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They say you never get a second chance to make a first impression. And since your CV makes your first impression for you when you’re on a job hunt, you cannot afford to leave it to chance. 

Besides, your CV is sometimes your only opportunity to impress a hiring manager!

So, how do you create a stellar CV when you’re gunning for a mid-career job? As someone in the middle of your career, you now have more experience and accomplishments to fill in. 

But how can you combine your year’s worth of continuing education, experience, certificates, and accolades into one streamlined structure that communicates the story of your career and achievements? 

This article shares some insight to help you learn what to include in a compelling mid-career CV, some proven mid-career CV writing tips, and how to put your best foot forward when writing a CV with more than ten years of experience. 

That being said, let’s dive right into what to include in a mid-career CV and some proven in-house hacks to tailor your CV for a mid-career job.

What to Include in a Compelling Mid-career CV

As a mid-level professional aiming to apply for a more senior position, creating a compelling mid-career CV is a critical step in your preparation for the move up. 

However, suppose you’ve been employed for a while (say, a CV containing 20 years of experience). In that case, it might be challenging to decide which job experience to emphasise or which unique qualifications to highlight without making your CV excessively lengthy, cluttered, or challenging to read.

Let’s check out the essential things to include in a compelling mid-career CV

1. Relevant Skills

The secret to landing a job as a mid-level professional is differentiating yourself from the competition and being able to convince the hiring manager of your value before they even choose you for an interview. 

This means you must highlight relevant and top skills in your industry. The best strategy is to read the job description and discover the keywords. This can include proficiency in some technical tools or specific soft skills. 

You also want to consider adding advanced skills that make you stand out from other candidates. As a professional writing a CV with 10+ experience, you want to do away with basic skills as this doesn’t add real value to your CV as a whole. 

For example, understanding the Agile project management process trumps proficiency in Microsoft Office programs or basic email programs. 

2. Professional Accomplishments

For someone who has been in the working space for 10+ years, recruiters want to see and follow your professional accomplishments. 

Most mid-career CVs emphasise your professional accomplishments more than every position you have held in the past.

This means you must be able to share quantifiable results you have garnered over the years in your different working roles. 

You want to make sure you tailor your CV for a mid-career job to include numbers, as measurable accomplishments will impress hiring managers since they demonstrate your value. 

Employers are drawn to numbers because they provide context. Numbers are often percentages, statistics, or other hard data that help a hiring manager assess the outcomes of your work and the value you brought in your prior roles.

To help the reader understand what your position involved and how you were able to produce outcomes, quantify the range of your function, your noteworthy contributions, and your successes whenever you can. 

For instance, explain how your managerial efforts impacted the business instead of just mentioning that you oversaw a sales team tasked with pitching a new product to a target market.

You can mention that your team exceeded its sales targets and elaborate on the strategies you used to inspire the group to directly earn an extra $300,000 for the company.

The recruiting manager will be more likely to think you’d be a fantastic fit for their company if you can quantify your achievements. 

In addition, use numbers to provide context for your accomplishments in the bulleted portion of each employment title. 

You may include a summary paragraph and a list of your significant achievements for each position on your CV. For instance, if you work in sales, you can mention how you met or surpassed your quota.

3. Relevant Work Experience

In addition to highlighting your professional accomplishments, you also want to tailor your CV for a mid-career job by stating only relevant work experience. This should be tailored to the work you are applying to. 

If you’re in the middle of your career, you likely have a ton of experience that you should emphasise. 

So, even with lengthy employment history, you may need to remove any roles that aren’t relevant to the job you are currently applying for. 

To tailor your CV for a mid-career job, your professional experience is typically highlighted to demonstrate to potential employers that you are committed, experienced, and focused.

For someone with your level of experience, recruiters expect your CV to show your job advancement and the journey you have followed over the years. 

Therefore, you must structure your CV to highlight your responsibility, your experience working on bigger projects, budgets, or teams, and when you received job title upgrades.

It must also be arranged chronologically to show how you have advanced from one point to another — for example, a progression showing your growth from a coordinator to a senior manager.

In addition, your noteworthy accomplishments should be highlighted in bullet points that follow each description of your work duties in each role.

In summary, unlike your early career CVs, your mid-level career focuses more on your work experience, professional achievements, and advanced relevant skills. 

That being said, let’s check out the structure guideline to help tailor your CV for a mid-career job. 

Structure Guideline for Creating a Top-notch Mid-career CV

Follow this guideline: 

1. Introduction

To tailor your CV for a mid-career job, you want to start with your name followed by contact details and relevant credentials. 

At the top of your CV, next to your name, list the abbreviations for any advanced degrees or certificates you’ve obtained that are selling points for your desired employment position.  

For example, if you have an MBA, you want to highlight that right at the top. This will ensure the recruiter recognises your essential qualifications during the initial examination of your CV.

2. Link to Online Portfolio

More than 95% of recruiters search for candidates’ social media profiles, especially LinkedIn, when looking for top talent for their customers or the businesses they work for. 

Therefore, when you tailor your CV for a mid-career job, you want to include links to your relevant social media accounts and profiles. 

This can be a customised link to your LinkedIn profile or an online portfolio if you want to get into the creative industry. 

In addition, you could add links to your blog or Instagram account if this captures your skills and experience more adequately. 

Whatever links you choose to include, make sure they are up to date, professional, and supportive of your present employment objectives.

3. Professional Title

A professional title makes your goals clear to the recruiter. 

Your professional title should be clearly placed above your career summary, as this helps the reader know the specific role you’re applying for immediately. 

This should then be followed by a concise career summary stating why you are qualified to seek that role. 

4. Core Skills

Studies have shown that it takes an average recruiter six seconds to examine your CV before determining whether you are suitable for a position. Therefore, your CV typically has less than ten seconds to grab your potential employer’s attention.

Interestingly, most of that time is spent reviewing the information you provided on the top third of the first page. 

So, your objective as a job seeker is to provide the reader with a summary of your objectives and experience in the first section of your CV.

You want to list your main competencies, typically referred to as “Areas of Expertise” or “Core Competencies.” 

This list of CV keywords provides the recruiter with a summary of your qualifications. Additionally, this ensures your CV will pass a preliminary check by an applicant tracking system (ATS) software. 

Before reading the CV, recruiters use ATS software to analyse applications and assess how well a candidate matches the job description.

By selecting and utilising the appropriate keywords from the job descriptions for your desired position, your CV has a better chance of passing this initial check. 

5. Work Experience and Accomplishments

The next section to include when you tailor your CV for a mid-career job is your work experience/accomplishments. 

This should be listed in a chronological format, with the most recent one listed first. 

Under each job role, you also want to include bullet points that call out your responsibilities and quantifiable results in each position. 

As earlier stated, employers are drawn to numbers because they provide context. 

To help the reader understand what your position involved and how you were able to produce outcomes, quantify the range of your function, your noteworthy contributions, and your successes whenever you can. 

For instance, saying that you lowered costs or managed a budget in a previous job is one thing. However, it’s more impressive when you explain that you reduced costs by 25% while managing a $1.5 million budget.

6. Education, Professional development, and technical proficiencies

When you write a mid-career CV, the next thing to include in your CV is your education, professional affiliation, and technical skills. 

Although your resume must include a section on your education, it is better to add this information if you have already worked for a while (CV for 20 years experience).

Hiring managers are more interested in your professional job experience (the roles you’ve held, your responsibilities, and your career accomplishments) at this stage of your career than in what you’ve learned in school. 

To tailor your CV for a mid-career job, it is not necessary to go into specifics regarding the curriculum, academic accolades, GPA, or honours (such as cum laude). 

Your professional successes as a mid-level professional will take precedence over your academic achievements.

That said, when listing your education, the three primary things to mention are:

• University name and location
• Degree title
• Graduation date

Tailoring Your CV to Target a Mid-career Job: Pro Tips for You

Follow these simple tips to create the perfect mid-career CV:

1. Personalise Your Cv for Each Job Description

When you write a mid-level career CV for a job role, you want to create a unique CV for each position you apply for, even when your abilities and expertise are the same. 

Pay close attention to the job duties and desired abilities to position the most significant experience closer to the top of your CV. 

The hiring manager will want to know precisely why you are a perfect fit for their open position.

2. Make Sure Your Credentials Stand Out

To tailor your CV for a mid-career job, a great hack is ensuring your credentials stand out. 

If you have an MBA, Ph.D., or any other degree that qualifies you, such as an advanced academic degree, military decoration, recognition, or accreditation, include this detail next to your name. 

The goal is to ensure that the hiring manager can notice them immediately.  

You could also need credentials to work in some professions, such as project management, human resources, IT, or finance.

As a mid-level job seeker, you’ll want potential employers to know these valuable credentials and the qualifications that come with the position. 

Before looking for employment, get those credentials done so that companies can see that you’re serious about your new profession and that you’ve already made the necessary efforts to make it happen.

3. Focus on Your Accomplishment

When considering what to include in a mid-career CV, it’s critical to emphasize your successes alongside your responsibilities in your past and current job roles. 

For instance, instead of just mentioning that you oversaw a new product launch, explain how you achieved sales of $150M with a limited PR budget of $120K.

You can include a summary paragraph and a list of your major achievements for each position on your CV.

4. Use Action-Powered Words

To tailor your CV for a mid-career job, make a great impression using more action-powered language. 

Why?

Action words emphasize your abilities, experience, and accomplishments in a CV. In addition, they provide specificity and clarity to your CV. 

As a result, your chances of grabbing an employer’s attention and progressing to the next stage of the recruiting process can be increased by using these action verbs that are distinctive and powerful.

In the same way, avoiding weak and passive verbs, corporate jargon, clichés, and overused words and phrases are all great hacks to tailor your CV for a mid-career job. 

Check out some examples of action-powered words to include in a mid-career CV:

1. Accelerated
2. Accomplished
3. Analyzed
4. Assembled
5. Built
6. Charted
7. Created
8. Constructed
9. Coordinated
10. Campaigned
11. Collaborated
12. Composed
13. Brainstormed
14. Communicated
15. Conceptualized
16. Acquired
17. Boosted
18. Captured
19. Advised
20. Aligned

5. Use a 2-page-long CV

Unlike new professionals and college students limited to a one-page CV, your professional CV expands as you gain more work experience. Therefore, we recommend letting your CV run into two pages if necessary.

A great mid-career writing tip is to reduce the space devoted to your early employment experience and move it to the second page of your resume. 

Recruiters are more interested in your recent work and how it relates to their vacant positions than your first job after graduating from college.

6. Use a Consistent Resume Format

In structuring your CV, an excellent mid-career CV writing tip is to use a consistent structure for dates and places throughout the CV. 

For instance, would you use full names or abbreviations for locations? Do you plan to use digits to symbolize the month, spell it out ultimately, or use a three-letter acronym if you decide to include it with your dates of employment? 

In addition, when you tailor your CV for a mid-career job, be sure to proofread for spelling and other grammatical problems.

Regardless of your CV format, sticking with one design throughout the document is the most important thing. This way, you can develop a neat and polished professional CV in a consistent style that shows you’re a detail-oriented professional.

7. Place the Education Section at the End of the Resume

With increasing work experience, your degree or education becomes less critical. 

As a result, recruiters are more inclined to emphasize your achievements after graduating. 

You may also take out the year you graduated from college, depending on how much experience you have. 

When you tailor your CV for a mid-career job, It’s best to focus on your most current and impressive achievements and less on your education.  

5 Things to Avoid Including in a Mid-Career CV 

Below are common mistakes to avoid while creating a mid-career CV

1. Your First Job

People looking through your CV for a mid-career job won’t care that you worked at a coffee house when you were younger. 

When you tailor your CV for a mid-career job, It’s best to take out your first job or other positions while attending college unless you accomplished something specifically related to the work you’re going for.

Employers only want to see material on your CV that directly relates to the position they’re attempting to fill. 

A comprehensive list of every job you’ve ever held will only make it easier for employers to find the necessary details.

2. Basic Skills

When you write a CV with 10-20+ years of experience, hiring managers expect to see the advanced skills you have gained.

It makes no sense to include basic skills from when you were an entry-level job seeker at this point in your career. 

3. Weak Verb

Using weak verbs when you tailor your CV  for a mid-career job is a no-no. You want to use action verbs that convey capability and power. 

Check out the previous section on mid-career CV writing tips for examples of action verbs you can include in a mid-career CV. 

4. Education at the Top

Once you’ve been employed for a while, your educational background is no longer as important as your professional accomplishments and advanced skills. 

Your work experience over the years now takes the lead and is the greatest approach to show that you have the skills and knowledge necessary to be successful in your area. 

To tailor your CV for a mid-career job, you should reorder your CV’s sections such that the education part is at the bottom.

5. Unnecessary Information

We get it! You have a lot of experience over the years and want the hiring manager to see how far you have come. 

However, including every little information can do your CV more harm than good. 

When you tailor your CV for a mid-career job, the goal is to make sure it is clear and easy for the interviewers to understand. 

That being said, trim off any irrelevant information, especially those that have no connection to the work you’re applying for.

Wrapping It Up

When writing a CV for a mid-career job, the goal is to be able to represent your years of experience in an appealing and compelling presentation. Therefore, taking the time to learn hacks for tailoring your CV in the best way possible is not only necessary but essential.

We hope this article has provided you with the best mid-career writing tips to tailor your CV for a mid-career job. In addition, we have highlighted what to include in a mid-career CV and what not to leave out. 

We can also do the hard work for you. The CV Expert is home to CV writing specialists that can craft the ideal mid-career CV in a few business days. Contact us today to learn more about our CV writing services. 

As a mid-career professional looking to apply for a leadership role in a new company, your CV needs to show that you’re up to the task — a leader with an impressive track record.

But how do you showcase leadership in your CV?

The trick is choosing the strongest words, skills and experiences that best convey your experience and will significantly influence a prospective employer. 

Not to worry, we’ll walk you through how to do it.

In the sections below, we explore some top leadership skills for a CV, how to write a leadership CV and effective ways to showcase your leadership abilities when drafting a CV for a mid-career job. 

How to Showcase Leadership in a CV

Successful management relies on leadership to increase productivity and accomplish corporate objectives. As a mid-career professional seeking a leadership role, here is how you can showcase leadership in a CV. 

1. Study the Job Description for Relevant Keywords

Job descriptions often specify the leadership skills and experience they’re looking for. 

You want to thoroughly study the job description before applying for a position so you can determine what leadership skills the company values. 

Check the keywords used so you can include the same words when sharing your accomplishments, skills and summary. 

Many businesses check CVs using an application tracking system (ATS) to look for particular terms or phrases that are included in the job description. 

Including the same keywords on your CV may increase the likelihood that a hiring manager will see it. 

Essentially, you can help an employer or recruiter see you as someone who is efficient and accomplishes tasks simply by customising and structuring your CV. 

Additionally, you can specify particular leadership qualities from the job description and provide instances to support using them. 

This demonstrates that you took the time to read the job description and matched your talents to their requirements.

2. List Specific Leadership Achievements in Past Roles

To demonstrate to potential employers that you can successfully fill a leadership role, it is crucial to have concrete examples of specific leadership achievements in your past roles. 

Consider your prior employment and some instances in which you have shown leadership abilities. 

Think of specific instances where you took on a leadership role and were able to solve problems or manage a project to completion. 

This should be a quantifiable success to which you can assign a numerical value or percentage improvement. 

Include those particular examples of your leadership accomplishments on your CV to support your qualifications. 

Examples can be when you exhibited your leadership and goal-setting for the team, specific KPIs relating to your company objectives, how you gave your team members opportunities for promotion, etc.

In addition, you can share how many people you’ve managed and the size of a project’s budget, etc. 

These specific examples can capture a hiring manager’s attention better than generic leadership skills for a CV.

Also, most of these accomplishments should highlight high-level rather than individual responsibilities. 

