Project – Resume and Cover Letter Development for a
Senior Vice-President of Global Human Resources
BEFORE • AFTER
Client Scenario & Strategy: Monica Collins’ 27-year HR career culminated in a role she’d held for nine years – Senior Vice President of Global Human Resources for an international distributor of commercial electronics products.
During her tenure, the company had undergone dynamic changes, shifting from a holding company to a rapid-growth M&A organization. Eighteen months after her promotion, the corporate focus shifted to integrate the conglomeration of companies into one operating unit. Monica had been enormously successful leading the wide-scale HR assimilation initiative.
When revenues declined sharply, there was widespread talk of a divestiture as well as the hire of a new CEO (the fourth since she joined the company). Monica became concerned about the company’s volatility and suspected its ability to remain competitive was in jeopardy.
Existing Resume: Monica was referred to ERA by a colleague and did not have an existing resume, but she used her colleague’s resume as a model to compile a brief outline of her background and accomplishments.
Branding/Unique Skills: Monica is a well-rounded HR leadership candidate; she has achieved consistent success as a results-driven generalist in a career that has traversed diverse industries and corporate environments.
As a senior executive leading international HR operations for a major commercial electronics manufacturer, she had gained a reputation as a take-charge change manager able to build consensus to drive corporate initiatives, including dynamic transformations and culture shifts.
Monica had also positioned herself as a HR expert within her field and was frequently requested as a speaker for leading professional associations such as the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).
Development Strategy: Although company leadership may cite human resources as an important asset, many organizational decisions do not reflect this belief. It is important, therefore, to portray the value of a HR executive as a strategic partner able to transform the HR function into a source of competitive advantage for the company.
Monica had been overwhelmingly successful in this regard, not only by leading the transition to a values-based corporate culture, but also by executing branding initiatives that positioned the company as a world-class employer that engendered the positive corporate visibility needed to draw top talent.
Monica’s new resume led with a subheader that linked her ability to deliver value as a “pivotal strategic driver of company success.” The career profile summarized her strengths and background, highlighting her role as a change catalyst able to integrate people and functions in dynamic environments.
It also positioned her as an innovator who had introduced new practices and technologies that positively impacted retention and productivity goals.
The profile was followed by three bullets that emphasized Monica’s key selling points as a: 1) consensus builder able to achieve the buy-in of staff to drive corporate objectives, 2) strong change leader delivering quantifiable results that significantly impact the bottom line, and 3) respected HR expert and sought-after speaker.
Under PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE, the position description provided a synopsis of her tenure with the company, including an overview of its history, cultural/directional changes, Monica’s key directives/challenges, and the scope of her leadership responsibilities.
In emphasizing Monica’s experience as a high-level, seasoned generalist, and to adequately present her numerous accomplishments over a 13-year period, her achievements were separated into sections addressing both HR/operational leadership and multiple key generalist functions.
Results: Monica’s priority was not to move another rung up the career ladder, but to restore balance in her life. She waged a very aggressive search and within seven weeks had accepted a position as Senior Vice President of Human Resources for a privately held, mid-size manufacturing firm. Although she sacrificed a reduction in her overall compensation package, she considered it an acceptable trade-off for working within a stable organization.