Your CV is often the first impression you make, and in the Local Authority space, it needs to do more than list responsibilities.

Alicia Gristwood, Executive Consultant within our General Practice division, has created this guide using her experience supporting interim professionals, alongside direct feedback from Local Authority clients on what they value most when reviewing CVs. Whether you’re entering the sector for the first time or considering your next move, these tips will help you present your experience clearly, credibly and with impact.

As an agency, we review hundreds of CVs every week and regularly speak to hiring managers about what they want to see. Below are our top do’s and don’ts to help your CV stand out at any stage of your career.

The Do’s

An inviting introduction:

First things first, start with a clear summary outlining how many years’ experience you have in the sector, along with any relevant professional qualifications (degrees can come later). Rather than listing experience here, focus on your skills. Highlight professional strengths (communication, ability to work at pace, problem-solving) alongside a few personality traits (proactive, optimistic, good sense of humour). Short and sweet is often preferred!

Responsibility vs Achievement:

This may be a controversial opinion, but we want to know both. Hiring managers want to understand what you achieved, but also what other workloads you were managing simultaneously.

A good approach is a short paragraph listing some responsibilities, then bullet-pointing your achievements to demonstrate what you’re capable of and the impact your work has had.

Cover letter:

If you’re new to working with Local Authorities, we strongly recommend writing a cover letter. Many of our hiring managers prefer experienced candidates who can hit the ground running. Your cover letter should cover:

• How your experience aligns to the job brief.
• Key achievements that address a client’s related pain points.
• Your motivations for moving into a Local Authority role.
• Your understanding of the environment that you’re about to enter (often different to expectations!)

If you’re already experienced but applying for a very specific project, sharing additional information on previous relevant experience with your recruiter can be useful.

For example:

• A disposals role where you’ve acted for a client, selling a specific asset type.
• A development project where you can utilise your existing network.

STAR – Situation, Task, Action, Result:

STAR is often used as an interview technique, but a shortened version works well in CVs too. For key achievements, outline how you got there using STAR.

• Situation – what problem or challenge were you facing?
• Task – what were you briefed to do?
• Action – what were your processes and next steps?
• Result – what outcome did you get, what were the primary and secondary achievements?

This helps hiring managers quickly understand your contributions.

Break up the page:

A bit of psychology here… hiring managers are busy and large blocks of text are often skimmed.

Make different parts of your CV stand out by using:

• Bullet points.
• Clear heading.
• Bold, italics or underlining where appropriate.

Include statistics, values and percentage improvements of your achievements to stand out. For example:

• Increasing rent roll by £X.
• Reducing complaints by X%.
• Managing a portfolio valued at £X.
• Managing caseloads of XYZ or teams of X headcount.

The Don’ts

Unexplained gaps:

Avoid leaving gaps in employment. Career breaks are fine, but unexplained gaps raise eyebrows. A brief explanation (a line or two) will enable the hiring managers to understand your situation better.

Incorrect employment dates:

As part of our compliance process, we need accurate dates of employment for collecting references. If they don’t match, it can delay or, in some cases, stop the placement from going through.

Redacting employers or clients:

Please avoid removing this information. We cannot submit your application in good faith without it! Clients will not contact your current employer, and we never do so without your permission.

Agency/umbrella references:

Many councils will not approve references from previous agencies.

Try to avoid using your previous agency or umbrella company as a reference for a contract. Many councils will not approve these. Instead, consider contacting a former line manager or HR department from your previous contract. Let them know a reference request may be coming.

TOP TIPS FROM ALICIA:

1. Write your most recent experience first – it’s the most relevant.
2. Include relevant education (degrees, qualifications and memberships).
3. Don’t worry about photos – we typically remove these anyway.
4. Ignore the 2-page myth! Shorter contracts mean more roles to list.
5. If you’ve had a series of short contracts (3-6 months), explain why you moved on and answer the hiring manager's questions before they’re asked.

If you’re updating your CV in preparation for your next Local Authority role, we’re currently recruiting for a range of interim opportunities across local authorities and housing associations nationwide. You can view and apply for our live vacancies here, or register your interest to speak with one of our consultants about upcoming roles that match your experience here.