Now, since the goal of your CV is to demonstrate to a hiring manager what you could contribute to the organisation, each achievement you list must be relevant to the position for which you are applying.

3. Use Strong Action Verbs

Do you want to stand out to any prospective employer? Then you must be willing to use strong action verbs that best describe your leadership skills. These are specific words and make your contributions clear. 

Excellent examples include the verbs:

• Advocated
• Mentored
• Engaged
• Mobilised
• Campaigned
• Motivated
• Challenged
• Focused
• Championed
• Ignited
• Driven
• Influenced
• Spearheaded
• Steered
• Energised.”

4. Highlight Leadership in Your Professional Summary

It’s not required. But it’s a good idea to include a professional summary if you’re trying to draw attention to a specific quality, like applying to a leadership role. 

When optimised, this section can be a great place to captivate your prospective employer and draw attention to your vast experience, notable accomplishments, exceptional communication and leadership abilities.

A professional summary should be at most 3-5 lines and appear above your professional experience. 

Include any noteworthy accomplishments, significant talents, and information about the size and circumstances of any past teams you have led.

Examples of How to Convey Leadership

When giving examples in your leadership CV, you want to use the STAR approach – Situation, Task, Action, Result. 

It should answer questions like, What was the situation? Was it a new project or a team-building activity?

 How many team members did you have, and who were they? What task did you need to complete or challenge did you encounter? 

Then, discuss the action you did and how you led. What were your alternatives?

Finally, summarise your leadership experiences by discussing the RESULT. How did everything turn out? What did you take away from it? 

How did you improve from this experience, and how will you apply this knowledge to perform successfully in this position you’re looking for?

Consider these practical leadership CV examples of how to convey leadership as a mid-career professional. 

1. Show that You are a Great Listener

A competent leader recognises that they need to learn more and that even the most junior employee can teach them something new. Besides, listening also helps you understand problems and general situations better.

Furthermore, most firms choose individuals based on their skills and experience in various disciplines, and the leader must learn to engage with and listen to all employees. 

A great way to showcase leadership in a CV is by providing practical examples of times when you actively listened to and communicated with not just your team members but also persons in different departments of the organisation. 

For example, ‘’Oversaw a team of 20 employees, communicating effectively to establish goals and expectations for each project.’’

2. Provide Examples of How Well You Respect the Chain of Command

In most organisations, there is a chain of command across the board, and as a leader, you must show that you recognise and respect that body. 

An organisational structure exists so that everyone in the firm understands to who they are accountable.

If a leader fails to follow these lines of authority, the company will be confused, and the team members will be discouraged. 

Furthermore, if the leader does not follow the chain of command, the employees will find it difficult to report to their superiors, causing discord among the staff. 

As a leader, you must show how well and willing you are to follow the chain of command in your new company. 

3. Share Results From Leading By Example

As a leader, you are supposed to offer guidance and lead the team, but you should also know and understand your members’ roles and be willing to become involved in the actual work. 

For example, you can show how you set an excellent instance by accompanying the marketing team on a field trip to promote the company’s products. 

Relate how you were able to pitch clients in the same way that the marketing department does, raising your team’s morale and securing the deal. 

4. Demonstrate Your Conflict Resolution Skills

Conflicts are usually unavoidable in the workplace — either between employees or between the employer and employees.

However, the speed at which you resolve these conflicts defines your competence as a leader. 

As a competent leader, you should show how you mediate when differences develop and keep the team members focused on the job. 

You can write something like:

‘’Resolve issues quickly by listening to concerns and working with the assistant managers to identify solutions and offer peaceful resolutions.’’ 

5. Offer Examples of How You Over-Delivered on Tasks and Projects

Good leaders must deliver on their promises rather than simply making them. 

They must strive toward achieving actual outcomes rather than focusing on prior accomplishments that they have yet to be able to replicate. 

To showcase leadership in a CV, you must use numbers that quantify your accomplishments and perfectly represent how you achieved even beyond the expected results. 

In addition, you also want to show your delegation skills, where you divide large tasks into smaller manageable ones and allocate them among your team members. 

Here is an example:

‘’Developed and implemented a marketing strategy that increased sales by 20% in six months.’’

Template ideas/format for a leadership CV

Obtaining a team leader position will provide you with a competitive income and an exciting new role.

But to get one, you’ll need an eye-catching CV that distinguishes you from other applicants while showcasing your leadership ability.

Let’s check out this leadership CV template to use as a leadership CV writing guide in submitting a strong application.

1. Professional Summary

The average recruiter spends about 6 seconds looking through a CV. This means they don’t have time to look through a lengthy CV summary that does nothing to catch their attention. 

That being said, you must craft the perfect professional summary that not only stop them in their tracks but does well in showing why you are the best choice. 

Here is an example:

‘’Technically sound Web Developer with more than four years of experience designing, developing, and upgrading web applications. Value teamwork over individual brilliance. Believes that technology and collaboration should put people first.’’

Reading through these sentences, a hiring manager can tell that the web developer has a passion for technology and collaboration. 

They talk about working together, appreciating cooperation, and solving problems with technology and communication by putting people first.

2. Work Experience

Read the job description first. Highlight the tasks and obligations expected for this role. In addition, research the company. What is its purpose? Its difficulties?

Then, add 4-6 bullet points for each position you include in your work experience section. 

Here is an example of a company looking to increase its sales and cut costs while increasing revenue. 

Sales Manager

PharmaCare Microsystems

2015-2019

• Uncovered fresh income prospects and improved the pipeline to increase revenue across the board in over ten regional areas with a 25% increase in total revenues

• Facilitated real-time dissemination to all stakeholders of all sales goals and efforts and achieved 30% higher ROI

• Created all sales projections and budgets. All team members’ buy-in and idea development resulted in a 35% cost reduction

3. Education

For a mid-career job, there is less emphasis on whether you went to college and more on whether you are an excellent fit for the role. 

That being said, you want to mention just your college name, years in school and degree. You can then add bullet points to show how your education makes you a good fit for the job. 

For example, 

MBA, Yoke University

2004 – 2008

• Obtained an MBA with a focus on sales and marketing

• 2500 compression socks were sold as part of a senior project

Of course, this should be relevant to the job description and reflect your ability to get things done. 

4. Skills

Leadership skills are key in helping you land and succeed in a role. They allow managers to lead teams in achieving organisational objectives. 

Interpersonal abilities, communication, planning, and persuasion are all some of the skills required of a leader.

Examples of skills to include when writing a leadership CV for a mid-career job include: 

Soft skills

• Communication
• Problem-solving
• Creative thinking
• Leadership
• Math skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Confidence, etc

Hard skills

• New business development
• Budgeting and finance
• Strategic planning
• Presentation skills
• IT skills
• Negotiation skills
• Relationship building, etc

When selecting the skills to use, you want to focus on the ones the company is looking for and then back them up in bullet points with metrics. Avoid listing skills that are unrelated to the job role you are seeking. 

5. Professional Certifications

Certifications have the potential to change the game. CPA or CFA qualifications can be a great way to show your strong financial foundation. 

A legal degree, sales qualification, or other credentials may also glow on a leadership CV, depending on your field.

List any certificates that are useful to the role. Include them in a separate part of your professional executive resume, such as this:

Certifications

CFA Chartered Financial Analyst 

Yoke University Executive Leadership Certification

6. Other Sections

Your other sections are another place to show your unique angle to the hiring manager. 

This is where you share non-work accomplishments like awards, conferences, notable mentions, etc.

What The Average UK Hiring Manager Wants to See in a Leadership CV

The average UK hiring manager wants to see core leadership skills when looking through a CV. 

That being said, these are the most crucial skills to showcase leadership on your CV.

1. Communication

A great leader must be an effective communicator. As a matter of fact, it’s an essential skill for any leadership role. 

After all, your team will only be able to accomplish their objectives if you can express your intentions and expectations to them. 

When reading a leadership CV, the average hiring manager wants to see instances where you have been able to showcase great communication skills. 

They want to see that you not only know how to communicate but that you’re an effective listener as well.  

In other words, your professional accomplishments are a great way to showcase leadership in a CV. 

For example, list instances where you were in charge of managing a team and encountered an issue. Then, show how you were able to use your communication skills to guide your team to make progress and achieve the company goal. 

2. Organisation

A leader needs to show organisation skills. You will need to juggle many roles and manage teams in your new role, so you must have exceptional organisational skills. 

Organisation skills include time management, prioritisation, planning, and attention to detail.  Focus on your accomplishments as a result of these skills while composing your CV. 

For instance, you can mention a time you introduced new software that helped your team manage their time better and streamline your reporting process.  

3. Problem-solving

Your hiring manager understands that everyone faces problems at one point or the other. 

However, what they want to see in your CV is how you were able to handle those problems and showcased yourself as an efficient leader. 

A great problem solver must show adaptability, creativity, effective communication and analytical skills. 

That being said, when writing about the problem you solved, a great strategy is to first talk about the result, the action you took and then the problem that led to such action.  

Mention instances in your work experience where your ability to solve problems had a beneficial effect, such as when you helped the firm save time and money. 

For example, ‘Found inefficiencies in the factory’s design and implemented changes that increased productivity by 10%.’

4. Relationship building

One of the most crucial qualities of leadership is developing and nurturing strong relationships. As a result, your interactions with your team will significantly affect their performance. 

Your hiring manager also knows this. So, they want to see how adept you’re at building and maintaining relationships. 

Great relationships are built by: 

• Paying attention to the team
• Commending your team when they make progress
• Being considerate of the feelings of a coworker
• Promoting an environment of collaboration
• Outlining expectations for staff members

5. Mentoring

A great leader can mentor and motivate team members to give their best. As a leader, you must be able to showcase leadership in a CV by showing your hiring manager how you nurtured your team members and pushed them to greater heights. 

For instance, you can show how you motivated and mentored a team member till they completed higher certification. 

6. Delegation

Being a leader, you can’t—and shouldn’t—do everything alone. Therefore, you need to have delegation skills. 

A great leader must know who is most qualified to take on particular roles and projects. 

A leader who is good at delegating: 

• Transfers the reins
• Gives a “large picture”
• Enables the team members to make judgments about their work
• Observes activities
• Reinforces outcomes
• Remains reachable

7. Adaptability

Adaptability in a leader is a highly coveted skill in CV. An adaptable leader is willing and able to adjust to changes. 

Hiring managers are looking for leaders who can learn quickly, react to changes and deal with uncertainties. 

This means you should showcase leadership in a CV by showing practical examples of your work experience accomplishments.  

The best way to demonstrate your adaptability skills on your CV is to provide leadership CV examples where you changed your strategy to assure achievement. 

For example, ‘Assisted in coaching a group of about 15 business analysts on the organisation’s expanding requirements management strategy and best practices.’

Tips for Creating a Strong Leadership CV

We have examined how you can showcase leadership in your CV, leadership skills for your CV and how best to structure your CV when applying for a mid-career job. 

It’s time to market yourself now that you know what to put in a strong leadership CV. Here are some writing tips to keep in mind while you create your CV

• Captivate your audience with the Personal Summary part of your CV. Use this section to highlight your vast experience, notable accomplishments, and exceptional communication and leadership abilities.

• When discussing your professional accomplishments, always highlight quantifiable achievements. These can be figures showing sales profits, budget management, turnover rates, etc. 

• Your CV should be well-presented and formatted. You want to ensure it’s properly structured, concise and coherent.

• Your goal is to stand out from other applicants, so use powerful, motivational and energetic verbs to structure your CV and showcase your unique voice.

Bringing It All Together

Applying for a leadership role and getting the job is no small feat. However, you improve your chances of landing the position by tailoring your CV to showcase your leadership skills, capabilities, and experience.

Hopefully, the tips and examples we’ve shared in this article have given you insight into how to showcase your leadership skills in your CV.

We can also do the hard work for you. The CV Expert is home to CV writing specialists that can craft an excellent leadership CV in a few business days. Contact us today to learn more about our CV writing services.

Many in the corporate world don’t see a reason to employ professional writers when creating their CVs.  However, such a view towards CV writing can be self-sabotaging. 

With such a mindset, you’re practically stopping yourself from getting the best highlight of your skills and competencies. 

So, do you need a professional CV writer? Yes! You need them to help you create a CV that’ll push you far in your job-seeking endeavours.

Still not convinced? Let’s look at other reasons you should hire professional CV writers in the UK.

Advantages of using professional CV writers

Consider your CV as your sales pitch; it’s your way of selling yourself to the recruiter even before you meet them. It can make or break your chances of getting the desired role. 

That should be enough reason for you to let creative CV writers craft one for you. But if you need further convincing, consider the benefits below.

Save Time and Effort

CV writing is time-consuming, especially for someone who doesn’t do it often. You must first identify your skills, recount your relevant experiences and determine the best way to articulate them.

Remember that you must somehow find a way to tailor everything to fit the role, pass the ATS test, and be convincing enough for the recruiter.

When you think about all of that, it can be pretty overwhelming, and it sounds like it’ll take a lot of time. 

Not to mention, personally writing about your achievements may feel awkward, almost like you’re boasting in some cases. On the other hand, having someone else do it feels better.

Giving your CV to professional writers means you’re offloading most of the work to someone else. In return for the fee you pay, you get to invest the time and effort you would have put into writing the CV into some other profitable use. 

For example, it would take you several hours of research and writing to create a good CV. You’ll get the CV in less time by letting professionals handle it. Plus, you’ll have more time to cater to other necessities.

Optimise Your CV To Fit Role Requirements

Many people make the mistake of trying to create a one-size-fits-all kind of CV. Recruiters don’t like seeing that. One-size-fits-all CVs rarely pass the applicant tracking system test. So, you must optimise your CV for the role you want.

Now, you’re most probably thinking, How do I optimise my CV for a role? There’s no straight answer to that question. How you tailor your CV will depend on the industry, the nature of the job, and some other requirements. 

For example, you’ll design a CV for a leadership role differently from how you’ll develop a CV for a secretarial role. The requirements for the positions are different, and so are your existing competencies. 

• Professional writers have invested time learning how to craft winning CVs for different job roles.
• They know the proper structure, message and words to use depending on the position you’re applying for. 
• Expert writers have a knack for creating CVs that can simultaneously prove a job-seeker’s competencies and answer the recruiters’ questions. 

Instead of working for hours trying to edit your CV for a role, let a pro take care of it for you.

Develop a Compelling Executive Summary

Recruiters spend an average of 7 seconds on a CV. When you think about it, 7 seconds is a pretty short time to go through a full-page document properly. However, recruiters are pros and know what they’re looking for while quickly glancing through your CV.

When recruiters peruse your CV, they’re looking for specific elements on it, and if they can’t find those things within a few seconds, they’ll drop the CV. 

Keep in mind the recruiter is not limited to 7 seconds on your CV. However, it falls to you or your CV writer to ensure it’s good enough to be worth the hiring manager’s time for a thorough review.

One such element is the executive summary. An executive summary at the top of your CV quickly highlights who you’re, what you can do, and the value you can give to the company. It’s a summary of the CV.

Therefore, how well your executive summary is put together can make or break your chances. Here you want to be concise and use punchy words to convince the reviewer to go through the rest of your CV. But you most probably don’t know how to do that.

Professional CV writers in the UK have honed their skills in creating compelling summaries for clients over years of practice. They can capture the highlights of your personality, career and skills in a few key sentences better than you can imagine yourself.

Optimise the CV to Beat ATS

Hiring managers are getting increasingly overwhelmed with the volume of applications they receive for job openings. Statistics show that a low-skilled vacancy received an average of 506 applications in the UK in 2021. That’s a lot of work for the recruiting managers.

In turn, the hiring managers simplify the work by using applicant tracking systems to filter and eliminate incompetent candidates. This process cuts down the volume of CVs recruiters will need to review by any number depending on the criteria set. 

