Then you better bring the goods!
Anyone can add fancy borders and writing to a resume. Although those things make a resume pop, they alone can’t sell you. If you’re trying to show a recruiter that you are worth the six-figure job than you need the following:
- For starters, you should at least have the years of experience and/or education required. Along with the experience your income should already be substantial. I mean it’s going to be difficult to go from $60K a year to $100K overnight. Unless you have an MD and you’re finishing up a residency program, chances are pretty slim this will happen. We always suggest candidates request no more than $10K more than what they’re currently earning. I have seen plenty of people increase their salary by $20K, but they have a good case for it (usually), which brings me to the next item in the “goods” list.
- Examples of what a six-figure earner or someone warranted of six figures would bring to the table. Are you a visionary or change agent? Show me. What have you done for (insert company) lately? Are you a leader in your field? How? Do you often exceed quotas by 110% or more? How? Do you build C-level partnerships? How and for how long? It’s not enough to “say” you have 15 or 20 years of experience, you have to show exactly what you’ve been doing to make a difference during your career. Let’s say you’re a District Manager of a popular restaurant chain and now you’re seeking a Regional Manager position. You’re going to have to show how you took the restaurants in your district from point A to B. Did you turn around failing operations? How and what was the result? How did you increase revenue and decrease operational costs?
- Flexibility. This is a must. A six-figure job comes with a lot of responsibilities and some sacrifices here and there. You may have to relocate, travel extensively, work a weekend and so on. You’ll need to be an email or phone call away even when you’re on vacation. I know this doesn’t exactly go on the resume, but you can add it in your cover letter, where you should be further stating your case.
- Add an executive bio and or a strong LinkedIn profile. The bio is just a little something extra. The LinkedIn profile is a great professional branding tool! And you can write your bio right in the summary. Don’t forget the photo!
And lastly, whatever you add to the resume, bio or LinkedIn profile be ready to speak to it and back it up!
Good luck in your career progression! Wendy Steele