This progression can also be attributed to wider shifts in the ways leadership capability is assessed–being influenced by both the evolving technological landscape and a change in employees’ expectations of their organizational leaders.
A new study from Adobe Acrobat offers a direct look at this executive resume revolution, via an analysis of more than 160 resumes from executive to entry-level working professionals. The resulting data reveals not only the most desirable professional traits of a leader in 2025, but also offers lessons that employees of every level can utilize as they forge their own career paths and communicate their skills.
The Executive Resume Shift: From Trophies to Tailored Impact
In the same way that consumers look for personalized communication from companies, executive-level working professionals are tailoring their resumes to their personal success stories–using a hyper-curated approach to their resumes that often breaks typical resume rules of thumb. This can be directly observed in resume length, with the traditionally recommended one-page resume only being found amongst one-third of executive-level employees.
Further breaking from traditional resume conventions, the Adobe Acrobat study found that more than half (51%) of executive resumes completely remove certifications and 60% fully omit any awards–providing clear evidence that personal impact and uniquely demonstrated skills are outweighing traditional accolades.
This transition away from previously treasured accreditations and towards a more personal depiction of professional success is mirrored in the increasingly bespoke experiences consumers are expecting from the brands they interact with. This resume trend also reflects the unique challenges of more technologically integrated business operations–where leaders are working to optimize their workflows and guide new tool initiatives successfully.
Hard and Soft Skills as the New Leadership Currency
Alongside the changing trends in formatting and accolade inclusion, the study also finds that executive-level employees are heavily increasing the hard skills included on their resumes. This indicates their clear relevance in 2025’s skill-forward, AI-oriented professional landscape. Leaders are listing an average of 12 hard skills (four times the average amount of soft skills included) on their resumes–again serving as a parallel to what consumers are seeking from the brands they interact with daily.
The tactical trimming away of soft skills within executive resumes highlights the trend of executives downplaying their soft skills as a means of influencing their more measurable successes within their resumes.
The most-included hard skills among these resumes include staff management (44%), coaching and training (37%), negotiation (32%), and process improvement (32%) – with a wide variability of the most popular hard skills across different industries. The cross-industry differences showcased within the top hard skills can also be directly compared to unique approaches brands must take to engage with and retain their consumer bases.
Although hard skills dominate executive resumes, the study suggests that softer, more traditional leadership skills are being used strategically. Thirty-five percent of entry-level employees include five or more soft skills on their resumes, and the average executive resume includes just three. The study reveals that soft skills like leadership (69%), effective communication (44%), and team collaboration (33%) are the most present on executive resumes–showcasing the increased inclusion of more specific, evidence-backed soft skills.
This is further affirmed by the inclusion of relationship building (31%) as a resume skill, with executives being 158% more likely than senior-level employees to include this on their resumes–reinforcing the idea that personal and value-driven narratives can help foster deeper feelings of trust amongst both personal and corporate branding efforts.
Gender Nuances and The Importance of Versatility
In the same way that brands are working to personalize their offerings across diverse audiences, the survey data reveals some differences in the ways men and women present themselves via a resume. Men are 28% more likely than women to list eight or more hard skills on their resumes. Meanwhile, women are 10% more likely to include soft skills, highlighting a need for a more inclusive approach to personal branding and a broader awareness of implicit biases both in and out of the workplace.
Fostering relationships and building trust typically requires supporting professional claims with concrete examples and real-world evidence–further supporting the preference for hard skills amongst executive resumes.
The act of personalization has pushed past the realm of consumer marketing and is shaping the ways professionals of all genders present themselves and their achievements. Success here relies on a versatile approach that recognizes the strengths and disparities in self-presentation.
Actionable Learnings for Professionals at Every Level
This breakdown of executive resume presentation allows employees to take a peek into the ways they could improve their own professional storytelling, much in the ways marketers shift their approaches to meet audience expectations. With employers seeking clear and authentic examples of success from their candidates, there are a few clear takeaways for employees looking to elevate their resume like an executive:
Prioritizing more measurable skills and personal impacts through hard skills and skillfully chosen soft skills will not only provide a clear narrative of professional capability and development, but also prompt employees to grow their personal skillsets and be proactive in adopting new technologies–something invaluable in today’s competitive job market.
Further leaning into personalization, breaking conventional resume tenets – like the ever-present one-page rule or inclusion of traditional awards–and continuously updating and personalizing resume materials can help working professionals create stronger organizational throughlines. Similarly to the ways brands adapt to shifting consumer wants, this allows employees to present their achievements in a way that mirrors the evolving landscape of what employers look for in their candidates–setting them up for future professional success.
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