Professional CV writers know the typical criteria reviewers set for the ATS and how to optimise your CV for them. Primarily, ATS screens out CVs based on specific keywords. Hence, if your CV is not optimised for the keywords, you risk missing out on a role you’re otherwise well-qualified to take. 

Creative CV writers will optimise for the appropriate keywords and other requirements to pass the ATS test. For example, if you’re vying for a managerial role, the keywords requirements will be slightly different from when you’re going for an entry-level position.

You’ll Stand Out From Your Competition

There’s a popular misconception that writers use templates when creating CVs. That’s not true for reputable writers. These service providers know better than to provide generic and bland CVs for their clients.

Therefore, they’ll take their time to get to know you, your skills, experiences and ambitions. More importantly, they’ll dig deep into what makes you unique; if you haven’t found it yet, they can work with you to discover it. Then they’ll market it most enticingly on your CV.

But it doesn’t end there, a pro has all the tools to make your CV standout from the rest. You don’t necessarily need to have unique skills or experiences. A masterful wordplay and CV structuring by an expert can make all the difference.

Signs it’s Time to Hire a Professional CV Writer

Understanding the benefits of hiring professional CV writers is one thing; it’s another to know when to hire them

Different scenarios warrant a need for you to use CV writing packages. Let’s examine a few such situations briefly.

Fresh Applicant

The UK job market is a tough one. On the one hand, about 9.8 million employed Brits are actively job hunting for better opportunities. 

On the other hand, around 1.2 million people are currently unemployed in the UK. That makes a total of some 11 million people who will jump at available job roles.

Therefore, getting a job is quite tricky due to the stiff competition. You’re already at a disadvantage if you’re new to the workforce or have been out of the game for a long time. Most roles nowadays require some level of work experience which you may not have. Or you may be competing for the same position with people who have more experience.

If you find yourself in any of these situations, having a CV help can push you a long way. Working with professional CV writers will remove the need for trial-and-error applications. 

Plus, your CV will compensate for your shortcomings and put you on the same or higher level as your competitors.

Job Search Efforts Have Been Unfruitful

Everyone knows how long and exhausting job searching can be. You can spend most of your days every week sending out applications and getting little to no positive feedback. 

Then with time, self-doubt and fear start to creep in as the stress levels build up.

At such times, you’ll need help in any way it presents itself, and one of the best assistance you can get out there is with your CV. Then again, you may have yet to receive the feedback you’d like because your CV needs to be better. So, it would be best if you let a pro look at it.

Not getting positive replies signals a need to review what you’re sending out. And your CV constitutes a significant part of what you forward to recruiters. A professional CV writer will provide an honest expert opinion of what your CV needs and will help you create it for a fee. 

Now don’t let the price scare you. The cost of hiring a top-level CV writer is always worth it. Of course, we’ll consider this in more detail later in this blog.

Switching Career Paths

We all come to that point where we decide to do something new. switching career paths is always challenging. 

If you’re changing roles in the same industry, you may have the skills but not the experience in the new position. However, if you’re switching industries, you may not have enough skill and experience to compete with people who have been in the industry. In both cases, your CV will need work.

A professional writer will help you craft a difference-making CV for the new position you’re considering. They’ll help you highlight your best self for the job by accentuating your transferable skills and experiences. They’ll also infuse the CV with keywords that’ll push it beyond the ATS and into the recruiters’ hands.

Additionally, the writer knows the best CV format for each industry in the UK and will tailor it to the new position. Primarily, they’ll give you your best shot at securing an interview for the role. 

No Experience with Applicant Tracking Systems

98% of large organisations use ATS to screen CVs and shortlist candidates for interviews. So, the CV writing process is no longer about impressing the recruiters alone; you must first beat the machine. 

An applicant tracking system is software that stores, analyses and filters candidate information. Simply put, it looks through a bunch of CVs and uses preset parameters to select qualifying candidates. It primarily helps the recruiter to streamline the number of candidates they need to interview.

Most people don’t know how ATS works or how to optimise it for them. If you fall into this category, you have little chance of making it past the software. Hence your best option is to let people who know how to game the system handle it.

Yes, you may choose to learn CV writing, but that takes time, and the job opening won’t remain available for long. So, your best bet is to hire a professional CV writer to do the job for you. They know how to beat the ATS mechanism. 

Bad at Selling Yourself

You may be the most skilled programmer, designer or product manager in the world. But if you can’t put it all together convincingly in a CV, someone who’s not half as good as you may get the job over you. 

Sadly, it can be challenging talking about oneself, especially your past successes and experiences. Unfortunately, you must be a master in it to convince recruiters you’re fit for a role.

That’s where professional CV writers come in. They’ll take time to know you, identify your best selling points and portray them in the most convincing way possible.

Professional CV writers know how to skirt the thin line between brilliantly selling your competencies and vain bragging. They’ll beautifully portray your profile in your CV without giving off any hint of arrogance or pride.

What’s the Cost of CV Writers, and Is it Worth it?

The cost is a common element that discourages several people from giving their CVs to professional writers. Most career professionals believe they can create their CVs without help, so why should they pay someone to do it?

But most of these conceptions aren’t true. Most professional CV writing packages cost affordable rates and give you exceptional value in exchange. 

Admittedly, some high-end CV writers may charge huge sums of money, but those aren’t very common, and they do have the results to back their exorbitant fees. 

It’s difficult to determine a specific range for the cost of professional CV writing services in the UK. There are no regulations for the industry; hence CV writers get to charge whatever they want without limit or cap. As a result, the pricing often varies significantly.

But typically, highly reputable CV services can charge between 500 GBP and 5000 GBP to write for you. On the low end, you can find writers charging between 50 and 150GBP for the same writing service.

While the price structure typically depends on the writer’s discretion, it may also reflect and be a direct result of some qualities of the writer. Some of those qualities include;

Experience and Educational Qualification

As is often the case in the service industry, price is usually directly proportional to quality. Again, most people in the service industry measure quality by experience, skills and other competencies, plus where the person might have gained them.

So, for example, if you work with a CV writer who’s been in the business for 10+ years and graduated from a top university, you can expect their prices to be high. Typically, such people regard themselves as foremost experts on the same level as professionals in other fields. So, they believe if a doctor can charge you 200GBP per hour, they can do the same.

Conversely, a relatively new writer in the industry will charge you less. That doesn’t mean they lack the skill or quality to write you an exceptional CV, but they’re probably still looking to build a solid customer base and get a track record. So, they’ll be willing to offer cheaper services.

The Track Record 

This point rolls off the back of the previous one. Track record often comes with experience and the length of time spent in the industry. So, most times, someone with ten years of experience in the industry will have more results to his name than someone who’s been in it for two years.

But of course, the track records’ quality is a different issue and has little to do with the extent of participation in the industry. For example, a writer may be in the business for five years and build a reputation for disappointing clients after working for and failing to satisfy ten different customers.

On the other hand, someone else may be in the business for two years and build a reputation for providing top-of-the-shelf results. That may happen after he helped all six clients he worked with to secure their dream jobs through his exceptional CV writing.

In such cases, the guy with the better reputation will typically charge more. But all things being equal, the longest-serving CV writing services charge more money.

The Writing Quality

We spoke a bit about quality earlier, but we need to clarify what ‘quality’ entails. Most CV writers are top-level creatives who know how to manipulate words masterfully. 

However, not all of them are actual professionals. Some only got into the business to make quick bucks. They have no prior knowledge, skills or experience in work.

Such people typically charge low to lure you in with the low price. But they almost always fail to deliver quality jobs. For example, they can provide a CV that’s bad enough to contain typos, grammar errors and cliches. 

These writers also often extensively use templates and create generic CVs for clients. 

However, writers that offer quality services will charge higher for their expertise. They may not necessarily charge you much money, but their prices are always relatively high. 

So when you see someone offering to write you a CV for a ridiculously low price, be careful in your dealings with them. Consider asking for a sample before you get on board with them.

Conclusion

Professional CV writers have your best interest at heart. They’re willing and eager to take some of the pressure off your shoulders during your job search. The points discussed above clarify why you need CV writers; they maximise your odds of landing an interview.

We at The CV Expert provide quick custom CV writing for professionals across the UK. Call us today to discuss your career path, and we’ll start writing your new CV immediately. 

98% of big companies use applicant tracking systems to screen CVs before shortlisting candidates for interviews. Your CV will most likely go through ATS screening if you’re applying to a big corporation. 

Smaller companies in the UK also use ATS screening. It may be on a small scale, but they do, too, if they have a lot of candidates to attend to. 

When applying for a role, you must optimise your CV for applicant tracking systems.

The next question is, “how do I optimise my CV for applicant tracking? This blog will answer that and any other questions regarding how to beat ATS bots. 

What is an Applicant Tracking System? 

An applicant tracking system is a computer program recruiters use to examine employee prospects and streamline the numbers. Primarily, the software helps hiring managers create a shortlist of suitable candidates for a role.

You can think of an applicant tracking system as the facilitator of a preliminary test in your journey towards employment. 

It’ll look through your application and determine if you qualify to proceed to the next stage. 

Employers use applicant tracking systems because they make their work a lot easier. The average employer will get up to 506 offers for a low-skilled position and 56 for high-skilled ones. 

That’s where applicant tracking systems come in. 

• These setups whittle down the number of candidates who applied for a role. That way, employers will only have to interview a few employee prospects.

• Applicant tracking systems make it easy for recruiters to store candidates’ information in a central database. The data will include the CV, cover letter, and contact information. Having all that information in one place makes it easier for hiring managers to send feedback to job seekers anytime.

What is an ATS Friendly CV?

Put simply, an ATS-friendly CV is one you deliberately optimise for applicant tracking systems. You create these CVs so ATS bots can quickly scan through, score and recommend them for the next review stage.

A typical ATS-optimised CV will include an easy-to-read structure without any pictorial representations. It’ll also include relevant keywords and other additions to ensure it’ll beat the applicant tracking system requirements.

Optimising your CV for ATS increases your chances of securing an interview for a role. Hence, it’s in your best interest to know how to optimise your CV for the applicant tracking system. 

How an ATS Works 

ATS are multifaceted and have several features that make them applicable to almost every aspect of the recruitment process. Recruiters can use them to create job ads and also send job offers.

Hiring managers can also integrate ATS with job boards to streamline postings, organise applications and enable applicants to create profiles. 

Applicant tracking systems typically operate in the following sequence.

Candidate Sourcing

The hiring process begins with tracking down and encouraging suitable candidates to sign up for a role. Typically, the hiring manager will request applicants apply for employment. 

Most top applicant tracking systems have functionalities that recruiters can apply to this end. An ATS will enable you put up job postings on your company website, job boards and other email marketing means. 

Essentially, it gives you the means to reach out to job-seekers.

Accepting and Storing CVs for Review

Previously, most companies received job applications physically, often ending up as stacks of papers on the recruiters’ desks. Or, sometimes, it may be in emails scattered around the hiring manager’s inbox. 

That situation creates preliminary sorting and organising work for the recruiting team. They must first arrange and document all the applications before reviewing each.

Thankfully, the ATS removes the need for all of that. Firstly, a company using an ATS will require all applicants to submit their CVs electronically. The submissions go directly into the software, automatically and efficiently storing them in a central database.

Analyse and Cull Qualifying Candidates

Companies often get applications from both qualified and unqualified candidates for a role. Initially, it would fall to the hiring managers to review all the applications and shortlist prospects that pass. Now, that’s a job for applicant tracking systems.

In fact, it has become the most recognised and vital job of applicant tracking systems. They reduce the number of candidates by scanning through, analysing and shortlisting qualifying applicants.

• ATS bots can execute their main functionality based on specific parameters the recruiters set for qualifying applicants. Primarily, the hiring managers tell them what to look for in each candidate’s CV. If you optimise your CV for the applicant tracking system to find the predetermined requirements, you pass; if it doesn’t, it’ll disqualify you. 

• ATS bots also work by matching candidates to the job description. They can do this thanks to artificial intelligence, which lets them mimic the human thought process. This way, they can analyse a prospect’s profile and determine if they fit the role.

Some of the typical things an ATS scans for are academic qualifications, specific skills and past job experiences. So an excellent way to beat the ATS bots is to optimise your CV for these.

Sending Feedback to Applicants

After analysing all the applications and shortlisting qualified candidates, recruiters must send feedback and interview invites to the eligible candidates. 

Typically, that would mean sorting and sending emails to each of them.

ATS often have central storage for all applicant details. Furthermore, recruiters can integrate it with their mailing system to create and send feedback messages to all applicants simultaneously.

The recruiter only needs to create one general mail template containing all necessary information and push it into the system. The ATS will handle the rest by distributing the message to all the contact emails stored in its database.  

Tips to Optimise CV for Applicant Tracking System 

Consider the following ideas to optimise your CV for applicant tracking systems and hiring managers.

Tailor the CV to the Job

The number 1 rule in CV writing — write for the role. The world has evolved beyond one-size-fits-all CVs.

To stand a chance, you must optimise your CV for the applicant tracking systems and the job as a whole.

Additionally, writing for the role makes it simpler to optimise your CV for ATS. 

Your initial draft will already contain several terms related to the position. You won’t need to make many changes when editing it to beat applicant tracking systems or similar software.  

Do Keyword Research

The best way to write an ATS-compliant CV is to speak the language the robot understands. You should know what the bots are looking for and give it to them. That’s where keyword research comes in.

Applicant tracking systems typically work like internet search engines. 

When you need to find something online, you type keywords in a prompt, and the search engine generates relevant results.

Applicant tracking systems do the same for your CV. They search for specific keywords on your CV and grade it on a relevance scale. Hence, word selection on your CV can affect your chances of getting an interview.

The first step to optimising your CV for applicant tracking systems is identifying the relevant keywords for the role. Then, strategically place these keywords in your CV. 

Of course, keyword research is easier said than done. Keywords are consistently evolving, so it may be a bit challenging to get the exact keywords to use. That’s why most people decide to let professional CV writers handle the job.

• You can find keywords by carefully examining the job description the employers posted. They usually hint at the keywords in the job overview and candidate specifications.

• Considered the position and the industry while doing keyword research.

• Keywords usually vary by role requirements. If you identify different versions of the same keywords, compare and pick the one most relevant to the position.

Use Standard Headings

Applicant tracking systems are fundamentally bots. They often incorporate artificial intelligence. 

But they’re inherently programs with preset values, features and conditions. So, they primarily operate on these parameters. 

A recruiter may understand and appreciate your creativity with the terminologies. However, you must beat the applicant tracking systems first, and that may mean sacrificing some creativity for standard measures.

An ATS will only recognise standard terms in a CV. Therefore you must always use universal terminologies, especially in your section headings and while writing. 

For example, an ATS is more likely to recognise “Work Experience” over “Jobs I’ve Done”. Alternatively, it will understand a ” Skills ” section over “Core competencies”. 

Go for an ATS-Optimised CV Template

How you structure your CV goes a long way in how the ATS rating comes out. Again, you must use a layout the ATS is familiar with. 

Some unnecessary additions or modifications can be why ATS bots reject your CV.

For example, graphics and symbols are not recognisable to ATS. Hence when you optimise your CV for applicant tracking systems, stick to text only. The only exceptions are bullet points.

Also, ease up on stylish fonts. We understand the desire to be creative and make the CV pop. But you may end up confusing the computer program, which may discard your CV as a result. 

A simple and sleek minimalist design for your CV is the better option.

Fortunately, you can easily avoid all these potential issues if you go for an ATS-optimised CV template. You can easily mimic CV designs for similar roles when creating yours. That makes your work easier. 

Best Format for ATS-Friednly CV

Word document format is the ideal file type for an ATS-friendly CV. Make the file name concise and relevant to the CV. 

PDF format may be acceptable if you want recruiters to see the document exactly how you designed it. 

But then, most recruiters specify the preferred format in the job description. So pay attention to that.

Highlight Skills and Qualifications in Bullet Points

You should structure your CV in a way that highlights your best career image. 

