your resume. That one little extra addition might help you stand out and get an interview.
·Don’t give too much. If it doesn’t directly relate to or affect the position you seek, skip it. At the SES level, hiring managers want a very brief, direct answer to their question.
SES resume writing shouldn’t be complicated for Senior Executive level applicants. However, at this level you should also be intelligent enough to know whether your resume writing skills are good enough, or if you should hire a professional resume writer to prepare your resume.