Expert Tips for Executive CV Content and Formatting in 2025

If you’re earning six figures or leading at director level and above, you’re already playing in the big leagues. That means the competition for senior leadership roles is fierce — and a weak CV can quietly knock you out of the running before you even know it.

At executive level, your CV is not just a document — it’s your first boardroom pitch. If it fails to highlight your impact, strategy, and leadership ability, recruiters and headhunters won’t see the value you can bring.

At CV Pilots, a leading executive CV writing service in the UK, we’ve written board-ready CVs for CEOs, Managing Directors, Senior Directors, and Partners across finance, real estate, pharmaceuticals, technology, and beyond. Here’s how to ensure your executive CV meets 2025 standards.

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How Our Writers Approach Executive CVs

An executive CV should read very differently to a junior CV. While junior CVs tend to outline tasks and responsibilities, senior-level CVs must tell a story of influence, outcomes, and leadership.

A strong executive CV highlights:

• Scope of work (budgets, multi-country operations, project values)

• Financial impact (revenue growth, savings delivered, EBITDA contribution)

• Strategic initiatives led and delivered

• Partnerships created and deals closed

• Leadership capability (team size, global leadership, board influence)

Recruiters want evidence of how you’ve shaped organisations, not just how you managed your day-to-day.

How Long Should an Executive CV Be?

Less is more. In 2025, even the most senior leaders should keep their CV concise.

• One page: Ideal where possible — even the Prime Minister should be able to summarise their career in one.

• Two pages: Acceptable for executives with broad responsibilities or multiple senior roles.

• Three pages+: Rarely appropriate (except academic or research CVs).

Remember: recruiters spend 7–10 seconds on an initial scan. If your achievements aren’t visible immediately, you risk being passed over.

Structuring Your CV for Maximum Impact

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Include your full name, professional designations, email, phone, and LinkedIn URL.

Career Highlights / Executive Summary

For executives, a short, evidence-based highlights section can work well. Avoid vague statements like “ambitious leader with strong communication skills” — instead use facts and figures:

✔ Grew EMEA revenues from £120m to £200m in 18 months
✔ Led digital transformation saving £15m annually
✔ Board member driving ESG strategy across four regions

Keep it to 4–6 bullet points for skimmability.

Professional Experience

Structure each role to separate responsibilities (short intro paragraph) from achievements (concise bullet points). This shows you can distinguish between what you were tasked with and the measurable value you delivered.

Strong executive achievements include:

• Delivering financial results

• Leading M&A, expansion, or transformation programmes

• Creating partnerships or securing major contracts

• Driving cultural or organisational change

• Representing the company at board or investor level

Early Career

Summarise roles over 10 years old in an “Early Career” section — just job title, company, and dates. This demonstrates progression without overwhelming recruiters with outdated detail.

Education & Professional Development

List degrees, certifications, and high-value professional development. Skip grades or irrelevant details unless very recent.

Board Involvement

If you sit on boards or committees, include them. They strengthen your credibility and show that you’re trusted at the highest levels of leadership.

Optimising for ATS in 2025

Even at executive level, many companies now use AI-driven applicant tracking systems (ATS) to pre-screen candidates. That means your CV must be:

• Keyword-rich (tailored to job descriptions)

• ATS-friendly (no graphics, multi-columns, or tables that break scanning)

• Strategically written to appeal both to systems and recruiters

Failing ATS scans means your CV may never even reach a decision-maker.

Final Word

For senior leaders, your CV is more than a career summary. It’s a test of your ability to communicate clearly, present strategically, and showcase results at board level.

If your CV still reads like a list of responsibilities, you’re underselling yourself — and risking being overlooked for the roles you’re qualified to lead.

At CV Pilots, we craft executive CVs for UK professionals that are ATS-friendly, recruiter-approved, and designed to open doors to the opportunities you’ve worked hard to earn.

To find out more, visit our website www.cvpilots.co.uk If you have any further questions, you can either book a consultation call with one of our team, or get in touch via email on team@cvpilots.co.uk