CEO Resume Examples & Guide Created for 2023

Many of today’s professionals fantasize about being a respected CEO, or Chief Executive Officer. Being a CEO is a career path that requires professionals to make tough decisions that consider the big picture while being attentive to the fine details that allow for companies to operate at their maximum potential. It’s a career management level that’s not for everyone, so it’s no wonder that there’s typically only one CEO position available at most companies.

 

A CEO position can be highly gratifying while also being quite taxing at the same time. Though most CEOs enjoy quite a few luxuries and benefits, they also have to carry a huge burden for company success, profitability and forward strategy. This kind of professional responsibility requires strong leaders who can effectively break down the company’s challenges into a business strategy, delegate and guide others in achieving the company’s vision. 

 

This type of professional needs to possess a wide range of leadership skills and CEO skills. This includes both hard skills and soft skills. So, for professionals to land such prized executive positions, their resumes need to convincingly showcase the skills and qualifications that make them an excellent CEO candidate.

 

Whether you’re applying for a first-time CEO position or you’re already a CEO and looking to change companies, your CEO resume must be top-notch. The perfect CEO resume catches the attention of recruiters while also impressing potential employers with their relevant skills and qualifications that make them ideal candidates to take on such a monumental role.

This article will walk you through what professionals should highlight on their CEO resumes to land more CEO job interviews. We’ll then go over the structure of a CEO resume and provide some valuable writing tips along with do’s and don’ts.

First impressions are just as important on paper as they are in person. Your executive resume should leave a notable and influential first impression on future employers. Therefore, your resume’s objective needs to be how to best showcase your relevant executive experience, skills and competencies as a professional as they apply to the job description of a CEO position. A good CEO resume sets a positive theme for the remainder of the hiring process.

 

Being an excellent CEO requires a variety of skills and expertise. Here are some elements you can highlight on a CEO resume:

• A resume summary that showcases your executive and management expertise.
• Professional skills, experience and achievements that involve management and leadership.
• CEO-related keywords and action verbs that match the requirements of the job posting.

Your CEO resume must showcase your career progression. Therefore, the best format you should use for your CEO resume is the reverse-chronological format. By using this format, professionals can easily showcase how they’ve refined their management and leadership skills as they climbed the professional ladder.

 

If you haven’t written a resume in some time, here are the three most commonly used resume formats:

• Reverse-chronological. This format lists your skills and places a more significant focus on your work experience, which is listed in reverse chronological order with your most recent job at the top. This is the most commonly used resume format.
• Functional. This resume focuses on skills rather than work experience. This format is excellent for professionals with limited work experience. 
• Combination/Hybrid. This format merges the reverse-chronological and functional resume formats and focuses on both work experience and skills. 

You’ll most likely use the chronological or functional format to best showcase your CEO skills and competencies. Follow this structure for your resume: 

 

Your CEO resume header section should be visually appealing and include this information:

• Your name
• Your phone number
• Your email address
• Professional profile links such as LinkedIn

Resume summary

The CEO resume summary is the first thing recruiters notice when reading a CEO resume, and it sets the tone for the rest of the elements in your resume. Write a two to three-sentence summation of your top career achievements and skills, showcasing management and leadership skills that lead to company success.

 

Your CEO resume’s skills section should showcase your relevant soft and hard skills as they relate to the CEO position you’re applying for. Skills may include:

 

Hard skills

• Business development
• Business strategy
• Organizational restructuring
• Top-notch negotiation expertise
• Risk management
• Market planning/forecasting
• Sales planning/forecasting
• Budgeting
• Public relations

Soft skills

• Leadership 
• Effective communication
• Multitasking skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Time management 
• Creative thinking 
• Critical thinking 
• Problem-solving
• Visionary
• Organization skills

Work experience

This is a crucial section of your CEO Resume. Your CEO resume’s work history should showcase and expand on the qualifications you made in your resume summary. For each job you’ve had, list a few bullet points detailing responsibilities and achievements that showcase your career progression as a successful manager and leader. Each job description should highlight specific examples of how your management and leadership skills delivered positive outcomes.

 

Your CEO resume’s education section should include any relevant education, certifications or professional training you’ve received

Below is a list of some valuable dos and don’ts when it comes to crafting the perfect CEO resume:

 

Do’s

1. Use an ATS-friendly CEO resume template. ATS, or applicant tracking systems, are software used by recruiters and hiring managers to collect, organize and filter the most relevant resumes for the CEO position, so a polished, straightforward template increases your chances of passing ATS. 
2. Proofread your resume for any typos or misspellings you may have made. Also, make sure your resume is compatible on all viewing devices such as desktop, mobile and tablet.
3. Consider extra sections that showcase your capabilities as a CEO, such as an extra section for relevant certifications, volunteer experience, professional associations, projects and publications as they relate to the CEO position you’re applying for.

Don’ts

1. Don’t include your high school information in your CEO resume. 
2. Don’t litter your resume with generic management and leadership skills. Highlight leadership and management skills that best portray your competencies as a CEO and match the job posting.
3. Don’t list any explanations on your CEO resume as to why you left any of your prior management positions. Such topics can be addressed at a job interview.