Crafting Compelling Executive Bios

If you're aiming for the C-suite, clarity around your value is non-negotiable. Too often, I see smart, capable leaders stumble in interviews or on paper—not because they lack experience, but because they haven’t taken the time to reflect. Before you make your next move, spend real time thinking through: What business challenge were you hired to solve? How did that challenge evolve over time? What metrics were you accountable for? How did you deliver against those KPIs? What is your target role or company truly looking for? In what ways have you already demonstrated that you're the right person to meet those needs? What have you consistently achieved across your career? What are you known for? What differentiates you from other high performers? What’s the most innovative initiative you've led in the talent space? How large were the teams you led—and how did you retain and grow them? What were your employee engagement scores? Are you proud of those results? What did you learn from them? This exercise isn’t quick. It may take several focused hours. But this kind of reflection is what sharpens your narrative and elevates your positioning. Self-awareness is a competitive advantage. The "easy way" isn’t the fast way—it’s the intentional way. Put in the strategic work before you hit "apply" and you'll move faster, attract better-fit opportunities, and present yourself with the clarity and confidence of a true executive. #executivepresence #careerstrategy #resume #leadership #valueproposition

A CFO came to me with one question: “Why isn’t LinkedIn bringing me opportunities?” I didn’t need more than 10 seconds to see why. Their profile read like a basic career chronology: past-focused, dense, full of jargon. It didn’t give anyone a reason to reach out today. Don’t approach LinkedIn as just a ‘resume-like’ database. Look at it more like a giant search engine. If you want it to bring you opportunities, your profile must be built for search, connection, and positioning. Start with these 4 checks: 1.     Headline: Does it project your next move, not just your current job title? Most executives leave their headline as “CFO at XYZ Corp.”, which doesn’t help them in searches. Instead, use a value-driven headline with appropriate keywords: Chief Financial Officer | Fortune 100 | $50B P&L Oversight | Drove 18% EBITDA Growth and $4B Free Cash Flow | Global M&A, Capital Markets, Digital Finance Transformation This makes you keyword-rich for search and gives readers a reason to click. 2.     About Section: Does it read like a compelling conversation starter, or like a dull corporate bio? The best About sections: * Lead with a hook that makes people want to read more. * Share the kind of leadership problems you solve. * Spotlight strong impacts and results. * Close with a clear invitation to connect. 3.     Top 5 Skills: These should never be random; instead, they should be strategically selected and aligned with the skills that your future employers are looking for. Choose keywords that match your target roles (e.g., “Mergers & Acquisitions,” “Financial Strategy,” “Organizational Transformation”). 4.     Experience Section: Are your results front and center? Are you providing enough context to appease and interest a reader? Replace generic “responsible for” statements with quantified impact: “Delivered $120M in cost savings through operational restructuring”. People scan profiles, and numbers and specifics stop the scroll. When you treat your LinkedIn profile as an active marketing asset, it begins generating warm leads even when you’re not online. A strong profile isn’t just a biography. It’s your 24/7 business development tool. 🔁 Share this to help someone who is due for a LinkedIn refresh. #LinkedIn #Jobsearch #ExecutiveSearch

I’m giving away a huge secret in this post, because honestly, more people need to hear it: ➡️ It’s not about listing everything you’ve done. ➡️It’s about going deep on the right projects. I think people often panic, especially in this job market, and when they aren't getting interviews, they add more to their résumé, when really what you should do is the opposite. Get more specific. When I help clients move from Director to VP, or VP to SVP (two just in the last month!), the biggest shift we make on their résumés isn’t adding more. It’s focusing on fewer, bigger things - and telling the full story. Here’s why: ✅ At the executive level, breadth doesn’t sell you - impact does. ✅ Leaders are hired for their ability to drive transformation, growth, and change - not to “do a little of everything.” ✅ Scattershot bullet points make it hard for decision-makers to see what moves the needle. What works instead: 🔹 Choose 2–4 major initiatives that show leadership at scale (think: transformation, turnaround, market expansion, operational efficiency). 🔹 Frame your role clearly: What were you hired to do? What was the challenge? 🔹 Show results: How did the business change because of your leadership? (Revenue growth? Cost savings? Market share gains? Culture shifts?) 🔹 Use strategic language: Elevate your bullets from “managed” and “supported” to “led enterprise-wide initiatives,” “drove revenue expansion,” “transformed operations across regions.” A résumé that’s curated (rather than crammed) positions you for the next level. I'm keeping every executive resume under 1,000 words. Because executives aren’t hired for everything they’ve touched. They’re hired for the big moves they can deliver next. If you want help pulling out the right pieces of your story, and showing up like the executive you already are, book a call with me. 👇 #executivewomen #careerstrategy #leadershipbranding #womeninleadership #executiveresume #executivevisibility