In one of our community Q&As, someone asked a question many professionals wonder about: “What’s the biggest mistake people make with their resumes?”
The answer is simple — and it’s the difference between a task list resume and an executive-level one.
Most people talk about how they deliver value. Executives talk about the value itself.
Listing Tasks Makes You Look Like Everyone Else
When your resume is filled with lines like:
- “Responsible for managing a team”
- “Delivered projects on time”
- “Improved processes”
…you’re describing how you deliver value, not what value you deliver. That’s your day job — not your impact.
Here’s the truth: Doing things is not value. Recruiters already assume you can do your job. What they want to know is what happens when you do it. If your resume reads like a job description, you’re blending in with everyone else. And when the hiring manager asks themselves, “What’s in it for me if I hire this person?” — they can’t find the answer.
Why This Hurts Your Chances
When you list tasks, you make the reader do extra work. They have to guess the results of your actions — and most won’t bother. That means your real achievements, the ones that prove your value, get buried under bullet points that sound just like the next candidate’s. You might have driven millions in revenue or saved huge costs, but if you don’t say it clearly, no one will know.
Responsibilities Aren’t Results
Your resume shouldn’t be a timeline of what you’ve done — craft a story about the difference you make.
Executives don’t say, “I managed a new product pipeline.”
They say, “I generated $5 million in new revenue by launching this product.”
That’s the language of value. That’s the language of the executive suite.
The “How” (Task-Focused)
- I managed a new product pipeline.
- I updated team procedures and tools.
- I delivered a compliance project.
The “What” (Value-Focused)
- I generated $5M in revenue by launching a product.
- I saved $10M by reducing operating costs.
- I reduced risk and improved customer trust.
Your resume isn’t about what you were told to do. It’s about what the company gained because you did it.
Think Like an Executive
A strong resume doesn’t list what you did. It sells what you achieved. Think of it as your marketing flyer. Executives speak in a simple language — value — and it comes down to 3 categories:
- Revenue (You made money)
- Costs (You saved money)
- Risk (You reduced problems)
So instead of writing your duties, translate each one into measurable impact. Ask yourself:
👉 “What improved because of my work?”
👉 “How did I help the business grow, save, or stay safe?”
When you start answering these questions, your resume transforms from a task list into a results showcase.
Make the Executive Shift Today
To make this shift, start by looking at your biggest wins in the last few years. Then rewrite each accomplishment to reflect the value it created. Finally, expand your view.
Executives don’t just think about their tasks — they see the big picture:
- How their work connects to sales and marketing
- How it affects customers and competitors
- How it supports the company’s 3 to 5-year goals
When you show that wider view, hiring managers see you as more than a doer — they see you as a leader.
Stop listing tasks. Start showing value. Because that’s the shift that gets you noticed — and hired.