Position your skills, experiences and other competencies in a way that’s easily recognisable for the ATS bots.

The best way to write such an ATS complaint CV is to structure your skills and experiences in bullet points with clear headers. Don’t lump the items together to avoid confusing the applicant tracking system.

Proofread Your CV

A CV with typos or grammar errors is a red flag for applicant tracking systems. Since ATS operate with preset values, simple mistakes can make certain words unrecognisable. 

Those simple spelling errors can have significant repercussions on your chances.

Optimise your CV for the applicant tracking system by ensuring it’s free of mistakes. Read through your write-up as many times as possible. 

It’s also a good idea to let CV professionals review it before submitting it for your job application.

Mistakes to Avoid While Optimising CV for ATS

Following the tips above can set you up to pass the applicant tracking system tests easily. However, all your best efforts can get undone by simple mistakes. 

Below are some mistakes you should watch out for when writing an ATS-friendly CV for any role.

Avoid Applying to Multiple Roles in the Same Organisation

Applying to multiple jobs in the same company may confuse the ATS regarding your profile. 

The ATS may think your other submission is a duplicate and delete it. Needless to say, it won’t be pleasant if the ATS removes the application to your most suitable role.

For example, you could apply for a developer and logistics manager position in the same company. However, you have more skills as a developer and already have a well-optimised CV for that. 

On the other hand, you have a relatively good CV for the logistics manager position. But then, the ATS identifies your two applications as duplicates and deletes one. Unfortunately, the one it deleted was your developer profile. 

You just lost your best chance at landing a job in that company. The example gives a good reason you should apply to only one role per company.

Don’t Apply to Jobs You’re Not Qualified For

“Fake it till you make it” is sometimes a good concept, but never in this case. Don’t try to fake your way into a job role. If you do that, you likely won’t get past the ATS.

Some ATS can track all your previous job applications and compare them with the current ones. So, even if you pass the ATS, the recruiters may review your job application history and take note of any discrepancies.

Avoid Fluff

ATS are not humans. Hence they can’t get bored or excited reading your CV. However, they analyse and grade the relevance of all your CV’s content when scoring you. Hence the less irrelevant information you have there, the better.

Essentially you should optimise your CV such that it’s concise and easy for the applicant tracking system to read. 

Don’t attempt to stretch the truth. Refrain from exaggerating facts to make your application more appealing. 

Recruiters tend to recognise discrepancies during interviews. And, of course, it may affect your chances if you’re caught lying on your CV.

Don’t Try To Trick the ATS

Using relevant keywords is an excellent way to optimise your CV for applicant tracking systems. The caution here is to avoid loading your CV with keywords to outmanoeuvre the tracking system. 

Avoid spamming the white spaces between paragraphs on your CV with the keywords.

When you do that, it’ll only count as fluff and won’t add any value to your CV. Some people will advise you to do so, and yes, it may work on the applicant tracking system. 

But remember that humans will still review the CV after the ATS has done its part. Such tricks won’t affect the recruiter; in fact, they may have the opposite of the desired result.

Don’t Put Contact Information in the Header

This mistake is one of the most familiar several people make when creating their CVs. Most recruiters don’t program their ATS to recognise figures in headers.

Hence putting contact information containing numbers in the title can make it unidentifiable for the software. 

If you have yet to be successful in your previous attempts with job applications, this may be why. Therefore, it would be best to desist from indicating your contact information in your CV’s header.

Conclusion

You can optimise your CV for applicant tracking systems by using the right headers, keywords and CV template. And as described above, your CV’s structure will influence the average applicant tracking system’s opinion of it. 

All the above is easier said than done. That’s why The CV Expert has built a stellar reputation helping professionals like yourself create perfectly optimised ATS-friendly CVs. 

We offer CV writing packages for leadership, executive and mid-career roles. Contact us today to discuss your target roles, and let us get to work. 

Most companies primarily look for candidates with specific qualities when they hire for managerial positions. This specificity ensures they only employ people with the requisite competency to hold such crucial positions. 

Hence, the average hiring manager will give more consideration to applicants who can make a convincing case for the leadership position through skills listed on their CVs and cover letters.

Depicting management and leadership skills on your CV makes you a more attractive prospect. However, that creates another problem — knowing the best leadership skills to include in your CV. 

This blog examines the right leadership skills for your CV. Not just that, but we’ll also explore the best way to highlight each one.

Let’s start off with the finer points.

Why It’s Important to Include Leadership Skills on Your CV

Leadership entails more than being a group head. A leader must be in charge and guide his team to get things done. Additionally, there are many expectations on a leader, all of which require specific skills to satisfy. 

Leadership skills are competencies an individual must possess to execute their responsibilities in a managerial role.

It’s not enough to have leadership skills. The hiring manager must see it in your CV to consider you for an interview. Aside from that, a leadership CV gives you a few more advantages.

• It makes you stand out and speaks to your credibility as a candidate for the role.
• It highlights your managerial strengths to the hiring manager and makes it easier for them to decide if you’re the right fit.
• You’ll show potential employers you have the capabilities to help the organisation achieve its targets.
• Lastly, it shows your commitment to taking charge and leading people.

Top 8 Most Valuable Leadership Skills to Employers

Yes, you’re a career professional with over four years of experience. So you must have picked up several leadership skills fitting for your CV along the way. And you aren’t wrong to want to include every one of those qualities in your CV.

But, hey! We suggest you slow down a bit. Don’t flood your CV with all your “skills” without considering what can go wrong.

An excellent example of what might go wrong is putting up skills that aren’t useful to the employer. Hiring managers are less likely to care about whatever competencies you have that are irrelevant to the job.

Your leadership CV should only include the skills most relevant to the position and responsibilities you’re applying to. For instance, mentioning in your CV that you sing pretty well won’t help you much when applying to a product design head role.

Nevertheless, some general skills apply to most managerial roles. You can use the skills below to describe your leadership capabilities in your CV accurately.

People Management

As a leader, most people expect you to manage your subordinates and those connected to your team. However, Grace Hopper, an Admiral in the US Navy, said, “You don’t manage people; you manage things. You lead people.”

So, your heaviest responsibility as a leader is to lead people. As an aspiring team lead, you must be proficient in the following and portray them on your CV.

Relationship Building

Your ability to build and sustain relationships is something a hiring manager will likely find intriguing. Hence, portraying this leadership skill on your CV will give you an edge. 

But of course, it starts with having the actual skill. It’s not enough to say you have the competency. It must reflect in your ability to effortlessly meet the right people and foster a relationship with them as necessary.

Admittedly, it can be challenging to build a relationship when you don’t see a need for it. Hence, as a leader, you must first recognise and value professional relationships. That’ll give you the motivation you need to work at building and sustaining interactions actively. 

Fortunately, relationship building is easier when you can genuinely connect with people. Such skills are valuable assets for a leader and are likely to get a hiring manager’s attention on your CV.

Conflict Resolution

It’s hard to find a team of people working together without conflicts popping up occasionally. Team members will regularly fall out with each other or you as a leader, especially when they’re unhappy with your decisions.

Hiring managers look for individuals who are excellent at managing conflicts. So, they expect you as a leader to quell disputes quickly and effectively. 

You’ll do yourself much favour by showing your conflict resolution skills on your CV. Make the reviewers aware of your ability to understand and address employee grievances. 

Delegation

Even though you’re the leader, you can’t take on every assignment that falls to your department by yourself. You must know your subordinates’ abilities and delegate tasks to their strengths. 

Experienced leaders know when and what tasks to delegate to each team member. The hiring manager expects this leadership skill from you. Hence they’ll search for it on your CV. Not including it can be detrimental to your chances of securing the role 

It’s not enough to say you can effectively delegate tasks to subordinates in your CV. Instead, describe a project you led and how you maximised each team member’s strengths to achieve your goals by assigning them duties best suited to their capabilities.

Communication

Adequate communication skills are a must-have for any team lead. And, of course, it’s a must-have skill to include on your leadership CV. 

Primarily, you need practical communication skills to present the company’s mission, goals and other information to employees under you.

Your ability to communicate effectively can make your subordinates’ work easier. Great communication helps them understand their responsibilities and how to execute them adequately. 

Remember that communication is two-way, and you’ve not communicated if the intended recipient doesn’t get or understand the message. 

Verbal

Eloquence and fluency are two of the best attributes of a leader. That’s why the ability to convey information through speech is a fundamental skill hiring managers look for in managerial role candidates. And 82% of employers value verbal communications skills, according to a survey by (NACE); the national association of Colleges and employers. 

Admittedly you can more easily showcase this skill in an interview than on your CV. However, hiring managers can still pick up bits of your ability based on the keywords you use in your CV. You want to highlight these cues in your CV to indicate your verbal communication ability.

• Presentation skills
• Engagement
• Meeting Management
• Networking
• Negotiating
• Mediation

Nonverbal

Effective communication transcends your ability to talk or write. It also includes how you pass the right messages without using words. Your body language and actions can tell people more about you than your words.

An excellent leader’s body language must always convey a sense of openness and approachability. Hiring managers are more interested in candidates with excellent non-verbal communication and posture management skills.

But again, these are skills easier to show in person than on your leadership CV. Nevertheless, there are nonverbal communication traits you can include on your CV to give hiring managers a good idea of your capabilities. 

• Confidence
• Courage
• Compassion/Empathy
• Active listening

Non-verbal communication skills are essential considerations for gauging your leadership ability. 67% of employers in the NACE survey ranked it as important. Hence, showing it on your CV adds to your credibility as a candidate.

Strategic Thinking and Vision

People expect a lot from leaders, sometimes too much. So, to stay ahead, you must always be strategic in your thinking and have vision. 

We’re not talking about long-term goal setting and planning. Instead, you must be able to see three-four steps into the future and anticipate events. Having a big-picture view helps in this regard.

You’re seeing what’s right in front of you and the things to come after. This ability comes with a level of curiosity which will always prompt you to question your moves and where they may lead you. 

Showing such leadership skills on your CV is a way to tell the hiring manager that you can connect with the organisation’s visions and lead the group accordingly. And, of course, that’s a plus for your credibility.

But of course, it’s not enough to simply note that you have such foresight in your CV. Instead, you can show it excellently on your CV by expressing your analytical ability with examples.

For instance, you can mention how you once made a speculative decision which ended up being the right one in a previous role and how it helped the organisation. Or, you can talk about how you anticipated an occurrence and what you did in response to it. 

Consider this example:

“Having previously analysed customer behaviour trends in the industry, I implemented a strategy that enabled us to increase our customer satisfaction scores by 45% in 5 months.”

Planning and Execution

You can never rule planning out of any effective leadership process. While a good leader can be spontaneous and an excellent improviser, they must be able to make strategic plans. 

Proper planning prepares you for what’s to come — your department can hardly survive without it.

Planning goes with strategic thinking and effective delegation to equip the team with what they need for success. It provides a framework that keeps everyone on track and tells them what to do at each point.

Showing your proficiency in planning on your CV tells the hiring manager they can trust you always to take guided steps. So they know you are level-headed and will always prepare adequately before moving.

That said, “Planning” is fast becoming a buzzword most people like to put on their CVs even if they don’t have the skills for it. So, most hiring managers won’t be satisfied with simply saying you’re good at planning and strategy.

Instead, describe a previous situation where you put your planning skills to work and achieved results. Consider the example below.

“Planned a Fundraising project for an organisation with a target to raise £1.2 million for a project. We completed the set-up with time to spare and raised £1.6 million at the end of the event”

Adaptability and Versatility

While a leader must have top-notch planning and execution abilities, they must be able to adapt when things aren’t going according to the book. The best team leads roll with the punches and adjust as necessary when disruptions happen.

Admittedly, it’s difficult to change directions when your team is moving at a certain momentum. But your team’s ability to adapt will depend on your willingness and capacity to do it first. 

Adaptability is vital in crisis management. And you must highlight this leadership skill on your CV to show recruiters you can constantly adjust without reservations when necessary.

An excellent way to show this leadership skill in your CV is by describing how you were able to adjust your plans when things weren’t panning out as expected in previous projects. Alternatively, you can tell how you handled disruptive phases in your past roles.

Decisiveness

Being a leader means you’ll have situations where you must pick between multiple conflicting options. You’ll sometimes find yourself in places where you must make tough calls that can significantly affect the organisation. In such cases, decisiveness is key to making decisions quickly and accurately.

And, of course, seeing that you possess such leadership and management skills will intrigue an employer. It assures them they can trust you not to falter when making tough decisions. 

They can also count on you to do what needs to be done without letting doubt or fear cloud your judgement. Hence, it’s an excellent skill for your leadership CV and cover letter. 

The best way to express this ability is by describing situations where you had to make tough calls in the past and how you got through them. Of course, it helps your credibility to share your results if the decisions turn out to be the right ones.

Coaching and Mentoring

Leaders aren’t complete if they cannot get the best out of their subordinates and nurture future leaders. So, a crucial leadership skill you must possess and describe in your CV is the ability to nurture the next generation.

Most organisations have long-term goals, and regardless of your commitment, you won’t always be around to see them through. 

Hiring managers also know that. That’s why they look for leaders who will set up a team that can function effectively even when the head isn’t around.

So, an ability to build and nurture a team where any member can be the leader in your stead is a quality hiring manager will appreciate on your CV. An excellent way to highlight this skill is by describing the teams you’ve built previously and how you’ve set them up to continue thriving in your absence.

Technical Skills

Thanks to increasing digitisation, we’re in an age where tech-savviness is an everyday need. Hence hiring managers expect you to have some fundamental technical skills regardless of the role you’re applying for.  

In fact, at this point, possessing technical skills doesn’t give you much of an edge with the hiring manager. Instead, it puts you on level terms with most of the other applicants. S

Technical skills make your job easier, and you can also command more respect from your team members. So, to keep up with the other applicants, you must portray your technical abilities on your CV. 

It’s always a good idea to illustrate your technical abilities with enterprise computer software you’re familiar with.

For example, you can describe your experience with computer frameworks relevant to your role, such as organisational and project management programs.

Best Way to Show Leadership Skills on Your CV

We’ve provided examples of how you can show leadership skills on your CV earlier. However, simply mentioning the skills and describing the scenarios you used them isn’t enough. 

You must still observe a few best practices when you write your leadership CV to make it complete. 

Tailor Your CV and Skills for a Leadership Role

Hiring managers typically receive several applications for a role. But they don’t have all the time in the world to go through everything carefully. 

You want to make their work a little easier by making your CV fit the specifications they described in the job posting. 

You have a better chance with a customised CV than a generic one. Little things like using the job’s actual title, following the preferred structure and making your skills easy to identify can make your application easier to read for the reviewer. 

Highlight the Leadership Skills in Bullet Points

Speaking of making your skills easy to identify, the best way to do this is by listing them in bullet points. Simply mention the ability and give an example or illustration under it. That way, the reviewer can find and note it quickly.

Describe Quantifiable Leadership Achievements

As you may have noticed, we tried to express major achievements in quantifiable terms in some of the illustrations we gave with the skills above. You’ll find it challenging to convince a recruiter you have specific skills without any results to prove it.

Your CV must contain the results you achieved with your leadership skills and how you did them. That’s the best way to convince the reviewer you’re telling the truth about the skills. 

And, of course, quantifying the achievements makes it easier to picture and analyse. A definite figure is often more effective than an ambiguous claim. 

But it’s understandable that you may not have the liberty to disclose the figures in some cases. Such situations are excusable. In scenarios where you have the freedom, you should always put the appropriate numbers to the claims.

Sound Like a Leader and Optimise for Applicant Tracking Systems

Employers typically look for leadership vocabulary when examining applicants’ CVs for a managerial role. The idea is that an individual’s leadership experience will reflect in their vocabulary and communication.

That doesn’t mean you should fill the CV with ambiguous words. Instead, you should strategically sprinkle meaningful leadership-related words all over the CV. 

