Why isn’t my CV working in interim management?
Often, it is not a bad CV, but an unsuitable one. Interim management firms expect a two-page CV describing your assignments in their context, with an appendix detailing your projects, no cover letter, and a clearly named file. This is what Luc Marot, President of ADN Transition and an interim management professional since 2005, explains.
In short
– No one-page “networking” CV: a two-page CV, plus an appendix with your detailed assignments.
– Put each project in context: leading an ERP project in a company with €15 million in revenue has nothing to do with a company with €500 million.
– No cover letter, an explicit file name, and a title that reflects your main function, not your last position.
The CV suited to interim management: what to do and what to avoid
Here, point by point, is what the partners of an interim management firm expect when they receive your application.
| Element | Do | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Format | A two-page CV, plus an appendix or a second file with detailed assignments | A one-page “networking” CV |
| Content | Assignments and projects placed in context: size and revenue of the company | A simple list of positions |
| File name | First name Last name, possibly followed by the month and year | A non-explicit name, such as “CV.pdf” |
| Cover letter | None | A generic letter about your motivation |
| CV title | The function that defined your career | Your last position, or several stacked functions |
Why isn’t a one-page “networking” CV enough?
A short CV summarising your career is useful for a professional network. It is not useful for an interim management firm, which must check that you have already led a project of the same kind as its client’s.
What matters is the context of each assignment. An ERP project in a company with €15 million in revenue and in a company with €500 million is not the same project.
Luc Marot, President of ADN Transition, sums it up:
“We do not want CVs that summarise your professional experience. We want CVs that describe your assignments, positioned in relation to the companies you were in.”
How should you present your interim management assignments?
By separating the two levels of information:
1. A two-page CV, presenting your career path.
2. An appendix or a second file, describing in detail the assignments and projects you have led: context, company size, challenges, results.
For Luc Marot, this is the most useful format:
“A two-page CV and another file with the detailed assignments you have led. That is very relevant.”
Do you need a cover letter in interim management?
No. A letter explaining that you are motivated by interim management says nothing about your assignments or projects. It does not help the firm qualify you.
Luc Marot is categorical:
“Do not include a cover letter, it is of no use to us.”
What title and file name should you choose?
An explicit file name
Name your file with your first and last name, possibly followed by the month and year, for example “First name Last name – January 2026”. The firm can identify and find you immediately.
A title true to your career
Do not present yourself first as both CEO and CFO, and do not necessarily define yourself by your last position. If you were Sales Director for 25 years, then managing director of a subsidiary for two years, present yourself first as Sales Director: that is how the firm will qualify you.
The photo
It is optional. But for Luc Marot, associating a name, a CV and a face helps the partners remember the managers they have met.
Joining ADN Transition’s pool
ADN Transition draws on a pool of more than 5,000 interim managers. The firm’s partners qualify the managers themselves and choose for each assignment the one who has already led a project of the same kind: hence the importance of a CV that precisely describes your assignments.
Discover our dedicated managers’ area.
Read also: Permanent contract or interim management: what changes? and How much does an interim manager earn?
Who is Luc Marot?
Luc Marot is President of ADN Transition. He has worked in interim management since 2005. He began his career as an auditor at Arthur Andersen, then served as CFO at McDonald’s, NRJ and Lagardère. Since September 2026, he has been a board member of France Transition.
ADN Transition in a few facts
– Interim management firm founded in 2013.
– A pool of more than 5,000 interim managers.
– 6 partners and 7 senior advisors, who qualify the managers themselves.
– Offices in Boulogne-Billancourt and Lyon.
– Values: high standards, availability and sincerity.
Frequently asked questions
What CV should you send to an interim management firm?
A two-page CV, with an appendix detailing your assignments and projects, specifying the context of each company.
Should you attach a cover letter?
No. According to Luc Marot, a cover letter does not help the firm: it says nothing about assignments or projects.
How should you name your CV file?
With your first and last name, possibly followed by the month and year. The firm can then identify you immediately.
Should you present yourself with your last position?
Not necessarily. Highlight the function that defined your career: that is what the firm will qualify you on.
Are you considering becoming an interim manager?
ADN Transition’s partners, all former senior executives, talk with managers who wish to join the firm’s pool.
Thelma Fratacci joins ADN Transition as a work-study student
Bernard Puraye joins ADN Transition as Partner
How do you choose an umbrella company as an interim manager?
