Is there a difference between Non-Executive Director (NED) CVs and Executive Director CVs?

It’s a question that a lot of people ask, but surprisingly few people seem to know.

We have been helping both executive directors and Non-Executive Directors (NEDs) for over two decades. In all this time it is noticeable that the vast majority of people (and professional CV firms come to that) try banging round pegs into square holes by attempting to update executive CVs into NED CVs. However, that’s not how to do it.

Non-Executive Director employers look for different things than those employers looking for executive directors, and your NED CV needs to be very different to your executive CV. Just tweaking an ‘executive CV’ and calling it a ‘NED CV’ (as typically happens with most professional “NED CVs”) isn’t enough. Frequently, the net result is something that’s a mishmash and in no man’s land in CV terms. Somewhat inevitably, it is counterproductive and doesn’t work.

Getting a real NED CV

The vast amount of failing NED CVs that we are sent to fix are not DIY NED CVs, but failing ones that were written by other professional firms. We say ‘written,’ but as mentioned, they are usually just not-fit-for-purpose tweaked executive CVs.

We build real NED CVs from scratch and optimise them on an individual, case by case basis for our clients. It’s a radical transformation and a bespoke, personalised, specialist service that you won’t get anywhere else.

Honesty

It’s evident from our 20+ years at the forefront of the global CV writing sector, that many senior executives are paying ‘professional’ firms for NED CVs, not only without getting the quality they pay for, but also without even getting the product they pay for. True, as mentioned, lots of people don’t know the difference between an executive CV and a NED CV, and as such many just assume that their ‘mishmash’ is the genuine article and as good as it gets. Sadly, judging by the NED CVs we are regularly sent to fix, this is rarely the case.

If you’d like our unique assistance we would be happy to help you.