Maitland Kabir’s Guide: How to Write a CV That Gets Noticed in the Senior Tax Market

A strong CV at Senior Tax Manager, Tax Director or Tax Partner level needs to do more than outline career history; it must demonstrate measurable achievements, leadership and commercial value. As recruitment processes increasingly incorporate applicant tracking systems and AI-assisted screening, tailoring your CV to each opportunity has become more important than ever.

For seasoned tax specialists in the UK, a CV should demonstrate technical expertise, commercial impact, leadership capability and the value you could bring to your next role. The key is not simply to list what you have done, but to demonstrate what you have achieved and the value you could bring to your next opportunity.

1. Start With a Strong Foundation

Create a comprehensive record of your career, including significant roles, projects, achievements, qualifications and leadership responsibilities. Maintain a separate career timeline highlighting major tax projects and transactions, team leadership, revenue generation, cost savings, tax risk management, promotions and client wins.

2. Tailor Your CV to the Opportunity

Different employers have different priorities. Use terminology from the job description where it accurately reflects your experience, adapt your professional profile, prioritise the experience most relevant to the opportunity and make the connection between your background and the role immediately clear.

3. Focus on Achievements, Not Just Responsibilities

At senior level, a list of responsibilities is rarely enough to distinguish one candidate from another. Where possible, quantify achievements using meaningful measures such as tax savings, operational efficiencies, team growth, new business won, client retention and improvements in governance and risk management.

The strongest CVs demonstrate the situation, the action taken and the outcome — the STAR method — rather than simply describing duties.

4. Write a Compelling Professional Profile

Your professional profile should provide a concise introduction to your experience, expertise and career strengths. Keep it focused, relevant to the role and specific about the value you bring. Avoid generic statements such as ‘highly motivated professional with excellent communication skills’.

5. Get the Structure Right

For most Senior Tax Managers, Tax Directors and Tax Partners, a reverse-chronological CV remains the most effective format. Keep the presentation clean and professional: elaborate templates, multiple columns, graphics and text boxes can make a CV harder to read and may interfere with ATS parsing.

6. Align Your LinkedIn Profile With Your CV

Your CV and LinkedIn profile should tell a consistent professional story. Make sure your profile includes an up-to-date headline, a well-written About section, relevant skills and endorsements, and recommendations where appropriate.

7. Avoid Common CV Mistakes

• Spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors
• Excessive length or unnecessary detail
• Generic professional profiles
• Achievements that lack evidence of impact
• Unexplained career gaps
• Outdated LinkedIn information
• Overusing passive language
• Unnecessary personal information

8. Use AI to Refine Your CV, Not Invent Your Experience

AI tools can be useful when preparing a CV or application, but your experience, achievements and qualifications must remain accurate and authentic. Always review suggested changes carefully and take appropriate care when entering confidential client or commercially sensitive information into AI tools.

9. Do Not Overlook the Cover Letter

A cover letter should complement your CV by explaining why the opportunity appeals to you and why your experience makes you a strong candidate. At senior level, employers want to understand not only your technical capability, but also why you are considering a move and what you hope to achieve next.

10. Prepare for the Changing Landscape of Tax Recruitment

The strongest candidates combine technical credibility with commercial awareness and the ability to communicate their value with confidence and clarity. Be ready to explain how you have influenced decisions, managed risk, developed teams and contributed to commercial objectives.

Final Thoughts

A strong CV should make a persuasive case for what you could bring to your next role. At Maitland Kabir, we work closely with senior tax professionals to understand their experience, ambitions and the opportunities that best align with their next career move.