Typically, it helps to use a few compelling verbs while you’re at it. To that end, you can put in the following words to describe your experience;

• Spearhead
• Execute
• Initiate
• Coach
• Oversee
• Inspire
• Motivate
• Initiate
• Implement
• Campaign
• Mobilise
• Guide 

Show Leadership in Your Resume

When putting skills in your CV for a leadership position, you must present yourself as a well-rounded candidate for the job. Emphasising some skills helps, but you shouldn’t let one overshadow the other unless you’re sure it’ll give you an advantage.

We’ve thoroughly examined how to show leadership skills on your CV efficiently. But The Cv Expert can go one step further by crafting perfect leadership CVs that accurately express your experience, competencies and personality.

Get in touch with our expert leadership CV writing team. Call 020 8242 4287 or contact us here. 

Whether you like to write cover letters or would rather not deal with them, you’ll need them for your job applications. Many recruiters regard cover letters as part of your CV to measure your suitability for the role. 

In fact, 83% of HR pros say cover letters are essential considerations for hiring decisions.  

Interestingly, many job seekers prioritise cover letter writing less than other aspects of their CV. Some only treat it as an afterthought, while others don’t even bother with it. However, you need a cover letter if you’re serious about getting a good job.

Now, it’s understandable if writing a standout cover letter is not your strongest suit. 

That’s what this blog seeks to address. Here, we’ll examine how you can write a cover letter and common mistakes to avoid when putting it together.

What to Include in a Cover Letter

A cover letter is an accompanying message you send with your CV to pitch your competency to the recruiter. 

Primarily, your CV contains your experience, skills, certifications and accomplishments. But it only does a little to explain why you’re the right fit for the role. Instead, you can cover the extra details in your cover letter. 

A cover letter is a note you write to sell yourself to the hiring manager. A cover letter should not be a duplicate of your CV. 

Its content should be more than just a reiteration of the skills and experiences you’ve already mentioned in your CV. It should demonstrate your understanding of the role you’re applying for and how you fit into it. 

To that end, your cover letter should ideally contain the following elements in the steps listed below.

Your Personal Details

The first thing you should have on the cover letter document is your name in bold block letters. Why? Because when you get a message, the first thing you want to know is the sender. 

In the same way, the hiring manager first wants to know who’s sending the letter.

Then after it, you should include contact details such as your email, mobile number and LinkedIn ID. It’s best to position this information at the top of the document as you want it to be easily locatable for the reviewer.

Address

A fundamental rule of letter writing requires addressing it to the recipient near the top, just before the message. The same rule applies in this case. You must start the cover letter by addressing the reviewer. A simple “Dear Hiring Manager is great in this case. 

However, to make a better case, you should address it directly to the reviewer if you know their name or official title. For example:

• Dear Mr Walters (For a male contact)
• Dear Ms Cooper ( for a female contact)

Including a specific name on the cover letter can add a personal touch which may work in your favour.

Opening

Your opening is arguably the most critical part of the letter. How you start your cover letter is crucial because first impressions matter very much in a hiring process. Many reviewers will decide whether or not to continue reading a cover letter and the CV based on how good the opening is. 

So, if your opening is below par, you will create an unfavourable first impression. The reviewer may even decide your CV isn’t worth their time. And when they continue reviewing it, the wrong first impression will negatively affect how they’ll peruse the rest of your document.

But as much as you want to make a superb first impression, don’t overthink it. Make it simple, straightforward and interesting. Primarily, it should encapsulate the letter’s purpose.

Most people will typically start with something like, “I am submitting my CV for the role of ABC…” 

That’s good and straightforward but a little too generic. To make your cover letter stand out, you need to be a little more creative in your approach.

The Body and Paragraphs

After declaring your intent in the opening, the following line should mention how you learnt about the job position. However, you shouldn’t linger on it. Instead, touch on it and run into why you’re the right fit for the job.

Consider this example: 

“I am writing in support of my submission for the role of (position), which I discovered while going through (where you saw the job). I am thrilled at the prospect of working at (the company). I believe I have the requisite capabilities for the job.” 

The following paragraphs should then buttress your claims to the role. So, they’ll highlight your skills, experiences, proficiencies and your most convincing argument for the position. 

Remember that you’re not just blandly listing your skills and experience; those are already in your CV. Instead, you’re explaining how you can apply them to your responsibilities in that role.

Ending

Once you’ve presented your most-compelling pitch for the role, you should round up by stating your availability for the job or an interview. Then, reiterate your interest in the position and desire for more correspondence regarding the application. 

You should also indicate when you’ll reach the contact person for further discussions. 

If there isn’t a specific contact person, then indicate your anticipation for a response. Finally, thank the reader for their time and consideration of your application.

Sign-off

Your sign-off should be formal; “Yours faithfully” with your signature above your name at the bottom of the letter. You can add an e-signature if you’re sending the letter digitally.

Cover Letter Writing Tips – Best Practices to Observe

Now that we have some context into what cover letters entail, we can explore proven methods to write one that’ll get you hired quickly. 

Below are some tips for writing great cover letters and the best ways to apply them.

Write a Unique Cover Letter For Different Roles

Lack of specificity is a major blunder that can quickly turn off hiring managers when reviewing an application. A recruiter will most likely lose interest if your cover letter is a one-size-fits-all draft. 

Instead, it’s best to write a cover letter specifically for each role you’re applying for, even if they’re always similar.

Use the Appropriate Tone for Your Target Role 

Your writing tone should match the role you’re applying for. Ideally, it should reflect a clear understanding of the requirements and capability to handle the expected responsibilities. 

Furthermore, it should express confidence while downplaying your shortcomings.

For example, let’s say you’re applying for a role you have all the necessary experience and skills for. Your tone should express authority, confidence and how you’re distinctly qualified for the position. 

But if you’re applying for a role you don’t have the full competency for, your tone should reflect adaptability and enthusiasm for a new challenge.

Address the Cover Letter Directly to the Reviewer

It often helps to address your letter directly to the reviewer or a contact person. It adds a personal touch and speaks well of your attention to detail. 

Some hiring managers leave their names or contact person’s name in job descriptions. But many don’t, making it difficult to personalise the address.

You can put a little effort into finding the right person to address the cover letter. If there’s no name on the job post, you can look through the company’s website or even call them to ask.

It’s also advantageous to include the name of anyone affiliated with the company who you know would be willing to put a good word for you in the letter. However, ensure you’ve confirmed with said individuals before citing them as referees.

Show a Little Personality

Your cover letter must be professional, but at the same time, it should clearly depict your persona. It should give the hiring manager some idea of your character beyond all your credentials. 

Again, professionalism is a top priority, but it doesn’t equal a rigid personality. You especially want to refrain from using formal phrases that don’t feel natural. 

For example, you want to avoid writing something like “I am taking this opportunity to express my sincerest interest in this stimulating role. 

You don’t want to come across as being corny or unoriginal. Express more of your natural self by explaining why you’re interested in the job beyond the pay and affluence.

Use a Template as a Guideline

While you must make your cover letter sound original, you can always find inspiration from templates. Many people will tell you otherwise, but there’s nothing wrong with using a template as the basis for your letter.

But of course, we’re not saying you should do some minor editing on the template and submit it as your cover letter. That’s lazy work, and the recruiters will most likely spot it. 

Instead, you should study the templates to get an idea of the best steps for your cover letter. The template is only an example or model of what your cover letter should look like. Don’t convert it into yours.

Make It Easy to Read

The hiring manager will have multiple CVs and cover letters to examine. The last thing they’ll want is a cover letter they have to read numerous times to understand. They’ll ditch it immediately.

Hence, simplifying your cover letter’s content is a priority. The goal is quickly making the hiring manager understand your full capabilities and potential. To that end, you want to say much with very few words.

Hiring managers, like most people, have short attention spans and looking at a very long cover letter can be tedious. 

Your cover letter is not the place to praise your skills and achievements. Instead, stick to the ones relevant to the job and don’t dwell much on each of them.

Economising your words is a good strategy in cover letter writing. Overall, you want to keep it brief and focused. Use simpler technical terms and make it easy to understand without sacrificing any hint of professionalism.

Proofread Before Submitting

The best men make mistakes, which also applies to the most prolific CV writers or professionals. So, don’t think for a moment that you can’t commit an error when you write your cover letter. 

Reread your cover letter multiple times before submitting it. Scrutinise the write-up for all types of errors and fix them. It would be best to read it from a critic’s perspective; look for nothing but mistakes in it.

• Search out the grammatical, contextual and spelling errors you may have committed in it. 
• Look for awkward phrasing or sentences that are too long. Most people tend to gloss over these common mistakes, but they can have significant repercussions.
• Deliberately go over each word from your name at the top down to your signature at the page’s bottom. If you addressed the recipient by name, ensure the spelling is correct. It helps to run it through text-correction software like Grammarly for extra checks.
• Lastly, look out for exaggerated truths and half-lies. The cover letter is an opportunity for you to express your capabilities and share a glimpse of your personality. Take good advantage of it, but don’t let simple mistakes undermine your chances of getting hired for the role.

Mistakes to Avoid While Writing a Cover Letter 

These mistakes can affect your delivery and how the reviewers peruse your application.

Too Many Technical Terms, Cliches, and Buzzwords

Being a professional with years of experience in the field, it’s natural that you’d want to show off a little when you write your cover letter. Hence, you may use a lot of technical terms and industry lingo. That’s awesome and often attests to your credibility.

However, more often than not, people tend to overdo it such that it’ll feel like vain bragging. That’s the pitfall to avoid. When you use too many buzzwords and cliches, especially where they’re not necessary, you may come off as egotistical to the reviewer.

Cliches, on the other hand, are boring, and for a reviewer with a short attention span, it’s not worth anything. 

So, using sentences like “I’m a dynamic, self-motivated go-getter who takes an out-of-the-box thinking approach to solve problems” won’t do you much good.

Instead, strive to balance putting your most qualified persona forward and sounding arrogant. The best way to do this is to pick your words carefully. Reserve the technical terms for when they’re necessary and slow down on the industry vocabulary.

Using Abbreviations Acronyms and Unnecessary Jargon

Remember, while hiring managers are professionals, they may not understand or appreciate the language as much as you do. Being more precise with your word choices helps you connect easily with the reviewer.

Additionally, there are guidelines for how you use abbreviations in formal writing. First, spell out the acronyms and abbreviations when you start using them in a cover letter to help the reader know what you’re talking about.

Going Above One Page

There is yet to be an industry standard for the ideal cover letter length; however, the best examples usually feature only a few paragraphs. So, you want to ensure your cover letter is concise and not overwhelming for the reader. 

Understandably, you may not be the best at saying much with few letters. So, you can still have a few paragraphs above the average. 

But, you should always stay within one document page using the recommended font sizing in the job description. If there’s no specified font, then the ideal choices are Helvetica or Arial set on 12 points sizing.

Repeating Your CV’s Content

An exceptional CV neatly lays out your skills, experiences, competencies and other highlights of your credibility for a role. A cover letter shouldn’t simply repeat that. So, you should refrain from blatantly rehashing your CV’s content in your cover letter.

Instead, your cover letter should expand on the bullet points you have in your CV. 

For example, it should describe how your experiences and skills are relevant to the role you’re applying for. 

Again, the cover letter’s purpose is to explain why the hiring manager should care about your application. But it won’t achieve that if it’s blandly repeating your CV’s contents.

Oversharing

It’s a good idea to express some personality when you write your cover letter. But it would be best if you kept it within reasonable limits. 

You don’t need to go into unnecessary details about your personal life, preferences or anything irrelevant to your application.

Instead, stick to what’s pertinent to the role and will be helpful to the hiring manager. Keep the focus on your career and other factors related to the job you’re applying for. 

Anything else is unnecessary. By avoiding such fluff, you can easily keep your letter concise and avoid mistakenly letting out private information about yourself.

Ignoring the Job Requirements or Instructions

You must familiarise yourself with the job description before writing your cover letter and CV. The role requirement tells you what to include in the cover letter. 

But sadly, many people make the mistake of not properly digesting or outrightly ignoring the role requirement details before putting their application together. 

Most job descriptions come with proper instructions guiding the application process. You’ll easily miss the guidelines if you don’t take the time to look through the job posting content. 

For instance, the hiring manager may request that you submit the application in a specific format different from the one you’re familiar with. You’ll likely miss that if you ignore the application requirements.

Cover Letter Writing FAQs

The sections above should have answered most of your questions regarding how to write a cover letter. 

However, below we highlight a few common questions people ask regarding cover letter writing tips and ideas. 

What’s the appropriate length for a Cover Letter?

Most experts recommend 250-300 words as an ideal length for a cover letter. It’s good practice to keep your write-up within 3-4 short paragraphs to avoid overwhelming the reader.

Is a Cover Letter Necessary?

Typically, you should send a cover letter with your CV for every job application you submit. That’s because it’s a core consideration in most hiring processes. The only exception is when the job description says you shouldn’t. 

But you don’t necessarily have to send it as an attachment. If you’re sending the application via email or on Linkedin, your message text can be your cover letter, while the attachments will include your CV and other necessary documents.

Keep Your Cover Letters Simple and to the Point

You don’t need an intricate knowledge of the English language to write a convincing cover letter. You already have your CV and everything you need. Carefully consider the ideas above and apply them to your write-up.

More importantly, watch out for and avoid the common mistakes we mentioned too. Those can undermine your chances of getting an interview and ultimately securing the role.

Or leave it to the professionals. Our specialist CV writing team at The CV Expert will handle your CV and cover letter writing needs excellently. 

Contact us today via 020 8242 4287 to book our CV writing services in the UK.

Zippia’s 2020 survey report showed that 30% of people lie or bend the truth on their CVs. This indicates 3 in every ten job applicants deliberately include incorrect information on their CVs to deceive recruiters. 

You don’t need a pope or a judge to tell you it’s wrong to lie on your CV, regardless of your reasons. Moral etiquette frowns on blatant, calculated lies. But, what makes lying on your CV worse is you’re trying to gain an undue advantage in a recruitment process.

Many people may see nothing wrong with it if others don’t discover their lies. Here, we’ll discuss why lying on your CV is illegal, the consequences, and what you should do instead of lying. 

Why You Might Lie on Your CV

Many things can tempt people to embellish or exaggerate the truth on their CV and make their profile seem more than it is.

You most likely won’t start writing your CV to lie in it. However, the following reasons can compel you to do it.

To Make the CV Standout

Sometimes, you may feel your qualifications, skills, and work experiences aren’t remarkable enough to make your application worth consideration. You may then lie on your CV to compensate for your perceived inadequacy.

Alternatively, you may worry that other applicants are more qualified than you are. Therefore, you’ll exaggerate the reports on your CV to make it stand out.

Lastly, you may think, “well, many people lie on their CVs, and the other applicants may also do it. I’ll do it too, so they don’t get one over me”. You’re lying on your CV because you fear other applicants are doing it, and you won’t measure up if you don’t exaggerate your points too.

Employment Gaps

Employment gaps are a terrible look on your CV. They raise many questions in the reviewers’ minds regarding your commitment or competency for the role. It often leaves you in a dilemma with three choices. 

• Leave the gap and act like it never happened
• Attempt to explain the gap in your CV
• Lie and cover up the gap, so nobody knows it happened

The first option sounds like a terrible idea, especially from a professional point of view. Unexplained gaps often put off recruiters and affects your chances of getting the job.

The second option is more reasonable, but it’ll make your CV bulky. Most recruiters don’t want to look at lengthy CVs. They have many others to review. But it’s still the best option. 

The last one is a no-no; you may think, “yes, it’s wrong, but nobody will know, right?” Plus, you don’t want to take any chances with anything that can ruin your employment opportunity. With such thoughts, you’re likely to embellish your CV.

