A Master CV captures all relevant experience, skills, achievements, job history, and references. It serves as an aide-mémoire and provides a strategic foundation to act quickly and decisively, enabling you to align each application precisely with an employer’s needs. This is especially valuable if you’re keeping your options open or considering a move into a different sector.

What Is a Master CV?

A Master CV serves as a comprehensive repository of your entire professional history, skills, and achievements. It is a living document that is never submitted to employers directly but instead acts as a reference for creating bespoke CVs suited to specific roles. By keeping all relevant details in one place, it ensures that no valuable information is overlooked when preparing applications, LinkedIn profiles, or capability statements.

Why Have a Master CV?

• Responsiveness - Act immediately as opportunities arise by having all details readily available.
• Customisation - Use it to create bespoke CVs by selecting the most relevant accomplishments, experiences, and skills for each job application.
• Career Reflection - Periodically review it to evaluate career progress, identify skill gaps, or plan professional development.
• Support for Other Documents - Draw on it for creating capability statements, board applications, or consultancy proposals.

The Key Challenges That a Master CV Addresses

⇒ Procrastination or Lack of Strategic Focus

Many executives find themselves unprepared when opportunities arise, submitting a rushed, generic CV and a hastily adapted cover letter. At senior level, employers expect a CV that is directly relevant and aligned with the role’s strategic demands; not a general document accompanied by a speculatively persuasive note.

⇒ Difficulty Presenting Transferable Skills

Executives exploring new sectors often struggle to make their transferable skills relevant, clear, and convincing. A Master CV gives you the space and structure to identify these skills and express them effectively and in context, aligning with the employer’s selection criteria.

⇒ Framing Accomplishments Around Employer Needs

Describing achievements in a way that resonates with a prospective employer is rarely straightforward. A Master CV allows you to catalogue accomplishments with context, making it easier to reframe and align them with the expectations of different employers.

For senior executives, this resource is essential. It enables you to:

• Frame accomplishments in context – A strong executive CV must convey results, not just responsibilities, roles, budgets, or headcounts. A Master CV helps catalogue achievements in a way that aligns with the challenges and objectives of prospective employers.
• Demonstrate transferable skills – For those seeking to move into a new sector or shift professional focus, a Master CV provides the structure to articulate relevant skills and experience clearly and credibly.
• Respond strategically to opportunities – Executives are equipped to respond quickly and decisively to high-value opportunities, without the need to reconstruct their career narrative under pressure.
• Avoid the generic trap – By maintaining a comprehensive professional record, a Master CV enables the creation of bespoke applications that meet the specific needs of each role and organisation.

As my book The C-Suite Interview Playbook explains, relevance to selection criteria, both explicit and implicit, is the defining measure of a successful executive application. A Master CV supports a strategic, well-prepared, and considered approach to presenting an executive’s value and securing interviews.

My Two-Phase Executive Career Strategy Service

These customised consultancy packages are designed to provide expert guidance and ongoing support, helping you take control of your career direction and improve outcomes in a highly competitive market. If you have specific goals, challenges, or preferences, we can adapt the process to meet your needs. This is a collaborative service, shaped around your ambitions.

Phase 1 – Master CV Development Package

• Initial Consultation – We begin with a detailed discussion of your career goals, strengths, sector experience, and future direction. This forms the foundation of your Master CV.
• Master CV Creation – I personally develop a comprehensive Master CV that captures your career history, qualifications, accomplishments, and references in a format that is ready to adapt for any role.
• Accomplishment Identification – Together, we identify the defining achievements of your career; those that demonstrate your strategic value to future employers.
• Accomplishment Honing – I help you frame and refine these accomplishments so they align with the expectations of senior decision-makers and influencers.
• Strategy Development – We clarify your target roles, understand what employers are looking for, and highlight the achievements and attributes that will set you apart.
• Pitching Guidance – I will guide you on how to articulate your value, both in writing and during recruitment conversations, so you can present with confidence and clarity.

Phase 2 – How to Use It: Job Application Alignment

• Job Opportunity Assessment – I help you evaluate opportunities as they arise, aligning them with your goals and advising where to focus your efforts.
• Customised Applications – I will create a bespoke CV and cover letter for two specific roles, drawing from your Master CV and positioning your strengths in line with the employer’s needs.
• Pitch Strategy – We develop an elevator pitch that communicates your accomplishments with clarity and relevance to each opportunity.
• Networking Strategy – We enhance your LinkedIn profile to connect with decision-makers in your target sector, opening new routes to opportunity.
• Ongoing Support – You will have continued support across both phases, including advice on live roles, application refinement, and broader career strategy.

This phone chat provides a valuable opportunity to ensure you select the most appropriate CV package that caters to your unique needs.

In this call, I'll explain my process in detail and the level of personal support and communication you can expect from our collaboration. The aim is to assure you of my ability to accurately and compellingly represent your professional journey, enhancing your chances of securing interviews.

Ready to proceed without a call? Kindly select a package and complete your payment via debit card, credit card, or bank transfer. Following this, we'll arrange an in-depth call to explore your requirements.

It's important to note that I schedule CV projects only after a formal agreement. If you're keen to move forward quickly, discussing and finalising a CV consulting package during our call would be advantageous.

If we haven't already spoken, please use the phone icon link on this page to arrange our call.

I do not use junior writers or outsource the work to third parties, I provide the service myself. Here are some advantages of my personalised approach for executive CV projects:

• We'll talk about your career goals, work history, skills, and experiences to for me to learn more about you as a professional.
• Then, I'll use the information I've gathered to write a CV that shows off your most important accomplishments, skills, and experiences in a way that matches the job requirements and what the employer wants, which makes it more likely to be shortlisted.
• This personalised CV service will help me highlight your unique strengths and qualifications that make you the best fit for the job.
• A well-written, personalised CV increases your chances of success in the job application process.
• I will give you fearless and personalised feedback on your CV, which may help you improve it.
• I will pay attention to the details of your CV and make sure that it is error-free, well-formatted, and visually appealing.
• CVs that are tailored to a specific job and employer have a higher chance of passing ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems), which are used by many employers to screen applications.

The executive CV development process

This holistic approach aims to boost your success in securing interviews by meticulously aligning your profile with employer expectations and weaving a persuasive story of your skills and experience. Although our strategy adapts to each client's unique needs, this outline showcases our core methodology.

In situations without a specific job target, we apply sector-wide or role-specific criteria to tailor your application, ensuring broad relevance and appeal. Nonetheless, this broad-stroke approach may not be as effective for executive positions, which require bespoke applications.

Steer Clear of Application Missteps:

Neglecting Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)

The primary hurdle? Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). It's estimated that a shocking 70% of CVs are eliminated at the initial screening due to a mismatch with the employer's selection criteria, signalling the end for generic CVs.

The One-size-fits-all CV Dilemma

Sending the identical CV for multiple applications is a sure-fire error. Tailor your CV for each application, showcasing how your distinct skills and experiences make you the perfect fit.

Mismatch with Job Requirements

A CV that doesn't reflect the specific skills and experiences sought in the job advertisement is likely to be overlooked. Your CV should closely align with the job selection criteria outlined by the employer.

Overly Stylised CVs

Favour simplicity over excessively stylised CVs that focus on decoration rather than substance. CVs heavy on graphics and elaborate designs can confuse Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), significantly diminishing their effectiveness. Furthermore, many organisations and jurisdictions dismiss applications with photos to sidestep allegations of gender or ethnicity discrimination.

To avoid the pitfalls and boost your chances of an interview, focus on devising a CV that's not just clear and concise but also bespoke for the job in question and compatible with ATS requirements.