Over the last ten years, I've hired data leaders at every level. Most early career leaders struggle to write a clear, compelling resume. The most common problem I encounter is that after reading their resume, I have no idea if the person is a capable leader.
Most early career leaders describe themselves like they are individual contributors. They emphasize technical capabilities or skills that were important in their previous role. To me, that signals someone who hasn't transitioned between individual contributor and leader. It makes me hesitant to bring them in for an interview.
When I read a leader's resume, I'm looking for outcomes. I want a resume to explain the impacts a candidate's leadership has had on the business, team, and individuals. Most leadership resumes are project outcomes heavy but missing the bigger picture. I have project managers, and I hire a leader to do something different.
That cuts directly to the heart of a leader's value to the team. For individual contributors, I advise that you describe your value by explaining what kind of work products you produce. With leaders, describing work products is complex because there's no tangible equivalent.
What about outcomes? Even that can be fuzzy. If the team delivers a model, how much of that model's success is due to the leader? There's an uncomfortable area that we walk into where it can feel like we're taking credit for other people's work.
However, it's undeniable that having a leader in place has some impact and positive benefits for the team. Communicating leadership abilities, functions, and outcomes require a new approach. I will explain the points and concepts I look for and support them with examples of what they sound like in an effective leadership resume.