Adrienne Tom

Co-Founder | Small Business and Productivity Coach for Career Pros

Every executive has a career story. The difference between being overlooked and being invited forward is how clearly your story demonstrates impact and relevance at the next level.

Too often, resumes read like job descriptions. Responsibilities are listed, but context is missing. Outcomes are implied instead of proven. Yet, boards and decision-makers are not looking for what you were responsible for. They are looking for evidence of how you think, what you drive, and where you can take their organization next.

For 15+ years, I’ve partnered with C-Suite, VP, and Director-level leaders across Canada and the U.S., translating complex careers into executive narratives that hold up in boardrooms, recruiter conversations, and high-stakes decision environments. This work is not about job searching. It’s about positioning, readiness, and control of your professional narrative before opportunity requires it.

I help leaders uncover the stories behind their successes and translate them into persuasive, market-ready career files. Stories that make decision-makers stop and pay attention.

As Canada’s first Certified Executive Resume Master (CERM), a 32X award winner, and a 10X certified career professional, I bring expertise in executive resumes, LinkedIn profiles, and leadership branding that position leaders as the candidate of choice. 

How I help executives tell their story:
◆ Craft executive resumes and narratives that go beyond ‘responsibilities’ to decision-level impact
◆ Unearth results and value that are not easy to spot yourself
◆ Translate experience into strategic stories that resonate with boards and hiring teams
◆ Deliver polished, market-ready career files aligned to next-level leadership goals

The executives I work with have gone on to:
• Step into C-Suite, VP, and Director roles with greater confidence and leverage
• Strengthen visibility with boards, investors, and executive search firms
• Secure roles with Fortune 500 companies, high-growth firms, and complex, multibillion-dollar organizations

Recognition and expertise:
⚜ Featured in Forbes, The Globe and Mail, NBC News, and Calgary Herald
⚜ Named one of LinkedIn’s Top Voices in Job Search and Careers
⚜ Certification Assessor for Career Professionals of Canada
⚜ Published in 7 resume and cover letter books

Your career story is your competitive edge. Let’s showcase your leadership and open doors. Explore my client recommendations below or visit my website to learn more. 

Calgary Executive Resume Writer | LinkedIn Profile Writer
🌐 www.CareerImpressions.ca
📧 adrienne @ careerimpressions .ca

LinkedIn Profile Writer >> Executive LinkedIn Content and Strategies to Get You Found!

⚜ Looking to get your LinkedIn profile to bubble to the top of search results? Want to build a robust executive online presence? 

⚜ I develop LinkedIn profile content, from top to bottom, for forward-thinking executives, directors, and managers across North America to help them get found and hired faster.

LinkedIn services include:

✔️ Complete LinkedIn profile audit

✔️ Creation of customized, SEO-rich LinkedIn content to increase your profile's visibility on the #1 site for recruiters and hiring managers (over 95% of hiring personnel use LinkedIn)

✔️ Content creation for the Headline, About, Education, and 3 Work Experiences

✔️ Content suggestions for your Volunteer, Accomplishments, Skills, Awards, and Interests sections. 

✔️ Recommendations for all other sections, photo tips, and more

✔️ LinkedIn user guides and engagement strategies (you must also get active on the site to get found!)

▶️ In 2020, I was named a LinkedIn Top Voice for elevating essential career and job search topics and driving important business conversations on the platform.

One of the fastest ways I “scare off” potential clients has nothing to do with cost or timing. It’s the moment I ask: 

“What specific job are we targeting?”

Often, I hear replies like:
“I want to keep my options open.”
“I’m exploring a few different paths.”
“I don’t want to narrow too early.”

I get it. Exploration is smart. Careers evolve. Few people move in straight lines. But here’s the part that matters a lot.

You can explore.
Your career files can’t.

The second a resume or LinkedIn profile tries to speak to everyone; it stops working for anyone.

I'll break down why narrowing the target matters more than people expect.

First, it makes you easier to place.

Hiring managers aren’t reading with curiosity. They’re scanning for fit. They want to quickly answer one question: can this person solve my problem? When your file is written for a specific role, level, or type of environment, your experience becomes easier to understand and easier to advocate for.

Second, it forces better decisions.

A strong resume isn’t a complete record of your career. It’s a set of choices. What stays, what goes, what gets emphasized. Without a target, everything feels important and details expand. With a target, the story tightens fast.

Third, it creates a clear through-line.

When a document is built around a defined direction, patterns show up. How you lead. How you think. The scale you operate at. The kind of problems you’re trusted with. The reader doesn’t have to connect the dots. You’ve already done that work for them.

