9+ CEO Resume Examples and Writing Guide
Show your competition who’s boss by preparing high-quality CEO resume examples! Use these samples plus expert tips to get an edge and win the prized role.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
CEO resume
summary examples
As a CEO, you understand the hiring process very well. You may know that a hiring manager only looks at the average resume for seven seconds. That’s why you must capture their attention immediately.
Your professional summary, the two-to-three sentences near the top of your resume, serves as your briefest sales pitch. It should cover your top achievements, CEO-led initiatives and skills.
Think of this as your elevator pitch to an investor, and you have to convince them you’re the right person for the job in the brief time you have their attention.
Study these professional summaries to observe effective tactics in the strong example and the weaknesses of the lackluster sample.
Good example:
“Results-driven CEO with 10+ years of experience leading teams and driving organizational growth. Proven track record of success in creating innovative strategies, improving operational efficiency, and increasing revenue by 25% annually. Possesses strong leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills.”
Why this example passes:
- Includes numbers to demonstrate their career length and achievements.
- Touches on resume keywords like “operational efficiency” and “increasing revenue”.
- Mentions required skills like leadership and communication.
Bad example:
“Highly motivated individual with a passion for success. Experienced in leading teams and managing operations. Seeking to leverage my skills and knowledge to drive organizational growth.”
Why this example fails:
- Doesn’t include any numbers that quantify CEO’s performance.
- Uses vague descriptions and skills.
- Doesn’t include years of teaching experience.
The fastest way to write your
professional summary
For a CEO, every last detail of your job application must be high quality. That’s why you should use a Resume Builder!
A resume builder is a tool designed to ensure your resume has excellent design options you can change with a click and high-quality text content written by our career experts!
- 1
Enter the details about the job title you held. The builder comes preloaded with auto-suggested phrasing written by resume experts.
- 2
Then, just pick from these suggested phrases that best frame your experience and customize them to your liking!
- 3
All you have to do is choose the summary phrases that best frame your experience. It’s like having a professional do it for you!
Our Resume Builder is helpful, but there’s no substitute for an expert opinion. For the highest level of quality, use our professional resume-writing services!
One of our professional writers will consult with you to create a high-caliber design and tailored content for your document.
The reviews are in!
See what they’re saying about us on Trustpilot.
CEO resume work
experience examples
The work experience section is the bedrock of a CEO’s resume because it showcases all your relevant career accomplishments.
When building this section, quantifying your achievements is key to writing a resume that gets you an interview.
Essentially, hiring managers will judge you based on how effective you were in past roles — show them here.
Compare these work experience examples to learn what works and what doesn’t.
Good example:
Align, Inc. | New York, NY | 01/2012 – Present
- Spearheaded successful business expansion initiatives, increasing revenue by 20%.
- Achieved record-breaking customer satisfaction ratings, surpassing previous standards by 15%.
- Led a team of 200+ employees to complete high-profile projects on time and under budget.
- Established strategic partnerships with key stakeholders, resulting in a 30% increase in market share.
Why this example passes:
- Numbers and statistics add detail and quantify the results this CEO delivers.
- Excellent use of action verbs that describe the CEO’s accomplishments.
- Shares achievements from multiple areas of a business, demonstrating their ability as CEO.
Bad example:
Align, Inc. | New York, NY | 01/2012 – Present
- Managed team of 10 employees
- Oversaw daily operations
- Developed company policies
- Monitored customer service levels
Why this example fails:
- Lacks numbers or statistics.
- Describes responsibilities instead of accomplishments or career highlights.
- Uses active verbs, but doesn’t focus on results.
CEO resume skills examples
Here are 18 sample soft skills and hard skills for CEO roles:
- Project Management
- Operations Management
- Financial Reporting
- Payment Collection
- Staff Management
- Budget Management
- Process Improvement
- Audit Coordination
- Budget Development
- Financial Management
- Statement Review
- Account Reconciliation
- Cost Reduction
- Tax Preparation
- Payroll Management
- Payroll Processing
- System Development
- Quickbooks
You should sprinkle skills and abilities throughout your resume. Include them in your professional summary, work experience blurbs and a dedicated skills section.
Examples of additional resume sections
For CEOs, a resume needs five sections minimum: contact information, professional summary, work experience, skills and education. Adding extra sections showing your specializations and industry focus is a good idea.
Here are some examples of optional CEO resume sections that you could add to provide greater detail:
- Languages
- References
- Additional skills
- Accomplishments
- Certifications
- Interests
- Timeline
- Overview
Since, as a CEO, you are setting the tone for company culture, you want to include different sections that reflect the values of the business.
Suppose corporate communication seems like a huge part of the role. In that case, you could devote a “Communication skills” section to highlight skills like “company-wide emails” or “conference speeches.”
Examples of resume formats
A resume format refers to the way the resume document is organized. There are three main resume formats: chronological, functional and combination.
To apply for a CEO role, you should use a chronological resume format because it puts your experience front and center. A combination format could be a smart alternative if you’ve never been a CEO before and want to give your skills more focus.
How to choose a resume format
0-3
Years of experience
Functional formats
- Focus on skills.
- Best for first-time CEO who lacks work experience.
- Good for people re-entering workforce.
- Omits descriptions in the work history section.
Organization:
- Skills listed above work experience.
3-10
Years of experience
Combination formats
- Balances skills and work history.
- Ideal for mid-career CEOs.
- Suitable for career changers and people seeking promotion.
Organization:
- Skills next to or above work experience.
10+
Years of experience
Chronological formats
- Puts the most focus on work history.
- Best for CEOs with a long, steady career.
- Most popular format.
- Preferred by recruiters.
Organization:
- Work experience listed above skills.
Once you know the best format for you, it’s easy to pick a CEO resume template. Our resume templates are preformatted layouts created by design professionals to ensure your resume looks amazing and bypass any applicant tracking systems (ATS)!
Don’t forget your CEO cover letter
A cover letter works hand-in-hand with your resume to make a stronger case for why you deserve the job.
Since CEO roles are so consequential, a well-written cover letter is essential.
A cover letter is your space to show your communication skills, charisma and, most importantly, tell your career story in a way that speaks to the needs of the business.
So pull out all the stops and use our Cover Letter Generator! It’s a powerful digital tool that will give you design and prewritten text options that you can customize.
The builder automates the writing process into a streamlined series of prompts that will help tailor your cover letter to the specific opportunity you want.
Check out our cover letter templates if your primary concern is an eye-catching design for your document. Graphic designers create them to ensure design victory.
To dive deeper into everything you must include, read our complete How to Write a Cover Letter guide.
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