Why writing your CV should be the last thing you do before applying for jobs

You’ve decided it’s time for a new job, so out comes the laptop and you start updating your CV.

Perfectly logical. It’s probably what most people do.

It’s also the wrong place to start.

Before anyone gets upset, I’m not suggesting you apply without one. I’m suggesting there’s a fair amount of thinking to do before you start arguing with Word about why a bullet point has moved onto page four.

Imagine asking a builder to put up an extension before deciding what you want to use it for. You might end up with some lovely brickwork, although discovering the dining table won’t fit would be a bit irritating.

The same principle applies to your CV. You need to know what you’re trying to achieve before you build it.

Who do you actually want to work for?

“I’m looking for a senior leadership role” gives us rather a lot of ground to cover.

Which roles? In what kind of organisation? Have you researched what those appointments involve and how convincingly your experience matches?

Then there’s your Ideal Organisation Profile, or IOP.

A Finance Director appointment in a founder-led business preparing for investment could be very different from the same job title in an established multinational. Your experience might be relevant to both, although the reasons for appointing you could be quite different.

Your IOP should establish the sectors and organisational environments you want to target. Ownership and growth phase matter, as do culture and the practicalities of where and how you work.

It also needs a dose of realism. If your perfect employer doesn’t exist, we probably need to revisit the brief.

What’s keeping them awake at night?

Once you know your audience, you need to understand what’s going on in their heads.

What’s worrying the Board? What are investors expecting? Where are shareholders losing patience, and what does the executive team need to deliver?

Read beyond the list of duties in a job advert. Why is this appointment being made? What will the successful candidate need to have achieved a year after joining?

A business growing rapidly might be struggling to protect cash while funding expansion. Another might have plenty of revenue and very little profit. Both could be advertising for a Finance Director.

If you understand what’s keeping those decision-makers awake, you can explain how appointing you might help them sleep more easily.

“Experienced finance professional with excellent communication skills” probably won’t do the trick.

What are you taking to market?

You need a clear professional description that helps people understand where to place you.

Your last job title may do that, although titles can be peculiar things. Someone called “Head of Business Excellence” could be doing anything from enterprise transformation to policing the stationery cupboard.

What would your target market recognise you as?

Your go-to-market description needs to align with the appointments you’re pursuing. If you’re considering materially different roles, you may need more than one description, each supported by the relevant experience.

This is particularly important for people with broad careers. You might understand perfectly how everything fits together, while a recruiter is wondering which folder to put you in.

Don’t leave them to work it out.

What are you exceptional at?

Most people can describe their responsibilities. Getting them to explain why they’re particularly good at delivering them can take a bit more digging.

That’s why we call our team “Magic Hunters”.

We’re looking for your blueprint for success. When you perform really well, what are you doing that makes the difference? Which business agendas suit your strengths, and which KPIs have moved in the right direction because of your contribution?

If you’re particularly effective at restoring financial control in a struggling business, we need to understand how you do it and see the evidence.

That blueprint must also be relevant to the role. An employer funding expansion needs to see how your strengths support that agenda, even if your most memorable achievement involved something completely different.

You don’t get extra marks for telling your favourite story when it doesn’t answer their question.

What’s the story running through your career?

A career history can look rather disjointed when it’s presented as a succession of job titles.

There may be a consistent theme running through it that the titles don’t reveal.

Perhaps you’ve repeatedly been brought into organisations where growth has outpaced their ability to deliver. Your roles may have sat in different functions, yet the recurring contribution has been building the operating capability that allows the business to keep growing.

That gives the reader a way to understand your career and its relevance to their situation.

The narrative needs to stand up to scrutiny, of course. We’re uncovering the connections in your experience, so there’s no need to invent a heroic destiny that began when you became milk monitor.

What’s your commercial value?

Your Value Proposition Statement, or VPS, should make clear what you are professionally, what you do and how that benefits your target employers.

“Strategic, dynamic and results-driven” leaves quite a bit unanswered. I’ve yet to meet an employer actively searching for someone tactical, lethargic and indifferent to results.

