Notes on how profiles read.
Short pieces on positioning, evidence and the language leadership roles are written in.
- Reading a role advert as a specMarket signal
- Why senior CVs read two levels downSeniority
- Writing the P&L line honestlyEvidence
Market intelligence, applied
Illustrative photography. People shown are not CVPRO clients or coaches.
CVPRO Insights is a free collection of short notes on how senior profiles read: positioning, evidence and the language in which leadership roles are written. Each note addresses one of the dimensions CVPRO’s Signal Audit reads. Current notes cover reading a role advert as a specification rather than a wish list, why senior CVs read two levels down when they document tasks instead of remit, and writing the profit and loss line honestly by separating size, ownership, movement and causal share. The notes are general commentary, not advice for a specific situation.
Questions leaders ask
How should I read a job description for a director or CXO role?
Read it as a specification, not a wish list. A role description is a negotiated document: the first responsibilities are usually what the role exists to fix, anything repeated in different words is the real mandate, and the desirable block is often where disagreements were parked. The note Reading a role advert as a spec sets this out.
Why does my CV make me look less senior than I am?
Usually because it documents tasks rather than remit. A CV that lists what you did is read at the level of the person who does it. At Director level and above, the object of the verb matters most: a process describes the function, a decision describes you. Open each role with what you were answerable for. See Why senior CVs read two levels down.
How do I write a profit and loss line honestly on an executive resume?
Separate the four claims a single figure carries: the size of the book, your relationship to it, the movement in it and your causal share of that movement. Give a baseline, an end point, a period and the mechanism, and concede the part the market moved. Naming what you did not cause is what makes the rest of the page believable to a finance reader.
Should I copy keywords from the job description into my CV?
Mirror the vocabulary, not the sentences. Identical work is named differently across sectors and geographies, so a record written in one dialect can go unread in another. Rewriting into the market’s vocabulary removes translation cost, but it must stay true: never borrow language you cannot defend. Market alignment is one of the dimensions the Signal Audit reads.
Are CVPRO Insights free to read?
Yes. Insights are free to read and are grouped by the dimension each note addresses, such as market signal, seniority and evidence. They are general commentary based on sources believed reliable at publication and are not advice for your specific situation. To see how the same ideas apply to your own record, start with Package 1 on Book My Appointment.