Skill Deficiency

If you’ve seen a job opening but don’t have the skills mentioned in the requirements, you’ll understand this point better. You won’t always have all the skills required for a position you want to take. But because you’re interested in the role, you’ll lie on your CV to look qualified for the job.

Most organisations use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to downsize the number of CVs they’ll review personally. An ATS works by scanning CVs for specific keywords related to the job role and discards CVs without it. 

Sometimes, these keywords may be particular skills you don’t have. Knowing that the ATS will inevitably discard your CV if you don’t mention the said skill, you might feel the temptation to do a little fibbing. 

Lastly, yours might be an honest mistake whereby you overestimate your ability or skills. For example, you may think you’re proficient at using a computer program, but you haven’t scratched its surface yet. 

Lying about your skills is outrageous, yet many people do it. Unfortunately, it’s easy to spot. An expert only needs to ask you a bunch of questions regarding the skills. Then, you’ll find yourself in an awkward situation where you can’t answer a seemingly simple question for someone with your skillset.

Insufficient Experience to Meet Job Requirements

This lie is common among entry-level job applicants and individuals with few (1-3) years of working experience. In most cases, they’re likely applying to a role requiring more years of experience than they have. 

For example, you may be a developer with two years of working experience. Then, you find an opening for a senior developer role that requires at least three years of working experience. 

Believing you have the skills and other necessary competencies to fill that role, you may feel there’s nothing wrong with lying about your work experience to get it.

But the problem with lying about your experience is it’s pretty easy to spot the discrepancies. Dates are absolute, and a seasoned recruiter will spot the disagreement in the dates. They’ll likely raise questions about it, and that’s where they’ll discover the lies on your CV. So, don’t do it.

Salary Considerations 

Most employees want to earn more than their current pay. You may also apply to a new role because of its potential for increased remunerations. Naturally, you’ll want to set yourself up for better pay.

One of the easiest ways to do that is a little tweaking on your CV. You only need to increase the salary from your previous role knowing the new employer may want to top or at least match it. And you’re probably thinking, “the interviewers won’t know, right? 

They might not find out during the interview, but they’ll find out when you submit your payslips when you resume the job. And that’s when you’ll likely get into trouble with your CV lies.

Common Lies Hiring Managers Spot on CVs

Many HR personnel now know that many people lie on their CVs. They also spend much of their time reviewing CVs and looking for discrepancies. 

Below are some common lies people put on their CVs.

Bogus Qualifications

Exaggerated skillset and certification forgery are two of the widespread lies people put in their CVs. The advent of self-learning, online courses, and virtual schools has helped increase these practices. 

Nowadays, people can lie that they took a course from an unrecognised organisation and earned a certification. Therefore they’re now proficient in a skill. And it doesn’t help that many overseas diploma mills now offer phoney qualifications.

It’s even worse that some people pretend to have qualifications from real institutions or embellish their grades. 

For example, Scott Thompson, Ex-Yahoo CEO, claimed he obtained a Computer Science and Accounting degree from Stonehill College in Easton, Massachusetts. But he only had an Accounting degree.

False Employment History

Employment gaps and insufficient experience to meet job requirements often result in job applicants falsifying their employment histories. 

For example, applicants often fudge the dates to cover an employment gap. They extend the period of their commitment to their previous employers. Or they’ll fill the space with a made-up employment story. Of course, that often leads to many deceitful self-employment stories.

Individuals with insufficient working experience also try to compensate for it with exaggerated stories. Some may also say they’ve worked for certain organisations or people even though they didn’t.

Fraudulent References

An individual who got dismissed from their previous jobs may not be able to obtain good references depending on the reasons for their dismissal. This individual may instead find a friend to pose as the former employer and give a recommendation.

This act is wrong in many ways. By doing it, you’re trying to deceive your potential new employer and impersonate your former employer. And if caught, the former employer can sue you for libel.

But that’s not all; some companies also sell references from nonexistent firms. Interestingly, these fictional firms sometimes have websites and phone lines, all of which are fake. That only shows how much people invest in falsifying information on their CVs.

Job Title and Responsibility Falsification

When applying for a higher role than your current one, you may get the urge to make yourself seem more suitable. It’s even more tempting if the new role you’re applying for is a managerial position. You may want to portray yourself with leadership experiences you don’t have.

Most lies in this category often feature people saying they led a team or project, whereas they were only team members and had no executive role in the group. Most recruiters spot this lie when they check the team profile or reach out to former employers on LinkedIn. 

Similarly, people can sometimes falsify the results they achieved in their previous roles. For example, having worked in a social/ influencer marketing manager role, an individual may exaggerate the conversions he achieved while in that position. People often do this to make their erstwhile careers seem more impressive.

Consequences of Lying on your CV

There’s one primary problem with lying; it’s often unsustainable in the long run. Lies don’t usually end at one. When you lie once, you often have to lie again to cover the previous lie. 

The same applies when you lie on your CV. Someone will eventually find out you’re lying on your CV, and there’ll be consequences when they do.

You may Get Caught and Disqualified During the Interview. 

Many people don’t get into trouble when they lie on their CVs, at least during the interview stage. But the interviewers still manage to get some at times. And you may be lucky enough that HR finds you out before you go too far.

So, the best time to get caught lying on your CV is before you submit the job application. The next best time is when the reviewer is looking at your application before the interview. How?

Most recruiters won’t overlook a lie on your CV, automatically making them distrust you. So, you can forget about the interview or the job. But the situation is still manageable since you haven’t gone too far. And if the recruiter is kind enough, they may call you to order and let you off with a warning.

However, imagine you’ve gotten to the interview stage, already nervous about many things that can go wrong. And then a question hits you about your fudged work experience or skills. You’ll most likely leave the interview very embarrassed.

Ruined Reputation – Blacklisting

Consider yourself lucky if all you ever have to endure as a consequence of lying on your CV is an embarrassment during an interview. Most times, falsifying the information on your profile can have a tremendous negative effect on your reputation.

For example, Scott Thompson had to step down from his role as CEO after the fiasco with his CV and has been the subject of negative case studies ever since. His name will often come up in discussions about CV fraud and similar topics.

If your lie is bad enough, the employer may blacklist your name and prevent you from securing employment in that organisation. And, of course, depending on the organisation they represent, they may be able to prevent you from securing a job with any of their affiliate companies.

Additionally, very few organisations will be willing to hire someone with such a blight on their career history. It won’t serve well on the company’s image. Hence, they’ll most likely favour another candidate for the role.

Lastly, if you got the employment opportunity through an agency, they’ll likely not want to work with you again to protect their reputation. 

Loss of Employment

You’ll most likely get the sack letter when your employer finds out you lied on your CV if you’ve already gotten the job. Such issues often fall under gross misconduct and are punishable by dismissal in most organisations. 

It won’t matter how good you are; most companies don’t want to work with employees they can’t trust or have associations with fraud. 

They may appreciate your notable contributions and perceived indispensability to the organisation. But ultimately, they’ll put the company’s reputation first. It doesn’t bode well for an organisation if the public discovers they hire people who falsified their CVs.

Legal Consequences

It is illegal to lie on your CV in the UK. It’s a crime under the Fraud Act 2006 to lie on your CV. As such, you’ll be violating the law when you do it.

According to the act, “fraud by false representation can carry a maximum ten years imprisonment penalty. 

But that’s not all you have to worry about; employers or other parties can take legal action against you if they find lies on your CV. That’s especially if your falsifications have put the company in a bad situation. 

For example, say you lied about being able to do a job and then committed an error while doing the job resulting in a client suing your company. The company can take you to court to demand payment for damages.

How You Can Stay Honest on Your CV – What to do Instead of Lying

Fortunately, you can still bolster your CV without having to lie or embellish information. 

Learn New Skills

While job hunting, most of the openings you’ll likely come across will have similar skills requirements for similar roles. If you don’t have said skills, you may be tempted to include them on your CV and pretend you have them. 

But instead of pretending to have the skills, it’s better to obtain them. It’ll take diligent work and dedication, but it’ll be worth it.

Fortunately, obtaining skills is now much easier thanks to the internet and its abundant resources. You can find tutorial videos online, sign up for training courses, or arrange for an industry expert to mentor you. 

Get Certifications

Similarly, if the employer requires certain certifications for a role, you shouldn’t lie about having them when you don’t. Instead, you can earn the certifications by taking the required courses. 

For example, you can take courses from online programmes. Platforms like Coursera offer accessible avenues for people to take classes on several subjects and earn certifications upon completing their training.

Alternatively, you can sign up for a university or physical learning programme. The goal is to learn what you need to and earn the certifications attached to them. The platforms you use don’t matter much as long as they’re efficient and sustainable for you. 

However, you should ensure you get the certification from a recognisable and accredited organisation. Preferably a notable school or training institute. That’ll improve your credibility and prevent unnecessary questions about your qualifications from recruiters. 

Do Volunteer Work to Gain Experience

Having sufficient work experience is always a plus. But, if you’re an entry-level applicant or switching industries, you’ll likely not have enough service years to justify your qualifications for some roles.

But that doesn’t mean you should resort to lying about your work experience. Instead, you should take on some relevant volunteer work. That can boost your credibility tremendously. It shows you’re passionate about learning and helping, even if it means working for little to no remuneration.

Volunteer experience is an excellent way to score key achievements while earning useful recommendations. You can also gain valuable connections and expand your professional network by meeting experts in your field through volunteer experience.

Hire Professional CV Writers

An easy way to avoid putting lies on your CV is to not even write it by yourself in the first place. Instead of mulling over how you’ll make your CV stand out to the recruiter, let the professionals worry about that.

Professional CV writers know the best ways to present your skills, qualifications and experiences in your CV. They can make you look like the perfect candidate for a role without lying about or exaggerating the facts on your CV. As long as you supply them with accurate information, you don’t have to worry about discrepancies on your profile.

Avoid Common CV Lies with Professional CV Writers

It’s simpler to avoid common lies on your CV when an experienced CV writer writes it. Here at The CV Expert, our CV writers know how to present professional qualifications in the best possible light and place you in the best position for the job without resorting to lies. 

Call 020 8242 4287 to book one of our expert CV writers and get a new leadership or executive CV in a few short days. 

Thanks to the recent pandemic and digital innovations, many regular processes have found their way into the digital space. Meetings that’d otherwise have been physical can now happen virtually.

Unsurprisingly, many companies now schedule interviews for job applicants online. 86% of interviewers use video calls for interviews. Your next interview session can happen right in your living room. It’s a relatively new development, and you may need help adjusting to it.

This blog will help you adjust to the requirements of a remote interview. Here, we’ll consider what to do during online interviews and things to avoid. 

How to Prepare for an Online Interview

As a career professional who’s been working for some time, you should already have previous interview experience. You should know the fundamental considerations to prepare for an interview. 

But, online interviews are more dynamic than in-person meetings. You determine the physical environment for your interview, which influences several other things. Therefore, you must prepare differently for a virtual interview to stand out during the meeting.  

The below points will guide you on pre-online interview etiquette and how to prepare for the meeting.

Anticipate Possible Questions and Prepare Your Answers

This point is arguably the number one tip on every “How to pass an online interview” post. An interview is fundamentally a Q and A session between you and the hiring managers. They attempt to understand your persona better and see if you fit their requirements.

Don’t expect things to be any different because the meeting is now online. Much of the process hasn’t changed; only the communication mediums have evolved. You still have to show up on a screen and answer the same questions you would if you were with them in person.

Appropriately research the company and role you applied for. If you have prior knowledge of the hiring manager or potential interviewers, you should study and learn about them too. 

The research should help you identify possible questions the interviewer will ask you. And then, you can prepare your best answers to the queries. You should also come up with questions you’ll ask the interviewer in return.

Most interviewers find it impressive when job applicants ask intriguing questions during interviews. It shows you’re knowledgeable and passionate about the role you’re applying for. Hence, you should also prepare interesting but relevant questions for the interviewers. 

Plan Out Your Attire

Again, most of the interview process is still the same, whether online or physical. The online interviewer will expect you to maintain the same dress code you would follow for an in-person session.

When preparing for a virtual meeting, you want to maintain the same formality you would if the session were physical. And, of course, that means you must retain the dress code from head to toe. 

You’ll likely get an urge to be less formal since you’re doing the meeting in your space. But you must ignore it. Appearing informal can send the wrong message about your professionalism to the interviewees. It doesn’t hurt to dress corporate for an hour, even if you’re not going anywhere.

Ensure your outfit looks appropriate on camera. Try it on and do a quick dress rehearsal to see what you’ll look like to the people on the other side of the screen during the interview. Why? Some attires look okay in person but weird in a video frame.

Plan Your Background

Online interviews let hiring managers see what you’re like in your personal space. During the meeting, they aren’t looking at only you; they’ll also see what you have in the background. And, of course, that will inform the impression they create about you.

Ensure the space is neat. Remove the laundry piling up in the corner of the room and the stockings by the lamppost. Don’t take the interview in a room with a lot going on in the background. It can distract the interviewers and distract them from paying attention to you.

Taking the interview in your nerd or fanboy room with all your posters on the wall is inadvisable. Instead, find a space where your backdrop won’t take the attention away from you. A plain background makes you the only interesting thing in the interviewer’s view, and it helps them focus their attention on you.

Setup Your Internet and Equipment Beforehand

The internet is the main facilitator for your online interview — the better it is, the smoother your communication with the interviwers. 

You’d also agree that a buffering signal can be annoying when watching a video online. In the same way, your interviewers will find similar interruptions displeasing.

Then again, you’ll hardly be able to put your best foot forward with a stuttering internet. So, identify what can go wrong with your internet and fix it before the interview.

Do the same for your other equipment, such as webcam, microphone, and speakers. Make sure they can hear you, and you can get their message clearly.  Familiarise yourself with the equipment and meeting medium beforehand.

For example, if it’ll be via a zoom call, ensure you know how to use the software properly before the meeting.

Do a Dress Rehearsal Multiple Times

A dress rehearsal involves practising an activity like it’s the main event. Approach it like it’s the actual interview with hiring managers.

The dress rehearsal will include everything you’ll use for the main interview. 

• It starts with planning your background and setting up your equipment. Afterwards, you’ll dress up in your chosen attire for the interview.
• Have an actual interview using the same videoconferencing medium the hiring managers intend to use. 
• You can have a friend or family member be the interviewer, and they’ll ask you the questions you came up with, plus any other they feel is relevant.

The essence of the dress rehearsal is to familiarise you with the interview experience. That way, there’ll be little to no awkwardness resulting from the first-time online interview experience.

Remove Interruptions.

Aside from picking a background that won’t distract the interviewers, you should remove every element that can cause interruptions during the meeting. Ideally, you want to set up in a quiet environment where no one will disturb you.

Background noise may make it difficult to communicate effectively and receive feedback from the interviewers. To avoid that, talk to the people you share your space with to be quieter for that period.

If you have pets or children, use a space distant from them to prevent them from interrupting your meeting. If necessary, take the interview away from your home.

You must find a location where you won’t have any distractions. Ensure the background is also professionally acceptable and with good lighting. You’ll be talking a lot, so keep a bottle of water nearby.

Tips to Stand Out During a Virtual Interview 

Many people prepare for online interviews excellently but falter on the D day. Sure, you must dot the I’s, cross the T’s and do everything right in anticipation of the interview. 

You can perform below expectations during the meeting if you don’t do things right. Follow the guide below to prevent that from happening.

Approach the Online Interview As You Would a Physical Meeting

An online interview works the same as a traditional one. Observe all the protocols you would if you met with the hiring manager in person.

Only wear what you’d wear for a physical meeting. The best outfit will depend on the role and company you’re applying to. Research the organisation and employee dress code so you can attend the online interview in the appropriate attire.

Next, ensure to sign in early. You won’t leave your home for a 3:00 pm physical meeting at 2:55 pm. You shouldn’t attempt that with an online interview, either. Join early and set up properly before the meeting starts. 

