High flying job seekers need to rethink the resume

Senior executives looking to further their careers during 2008 may be overlooking their best asset ñ their own CV.

Boardroom appointment experts, Directorbank say four out of five CVs they receive are unlikely to secure an interview in todayís competitive market.

Directorbank have found that 20% of their candidates initially undersell their achievements by listing what they have done, rather than the impact they had on a business and the challenges they overcame.

High quality candidates seeking a new appointment or a portfolio career in private equity backed businesses and the wider corporate market may not have written a formal resume of their experience for many years. Candidates used to being headhunted for top jobs often assume a successful track record speaks for itself.

Chief executive of Directorbank, Elizabeth Jackson commented, ìThe information that makes a candidate really stand out from the crowd is lost in some of the long and rambling documents we receive. The CV is the candidateís principal marketing tool so it has to grab the attention of the reader very quickly.

ìIf I had one piece of advice for ambitious business professionals, aside from ensuring that you invest time and money in your CV it would be to leave hobbies out of the resume, unless they say something worth saying. ëGolf,í ëreadingí and ëthe familyí really donít serve to differentiate!î

As the UKís leading source of chairmen, non executive directors, chief executives and finance directors, a key element of Directorbankís client services is geared towards making the CV a distinctive and succinct document.

Working with the professional CV writing service, The CV House, Directorbank makes sure executives and non executives position themselves appropriately for the market they are aiming at.

A survey, highlighted in Accountancy Age this year found that 53% of finance directors wanted to move up to a chief executive position yet only 15% made the transition.

Commenting on the results of the survey, Elizabeth Jackson said, ìThe fact that such a small percentage of finance directors make the transition to chief executive probably indicates their CVs have failed to pave their way.î