In today’s competitive market, your CV is your first opportunity to showcase your expertise, leadership style, and personal brand. A well-tailored CV can make the difference between being shortlisted or overlooked, especially in executive search.

Yet, many candidates struggle with how to customise their CV efficiently for each role. Done well, it can be time-consuming… but it doesn’t have to be. With the right approach, tailoring your CV can be both quick and highly effective.

In this blog, we explore how to tailor your CV to apply for executive roles with confidence, make an impact, and give yourself the best chance of securing the right role for you.

Step 1: Create your ‘master’ CV

Most would agree that it is quicker to remove irrelevant content than it is to add it in, especially if you need to swiftly submit an application. That is the key idea here: if you take the initial time to craft your master document then customising for specific roles becomes an efficient and straightforward task.

Top tip: Don’t forget the basics. It’s surprising how often candidates overlook essential details.

Your ‘master CV’ should include:

• Full name
• Professional title/ one liner (e.g. Chief Financial Officer, CEO Candidate, or Senior Executive | Strategy & Operations)
• Contact details – include your direct line or mobile number as well as a professional email address so you can be easily contactable.
• LinkedIn Profile link – ensure it’s updated and consistent with your CV.
• Your previous experience: Job titles, company names and employment dates of your entire employment history.
• I would also recommend that you provide the business ownership and turnover details of the business as this is a valuable insight into your experience. When this information missing it can lead to negative assumption whereby if the information is missing a client may assume that that piece of work it is not relevant, whereas if they have a clearer picture of the environment you have been in it is far easier to see the relevance.
• Board Affiliations – If relevant, especially for CEO, CFO, or NED positions.
• Location: A common question is whether you should include your location on your CV. If you live within commuting distance of the job, definitely include it. However, if you’re open to relocation or working remotely, consider leaving your location off your CV and instead mentioning your willingness to relocate in your cover letter.

The finished article will likely be long, but the advantage of this technique is that it serves as a reminder to you of all those roles from which you can draw and highlight relevant experience for a given application.

Underneath each role you should highlight:

• Four to six bullet points detailing your key responsibilities.
• Four to six bullets of your key achievements while in that position. To be truly impactful, achievements should be measurable, quantifiable benefits or capabilities you helped deliver – for example:
• Delivered £X cost savings in Z months
• Led the implementation of X which increased reporting efficiencies by Z days
• Improved finance team strength by recruiting and coaching X new colleagues

Step 2: Tailor your CV for each role

Now that you have a master CV, you can tailor it for specific roles.

Highlight relevant experience:

As you work through each of your previous roles, keep the most pertinent ‘responsibilities’ and ‘achievements’ – aiming for around three bullet points per heading. Focus on the skills, experience, and personality traits that align with the job opportunity. With practice, removing less applicable details becomes a quick and easy task. The goal is to make it simple for the reader to see exactly how your experience fits the role.

Remove irrelevant content:

For any previous experience that isn’t directly relevant to the role you’re applying for, I suggest removing the ‘responsibilities’ and ‘achievements’ sections entirely. Instead, retain only the job title, company information, and employment dates. Removing achievements can be difficult, but including information that isn’t immediately significant may hinder your prospects. It makes it harder for potential employers to spot the synergies that matter most and you can then use the space for details that are directly relevant to the application.

Top tip: Make sure the remaining points are closely aligned with the job requirements. It can be tempting to add ‘filler’ skills that aren’t necessary, but doing so can devalue your CV. Instead, focus on highlighting the skills and experiences that make you a perfect fit for the role.

Step 3: Fine-tune your profile

To immediately grasp the reader’s attention it is important to revise your opening paragraph. You might find it helpful to create a handful of different versions in your master template so that you can easily customise for specific roles, for instance:

• One version can focus on your deep expertise within a certain sector (e.g. financial services or technology)
• Another might emphasise the breadth of your experience in leading teams through periods of change or transformation.
• Another might show your broader experience across different businesses.

Top tip: Make sure your profile reflects the expertise and skills specified in the job description you are applying for, and most importantly, your CV must always remain a true reflection of your skills and experience, as authenticity is key.

Step 4: Consider CV length

A question I am often asked is how long should a CV be and how many pages is too many?

It’s not really about how many pages it is, it’s about what it tells the reader. A concise CV that focuses on relevant skills and expertise can be as successful, if not more so, than a longer one. In fact, a shorter CV is definitely one way to ‘stand out’ from the crowd.

Step 5: Review against the job description

A helpful exercise to do before you submit your CV would be to review it alongside the job description.

Go through each requirement and tick off the relevant criteria. This exercise will:

• Highlight how many of the minimum and desired qualifications you meet.
• Give you a realistic expectation of the success of your application.
• Help identify any gaps in your experience that may need further development in the future.

Additionally, reviewing your CV just before an interview can help you re-familiarise yourself with the points that directly align with the job description. This will ensure that you walk into the interview room with your strongest examples and stories front of mind.

Step 6: Track and refine your CV

It’s important to track how different versions of your CV perform over time. You might find that one version secures more interviews than another.

If so, take a moment to reflect on why. Did certain sections resonate more with recruiters? Could the phrasing be sharper or the overall length more concise?

Use any feedback you receive to continually improve and refine your CV.

Final thoughts

While viewpoints on the ideal CV are always subjective, one consistent theme I’ve observed during my time at Eton Bridge Partners is the tendency for candidates to be overly broad and expansive. Although generalising your experience may seem like it opens more doors, it often dilutes the strength of your offering. Your experience, skillset, personality, and approach are distinct, and your CV should reflect that. Focus on specific, exclusive details that highlight your unique market proposition.

By crafting a master CV, tailoring it for each role, fine-tuning your opening profile, and prioritising relevance over length, you’ll present a powerful, succinct CV that speaks directly to the needs of the opportunity – whether you’re targeting a permanent role or an interim position.

Ultimately, tailoring your CV isn’t about rewriting it each time – it’s about strategically highlighting the most relevant parts of your experience to match the role. In executive recruitment, clarity and relevance are key. A focused, well-aligned CV not only makes it easier for decision-makers to see your value, but also increases your chances of being shortlisted.

At Eton Bridge Partners, people are at the heart of what we do. Whether you’re looking for support with any of your hiring needs across Executive Search or Interim Management, interested in exploring our Consulting offering, or considering your next career move, please get in touch.

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