Your resume and LinkedIn profile CAN position you for specific levels of leadership roles.
Showcase Your Leadership Style
First of all, know your leadership style. Many people WANT a leadership role, but it is difficult to advocate for yourself to take on a leadership role without knowing how to clearly articulate your leadership style. Leaders are VERY different from each other. Think about how you thrive.
Do you lead by example? Are you a servant leader? Do you make tough decisions based on data? Does empathy underpin all of your interactions? Do you hire experts and trust them to execute? Do you set high standards? Do you create order from chaos? Do you usher in change?
Most likely, your leadership style is a combination of a few attributes. It might help to ask colleagues, friends, or your significant other for their thoughts on the matter, too. When you KNOW how you lead, you will be able to showcase your leadership style. By doing so, you will be taken more seriously as a leader and be better aligned to find roles where you can THRIVE rather than just struggle through.
This is most often discussed in the summary of the Resume or in the About section on your LinkedIn profile. This extra piece of character will help you stand out and position you as a strong candidate.
Accomplishments that Highlight Leadership Skills
Here are some bullets you might see in content structured to attract leadership roles:
Team Leadership & Projects
Led cross-functional team implementing new technology and tools. Oversaw research and selection process, developed training, and advanced adoption timeline. Reduced workflow from 40 minutes to 2 minutes.
Rebalanced teams with complimentary skillsets and diverse problem solving and communication styles.
Introduced team rotation program, enabling cross-training and exposure to a wide range of projects.
Senior Leaders
Conducted competitive analysis and presented findings to C-suite and executive stakeholders.
Key contact with top accounts, facilitating demonstrations and maintaining a cadence of onsite visits to bypass the RFP process and secure lucrative agreements.
Developed, coached, and mentored team by offering training opportunities and internal job shadowing during off-peak periods.
Entrusted as the primary company representative at trade shows, conferences, and media/public events.
Featured public speaking engagements and interviews with industry-leading publications.
C-Level Leadership
Directed strategic planning and execution for greenfield development in the Southern region. Selected site, partnered with legal team to structure agreement, and hired leadership team.
Performed due diligence prior to 3 acquisitions selected to complement existing product portfolio.
Partnered with Head of People to reframe the company’s mission, vision, and values statements. Enacted a CEO communications strategy with speaking engagements and regular content on internal social media platform. Repositioned the organization as a destination place of work.
Broke down verticals by introducing rotation programs and expanding internal communication channels, such as a company-wide app with access to training with badging process, anonymous feedback, internal messaging, and kudos features.
Soft Skills Among Leaders
Leaders with high EQ are also in demand. Soft skills are tougher to train, so feature your communication skills and ability listen, inspire, motivate, present, negotiate, adapt,
and collaborate. It’s also important for leaders to understand how their work impacts the business as a whole, so include multidisciplinary awareness and contributions.
Here are some example bullets you might see highlighting soft skills in a resume or LinkedIn profile:
High EQ, Coaching & Mentoring
Introduced weekly lunch and learn, selecting speakers and topics based on suggestions.
Encouraged employees to come back into the office by setting up game tables that allowed team members to make a move on breaks. Bridged language barriers and fostered rapport among diverse team members with quick, numbers-based card games.
Established Friday afternoon cookouts with recognition and reward activities, such as reading weekly kudos, monthly awards, and mentor meetups.
Tapped top contributors to mentor green talent, accelerating contribution timeline, improving employee retention 5%, and increasing employee satisfaction 27% per independent survey.
A few soft skills can also be woven into the summary. Don’t just include them because you see them in job descriptions. Make sure the soft skills you include truly reflect what your own character and strengths.
Other Paths to Leadership Experience
If your current organization is fairly flat with no leadership opportunities, consider external routes to gain leadership experience. Join nonprofits or professional organizations and run for leadership positions. Join organizations dedicated to shaping leaders or networking with effective leaders.
Another option is to take courses and training to enhance your leadership skills. General leadership courses will work, as well as those that help you build soft skills in high demand for leadership positions.
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