As the online interview begins, observe basic etiquette, such as appropriate salutations. The typical physical interview starts with a handshake and general pleasantry exchange before getting to business. You should recreate the same for the online meeting.

To do a digital handshake, simply look directly into the camera, smile and do a slight head nod as if to say “yes”.

Pay Rapt Attention

The easiest way to fail an interview is not to pay attention to the interviewers. This indicates you’re not interested in whatever they’re saying and, by extension, the role. 

Additionally, you’ll miss most of what the interviewers communicate to you when you aren’t paying attention. You’ll misunderstand questions and give inappropriate answers. 

Then again, even if you give the correct answers, the interviewers may note any sign of unattentiveness as irresponsible behaviour. 

• Paying full attention shows you want the role and will take whatever chance you get to land the job.
• Paying attention can also help you stay calm. It helps you focus on what the interviewers are saying and keep your mind together, which may cause you to falter.

Please remove all distractions from your environment beforehand and keep your eyes on the interviewers during the meeting. If possible, put your phone away so you won’t get the urge to operate it during the interview. 

Mind Your Body Language

A major advantage of remote interviews is you won’t have to worry about most of the non-verbal examinations interviewers do on applicants. For example, no one will measure how firm your handshake was or whether you waited for the interviewer to invite you to take a sit.

However, that doesn’t mean you can get complacent about your body language. For example, your sitting posture tells a lot about how attentive and interested you’re in the discussion. 

• Sit up straight, smile, and keep your eyes on the screen as much as possible.
• Use small hand gestures for illustrations and nod your head to indicate agreement.
• Your facial gestures will also convey a lot of information and create assumptions in the interviewers. So, make sure they send out the right message. 
• Avoid being so static that the interviewer thinks you’re frozen. 

Manage Interruptions When/If They Happen

You should implement measures to prevent interruptions and distractions during the online interview. 

• If you can, take the meeting where you control other people’s access to you. And inform those sharing the space with you that they shouldn’t disturb you. 
• Before you settle down for the interview, check your space for any unexpected element that might cause interruptions.
• Ensure to turn off your phone or other devices that may make noise. 
• Don’t forget to mute all computer notifications as well. 

However, interruptions may still occur from things out of your control, even with your best preparations. For example, an unexpected construction project in your community may generate noise. 

In such cases, quickly notify the interviewer at the beginning of the meeting and let them know you weren’t expecting it. 

Conversely, if you have an interruptive situation that’s within your control, do your best to manage it quickly. For example, your dog may start barking all of a sudden. In that case, excuse yourself politely to go see what’s wrong. 

But, if it seems the interviewers will not appreciate you leaving the meeting, then take it in your stride and continue with the interview.

Explain Long Pauses

Long pauses, especially after an interviewer asks you questions, don’t make good impressions. It may cause the interviewer to think you’ve broken off from the conversation. 

It’s best to avoid long pauses altogether and try to reply to all queries as quickly as possible.

If there’s a pause, give a good reason for it. For example, you could tell the interviewer you were noting down what they said, trying to pull a piece of information or any other professional excuse you can think of. 

You’ll give the impression that you’re attentive and no technical glitches have occurred. 

What to Avoid During a Virtual Interview

Despite your best efforts and intentions, a few mistakes can undermine everything you do in a virtual interview. You want to prevent those as much as you can. 

Let’s quickly look at what you should avoid during virtual interviews and why.

Connecting to the Meeting At the Last Minute

Ensure you’re ready for the meeting before the interviewers. Depending on the videoconferencing platform the interviewers choose, you may be able to initiate the call from your end. If that’s possible, please do; getting there early shows punctuality.

Coming in early allows you to settle down properly before the meeting begins. It helps you calm your nerves and collect your thoughts as the interview starts.

Using a Poorly Lit Environment

In a traditional interview, the environment is out of your control. You don’t determine the environmental conditions for the interview and won’t have to worry about the lighting or if the place is messy. However, in this case, it all falls on your lap.

The most important consideration is ensuring the interviewer can see and hear you clearly. Set up in a well-lit environment. You should also check the lighting before the interview starts to ensure everything works properly. 

Eating During the Interview

You get to feel very comfortable when taking an interview from your home. You won’t have to worry about an intimidating vibe from your interviewers. However, never get so comfortable that you bring a dessert to an interview. 

Eating during an interview is unprofessional; you wouldn’t do it in a physical meeting. Don’t do it in a virtual discussion with recruiters, either.

You’d agree that it won’t look good if the interviewer throws a question at you while you’re eating a chunk of cake. They’ll have to wait for you to swallow the food and catch your breath before replying. Plus, there’s a chance you might spill the food and create a mess. 

Understandably, you may need some water if you’re set for a lengthy interview. But most interviews don’t take more than an hour, and you should be able to survive that long without water or food. 

Relying Heavily on Notes

Interviewers don’t expect you to use notes during an interview. You certainly won’t have that luxury in a physical meeting. However, in a virtual discussion, you can discreetly use the notes without the interviewer knowing.

But people often rely heavily on their notes to the point that they look like they’re reading from a teleprompter. It often becomes evident to the interviewers at that point, putting them in a bad light.

The essence of notes is to help you remember details that may skip your mind during your presentation. So, use them only as reminders of the points you want to discuss. 

An excellent strategy to use notes discreetly is to write down the points on post-it notes and stick them to your laptop beside the camera. That way, when you’re looking at it, it seems you’re looking directly into the camera. Do be careful, so the note doesn’t block the camera.

Talking Too Fast

Interviews are fundamentally HR personnel having a direct real-time conversation with a job applicant about their application. 

Both sides are communicating and sharing information. And for the correspondence to be efficient, both sides must understand each other.

Communicate so interviewers can easily catch your words. What you say and how you say it will determine whether you pass an online interview. 

• You may have to speak slowly to ensure interviewers get you clearly. But it’s not about how much you say; it’s how well you say it.
• You want to avoid pauses too. However, don’t be too eager to fill up every slight break in the conversation. 
• Take a breath or two before answering questions, and talk clearly. It shows the interviewer you’re thinking carefully before answering. 

Ace Your Next Online Interview and Score that Dream Job

An online interview is pretty much like a physical one, except you’re not in the same room with the interviewers. 

The questions won’t be different, and the interviewers will likely grade you by the same metrics. Most of the usual prep steps for traditional interviews will work for online meetings too.

It’s easier to ace online interviews with an excellent CV that tells half the story of your expertise and experience. The CV Expert has experienced writers who will deliver top-quality leadership or executive CV in a few short days. 

Call 020 8242 4287 to book our CV writing services today. 

From initial search to creating an applicant pool and vetting them, here’s how to hire the best leadership CV writer. 

It’s always better to leave it to the professionals. It’s the reason a recent study indicates up to 68% of professionals who contract expert CV writers get a new position within 90 days. 

It’s the same reason you’re gunning for your next leadership role. Out there is a UK company with a vacant leadership position, hoping for a professional with the requisite skill set. 

It’s all about who has professional skills. Therefore, hiring a skilled leadership CV writer to revamp and improve your professional profile is the better option. 

But of course, that creates another problem, where do you find a leadership CV writer? And when you find a bunch of them, do you know how to choose the best professional CV writer for your specific needs? 

Lastly, you also have to consider the cost and financial implications attached. When you put all these factors together, it can get quite overwhelming.

That’s why we’ve prepared this guide to help you find the best CV writer in the UK. Here are the simple details you need to know. 

Why You Should Hire a Professional Leadership CV Writer

In our experience, it helps to understand why you need something if you want to find the best version of it. For example, if you understand why you need good food, you’ll know what a great meal looks like and where to find it. 

The same applies when you want to hire a leadership CV writer. You must be clear on why you need to find the writer best suited to your needs. 

The first reason to find a CV writing service is the inability to undertake the task yourself. It isn’t that you aren’t competent enough or ready for the position. You’re only having difficulty compressing your experience and selling points into one or two pages. 

Conversely, a professional CV writer has the skill and experience to do that for you. For example, they can take the most complex representation of all your competencies and break it into bit-sized understandable nuggets. And you don’t have to worry about the info losing its relevance or desired effect.

For context, imagine a pro CV writer portraying all your years of experience in a few lines and still capturing the most crucial details. Essentially, they’ll use punchy, specialist writing to catch any hiring manager’s attention.

Also, hiring a pro CV writer will help you avoid common mistakes that can undermine your CV. The best leadership CV writers in the UK use modern standards to meet the recruiter’s expectations. Plus, they know the best format to maximise your chances for the interview and the job.

Lastly, letting someone else handle the task saves time and allows you to focus on other equally important things. Essentially, it affords you more time to work on yourself and put other things in place to become a more suitable candidate for your target leadership role. 

Where to Find Leadership CV Writers

It takes a writer with a comprehensive understanding of a leadership role’s requirements to craft a document that can aid your cause. Here’s where to find and hire a leadership writer who ticks this box. 

LinkedIn

There’s a popular opinion that a LinkedIn profile is the social media version of your CV.  What better place to find someone to help you create your CV than a platform where people market themselves with their “online CV”?

LinkedIn is one of the most accessible places to find top CV writers in 2022. In fact, if you want someone to review your CV free of charge, you have a better chance of finding them on LinkedIn. There are stories of random people reviewing LinkedIn profiles and giving unsolicited suggestions on improving them. 

LinkedIn is home to many professional leadership CV writers searching for their next client. And making a hiring choice is easier since CV writers can include recommendations and a portfolio on their LinkedIn profiles. 

Start your hiring process by entering the phrase “Leadership CV writer” in LinkedIn’s search bar. For more accurate results, enclose the query in quotation marks. Then, take your time to review the profiles of every individual in the search result.

Google Search

Executing a quick Google search is one of the most reliable ways to find anything online. Simply type key phrases like “best CV writer UK”, and you’ll have an exhaustive list within seconds. 

Using Google is straightforward, and you can always increase search result accuracy by making your queries more specific. For example, say you work in finance and need a leadership CV writer to help you land a target role in London. 

You can make your search queries more specific by typing “London leadership CV writer with finance experience”. 

But aside from that, everything else works similarly to a LinkedIn search. So, once the results return, you still need to take your time filtering through to choose the right CV writing service for the job.

Dedicated Platforms

Several platforms serve as dedicated marketplaces and hubs where people who need specific services can connect with expert providers. These marketplaces enable you to find freelancers for a quick task and are accessible within the UK. 

Marketplaces like Fiverr and Upwork boast several talents, and you’re sure to find competent CV writing service providers there.

However, you should exercise caution when you hire leadership CV writers from freelance platforms. These platforms are also home to several posers who are not as competent as they portray on their profiles.

Important Considerations Before You Hire a Leadership CV Writer

At this point, you should have an exhaustive list of CV writers and services available for hire. The next challenge is how to choose the best leadership CV writer. 

Here are the next steps to follow: 

Research and Understand how They Work

You must grasp how a CV writing service works before employing them. Particularly, you must be familiar with how a CV writing agency works — from the first contact point to eventual CV delivery. 

Disappointingly, several CV writers in the UK simply give out questionnaires to their clients and then churn out half-true documents at the end. They don’t take time to interview and get to know their clients before doing their “magic.”

But, the leadership CV writer you’ll hire must be willing to interview you personally and requests your involvement in the entire process. That means they should call and exchange emails with you as often as possible while creating your CV. 

In conclusion, it’s better to avoid any CV writer that simply gives you a questionnaire to fill out or doesn’t offer revisions.

Read Customer Reviews

You should check out their reviews, especially if your list of possible CV writing services is from a Google search. Read as many third-party and client reviews as possible about potential CV writing services. You can even go as far as checking popular review websites like Trustpilot and Yelp.

Furthermore, you want to be particularly careful of reviews you find on non-authority sites. People can pay money for good reviews on random websites even when they don’t deserve them. But, authority websites often provide more accurate, unbiased reviews.

Also, remember that it may be somewhat difficult to find reviews on individual freelance writers. So you’ll have a better chance of using this idea when dealing with agencies rather than individuals.

Look At the Writers and Not the Agency

Every agency is an entity or a business. However, some people work for and serve that agency’s interest. Hence, it’s better to look closely at the people before partnering with any agency.

So, research their employees before hiring an agency for your CV writing needs. Check for necessary competencies and proficiency among their ranks. The more qualified personnel a CV writing service has, the better your chances of getting a quality CV from them. 

You can simply check the company’s website for their team. If they don’t specify their team members on the website, check the company’s LinkedIn page to see if credible writers are working for them.

Compare the Cost to Benefit

Service costs are an important consideration in the bid to hire a leadership CV writer. Signing a losing deal makes no sense. Similarly, signing up with an agency delivering overpriced services not worth their fees sounds ridiculous. 

The paragraph above isn’t a licence to go for the cheapest writer you can find. Instead, consider all the agencies you have shortlisted, compare their costs and choose the CV writing service with the best cost-benefit rating. 

That way, you’ll get the most value for your money and increase your chances of getting an interview. 

Hiring a leadership CV Writer: What to Look for in a CV Writer or Writing Service

Earlier, we mentioned looking at the writers and not the agency before you hire them for your leadership CV. Here are the essential points to look for before choosing a CV writing service or writer.

Review Their Background Education and Other Credentials

The best leadership CV writers in the UK don’t just pop out from under a rock or some relative obscurity. They always have some history, qualifications and necessary experience enabling them to create efficient CVs regardless of the role. 

An excellent leadership writer will have experience as a career counsellor or in some recruiting capacity. At least, the individual will have sufficient HR hiring knowledge. These competencies form the basis for their leadership CV writing skills. So, your best bet is to hire writers or agencies with such portfolios.

You may also want to consider the CV writer’s academic degree and other qualifications before hiring them. 

For example, we recommend checking if they have a bachelor’s or master’s degree. Do they have other certifications relevant to CV writing? All these are also noteworthy considerations for selecting a CV writer.

English is the UK’s preferred degree qualification and language for CV writing. And while the writer probably didn’t learn CV writing as part of their school curriculum, a solid background in the English language helps. Therefore, English Literature or Journalism degrees are the most appropriate academic qualifications.

Gauge the Experience Level in Years and Turnout Volume

You can quickly determine how much a CV writer knows by asking how long they’ve been doing it. For example, a leadership CV writer who’s been in it for five years should have more experience than a colleague who only started a year ago.

But, experience isn’t just a function of how many years a CV writer has spent writing. You should also consider the volume of work they spent those years doing. So, instead of simply looking at how long, you can also ask how many CVs they’ve delivered recently.

Interestingly, someone who has only been in the business for three years may have written more CVs than someone who has been doing it for five years. In that case, the former has more experience and offers a better chance of delivering stellar results. 

For a leadership CV, it’s better to look for someone with at least five years of consistent CV writing experience. We don’t mean to undermine the abilities of less experienced CV writers. But you stand a better chance with veteran CV writers because they have a wealth of experience to create just what you need.

Strong Writing Skills

We can’t emphasise this requirement enough. Choosing to hire a leadership CV writer with suspect writing abilities is a counter-productive move. 

High-quality writing is one of the attributes of an acceptable CV. And without it, stuffing a leadership CV with all your achievements will be meaningless.

It’s worth noting that 77% of recruiters disqualify candidates due to spelling mistakes and poor grammar. Therefore using this data as a reference, imagine when the stakes are high, as in the case of leadership job applications. 

Then again, strong writing skills don’t end with being able to write an error-free CV. The leadership CV writer must also know the right words to use. They must have an extensive vocabulary and the ability to use industry-correct phrases to portray client competencies. 

Additionally, persuasive writing skills are a plus as they make the work easier for you and the leadership CV writer. With such skills, the writer can create compelling CVs that’ll make your path to the leadership role easier.

By looking through their previous work, you can easily know how good a leadership CV writer is in this regard. If you can’t find a portfolio online, request samples from them to help you gauge their skill level.

