Stop Underselling What Took You 20 Years to Build - Why Your Career Story Needs a Reboot

(Why Your Career Story Needs a Reboot — and How We Help You Finally Be Seen, Heard, and Respected)

There’s something I see all too often — and I’ve lived it myself.

A capable, mid-career professional reaches out. They've spent two decades delivering high-stakes work, leading teams, building businesses, solving problems most people wouldn’t touch. Building a powerful, career story. And yet…

They're stuck. Being ghosted. Getting zero responses. Feeling invisible.

They send us their CV. And we open it?

It reads like a glorified task list. Passive. Generic. Undersold. No strategy. No positioning. No authority.

I call it the mid-career brand gap — and it’s killing great opportunities for great people.

I Know This Gap — Because I’ve Been There

Many years ago, I transitioned from field-based contractor work into senior client-side leadership roles in the energy sector.

I had global experience, big-name clients, technical expertise, and the results to back it up.

But my CV?

It didn’t reflect that at all. It read like someone who had been busy — not someone ready to lead.

So I rebuilt it. Reframed the narrative. Repositioned myself as a strategic asset and created my own personal brand.

Within weeks, interviews started landing for senior and well paid projects. Within months, opportunities found me — not the other way around.

That process became the foundation of what we now call the Bigger Fish Executive Branding Framework.

From Personal Framework to Professional Delivery

I created the method. But today, it’s delivered by my team.

Bigger Fish now helps hundreds of professionals across industries — from energy to operations, engineering, IT, finance, defense and the public sector — to reposition themselves for the opportunities they actually deserve.

• Project managers becoming transformation leads

• Contractors securing client-side roles

• Public sector leaders stepping into commercial enterprise

• Mid-career professionals moving from ignored to in-demand

“I applied for 7 jobs. Six recruiters called me back. I had to choose between offers.” — Project Engineer (Bigger Fish client)

“Within 2 weeks I had an 800% increase in recruiter calls and landed a 21% higher day rate than ever before.” — Manager, Energy Sector

The Bigger Fish Framework: Crafted Through Experience, Refined Through Science

I've always had a natural flair for writing — technical, persuasive, and personal.

But when I committed to building Bigger Fish, I went deeper. I studied the science behind what makes executive branding actually work.

Here’s what we integrate into every client profile:

✅ SAR Structuring (Situation – Action – Result)

Your achievements become clear, tight success stories — not vague statements.

✅ Influential Writing & Executive Comms

Borrowed from leadership messaging, persuasive design, and commercial storytelling.

✅ Cognitive Fluency

Writing in a way the brain finds easy to read, trust, and remember.

✅ F-Pattern Reading & Eye-Tracking Layout

We don’t just write — we design documents for how recruiters scan them.

✅ Primacy & Recency Bias

We make your biggest wins stick — by leading and closing with them.

✅ Authority Anchoring

We link your experience to well-known brands, frameworks, and results.

✅ Executive Framing

You’re not just a doer. We show how you direct, advise, and lead — using boardroom language, not back-office tasks.

✅ Value-Based Positioning

Everything ties back to four currencies: Revenue, Risk, Reputation, and Results.

✅ Strategic Keyword Placement

We balance ATS optimisation with authentic storytelling.

✅ LinkedIn Layering

We build your profile in three layers: headline, summary, and experience — each crafted to build confidence and visibility.

“I was getting traffic on LinkedIn but no interviews. After my profile overhaul, I got two interviews from direct recruiter outreach — within days.” — Project Manager (Bigger Fish client)

Your CV Isn’t a Timeline. It’s a Sales Tool.

Most CVs we see are built like a career diary. Bullet after bullet of responsibilities. None of it differentiated. None of it outcome-based.

We flip that.

We show:

• Scope: How big was the project? Budget? Team?

• Impact: What changed because of you?

• Strategy: What did you enable, not just what you did?

Because when you’re a 20+ year pro, you need to present yourself that way.

“I didn’t realise how much my CV downplayed what I actually delivered. The Bigger Fish team pulled out impact I never thought to mention — and that’s what got me hired.” — Senior Consultant (Bigger Fish client)

Real-World Results — Fast

Just some delivery snippets from what are clients are saying...This isn’t hype. This is execution.

• 3 interviews from 5 applications in 2 weeks

• 6 recruiter callbacks from 7 applications

• 5 interviews and a job offer within a month

• Contract roles secured with 20%+ pay rises

• Career shifts after 20+ years in one sector

“After 21 years in the police, I needed to reposition for the private sector. Bigger Fish helped me get interviews within weeks and I landed a life-changing role in under four months.” — Public Sector Leader

LinkedIn Is Your First Interview

We don’t just do CVs. We rebuild your entire brand presence.

Your LinkedIn profile gets seen more than your CV ever will.

But if your headline says “Experienced Professional Seeking Opportunities”… You’ve already lost the game.

We craft:

• Authority-driven headlines

• Keyword-rich but human summaries

• Experience sections that match your new level

• A profile that gets recruiters calling you

“I was getting 6–8 recruiter calls per day after the update. Five interviews in two weeks. Landed a role in under a month.” — IT Engineer

Feeling Invisible? Read This.

If you’re:

• Applying for jobs and getting no response

• Seeing others with less experience land better roles

• Getting recruiter traffic but zero conversion

• Returning to work after illness, burnout, or redundancy

• Struggling to articulate your value after 20 years in one lane

It’s not your experience that’s the issue.

It’s your positioning.

Email us now: executive.branding@bigger-fish.co.uk Our team will review your current branding and tell you exactly what’s holding it back.

The Most Common Mid-Career Mistake

Here’s the trap I see over and over again:

“I’ve got experience. It should speak for itself.”

No, it shouldn’t. And it won’t.

Not when you’re up against:

• Polished career changers

• Fast-track MBA grads

• AI-generated CVs that look good but say nothing

• People with 10 years less experience… but a better brand

“Within two weeks of publishing my CV, I was offered consultancy work that lasted till the end of the year. It completely changed my direction.” — Project Manager

This Isn’t Bragging. It’s Framing.

Some professionals worry that branding is self-promotion.

It’s not.

It’s owning your story. Presenting your experience with commercial clarity. Communicating like someone ready — not just available.

“This is the best investment I’ve ever made. I should’ve done this years ago.” — Senior Project Engineer

Who We Help

Bigger Fish is built for:

• Project, operations, and engineering professionals in mid-to-late career

• Contractors stepping into leadership or client-side roles

• Veterans transitioning to civilian work

• Public sector pros shifting into private industry

• Professionals returning after health or personal hardship

• Mid career managers looking to step into executive leadership roles

• Anyone quietly delivering — but underrepresented on paper

What Makes Bigger Fish Different?

We’re not a CV mill. We’re a team of highly experienced executive branding specialists.

• We’ve sat in hiring seats — we know what lands.

• We work fast — because many clients need change now.

• We tell the truth — better.

• We deliver career documents that convert.

Final Thought

You’ve spent years doing the hard bit: delivering.

Let us help you tell that story.

You don’t need hype. You don’t need 10 pages. You need three pages that actually reflect the leader you’ve become.

Drop us a line: executive.branding@bigger-fish.co.uk

We’ll help you go from invisible… to undeniable.

Because you’re not just another candidate. You’re a Bigger Fish.

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