From Minimum Wage to Six Figures: The Foundations I Built on My CV and LinkedIn

From Minimum Wage to Six Figures: The Foundations I Built on My CV and LinkedIn

From Minimum Wage to Six Figures: The Foundations I Built on My CV and LinkedIn

📌 This week, I’m sharing my personal story of how I went from minimum wage to a six-figure career, and the six career levers that made it possible. Each day, we’ll look at two parts of that journey: what I got wrong at the start, the shifts that changed everything, and the lessons you can apply to accelerate your own career. Today, we’re starting with the foundations: your CV and LinkedIn.

I didn’t set out to rebuild my career from minimum wage. But when I found myself in deepest Dorset with two young children, a five-year career gap, and outdated qualifications, that’s exactly where I was.

My pre-children career had been in financial services. I built a successful practice as an independent financial adviser, and when I stepped away in 2006 to have my first child, I fully expected to return where I had left off.

But life moved quickly. Our second child arrived the following year, we relocated to Cyprus for two years, and by the time we returned to the UK in 2009, the world of work had shifted. I was ready to contribute again, but flexibility was rare, especially in rural Dorset. Nine months of applications brought nothing but silence. Outdated qualifications, a CV full of responsibilities rather than results, and a five-year gap made me almost invisible.

Out of sheer frustration, I walked into a local employment agency and said: “Find me something. Anything. Please.” That “anything” turned into a six-week minimum-wage contract for a data project at a local academic publisher.

It barely covered childcare and travel, but it was a start. That contract extended to six months on a higher wage, and before long I was the second member of a telesales team that would grow into a large department I eventually managed.

Looking back, the relief of earning again was only part of the story. The bigger lessons were about visibility, credibility, and creating my own opportunities. And those lessons, learned the hard way, became the foundation that took me from minimum wage to a six-figure salary.

The first two steps? Rebuilding my CV and getting visible on LinkedIn.

1. CV: Your Career Story on Paper

At the time, my CV was a sad state of affairs: a five-year gap, stale qualifications, and a list of generic responsibilities that read like a job description, not a career.

  • “Responsible for finding and serving customers.”
  • “Responsible for research and compliance.”
  • “Responsible for managing client relationships.”

If you’ve ever written something similar, you’ll know how flat it looks. And here’s the uncomfortable truth: hiring managers don’t care what you were responsible for. They care about what you achieved.

📊 The research backs this up. In The Ladders’ famous eye-tracking study, recruiters spent an average of just 7.4 seconds scanning each CV before deciding whether to keep or discard it. Seven seconds. That means if your bullet points aren’t sparking interest immediately, you’re out.

Once I realised just how little time I had to make an impression, I rewrote my CV. This time, I thought of it less as a personal history and more like a business case.

  • Instead of “Responsible for finding and serving customers” →
    “Secured and served a pipeline of 20+ new customers per month, consistently exceeding sales targets and building repeat business”
  • Instead of “Responsible for research and compliance” →
    “Conducted detailed market research and ensured 100% compliance with industry regulations, reducing risk exposure and strengthening client trust”
  • Instead of “Responsible for managing client relationships” →
    “Built and managed long-term relationships with key clients, driving a 30% increase in account renewals and repeat revenue”

That small shift transformed my CV from a list of tasks into a document that demonstrated outcomes. It shouted: “This person makes an impact.”

🔍 Searching question for you: If a board or investor read your CV today, would they see evidence of your leadership impact, or just bullet points that anyone in your role could write?

👉 Call to action: If you’re not sure, grab our Professional CV Review Service to stress-test your document.

2. LinkedIn: Your Career Storefront

Once my CV was sharper, I realised I still had a visibility problem. Unless I reached out directly, no one could find me. My LinkedIn profile was bare: no photo, no summary, no achievements. It might as well have been invisible.

Back in 2010/11, LinkedIn wasn’t yet the powerhouse it is today. But even then, it was where recruiters went to validate candidates. And fast forward to now, it’s often the first place recruiters and headhunters look.

📊 The data is staggering. LinkedIn reports that 6 people are hired every minute through the platform and recruiters conduct billions of searches per year. Not having a strong profile isn’t a small oversight. It’s career self-sabotage.

So, I invested time in rebuilding my profile.

  • I added a professional photo (profiles with photos get 21x more views)
  • I wrote a headline that positioned me for the roles I wanted, not just the one I had
  • I crafted a summary that explained my story: where I’d been, what I’d achieved, and where I wanted to go

It wasn’t about vanity. It was about credibility. Because at senior levels, LinkedIn is no longer optional, it’s how the market validates you.

The difference was immediate. Recruiters started coming to me. My inbox filled with messages, my phone started ringing, and interview invitations followed. For the first time in years, I wasn’t chasing opportunities. They were chasing me.

🔍 Searching question for you: If a head-hunter searched your name today, would your profile make you shortlist material, or quietly rule you out?

👉 Call to action: If you’re not confident in that answer, explore our LinkedIn Review Service to make sure you’re not leaving opportunities on the table.

The Takeaway

The turning point in my journey wasn’t luck. It wasn’t timing. It was laying the right foundations: a CV that showcased results and a LinkedIn profile that built credibility. That combination took me from invisible to in demand.

If you’re working hard but not moving forward, start here. These two pillars may seem basic, but they’re game-changers when executed well.

And we’re just getting started. Tomorrow, I’ll share the next two levers that accelerated my rise from minimum wage to six figures: how reputation opened doors and how continuous learning kept me ahead.

Because visibility gets you noticed. But reputation and growth make you unforgettable.

This blog is part of my From Minimum Wage to Six Figures series. Each day this week, I’m breaking down two of the six levers that transformed my career:

👉 Continue to the next two levers here: Reputation and Learning

Your next career move deserves more than guesswork. At Resume Pilots, we specialise in crafting executive-level CVs and LinkedIn profiles that get results. We showcase your impact and position you for six-figure roles.

If you’re serious about taking control of your career story, let’s talk.

👉 Schedule a call with our team today and take the first step toward your next big opportunity.