By: Katie Britton
It’s 2022 and executives around the world are asking the same question: “What makes me stand out to Fortune 500 companies?” – and I’m here to tell you the secret. These global organizations are seeking powerful executives with the ability to do something transformational. That’s right – how can you transform the organization to drive change, with a focus on profitability, cost savings, and culture enhancement. The ability to retain talent is a huge driving force right now for executives across the world and being able to communicate your ability to make a difference is of utmost importance.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts are the new buzz words throughout almost every industry from an executive perspective. Leading the initiative to make the workplace more inclusive and showcasing the ability to increase employee satisfaction is one of the key differentiators when beginning the hiring process. It’s important to elaborate on your short-term and long-term plans to influence retention, employee engagement, and culture transformations.
The soft skills in leadership are critical, however it is also imminent to showcase your ability to elevate things quantifiably. Focus on your budget/P&L responsibility, how you’ve saved the company money through in-depth negotiations or delivered a huge uplift in profitability – these numbers (hard metrics) are what will help narrate your success. As I mentioned, soft skills are important, but numbers don’t lie.
Many Fortune 500 organizations are seeking modern, innovative, and forward-thinking leaders. You can elevate your position within your competition by quickly establishing your accomplishments at the top of your resume. Hard metrics, awards, and industry-leading initiatives, these should all be on display.
Establish relationships through LinkedIn or professional networking with hiring managers/executives at different Fortune 500 organizations and remind them often of your ability to make the change they are seeking. With all of these tips in mind, you will notice a difference.