Yes, MDs, CEOs, C level executives and senior managers all have to write up their CV from time to time just the same as all of us mere mortals.
They too can fall foul of the Boards of Directors, plunging stock markets, business failures, mergers, acquisitions and all sorts of things which can bring about change. That change can sometime mean that the “Boss”, whether CEO, Director, MD or other must move on.
It could also be as a result of being approached by an Executive Search company or ‘Head-hunter’ as they are often referred to and being made an offer.
In either case a C Level CV is required.
Senior level employers will look for decision makers, leaders, negotiators, door openers, financial ability, strong leadership, market understanding, vision, qualifications and of course, a demonstrable record of achievement with resultant profitability.
Obviously the bigger the hiring company the more the requirements demand experience and sophistication. The higher you go as a rule, the further you move away from the coalface. The skills set required become more strategic by nature.
To prepare a C Level CV, a completely different approach needs to be adopted in order to express and document the strength, experience and management expertise of the individual concerned. An error frequently made is that every time someone moves job they take out their old CV and tack on the latest bit of information at the top.
After a few years and a few moves the information on the CV goes completely out of proportion. The space and importance given to their very first job, e.g., when a junior accountant at entry level is the same as that given to the most recent appointment, maybe as a Financial Controller.
This is where the saying: “Less is more” comes into effect and I believe it to be true in this kind of situation.
I remember some time ago I had a client: a very Senior Manager from a well known and very large company. We had been pulling and dragging the CV back and forth and it just wasn’t giving the right message. And the message was that this person was one of the most experienced business manager/directors around. It was a good CV but just didn’t convey the depth of business skills, the grasp or the pure ‘gut feel’ for managing a profitable business that this person had.
Eventually, I took the CV deleted large parts out of it and followed the ‘Less is More’ concept. With some thought I took a completely different approach in trying to document what this person had to offer. Instead of documenting their career path in the traditional manner I just listed the date, the company and job title for their last four appointments.
I took the functional areas of responsibility gave them a title and followed that by a short list of descriptive words describing the areas of accountability under each title. The result was really good. It took a three page CV to one page and it still packed a good punch if not an even a better one. So the final result was one really good interesting page instead of three long pages of career history that was not of much importance.
The part that you would expect to contain the traditional Career History information was completely different.
To give an outline of this style and how this idea can be treated, my example is that of a Financial Controller applying for a CEO position in a Multinational company. It could just as easily be that of a Director of Sales or Marketing, IT, HR or other. The same formula would apply.
Financial: Treasury – funding – working capital – share price – investment strategies – shareholders funds – banking – auditors – taxation.
That topic could be followed by a further four or five such as;
Profits: Statutory: Investments: Operations: Sales, Marketing: People etc…
Each of these should have a number of relevant key words that clearly demonstrate strong abilities, innovation, good judgement, an instinct for profitability and well practiced management skills.
The thinking behind this design is primarily that it was going to be read and examined very carefully by the CEO and probably other Directors. These people, as a rule do not wish to have to read their way through pages and pages of information. Again this is an unusual layout and flies in the face of the traditional thinkers who always insist a CV should follow a fixed format. So clarity and simplicity was the key to its success in this case.
This would be just one of many different formats I have used in the past all to be innovative, a little bit different but always easily and quickly informative. There is no one size fit’s all when doing CVs; they need plenty of time and thought as to the right content and format as every individual’s story is different. Done well and they should catch the reader’s attention and impress.
Don’t be afraid to experiment a little, try some unusual layouts and see how they look. They will stand out from the crowd and be noticed. However that same CV must also have the other key essential ingredients common to all, which mean it must be clear, concise, easy to read, be absolutely truthful and in a sequence that makes sense.
And I am happy to report my candidate, was successful and got the job.
Colm Cavey has over 24 years’ experience in helping people change careers and find the kind of job they want. Colm can review your CV, help you organise your job hunt and provide one to one interview and presentation coaching or all of those elements together in a full Career Change programme. To find out more about Colm you can contact him directly on 086-3017207 or via his company Professional Career Consulting