Do CV’s matter at my level?

“I’ve been working in senior leadership for 15 years. How much do I need to prioritize CV? It’s not that I think I’m above it, but I don’t want to waste my time fine tuning things if it’s not going to be read”

- Rachel, 45, NSW

This is a super common question - as an executive leader, there is only so much you can actually put on these things anyway. Too little, and you risk cutting your experience too close to the bone. Too much, and you’ll come across like you’re trying to puff yourself up. Side note: the worst CV I’ve seen was 149 pages long and contained some very graphic images (it was for a forensic pathologist, but I just do not need to see that over my Tuesday morning coffee!)

Here’s the deal for your situation: You should worry about it, but it won’t help you much.

The higher you get as a leader, the less your CV actually plays a role in a process.

By the time people are looking at your CV, in an ideal scenario, you’d have already spoken with a few stakeholders, the hiring manager or recruiter etc.

CVs at this level don’t get you in the door anymore. The name of the organization and your title from your current / most recent role do.

That being said, not cleaning up your CV is like not cleaning your car when you sell it.

The dirt doesn’t make a difference to the car. A clean car and a dirty car have the same market value. Cleaning your car doesn’t change how much it’s worth it just changes how people perceive you as the owner. Ultimately, the dirt doesn’t decide if the car will sell or not.

Your CV doesn’t need to be snazzy (in fact, too snazzed up and you’re looking at someone with too much time to spend snazzing up their CV). When you clean it up (and you should), keep it simple, straight to the point, no fluff. Don’t write a cover letter unless you are explicitly asked to. 

It’s not going to get you the job, but doing it poorly it might send you into the interview with some unnecessary hurdles to get past instead of a easy chat.