Additional Pieces of Career Collateral

Hitting several touchpoints in your job search helps build credibility and confidence. Your resume and LinkedIn profile are essential pieces, but that’s only two touchpoints. So how do we gain those additional touchpoints?  

Beyond value-added tips, shared intel, and introductions, we can offer up additional documentation to stay top of mind and continue to build a case:

— Bio — 

Bios are less forward than resumes — they don’t necessarily suggest “job seeker,” yet they provide an opportunity to showcase what sets you apart in a narrative format. More than a narrative work history, contemporary bios emphasize your brand, value offering, and areas of impact while positioning you for what you want next. 

— 1-Page Takeaway — 

Also called a 1-page marketing piece, this offers a brief overview of your career while showcasing your leadership skills, your values, and key accomplishments on a single page. It often features a photo and formatting, color, and branding aligned with other pieces of career collateral. 

One-pagers can be useful for networking, as an introduction, as a leave-behind piece, or as a follow-up. One-pagers are also helpful to position yourself for consulting, board service, advisory roles, or committee work. This is merely a snapshot and should not replace your full executive resume. 

— Networking Resume —

As the name suggests, networking resumes are primarily useful for networking. It only includes a brief outline of your work history and select accomplishments. This works best when used at networking events or when discussing your work history person-to-person. 

An accomplishments-only resume will not perform well when subjected to ATS or data mining in candidate dashboards, so use a full executive resume with scope for each role for formal applications. 

— Handbill —

Handbills are most often a single page listing specific target titles, industries, and companies. It may also include the names of some industry contacts. This document can be viewed as very transactional, so it should only be used if you have pre-established internal relationships. 

— Representative Engagements — 

To keep executive resumes at a reasonable length, typically 2-3 pages, sometimes it is appropriate to offer a separate addendum with a list of representative engagements, M&A activity, legal cases, and more.