Must Be Familiar With CV ATS Optimisation

Recruiters often get several CV entries for the average leadership position. But of course, you can’t expect them to spend precious time reviewing every single one of those CVs to shortlist a few for an interview. That’s why recruiters use applicant tracking software to sort and shortlist viable applicant CVs.

It’s worth noting that ATS systems reject up to 75% of CVs they check. Consequently, ensuring it passes ATS screening is a primary consideration when creating a leadership CV.

Unfortunately, you probably don’t know how to optimise your CV for ATS screening, and the average CV writer probably doesn’t. So you have to work with an expert who has been doing it for years.

2022’s top leadership CV writers always know the right power words for a CV, depending on the job description. They know the right keywords and the best places to insert them. So, you can rest assured of their ability to create a leadership CV that passes any ATS screening with flying colours.

Cost Considerations When Hiring Leadership CV Writers

Unfortunately, there’s no average price range for CV writing services. Firstly, the industry is so unregulated and diluted by freelancers that it’s challenging to establish a pattern of how CV writing agencies determine their fees. And more often than not, the amount you’ll pay for the service will come down to your bargaining skills. 

That said, 2022 market conditions dictate that you shouldn’t expect to pay any less than  £200 to hire a professional leadership CV writer in the UK. This means avoiding self-acclaimed leadership CV writers whose services cost way too low. Often, they only offer subpar results and only charge that low to lure unsuspecting clients.  

It’s possible to get a good deal on how much a new leadership CV costs. For instance, you can negotiate discount pricing if you get a new CV alongside a colleague. 

However, don’t always count on cheap services. Instead, look for a professional writer who may charge a premium but will provide top-quality writing for you.

FAQs About Hiring a CV Writer

What other questions do you have on how to hire a professional CV writer? Check the FAQs below for the answers to some of them.

Are CV Writing Services Worth the Money?

The decision to hire a professional leadership CV writer is worth the money. Generally, you should get a highly professional leadership CV when you hire veteran writers. This one-time payment for professional service is always worth 

Does a Professional CV Guarantee Employment?

The short answer is no. Professional CV writers only have better writing skills and an understanding of what recruiters want to see in a CV. 

Their job is to structure your CV, so it interests the recruiter enough to request an interview or some other assessment form. Needless to say, that’s not enough to get you the job.

At the very least, you’ll still have to take and ace the interview to get the job. But by then, the CV writer and their write-up will be primarily out of the picture.

Overall, a professional CV may guarantee a sit-down with the recruiter, but it most likely won’t get you a leadership role immediately.

Hire the Right Leadership CV Writer

This blog proves there are many considerations to the question of how to hire a leadership CV writer. The best part is we’ve covered it all in comprehensive detail.

From finding viable applicants to assessing their skills and competencies, we’ve explored what to look for in a leadership CV writing service. After all, we’re a CV writing service that ticks all the boxes listed above. 

The CV Expert has reputable experience preparing bespoke CVs for directors, business leaders and specialists. Our patented writing process allows us to deliver stellar results in 48 hours.

Contact us to learn more! We’re always happy to discuss CVs and related issues.  

Below is an exhaustive guide to writing and formatting an executive CV to meet the requirements for a target role. 

Being a career professional with over five years of experience in the field is a fantastic feat. Undoubtedly, you must have made tremendous contributions to your firm and the industry within this timeframe. 

You’re likely targeting executive responsibilities at this point in your career. The only problem is communicating that readiness to a hiring board by writing an executive CV.

Of course, you may have prior report writing experience throughout your lengthy and illustrious career. But executive CV writing is a different ball game — one that many tend to drop. 

Jobscan says 98% of Fortune 500 companies use automated tracking systems to sort CVs before it reaches the hiring team. Your executive CV must pass ATS screening while also appealing to the hiring board. Hence, you’ll need all the help you can get writing and formatting an executive CV.

Our latest read is the answer to that need. Here, we’ll explore tips for formatting a CV for an executive role. The following sections will explore essential recommendations, the acceptable structure for an executive CV in the UK and common mistakes to avoid.

Must-Know Executive CV Writing Tips

Executive CV writing and formatting is geared toward standing out from the bunch. The executive in any company is a high-level professional displaying a considerable level of savviness. Your CV shouldn’t portray any less.

Lay the Groundwork 

CV writing and formatting requires adequate knowledge of the intended executive role. You must know the job requirements, demands, and what makes you fit for that position.

Laying the groundwork involves taking critical steps to build a solid foundation as your launch pad into the race for the role. And there are two things you must do to achieve that.

Targeting

For illustration, say you’re building your dream home. You likely have a picture of what you want it to look like in your mind. Targeting is the process of recreating that picture on a physical medium to make it clearer for yourself and others to understand. 

In executive CV writing, targeting involves setting and focusing on specific goals that contribute to your efforts at getting the role. While you may have a target role, it’s only in your head as an idea. It’s important to represent it with goals and objectives clearly. 

You may think all of these aren’t necessary, but they are! Executive roles are high stakes, so there are no margins for error, especially not on your CV.

Researching

Continuing from the previous analogy, the next step after putting a house plan on paper is researching the best materials for your specific design. Sure, you need cement, gravel, bricks, metal beams, and other essential materials for building a house. But what are the specific items necessary for the design you want? 

Similarly, what are the crucial hallmarks of a competent executive working in your target role? You need specific keywords and indicators to help you, especially if your CV writing skills aren’t the best on the block. 

Primarily, start by considering the requirements for executive-level employees in your field. Say, you work in a real estate company. You want to know the requirements for writing a CV befitting an executive role in the real estate industry.

Customise the CV For the Role

The previous point leads right into this one, as the prior groundwork is necessary to customise your CV to fit a target role. The whole point of researching the job role and your goals is to tailor-fit your CV to it. 

Customising your CV involves writing and adapting it to highlight the information most relevant to the target executive role. That means your executive CV must accentuate the skills, experience and other proficiencies expected of executive-level personnel working in that industry.

Also, an essential part of executive CV customisation involves using the ideal format. Recruiters sometimes prefer specific CV templates for particular job descriptions. In this instance, finding and using a recommended layout while formatting your CV will benefit you.

Be Specific and Articulate Your Value Concisely

Imagine yourself in an elevator with the chairman of your target company’s board with only 30 seconds to deliver a hiring pitch. The whole point of your CV is to highlight the value you’ll bring to the role if the recruiters select you. 

So, make it as concise as possible. And the best way to do that is to be specific. Go directly to the point and articulate your propositions well enough that they’ll make sense to the recruiter. 

The following tips will help you convey value while writing an executive CV. 

Write an Executive Summary

The executive summary is a taste of what to expect from the rest of your CV and should ideally come before your experience, qualifications and skills. 

It breaks the whole CV down into a few points for the hiring manager to quickly digest and decide if the rest of the document is worth their time. Needless to say, your executive summary must hit hard and position you as tailor-fit for the role you’re pursuing. 

It doesn’t matter how stacked your CV is. If your executive summary is bland, the recruiter will likely ditch your CV without exploring the value on offer. 

The executive summary is a small part of your CV that carries huge importance. So you must get it right. It must make the recruiter want to read the rest of your CV. 

Show Financial Impact

For most profit-driven organisations, recruiters love seeing figures and facts. They don’t care as much for your grammar and often prefer that results are quantified in numbers. 

The company wants to hire an executive to boost revenue performance, drive growth, optimise staff performance, and deliver on all fronts. They won’t settle for someone who doesn’t have a well-articulated record in that respect. Hence you’ll do yourself a world of good, accentuating your financial and business impacts in your CV.

We’re not downplaying the importance of qualitative results. They are also necessary for the recruiters to understand your persona. However, for executive roles, recruiters hold impacts at a premium. Simply being a great guy won’t land you the spot if you don’t have the numbers to back up stellar contributions.

Up to 40% of the UK’s workforce has admitted to lying on their CV. Therefore, you can be sure the hiring team is fact-checking your CV. 

Be the difference by leveraging verifiable data to make it instantly clear you can deliver results. If you don’t know how to present your previous financial impacts, create a section on your CV for your “Key Achievements.” Then, cite all those past achievements there.

Let It Tell Your Story

Don’t get too carried away with efforts to structure a CV to fit an executive role that you forget to talk about the most important entity — you.

Ultimately, you’re marketing yourself to the recruiters as the ideal candidate for the role. Therefore, write your CV focusing on why you’re executive material and the best fit for the position.

To do that, you must avoid using generic, unoriginal lines in your CV. Instead, personalise the content using the “I” word in essential places. It shows confidence and assuredness in your claims. For example, consider these two statements.

“I was a lead developer on project Coop Disk, which was a huge success and helped the company get 10X ROI in 6 months.”

“Was part of the team that developed Coop Disk, which was hugely successful and earned the company a lot of money”

The first statement personalised the achievement and clearly stated the candidate’s role. The second is largely amateurish and doesn’t do an excellent job convincing anyone the writer made worthwhile contributions.

Essentially, let your CV tell your story from your point of view. And make sure to give off every bit of confidence possible with your words.    

Use Personal Branding To your Advantage

A personal brand isn’t something you should ignore or downplay when running for an executive role. This brand is how people perceive you and the value on offer. 

Primarily, personal branding connects your passions, attributes, strengths and experience. A great personal brand helps your case when writing your CV for an executive role because it enables you to differentiate yourself from the competition. Then, by combining it with your value proposition, you can make a good impression on the recruiter.

Fortunately, presenting your brand doesn’t require more skills than you already have. Consider the tips below to brand yourself above other applicants for the same role.

• Start with your personal brand statement. This statement should demonstrate your value as an individual by balancing your personality with competencies using the right keywords.
• Next, follow up with a convincing review or quote from a recent performance or client.
• Lastly, include a few value-driven statements.

Needless to say, this is a lot of information which may not fit right in your CV. So if you can’t find space for it on your CV, you can mention it in your cover letter. However, it’s better to note them on the CV because the recruiter may choose to go straight to your CV without reviewing the cover letter. 

Use Fewer Buzzwords

Resist the temptation to use cliches and buzzwords while writing and formatting an executive CV. When considering candidates for executive roles, most recruiters assume they’re recruiting professionals who don’t need to spam “CV cliches” to make their points. 

Hence, terms like “highly motivated,” “good communicator,” or “team player” make you sound generic and hiring managers don’t like to see that.

However, be careful not to mistake relevant keywords for buzzwords. Executive CV writing requires a delicate balance between avoiding buzzwords and incorporating keywords to pass ATS screening.

Keywords are essential, especially to pass the ATS screening. Additionally, recruiters look for specific keywords when perusing CVs and may disqualify candidates that don’t include them on their CVs. 

Everything about the CV Must Scream Executive Level Proficiency

You probably won’t get an interview invite if your CV sounds or feels like an entry-level CV — regardless of your experience and skills. So, all the elements and features on your CV must synergise into something that boldly spells “executive level material.” 

Including relevant leadership skills and experience helps a lot in this aspect. You must also use punchy and articulated phrases to present your value. Essentially, from the structure to the personal achievements and references, the contents of your executive must say the same thing — that you’re perfect for that role. 

The Ideal Executive CV Formatting Template & Structure 

Earlier, we mentioned the importance of using the proper structure when writing a CV for an executive position. But of course, it’s always easier said than done. 

If you’re having difficulties determining the best way to write an executive CV, use the template we outlined below.

CV Header

Your CV must start with a header bearing your name and the title of the role you’re pursuing in block letters.

Your name is essential information on the CV and should be the first thing the reviewer will see when they check the document. After your name, the role you’re pursuing should follow in the header. 

The company will likely have several managerial positions and may be looking to fill more than one at a time. So, it’s better to specify which executive role you’re submitting the CV for as part of your header. 

Other information you should put in the header includes contact details like mobile number, contact address, and email. Recruiters are also increasingly showing preference to see candidates’ LinkedIn profile links in executive CVs, so you should include it too. 

CV Summary

Most hiring managers quickly scan CVs during review and rarely take time to read through them carefully. Recent data show that recruiters only spend a few seconds on average on each CV. 

The best scenario is the recruiter spending those few seconds reading your strongest points. Hence, the best CV writers in the UK recommend highlighting your strongest points in a dedicated section with intentional placement to catch the recruiter’s eye. 

That’s what an executive summary is all about and why it must come right after the header. The executive summary contains only the crucial points to your value proposition. An excellent summary will influence how the recruiter will perceive the rest of your CV. So, when creating it, ensure it’s short, engaging and relevant to the role.

Relevant Experience Section

The ideal executive role aspirant is likely a career professional who’s been in the industry for over ten years. By now, you’re overflowing with experience and can’t wait to pour them all out for the recruiter to see. Well, this is the section for you to do that.

The experience section should come right after the executive summary in your CV. That’s because relevant experience speaks better of any competencies described in the executive summary. This placement indicates you not only have the capability but have put them to profitable use in the past. 

You can expect the recruiter to go through your experience several times during an extensive review. Therefore, don’t hold back. The relevant experience section should be comprehensive, containing relevant experience, with a numbers-backed description of your duties. 

Skill Section

Having spent over ten years in an industry, you should have accrued a wealth of skills. The skill section fits right after discussing your experiences, and it’s the best place to note your capabilities.

However, there’s a mistake several professionals with a long tenure in the industry often make. They have a lot of skills and often decide to include them all in their executive CV. But, unfortunately, the sheer number of your skills can diminish the impact behind each one. So, instead of writing them all down, prioritise the skills relevant to the role.

You can mention both soft and hard skills. However, consider the context and determine which skills category will be more appropriate to accentuate when writing your CV for a specific executive role.

Education and Qualifications Section

Your experience and skills will do the bulk of the work in convincing the recruiter to invite you for an interview. However, including your education and academic qualifications on your CV won’t hurt. 

Of course, it’s inconceivable that you would be a corporate career professional for over ten years without at least a bachelor’s degree. And over the years, you must have added more qualifications and certifications to your portfolio. This section is the best place to mention all the ones relevant to the executive role.

Achievement/Career Highlights Section

This section is primarily for highlighting your career highs and your best successes. It should include industry awards, volunteer work, NGO roles, peer recognition and relevant memberships. 

Ideally, you shouldn’t hesitate to add career highlights to your executive CV. However, you may leave it out if it makes your CV too cumbersome. You don’t want the sheer volume of your CV to discourage the recruiter before they even have a chance to read its contents.

Mistakes to Avoid While Writing an Executive CV

Having executive-level experience and skills doesn’t mean you can’t make mistakes when writing your CV. But, of course, executives’ role requirements have zero margins for error. 

Here are a few common mistakes you should watch out for.

Amateur Mistakes 

Writing and submitting an executive CV with typos and grammatical errors is a major deal breaker, as your position requires you to exude perfection. Moreover, recruiters will most likely punish you for amateur errors because they believe you should know better. 

Using the Wrong Format

The best format for an executive CV is a chronological layout which prioritises your relevant leadership experiences. Recruiters typically expect you to use this template to structure your executive CV. And they may consider any other format as unacceptable for the role.

Not Stating A Clear Job Target

You’d agree with us that it makes no sense to submit a CV without clearly defining the role you’re applying for in it. But at an executive level, such errors are practically unacceptable. 

At this stage in your career and going for an executive position, you shouldn’t be submitting CVs that look like templates. Employers like to see that you’re sure of the role you intend to take on.

Final Thoughts

Keep in mind that there’s no one “best way to write an executive CV”. The perfect executive comprises numerous moving parts that combine to represent your skills and competencies best. 

It can be tough to keep up with these moving parts while writing and formatting your executive. That’s why we’ve provided the exhaustive guide above to ensure you get it right. 

We can also go one step further by taking on the writing responsibility. The CV Expert team will grill you to understand your career path, skills, competencies and the best way to represent them. 

Up to 26% of our previous CV writing clients enjoy a salary increase. You too can join the statistic. Contact us today to get your new executive CV in 48 hours.