As a physician going through training and choosing a path into medicine, you likely started your academic curriculum vitae (CV) early in your career, capturing your accumulating achievements and credentials. The list of publications, research projects, mentees, speaking engagements, and continuing education opportunities no doubt grew steadily with each passing year.
As you traverse the path of your career and take on leadership roles of increasing responsibility, you will continue to expand your CV further. It will represent you well with your current employer as well as recruiters and potential new employers. But it won't be enough.
While a CV may chronicle your academic and clinical accomplishments, in all likelihood it doesn't represent you as a leader. That's where a traditional resume becomes necessary, to complement your CV and highlight your strength as an executive. On that note, allow us to share the essentials of creating a physician executive resume.
Note: See examples of a physician leader CV and resume:
Who? Who needs an executive resume?
We suggest every physician leader active in a job search or seeking a career transition be prepared to present an executive resume.
What? What is an executive resume?
An executive resume is a more concise and forward-looking document than a CV. It highlights career accomplishments in terms of leadership, strategy, and impact and elaborates upon them to suggest your capabilities and capacity to lead. Most importantly, the document represents more of your future potential as compared to just your past activities.
The executive resume captures a physician leader's career in a way that provides a more detailed picture of their accomplishments, responsibilities, and the scope and scale of their leadership. It gives the reader the context of their leadership, beyond just a title. It shows the unique challenges and successes of each role, with quantifiable detail to support their achievements and skillset. An executive resume helps a future employer determine, "Can this physician leader do the job we want them to?"
When? When do I need an executive resume?
Now, if you're looking to move into a clinical leadership role or advance further in your executive career. In most cases, you'll be asked to submit a resume in addition to your CV.
Where? For which roles and employers will you need to provide an executive resume?
Most medical school positions and those with a research component – for example chairs, chiefs, and deans – will usually only require an academic CV of candidates. For health system leadership positions – crossing most functions including clinical leadership, strategy, operations, finance, and quality – an executive resume will likely be required. For positions at academic health systems, both an academic CV and an executive resume are typically required.
How? How do I create an executive resume?
We believe the following are fundamental strategies:
- Focus in and expand on leadership roles:
- Describe the organization in a way that helps the reader understand the setting in which you work(ed). Explain the size (number of hospitals, number of beds, volume of services, revenue dollars, etc.) and the complexity (type of hospital, such as AMC or level 2 trauma center, services offered, affiliations).
- Define your role clearly, but succinctly – responsibilities, scope, and scale.
- Include accomplishments! Think from the perspective of a hiring manager for a position you'd be interested in.
- What relevant achievements would they want to hear about?
- What are you most proud of?
- What did you build?
- What would be your legacy if you were to leave your position?
- Use measurable data – include metrics/quantifiable improvements.
- Include the following elements:
- Education, training, and board certification (typically at the end of the resume).
- A professional summary or list of core competencies at the top of the resume, aligned with the position you are seeking. This should be a succinct summary of your qualifications, skillset, and career goals.
- Exclude the following (unless they speak directly to the qualifications for the position for which the resume is being used):
- Scholarly activity
- Professional memberships
- Mentorship and training
Additional Tips and Tricks
- Remember that people reading your resume may have very little understanding of your field. Be as clear and jargon-free as possible and write out acronyms.
- Make the resume visually appealing and easy to read. Do not use a font smaller than 10 pt.
- If you choose to use color, do so sparingly.
- Write in first person, but exclude pronouns. For example:
- "Earned MBA with a focus on healthcare administration."
- "Currently oversee a clinical staff of 50."
- Keep a running list of accomplishments outside of your resume and pick from them to include on your resume, depending on the position you're applying for.
It may seem like a career inconvenience to have to maintain both a CV and an executive resume. Keep in mind, however, that they serve very different purposes and both are necessary as you advance further in your career. Creating an executive resume is one of many preparations you'll need to make to get to the leadership level you desire.
