Even though there are ways now to promote your personal brand in today’s world, you still need a well-written CV. It’s even more crucial to have an Executive level CV if you’re planning to apply for a senior-level or executive level job.
The challenge of writing an executive level CV
Recruiters and hiring managers expect a detailed CV from someone applying for an executive level position. The reason is that executives are big-picture oriented. Their jobs require them to make critical decisions based on the data given to them.
So when you’re writing an Executive level CV, the details matter just as much. Unfortunately, having that many details in any documents opens the door to lots of minor errors that are easily overlooked.
Here are five things to closely pay attention to when writing an executive level CV.
1. Have a strong headline and statement.
Recruiters and hiring managers spend a few seconds reading an executive level CV before they go to the next. The only exception is if they come across one that immediately catches their attention.
The best way to achieve this is by including a strong headline and statement on your CV. Here are some ways to accomplish this:
- State what position you’re applying for right away so that it’s self-evident.
- Choose among the experience you gained that are the most relevant to the position you apply for.
- Briefly explain how you can be a valuable asset to the company or organisation.
- Address the company or organisation’s pain points and how you can solve them.
2. Make your executive CV mobile-friendly.
Thanks to advancements in technology, recruiters and hiring managers can now screen CVs on their mobile devices. That said, it’s essential to write your CV so that they can quickly scan through it on their smartphones or tablets.
Some ways you can do this are:
- Using simple words instead of industry jargons.
- Writing short paragraphs.
- Make sure that you include some white space.
- Use bullet points to list your key achievements and milestones.
3. Strategise the way you lay out your CV.
The way you present the details on your CV is just as important as what you include.
Make sure to add the most vital pieces of information you want hiring managers and recruiters to know on the upper one-third of your CV. That’s because this is usually the first thing they see the moment when they open your CV document. If they don’t find what they’re looking for here, they won’t even bother reading the rest of your CV.
4. Minimise using the passive voice.
Making it a point to write your CV in the active voice does two things. First, it makes your sentences and paragraphs shorter, so you save a lot of space. Second, it implies that you’re fully capable of achieving these for the company or organisation you’re applying to.
5. Proofread your CV.
Writing an executive level CV takes a considerable amount of time. By the time that you’re through writing it, you’d just want to get it out to hiring managers and recruiters.
Still, it will do you much good to take a few more minutes to proofread your work. Running your document through a spelling and grammar check in Microsoft Word will help you catch any mistakes you may have overlooked.
Investing in a proofreading tool like Grammarly or Hemingway also helps. These tools not only help you spot errors but also can give you suggestions on repetitive words. That way, the details you share on your CV don’t appear redundant.