Fourth, it increases perceived confidence.

Ambiguity, even when unintentional, often reads as uncertainty. Candidates who know where they’re headed tend to be taken more seriously, even when they’re open to a few different options.

And yes, you can absolutely have more than one job target. What that usually means, though, is more than one resume. Sometimes more than one positioning strategy.

A COO story is not the same as a CMO story.
A fractional role may be framed differently than a full-time role.
A move into a regulated environment isn’t positioned the same way as a growth-stage company.

Trying to make one document flex across all of that usually produces something generic. And generic is expensive in this market.

When I push for a narrowed job target, I’m not trying to limit someone. I’m trying to give their experience a real chance to land.

You can keep your options open. Just don’t ask one document to do five jobs.

A quick gut check: if a hiring manager skimmed your resume for ten seconds, would they know exactly what role you want next and why you make sense for it? That’s the goal. 

P.S – many times prospects leave (refusing to narrow their target), try things their way, and then return to me a bit later… defeated but more open-minded to the process of writing for one job. They learn the hard way that it works!

32X Award-Winning Executive Resume Writer | Positioning C-Suite Executives, VPs, and Directors for Their Next Move Through Executive Narrative and LinkedIn Authority ٭ Branding and Career Storytelling ٭ Board Resumes

Executives often lead their resumes with responsibilities and tenure.
What they were responsible for. How long they were there. The problem?

Responsibilities are assumed.
Time served is expected.

Impact is not.

Leadership on paper comes from owning outcomes. From showing what accelerated, shifted, stabilized, or improved because you were there.

A strong executive resume does not simply document a career.
It makes a case for value created.

Quick tests:
If a bullet starts with “Responsible for,” rewrite it. That is blah! 
If a bullet point could be claimed by anyone in the same role, rewrite it again. Be more specific.

The goal is not to prove you had the job.
It’s to prove the difference you made while doing it!

Free resource incoming! 👉  Most job seekers aren’t stuck in the resume writing process because they lack experience. They’re stuck because they’re guessing what a “good” resume should look like, what should be included, what to cut, and what format or structure might be helping or hurting them.

That’s exactly why I put together my resume kit. I want to help remove some of the guesswork around resume writing and design. 

Inside this kit, you’ll find:

• A professional, ATS-friendly 2-page resume template that works across industries
• Font guidance, spacing, layout, and hierarchy already done for you
• Easy editing in Word, no design skills required
• Bonus templates for your cover letter and reference sheets
• AND, a resume writing guide to walk you step-by-step through the creation process

In other words: structure, clarity, and direction, all in one place.

If you’ve ever thought, “I know I’ve done good work, but I don’t know how to show it on paper,” this kit was built for you.

And this week only, I’m making the entire kit FREE. 🎉 

Why?  Because job seekers need a break. 

It's tough out there. Worrying about which resume format to use shouldn't be part of that challenge (nor do I want job seekers using bad templates found on Canva).

If this kit can remove even one layer of stress, or replace guessing with clarity, then it’s doing what I intended it to do.

I've had dozens of job seekers use this format, and many return to share that it was easy and helpful!

This week only (Jan 17-23), use promo code KIT100 at checkout to get the entire resource kit at no cost: https://lnkd.in/gbkNDtSe 

Hopefully, with this resource, job seekers can move forward with a little more confidence.  
====•

Please repost to help others! ♻️
For ongoing resume help and resources visit my profile and click the 🔔 to get notified when I post.

*This product is not for redistribution or resale. It is for individual use only

The reality heading into 2026 is that resumes are no longer judged on completeness or tenure alone. Instead, they are analyzed for clarity, relevance, and proof. Readers want to know, quickly:

What do you do best, who do you do it for, and how you can solve our problems.

The biggest resume trends I’m seeing for 2026 are centered around discipline.

Clear job targets.
Audience-first writing.
Results, not responsibilities.
Tighter stories. Fewer assumptions. More intent.

I’ve pulled together 26 resume tips for 2026, based on what’s working in today’s market and where hiring expectations are headed next. The article breaks down each tip with context, examples, and practical guidance so you can apply them without guessing.

If you want a resume that holds attention and earns trust in 2026, read the full article with resources on each tip:  https://lnkd.in/guQHQQzD

26 Resume Tips for 2026

Over the past year, I’ve watched a career dynamic unfold for several senior leaders in my network, and each time it happens, it raises the same quiet question for me: how can we help these professionals plan better?

Here’s the situation.

These were executives in stable, well-compensated roles, respected internally, not actively looking for work, and operating under the assumption that career preparation could wait because nothing felt urgent or unstable in the moment.

