MOST EA CVs ARE WRONG.
The typical EA CV reads like a job description. Managed complex diaries. Coordinated international travel. Handled confidential correspondence. These are not achievements. They are the minimum expectation of the role. A CV that lists tasks tells a hiring manager nothing about whether you can do the job at the level they need.
LEAD WITH THE PRINCIPAL, NOT THE TASKS.
The most important line on an EA CV is not your job title. It is who you worked for. A principal reading your CV wants to know: have you operated at my level before? Have you managed the kind of complexity I live with? Lead with the principal type, the scale of their operation, and the scope of your remit. Then describe what you actually did.
SPECIFICITY IS CREDIBILITY.
Vague CVs get ignored. Specific CVs get interviews. Instead of "managed complex international travel", write "coordinated 40+ international trips annually across 12 time zones, including private aviation logistics and multi-country visa management". The specificity signals that you have actually done it, not just that you know the phrase.
DISCRETION CANNOT BE CLAIMED. IT MUST BE IMPLIED.
Every EA CV says "high level of discretion". None of them prove it. The way to demonstrate discretion on a CV is to describe sensitive environments without revealing sensitive information. Reference the type of principal, not the name. Reference the nature of the work, not the details. A CV that handles this well signals exactly the judgment a principal is looking for.
LENGTH AND FORMAT.
Two pages maximum. Barlow or similar clean sans-serif. No photographs. No personal statements that begin with "I am a highly motivated". Reverse chronological. Each role should have three to five bullet points that describe outcomes, not activities. If you have been in the same role for more than five years, that is a strength. Show the progression within it.
THE COVER NOTE.
TalentSmiths does not use cover letters in the traditional sense. What we do ask for is a short note explaining why this specific mandate is right for you at this point in your career. Not why you want a new job. Why this job. Principals can tell the difference. So can we.