Take a finance leader who creates the financial management capability a growing business needs to fund expansion without losing control of cash. There’s a proposition an employer can assess.

For an organisation facing a turnaround, the emphasis might change to restoring financial discipline and protecting profitability.

The same person could have evidence for both propositions, which is why one opening statement may not serve every application.

Your achievements then need to substantiate the relevant VPS. This is how the CV eventually becomes a business case for appointing you.

How do you want people to see you?

Your personal brand needs some thought too.

What do people consistently rely on you for? How do you operate as a leader, and what would colleagues say distinguishes your contribution?

There’s little value in describing yourself as a collaborative leader if everyone who has worked with you remembers hiding behind the photocopier when you approached.

Your brand should be credible and supported by how you’ve actually worked. It should also help the right organisations recognise a good fit.

That thinking belongs across your professional presence, including LinkedIn and the way you introduce yourself in conversation.

What must an interviewer understand about you?

Before you apply, identify the key selling points you need to get across at interview.

You shouldn’t be relying on the interviewer to ask a beautifully constructed question that invites your strongest example.

If your ability to integrate acquisitions is central to your case for appointment, you need to be ready to bring it into a relevant answer and explain the business outcome.

That takes preparation. Know which messages matter for the appointment and have the evidence ready, rather than hoping your memory produces something useful under pressure.

Put the thinking somewhere useful

We bring this work together in the Career Positioning Report our clients receive before we develop their CV and LinkedIn content.

It explores career direction, defines target markets and develops different positioning statements for the opportunities being pursued. The commercial proposition is supported by an evidence pack, with specific messages to reinforce at interview.

It gives the client a reference point for explaining their professional value, whether they’re speaking to an employer or someone in their network.

Once that thinking is clear, deciding what belongs in the CV becomes considerably easier. Every section has a purpose, and the evidence is selected against the appointment you want.

So, before you spend another Sunday moving bullet points around, ask yourself whether you’ve done the work that tells you what those bullet points should say.

If you’d like some help figuring it out, give us a shout.

Frequently asked questions

What should I do before updating my CV?

Before updating your CV, clarify the roles you want, the organisations you want to work for and the business challenges they need you to address. Then identify your relevant strengths and achievements. This gives you a clear basis for deciding what your CV should communicate.

What is an Ideal Organisation Profile?

An Ideal Organisation Profile, or IOP, defines the types of employer you want to target. It considers factors such as sector, ownership, growth phase, culture, location and working arrangements. It helps you focus your job search and understand where your experience could be particularly valuable.

How do I understand what employers are looking for?

Look beyond the responsibilities listed in a job advert. Research the organisation’s priorities, challenges and commercial circumstances. Consider why the appointment is being made and what the successful candidate will need to achieve. Your CV should show how your experience relates to those needs.

What is a Value Proposition Statement on a CV?

A Value Proposition Statement, or VPS, explains what you are professionally, what you do and how that benefits your target employer. It should give the reader a clear reason to consider you, supported by relevant achievements rather than generic descriptions such as “dynamic” or “results-driven”.

How can I demonstrate my commercial value on my CV?

Show how your contribution has improved business outcomes. Depending on your role, this might involve growth, profitability, cash management, operational capability or financial control. Explain what you did, how you approached it and what changed as a result, using relevant evidence and measurable results where available.

Should I tailor my CV for different roles?

Yes. Different appointments can require different strengths, even when the job titles are similar. Your opening statement and supporting achievements should reflect the opportunity you are pursuing. If you are targeting materially different roles, you may need different positioning statements supported by the appropriate evidence.

How should my personal brand come across on my CV and LinkedIn profile?

Your personal brand should communicate what people rely on you for, how you work and what distinguishes your contribution. Your CV, LinkedIn profile and professional introductions should reinforce a consistent, credible picture, supported by examples from your career.

What is a Career Positioning Report?

Our Career Positioning Report brings together the thinking that informs your CV and LinkedIn content. It explores career direction, defines target markets and develops positioning statements for the opportunities you are pursuing. It also includes supporting evidence and key messages to communicate at interview.