Then conditions shifted.

Sometimes the shift happened because a new executive entered the picture with a different mandate, or a restructure quietly changed reporting lines and decision authority. Sometimes it was because a business unit was shifted or sold. In one case, the role itself remained, but the influence and scope that once defined it slowly disappeared.

What caught these executives off guard was not the change itself, but how difficult it felt to clearly articulate their value when it suddenly mattered. 

Years of experience, outcomes, and leadership decisions lived comfortably in their heads, yet very little of it had been translated into a story that could travel, land, and resonate externally.

These were thoughtful, high-integrity leaders who had delivered meaningful results over long careers. Yet when disruption or opportunity appeared, they were forced to start building clarity under pressure rather than drawing from something already prepared.

Each eventually arrived at the same realization.

Career positioning is not a reactive job search task. It is an ongoing leadership responsibility.

They had to stop what they were doing and actively invest in reframing their resumes, LinkedIn profiles, and professional narratives. Not because they wanted to, but because they had to. And for some, the delay in getting 'caught up' cost them opportunties. 

I’m genuinely curious, what guidance would you offer a senior leader who believes they are too busy to prepare, right up until they are not?

The most expensive bag of chocolate I've ever purchased is this bag of 50% dark chocolate chips. Why?

Because on Friday night, my dog found them.  

We made the costly error of leaving these chocolate chips within reach, and he did what dogs do. 

Being tiny, and eating more than half the bag, the situation was bad. We were able to act fast, but it was a long 24 hours (and ongoing) of emergency vet visits, monitoring, tests, and anxiety.

A simple oversight on our part became expensive, stressful, and unfortunately entirely preventable.

This pattern can also be found in job searches (not the chocolate part, but the oversight and anxiety). 

Some people don’t fail in their searches because they lack experience, intelligence, or work ethic. They get burned because something critical was left exposed.

Maybe it is an unfocused resume, or a LinkedIn profile written for “everything". A vague narrative that doesn’t clearly say where they fit next.

Like unassuming chocolate on the counter, these gaps sit there quietly until the wrong moment. Then they cost you interviews, momentum, and time/$$ you didn’t plan to lose.

Strong job search strategy isn’t about reacting when something goes wrong. It’s about risk management before the emergency.

Don;t wait until you need a role to clarify your value. Avoid leaving leave your career story open-ended and hope the market interprets it correctly or kindly.

The most important career strategy may feel unnecessary or unimportant -- until it suddenly isn’t.

If your resume, LinkedIn profile, or positioning could be misinterpreted, diluted, or ignored, that’s not a small issue. It’s exposure.

And exposure can get expensive.

I'm hearing this more and more: “I need a resume ASAP.” The urgency is understandable, but the stress that follows is entirely predictable and avoidable. When a search starts under pressure, people rush, second-guess their story, scramble for metrics they never documented, and ask a resume to do work it was never designed to do on short notice. 

That is not a writing problem. It is a timing problem.

If you waited until you needed a resume before writing one, you waited too long. 

A strong resume is not an emergency document. It is a necessary career tool. Get it ready before you need it to be ready. 

Always have your resume current, intentional, and aligned with where you want to go next, because opportunities rarely wait for you to catch up.

I don't write rush resumes, and I'm typically booked at least a few weeks out, so I have to turn down every request for a resume ASAP.  This adds even more stress when people realize they can't access quality help quickly. 

If you don't have a good resume, the time to get it ready for any possible opportunity or future job change -- is NOW (the recent news about layoffs at places like Amazon is a good example of why). 

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I regularly share resume tips and resources. Hit the bell on my profile to get notified when I post. 🔔

Personal branding is what turns “impressive background” into “obvious hire.” It clarifies what you are known for, the problems you solve best, and why your experience matters now in this market.

I break down personal branding, and its importance in resumes, in a new article, including how it shows up on paper and what hiring decision-makers are actually scanning for in 2026.

If your resume feels accurate but not compelling, this is likely the missing piece.

Read it here:

Open article: Executive Resume Writing: Why Personal Branding Is the Key to Standing Out - Career Impressions by careerimpressions.ca

Executive Resume Writing: Why Personal Branding Is the Key to Standing Out - Career Impressions

▶︎My Profile 

With a solid foundation in aviation law and extensive experience in executive search, I specialize in connecting top-tier talent with industry-leading organizations, driving success through strategic leadership placements.

✈️ Elevating Aviation & Aerospace Excellence
My career has been dedicated to understanding the unique needs of this industry and delivering exceptional talent solutions that align with organizational goals. I’ve successfully worked with multinational corporations, and private equity-backed firms to place leaders who drive growth and transformation.

