CV Basics - Overview

What is a CV?

A CV does one thing, and one thing only. It gets you an interview for a role. Think of it as a piece of highly-targeted direct mail.

A CV is not a potted biography. It is not a record of every thing you have ever done.

What should your CV contain?

You should produce a CV that is specific to interim management.

The ability for an interim management provider to review your CV and pick out your key competencies and experiences quickly is very important in an industry where speed of the essence.

If you work on a basis that an interim management consultant scans 400 CVs in a day on client searches, and yours in the 397th, consider what would that person want to see.

Consequently a strong front page is essential. Your most recent roles as an interim manager are key to our clients who require proven interim track record. Do weight your CV to the to the past 5 – 10 years as our clients are looking for recent sector and functional experience.

How long will a client look at my CV?

Probably between 30 seconds and a minute. Really. What that means is you must have maximum impact and present information - not opinions - in the most succinct, direct and easily readable manner on screen.

The Golden rule of CVs

Your CV should be no longer than 2-3 pages. Less is more. Two is much better than three unless you are a very senior director/CEO when it is just about acceptable to go to a third page. There are almost NO circumstances under which a CV should be longer than three pages. Several hundred CVs arrive at Impact Executives every month. Many of them contain information that is unnecessary, or else does not include other more important information.

All recruitment consultants have horror stories of the six, nine, ten, even 14 page CVs. Candidates with 14 page CVs will remain candidates for a long time.

What is a client looking for?

He or she will have a clear idea in their own head of the background and skills they are looking for. The first thing they will look at is the last few assignments you have completed. The information must be presented in a clear, immediately accessible way, for you to be selected for interview.

How do I organise my CV?

The key here is to emphasise your previous interim assignments. This means that a skills based or competency based CV (i.e. ones organised around subject headings, rather than organised chronologically) should be avoided.

Arrange your career history with your current/most recent assignment first and work back. Make the job title and your employer clear. If your job title does not really explain what you did, then expand on it to provide enough detail. Jobs held more than 15 years ago should be very briefly dealt with.

What to put in

Facts. And only facts. State what you did, what your achievements were and provide the evidence for it. Avoid flannel. Use bullet points. Don't say you are a "world class leader" say "Head of 15-strong team in three locations worldwide. Implemented new training scheme that reduced turnover by 15% in three years."

Things you can safely leave out

The following list is not definitive. And don't forget, this kind of information can be presented later in the application process if you make it to the interview list.

• Marital status
• Number/ages/names/sex of children
• Details of your primary school
• Your O/GCSE level subjects and grades
• Your A level grades
• Any exams/qualifications you failed
• Place of birth
• Hobbies and interests. If you have represented your country in the Olympics, have written a best-selling book, or hold the record for the largest stack of 2p pieces balanced on your nose while uni-cycling then you may include them. If your interests are gardening, DIY and golf, as most people's are, then leave them off.

Contact Impact Executives

Email us at candidates@impactexecutives.com or phone on +44 (0)20 7314 2011