Career situation
A promotion CV is not a longer version of your current CV. It is evidence that you are already doing parts of the next job.
Quick answer
A CV for a promotion should prove you already work at the next level, not that you do your current job well. Map the higher role's requirements, then show where you have acted up, led beyond your grade or delivered results the panel may not have seen. Chanuka writes promotion CVs and cover letters for internal applications and step-up roles at other employers.
The real problem
Internal panels know you, which cuts both ways: they have seen your work, but they have also filed you under your current title. External employers hiring a step up have the opposite concern and wonder whether you can do a job you have not held. In both cases, a CV that proves you are good at your present role answers the wrong question.
Approach
Take the job description or the competency framework for the level above and find evidence for each item. Where you have acted up, deputised or led something above your grade, that is the content that matters most.
Internal readers skip what they already know and look for what they do not. Lead with work they may not have seen: cross-team projects, results outside your manager's line of sight, problems you resolved before they escalated.
If you have been in one job for several years, split it by period or by responsibility so the growth is visible. A single block of bullets under one title hides progression that actually happened.
Many organisations ask for a set template, a competency statement or a word limit. Follow it exactly. An internal process is also testing whether you can work within its rules.
Mistakes
FAQ
Usually yes, and it should be written specifically for the promotion. Many organisations ask for a CV or a structured application even for internal moves, and the panel may include people from outside your team. Treat it as a formal application: map the new role's requirements and show evidence for each, rather than relying on your reputation.
Split your time at the company into roles or phases so progression is visible, then lead each with the work closest to the level you are applying for. Include acting-up periods, projects led across teams and results the panel may not know about. Use the organisation's own terms and competency language wherever they fit truthfully.
List an acting-up period as a sub-entry under the role, with the title you covered, the dates and what you delivered while in it. For stretch assignments, name the project, your part in it and the result. These are often the strongest evidence in a promotion application, so place them near the top of the relevant role.
Write the CV for the target role, not the current one. Use the job description to decide which parts of your present work to lead with, highlight any responsibility you already hold at the higher level, and quantify your scope. Employers hiring a step up expect some gap between your title and theirs; the CV's job is to show that gap is small.
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