Presence
Stage
What this dimension is
How do I show up?
The artefacts and signals that represent me to others. CV, LinkedIn, portfolio, references, written and spoken self-presentation, the consistency between them.
Key questions
- When was the last time I genuinely updated my materials, not just refreshed the dates?
- Do my CV and my LinkedIn represent who I am now and where I am going, or who I was three years ago?
- What signals am I sending, intentionally and unintentionally?
- If a recruiter read only the first half of my CV, would they understand why I am applying for this role?
- Is the evidence behind my polished sentences strong enough to survive a five-minute interview probe?
How this showed up at IACW 2026
Presence is one of the thinnest stages in the official programme. Two of the 40 sessions had it as primary focus, and nine touched it. The thinness is itself useful information: the agenda assumes most candidates already know what to do here, when in practice this is where most applications break. The Presence frameworks that exist are concentrated, practical, and worth using carefully. See the Agenda Coverage Audit for the full data.
Frameworks for this dimension
Achievement banking
- BASIC Achievement Bank · the five-field structure for documenting one achievement
- R-CAR · the structure for turning a BASIC entry into a CV bullet or a cover-letter sentence
- Third Eye Principle · peer review, ATS check, proofreading
Reading the application as the recruiter does
- Application Review Audiences · the four-stage journey of any application
- JD vs Profile Comparison · the table that maps achievements to JD requirements
- JD Colour-Coded Breakdown · the analytic reading method
- Evidence vs Polish Diagnostic · the recruiter-side stripping test
Skills made credible
- Skills-in-Use CV Pattern · the writing pattern for skills-first CVs
- Capability + Outputs + Evidence · the three-part rewrite test
Interview presence
- SMART Method · the competency-based interview answer structure
- Duties-Driven Interview Prep · the preparation method based on the JD’s duty bullets
- Why You · the four-beat motivation pitch
- AI Roleplay for Skill Practice · the interview-rehearsal practice
Sessions where Presence was primary
- Mapping Professional Achievements · Day 2, Bewketu Bogale, Mian Nabeel Ahmed
- Building a Winning Profile from Application to Interview · Day 4, Preeti Nautiyal, Tina Stochmal, Luisa Zurek, Draga Paskova
If your situation is closer to
If your materials look right but the right opportunities are not reaching you, see Visibility. If your CV is in good shape but you cannot decide what to apply to, see Choice. If the materials are ready and you are inside the application loop, see Pursuit.