First and foremost, it’s important to know yourself and express that on a clear CV. This is the document which will get you into meetings to discuss assignments. If you’re unclear about your core areas of expertise – how you can help businesses – then either you won’t find work, or you’ll find assignments you aren’t suited to.

Because the CV is the document which will get you in the door, give it impact. Success is getting readers to want to know more about you. One of the most important parts of the CV is the strapline paragraph at the top – the “what’s on the tin” statement. This is your chance to say in four or five lines, who you are, what you do, how you do it and for whom. It’s really important you get this right.  This is the summary statement you bring to life when a prospective client asks who you are and what you do. If you are clear the client is more likely to hire you. But remember to cut out the meaningless bull. No-one warms to ‘business bingo’. Be authentic about it – just be you, engage with plenty of enthusiasm.

CVs need to be read easily – most people either can’t or don’t want to wade through them. Keep your core CV clear and easy to read. Make sure it’s a chronological record of what you have done in your career.  A summary of your areas of competence is good, but the reader must be clear about what you have actually achieved. Bullet points are preferable to long prose.

Whether your roles have been interim or permanent, the CV should tell us why you were hired, what you actually did and what you left in place.

Include your formative experience and important achievements from your earlier career. It gives prospective clients a sense of your business ‘DNA’. Including what you do when not working gives your CV greater depth – after all, being an interim executive is all about engaging with people. Clients will be more interested in someone who is open with them about who they are as an individual.

Finally, I am always asked what the ideal CV length is. The best advice is as long as it is clear who you are, what you can do and engages the reader from start to finish then it can be two pages or six pages.

Choosing to be an interim executive is choosing to liberate yourself from a routine career so you can do the work you want to do. The right CV will set you free!

Useful links and resources

Institute of Interim Management (IIM) – the UK’s professional body for independent professionals operating as interims. https://www.iim.org.uk/

The Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed (IPSE) – the voice of the UK’s self-employed population.https://www.ipse.co.uk

HMRC: Understanding off-payroll working: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/understanding-off-payroll-working-ir35