🌍 Global Reach
My global perspective is complemented by hands-on experience in delivering executive and board-level assignments across the aviation and aerospace landscape. From the UK to Continental Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Australasia, I bring a deep understanding of the industry's nuances and regional dynamics. 

🚀 What Sets Me Apart:
• Specialized Sector Knowledge: With a background in aviation law and sector expertise in engineering, logistics, and infrastructure, I provide a unique perspective that is highly relevant to the aviation and aerospace industries.

• Strategic Talent Mapping & Pipelining: I excel in identifying and cultivating talent that aligns with your strategic objectives, ensuring that you have the right leaders in place for future success.

• Succession Planning Expertise: My approach to succession planning is designed to prepare your organization for the future, ensuring a smooth transition and continuity in leadership.

• Multilingual Advantage: I offer a global reach and the ability to engage with diverse talent pools across multiple regions.

🌟 How I Can Help
• Executive Search & Recruitment: I specialize in placing high-caliber executives in key roles within the aviation and aerospace sectors, ensuring a perfect fit for your organization’s culture and strategic vision.

• Leadership Assessment: I help organizations identify and develop leaders who are equipped to drive innovation and growth.

• Career Transition Coaching: I support executives in their career transitions, providing tailored guidance to ensure they quickly adapt and excel in new roles.

🎤 Thought Leadership & Engagement
As an active contributor to industry discussions, I regularly speak at executive education programs and publish on topics such as diversity and inclusion in aviation and aerospace. 

Reach out via:

📧 arpad.szakal@cormispartners.com
📞 Direct: +44 (0) 20 3800 1751
📱 Mobile: +44 (0) 7546 620 202
🏢 Office: +44 (0) 20 3800 1750

Arpad Szakal

At leadership level, you’re not hired to do the job that’s described.


You’re hired to solve the problem no one has been able to fix.

The real risk of a C-suite role isn’t the scope.

It isn’t the KPIs.

It isn’t even the pressure.

It’s everything that never makes it into the "brief".

The dysfunctional Board dynamics.

The CEO’s blind spots.

The “strategic priorities” that quietly change every quarter.

The people smiling across the table who wanted someone else in the role.

And yet

Many executives still approach interviews as if they’re a mutual admiration exercise.

At this level, the danger isn’t failing to deliver.

It’s walking into a game you didn’t know you were playing.

So before you say yes to:

- the shiny title,
- the compensation package,
- the press release

Ask yourself:

What is the invisible job I’m really being hired to do?

And if you can’t answer that?

You’re flying blind.

Here are 15 top questions for leaders to work with before signing the offer:

1. “What aren’t you telling me about this role that I’ll wish I knew in six months?”

Reveals: trust, candour, and the real issues.

2. “Who benefits most if I succeed; and who loses power?”
 
Reveals: the political terrain.

3. “If I push necessary change, who will resist; and how protected are they?”

Reveals: sacred cows and immovable forces.

4. “What leadership behaviours have derailed strong performers here?”

Reveals: cultural landmines.

5. “What happens when someone challenges the CEO?”

Reveals: whether dissent is welcomed or punished.

6. “What’s broken—but off limits to fix?”

Reveals: the true boundaries of your mandate.

7. “How will I be judged if the business evolves faster than the original brief?”
 
Reveals: flexibility; or lack of it.

8. “Tell me about the last senior leader who left suddenly. What really happened?”

Reveals: patterns, not "stories".

9. “Who holds influence here without the title?”

Reveals: the shadow power structure.

10. “Which decisions won’t be mine; regardless of what the org chart says?”

Reveals: the gap between authority and accountability.

11. “What are you worried I’ll discover in my first 90 days?”

Reveals: transparency levels.

12. “Under pressure, what gets compromised first: people, process, or principles?”

Reveals: true values.

13. “What would make the Board question this hire in a year?”

Reveals: how success is really measured.

14. “What do you hope I don’t ask today?”

Reveals: what matters most.

15. “What does this leadership team need; but isn’t ready to admit yet?”

Reveals: where your real value lies.

These questions don’t make you look difficult.

They signal that you’re not just a fit.

You’re a force.

♻️ Reshare to inspire your network. 
#culturematters #aviation #hiring 

Brownie points for those who guess the city right on the picture.

Arpad Szakal, ACC

Aviation Lawyer Turned Executive Search Expert | Connecting Top-Flight Talent with Leadership Opportunities | Building Companies & Careers Globally | Aviation, Transportation, Infrastructure & Energy

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The Battle

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