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How to present an executive CV
Your CV is the first impression a potential employer will have of you and so it is important that is says the right thing. By following these guidelines you can give your CV that professional and executive feel.
Start with a profile
With employers only spending, on average, twenty seconds on each CV, a profile is an excellent way of highlighting your key skills in just a few lines. Chose the skills to include carefully, thinking about what the reader will want to see and ensuring that the right areas of your experience are highlighted.
Avoid soft generalisations and stick to hard facts. Anyone can say they are an excellent leader or have solid communication skills. What you need to include is what differentiates you from the competition.
Be succinct
One of the most common failings in an executive CV is the desire to cram everything you’ve done over the last thirty years into two or three pages. This will result in the CV being extremely heavy and will make it difficult for the reader to extract the pertinent information. To avoid this, you need to be selective about what information you include and remove anything that doesn’t add value for that specific application. Remember; what is relevant for one role may not be for another, so you will need to go through this process for each job you apply for.
In addition, to simplifying the content, you also need to ensure the language is as simple as possible. Lengthy sentences and elaborate wording, may be appropriate if applying for a creative writing post, but in the majority of instances will just make it more difficult for the reader to fully understand what you do. Bullet point the text and keep the information succinct and to the point.
Two or three pages
An executive CV should be two to three pages long and by following the above tips, this should be easily achievable. By the end of the first page the reader’s attention will already be waning, so prioritise the information, ensuring the key points are on the first page, moving down to the supplementary information on the second or third pages. For example, for a Sales Manager, achievements and previous results are crucial, so a separate achievements section on the first page, will grab the reader’s attention. For legal or medical professionals or anyone in a profession where specific qualifications are essential, education and professional development should go on the first page. For a General Manager, who has a history of similar achievements in previous roles, it is work history that needs to come first.
Avoid low level examples
A good executive CV displays the skills looked for at this level in a clear and succinct manner. Try to focus the CV on these skills and move away from too much emphasis on those skills traditionally associated with more junior positions. In addition, remove any information that may draw attention away from your senior level capabilities. A good way to do this is to concentrate the CV on the last 10 years. Any skills gained beyond this will be considered out of date and the reader will be focussed on more recent experiences.
By following these tips and using professional, business language, you are greatly increasing your chances of starting or escalating your executive career.