Specialist CV Writer

Reflect Your True Value

" I support people preparing CVs and formal applications beyond standard employment. It includes guidance for academic and research roles, fellowships, funding submissions, study programmes, media profiles, expert witness work, and specialist capability statements used in consultancy or professional services."

~ Elle Bradshaw, Owner of Oxford CV Writer.


Consultant to FTSE100 directors, distinguished individuals
with KBE, OBE, and MBE honours, and high-profile business professionals.

Specialist CVs: Categories

Academic CVs and research CVs

An academic CV presents a detailed, evidence-based record of your research, teaching, and achievements, tailored to highlight your contributions and future potential to academic audiences. More...

Detail and Evidence - Preparing an academic CV often involves assembling a detailed record of your educational background, research outputs, teaching experience, grants, and professional service activities. You may need to include publications, conference presentations, and details of supervisory roles. The process typically requires careful curation of achievements to demonstrate your contributions to your field, as well as your potential to secure funding or support future research directions.

Tailored Supporting Material - Beyond the CV itself, you may also prepare accompanying statements, research proposals, or teaching philosophies. These documents should be tailored to align with each institution’s or funder’s strategic priorities and selection criteria. Depending on the opportunity, there might be a need to address broader impact, interdisciplinary work, or engagement with policy and public audiences, all of which can vary considerably by programme and year.

Fellowship and scholarship applications

Combine a strong personal narrative with clear evidence of excellence, aligning your goals and achievements with the priorities and values of the awarding organisation. More...

Combining Story and Evidence - When preparing for fellowship or scholarship applications, you usually need to combine a strong personal narrative with clear evidence of academic or professional excellence. The CV serves as the factual foundation, detailing achievements, leadership activities, and sometimes community contributions. Supporting statements often require you to articulate future plans, research goals, and reasons for selecting a particular institution or funding body.

Adapting to Changing Priorities - It is common to draft multiple versions of personal statements and project proposals, responding to changing selection criteria and shifting institutional priorities. Applicants may also need to demonstrate alignment with broader values, such as commitment to diversity or societal impact. As funders regularly update their focus areas, keeping materials current and flexible is key to success.

Capability statement CVs

Highlights your core expertise and past results, positioning you competitively for tenders, consultancy work, and specialist professional opportunities. More...

Defining Your Offering - Preparing a capability statement CV involves defining the core services or expertise you offer, supported by concise evidence of past performance. This document often combines elements of a traditional CV with a marketing perspective, highlighting competencies, project outcomes, and client impact. You may need to adjust the emphasis depending on whether the document will be used for tenders, consultancy proposals, or direct client engagement.

Maintaining Relevance - The preparation process typically involves gathering project summaries, testimonials, and case study examples to illustrate your value. It is important to maintain a clear, professional layout and ensure content can be adapted for different bids or presentations. As client requirements and procurement criteria shift over time, regularly reviewing and refining these documents helps maintain relevance and competitiveness.

Expert witness CVs

Clearly sets out your qualifications and case experience, establishing your credibility and authority before legal or regulatory audiences. More...

Presenting Credibility - Expert witness CVs generally require a thorough, evidence-based presentation of qualifications, professional history, and case experience. The process may include compiling a comprehensive summary or professional statement that explains your specialist expertise clearly to a legal audience. You might also need to include a detailed record of past court appearances, types of evidence given, and areas of recognised authority.

Meeting Legal Standards - In addition to technical content, it is important to ensure the document is formatted simply, to meet court or legal practice expectations. Supporting notes may include terms of engagement, availability, and indemnity details. As legal standards and client expectations evolve, regularly updating these materials ensures they remain credible and fit for purpose in different jurisdictions and case types.

Media profile CVs and Bios

Distils your expertise and achievements into a clear, engaging format, designed to attract interest across media, press, and speaking opportunities. More...

Crafting a Public Narrative - Preparing a media profile CV often involves distilling your key achievements, expertise, and narrative into a concise, engaging format suitable for journalists and public audiences. The process may require you to highlight notable projects, speaking engagements, and recognisable professional milestones that demonstrate credibility and authority.

Staying Current and Adaptable - Because media requests and trends change rapidly, this type of CV is often updated regularly to reflect new developments and areas of focus. You might also need to prepare shorter biographies, key message summaries, and talking points to accompany the CV. The goal is to ensure your profile is consistent, clear, and adaptable for different media opportunities and platforms.

"A specialist CV isn't just a record of what you have done; it is a carefully crafted narrative that demonstrates your relevance, credibility, and authority. It shows the audience exactly why your expertise matters, how your achievements align with their priorities, and why you are the clear choice to address their needs. Whether for academia, board appointments, expert advisory roles, or funding submissions, it positions you as a trusted and strategic contributor."

~ Elle Bradshaw, BLIS

Robot-led CV writing makes you sound generic, keyword-stuffed, foreign or misaligned to the job description. I can spot it a mile off, and so can most HR people. So ironically you might be rejected for not being a real person!

Elle Bradshaw in a The Daily Telegraph article by Liz Hoggard.

