Executive CV Writing

Why Executive CVs Require a Different Approach

Executive recruitment is fundamentally different from recruitment at junior and middle-management level. At this level, an employer is not simply looking at whether you have the experience to perform a particular set of responsibilities. They are looking for evidence that you can lead an organisation, deliver results and improve its commercial performance.

If I were employing a C-suite executive, those are the three things I would want to understand.

Can this person lead? That might mean stabilising an organisation, giving it a new direction, leading substantial teams or representing the business with investors, shareholders, the City, government, regulators or major customers.

Can they deliver results? I don’t want somebody who is simply going to be a figurehead. The organisation may need someone to lead an acquisition, prepare the business for a flotation, restructure an operation, enter new markets, change its processes or completely alter its strategic direction. Your CV needs to demonstrate what you have actually achieved, not simply what you have been responsible for.

And finally, what commercial difference have you made? That might be increased sales, improved profitability, stronger margins, greater productivity, better P&L performance, reduced costs or substantial business growth. Where actual financial figures are commercially sensitive, percentages and other measures can often demonstrate the scale of the achievement without revealing confidential information.

This is why I don’t believe an executive CV is simply an ordinary CV with bigger words and bigger figures. The evidence needs to demonstrate your experience, judgement and capability.

It becomes particularly important if you are making your first move into C-suite. You may not have held the CEO, COO or Managing Director title before, but your career may already demonstrate the leadership, strategic responsibility, commercial awareness and decision-making required at that level. My job is to identify that evidence and make sure the prospective employer sees it.

The approach can be different again when I work with senior military personnel, senior police officers or people who have worked within certain government departments. There may be significant achievements and considerable responsibility that cannot be explained in detail because of the sensitive nature of the work. In those circumstances, the challenge is demonstrating the scale of the leadership, decision-making and results without including information that should not be disclosed. You can read more about this in my Ex-Military CV Writing and Police CV Writing services.

Every executive CV I write is built around the individual, the level at which they operate and where they want to go next. You can see more about how I work on my CV Writing Process page, or read my detailed guide to Executive CV Writing where I explain the approach in considerably more depth.