Amplify Your Career Story in Your Executive Resume with Position Summaries

Executive resumes tell a career story – your story – about what you have accomplished and how it happened. When writing your executive resume and sharing your unique leadership story, the focus should be on providing the most valuable information about your career as it relates to the target role.

Many executives share stories with focused and high-impacts bulleted statements that tell the reader Who, What, Where, When, How, and Why of past experiences.

However, only using value-focused statements in an executive resume can leave part of the story out. You may also want to detail a bit about industry expertise, coveted promotions, and breadth of position oversight. This is where a role overview comes in.

To amplify your executive resume, write a strong, related summary – or role overview – for each position, adding context to your career story.

Position Summary Example 1:

The example below summarizes company information, overviews a progressional promotion, and shares brief leadership focus/value-add. Two similar positions at a single organization have been rolled together into one section to reduce content redundancies.

COMPANY NAME, City, State | Date – Date 

Global business. Markets products to 70+ countries around the world. 

VP, ACCOUNTING & CORPORATE CONTROLLER, Date – Date  

CORPORATE CONTROLLER, Date – Date 

Promoted to direct all financial administration and reporting of multimillion-dollar global business, continuing to manage financial controls, planning, and budgeting. Reported to executive staff and board of directors, communicating business value and financial recommendations to support short- and long-term business decisions.

Position Summary Example 2: 

Identifies position objectives and responsibilities, in addition to showcasing industry knowledge and staff leadership experience. 

Company Name – City, State 

MARKETING DIRECTOR, Date – Date 

Recruited to build brand and market campaign for new product launch for local manufacturing and distribution startup. Spearheaded product positioning and platform development of $1.2M product. Managed 45  staff, personally hiring and training 16 new members.

Position Summary Example 3:

Highlights primary focus of the role, a commitment to reaching and exceeding company goals, and quick details on accountability, financial responsibility, and management experience. Specific metrics and measurements are included for greater impact. 

Company Name – City, State | Date – Date 

CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, Date – Date

Tasked with transforming IT department into strategic business partner in close collaboration with CFO and executive management. Promoted technology utilization and efficiency and introduced roadmaps, governance processes, and best practices to raise IT standards. Directed a team of 50 to ensure goal attainment across 85 operating locations. Drove $14M budget execution for infrastructure, security, enterprise systems, and IT support. 

Position summaries in an executive resume increase the amount of impactful information shared without taking up too much valuable real estate.

An essential reminder with position overviews is to keep details succinct and value-rich. Meaning, don’t just overview basic tasks. Tell the reader what you stepped into, your primary focus, or where you took the role and how you benefited the business – – all while incorporating select responsibilities. These facts help shape and amplify your leadership story. 

Looking for more resume resources? Check out my tips in these two recent Forbes articles:

How to Jump Start Your Job Search with Advice from 15 Career Experts (look for my executive resume tips at the end).

Hardest Part of Resume Writing? Quiz with Writing Tips.