Specialist CVs: My Process


  • Your Enquiry

    Give me your take on what the reviewing panel or audience truly values. This first step clarifies explicit and implicit expectations, helping me understand how best to align your documents with their strategic needs.
  • Initial Phone Call

    We go beyond standard instructions, discussing the organisation’s mission, decision dynamics, and sector context. This insight informs my proposal, crafted to help you stand out clearly from competing offerings.
  • Proposal

    I demonstrate how to match your expertise and achievements to the audience’s needs. This helps set our direction and acts as our agreement, so we can build a focused submission together.
  • Strategy Phone Call

    We begin working together, refining the strategy to map out your narrative in detail. We sharpen your positioning, clarify priorities, and shape key messages to ensure your CV and supporting documents align precisely with the audience’s needs.
  • Draft Documents

    I prepare your CV and supporting documents to highlight your strengths and present evidence. The draft acts as a working foundation, allowing us to refine its effectiveness and completeness together before finalisation.
  • Refinement & Completion

    We extend this refinement to your supporting documents and professional online presence. Consistency across all materials enhances credibility and ensures your narrative is cohesive, clear, and persuasive.


Book a 15 min. phone call with Elle

Click on the phone to book a complimentary 15 minute call to discuss your Executive career trajectory, at a time that suits you.

Core Strategy Checklist

A strong non-job CV starts with strategic fundamentals. This checklist helps you ensure your core narrative, evidence, and positioning are precisely aligned to what decision-makers truly value.

Expert Strategy Checklist

For higher-stakes submissions, your CV must do more than inform; it must persuade and build authority. Use this checklist to shape a compelling, credible document that resonates with specialist and high-level audiences.

About Elle Bradshaw

Hello, I'm Elle. I personally lead every project, ensuring no aspect is passed off to juniors or third-parties. With over fifteen years in CV optimisation, I've seen the spectrum of application missteps and successes.

Given the 'ocean of ordinariness' characterising the current wave of poorly tailored, inartfully GPT'd CVs, it helps that I am a qualified marketer, information scientist, author, and seasoned HR consultant.

I've pivoted a 180° from my first job at a biscuit factory, earning a degree while being pregnant and working full-time at Loughborough University, onto AstraZeneca as an information scientist before venturing into the international realms of HR, recruitment marketing, and now self-employed consultancy.

My eclectic background has endowed me with unique insights into understanding an audience’s needs, aligning individual skills, knowledge, and experience with those needs, crafting persuasive narratives, and using digital nous to create documents that evade ATS screening filters.

Contact Elle

Please complete this form to outline your situation to schedule a 15-minute chat to discuss your needs before committing to my specialist CV services. I will revert with available time and date options.

Special CVs: fees and inclusions

Special CVs, Supporting Statements, Capability
Summaries & Evidence Profiles

Perfecting your CV & submission

We each bring a distinct mix of skills, knowledge, experiences, and achievements to the table. Yet not all of these hold equal importance to decision-makers. Giving every attribute the same emphasis dilutes the impact of those that truly demonstrate value, relevance, and credibility.
~ Elle Bradshaw

CVs submitted to:

Some of the organisations where I have assisted clients in applying for employment or funding.

Clients' CVs submitted to:

Some of the organisations where I have assisted clients in applying for employment or funding.

Specialist CVs for Non-Job Applications - Not all CVs are for job applications. I work with academics, consultants, expert witnesses, and media professionals who need high-trust, authoritative documents for funding, tenders, board nominations, or public profiles. My specialist CV writing services are tailored to the purpose and audience whether you need a capability statement, expert witness CV, fellowship application support, or a media-ready biography. Clients across the UK value the personal service, discretion, and strategic insight I provide.

Academic and Research CVs

I provide academic CV writing services for researchers, PhD candidates, and postdoctoral applicants across the UK. Whether you're applying for a position, funding, or a fellowship, I help structure your record of research, teaching, and publications for maximum impact. I also support academics preparing UKRI and university-led fellowship applications with aligned CVs and supporting statements.

Fellowship and Scholarship Applications

Applicants for UK and international fellowships often struggle to condense deep expertise into persuasive, evidence-led documents. I assist with fellowship CVs, personal statements, and case studies - including applications for research grants, medical fellowships, and philanthropic awards. My service ensures alignment with funder expectations, clarity of proposition, and persuasive narrative.

Expert Witness CVs

An expert witness CV must evidence authority, clarity, and neutrality. I help medical, technical, and legal professionals present their qualifications, experience, and expert roles clearly for court and legal audiences. This includes CVs for use in civil matters, family law, employment tribunals, and public inquiries. I also offer editing of existing CVs for court-readiness.

Capability Statements and Consultancy Profiles

I prepare capability statement CVs for consultants and specialist service providers bidding for tenders, projects, or advisory panels. These documents are often used in response to RFQs, grant partnerships, or inclusion in firm-wide proposal packs. My service includes content creation, formatting, and alignment to sector or client-specific expectations.

Media and Public Profile CVs

For clients seeking to raise their public profile, whether for speaking engagements, media commentary, or public appointments - I prepare concise, relevant CVs and biographies that support credibility and consistent messaging. These are particularly useful for authors, campaigners, and professionals contributing to expert panels or policy discussions.