best resume format executive

• • Developed and executed strategic communication plans for 10+ major tech clients, resulting in a 30% increase in brand visibility.
• • Managed a team of 15+ account executives, fostering a collaborative environment that boosted team productivity by 40%.
• • Secured media coverage in top-tier technology and business outlets, increasing client exposure by 50%.
• • Managed 8+ key tech accounts, leading to a 25% increase in client retention.
• • Coordinated with cross-functional teams to execute strategic plans, resulting in a 35% increase in project success rate.
• • Secured speaking opportunities for clients at major industry events, boosting brand recognition by 30%.
• • Handled 5+ major tech accounts, leading to a 20% increase in client satisfaction.
• • Worked closely with teams to execute strategic plans, boosting project success rate by 30%.
• • Secured media coverage for clients in top-tier outlets, increasing brand visibility by 40%.

17 Executive Resume Examples & Guide for 2024

Your executive resume must showcase your leadership experience. Highlight the results you’ve driven at previous organizations. Demonstrate your strategic planning abilities. Clarify how your decisions have led to long-term success.

All resume examples in this guide

Alliance Manager

Chief Executive Officer

Chief Financial Officer

Chief of Staff

Department Head

Department Manager

Executive Director

Executive Manager

Fractional CEO

Functional Manager

Vice President

Board of Directors

Resume guide.

How to Write an Executive Resume

Resume Header Tips

Resume Summary

Resume Experiece Section

C-Level Skill Section

Resume Education Section

Resume Certificates

How to Write a Senior Level Resume

Do You Need a Resume Writer?

Additional Sections

Key takeaways

So you want an Executive resume that sets you apart.

But things changed in a big way. All the talk now is about these robo-scanning systems that won't even register resumes that don't fit their obscure guidelines.

And once you submit your executive resume, it will be reviewed by an army of recruiters who are relentlessly looking for the right combination of skill, achievement, and experience.

The next person it gets forwarded to is a member of a search committee who won’t bother reviewing it twice.

Somehow your Executive resume has to work on all three levels.

Bad news is that it's tough. Good news is that it’s possible.

This guide will show you:

• Executive resume example that gets high-profile interviews 9 out of 10 times.
• What specific things recruiters want to see in your Executive resume and how to use that to your advantage
• How to convey your excellent leadership and visionary skills on a piece of paper (i.e. how to make your resume speak)
• How to make sure your Executive resume stands out while passing automated resume scanning systems in 2024

Looking for a specific C-Level resume?

• Marissa Mayer Resume
• VP of Sales Resume
• VP of Business Development Resume
• VP of Marketing Resume

How to write an executive resume to land more interviews

Writing an executive resume doesn’t follow your typical resume writing process.

Your Executive resume should not be about simply listing previous jobs and skills — companies are looking beyond that in their future executives.

You are their next leader, and your Executive resume should achieve at least three key objectives:

Demonstrate tangible impact.

Bragging with years of experience as a C-level manager won’t impress anyone. Your resume should demonstrate the real impact of your work, as recruiters won’t be looking for someone who simply adjusts to their environment. They’re looking for someone who can lead and change things for the better. Bad example: Managed a team of 30 engineers. Good example: Coordinated the work of more than 30 engineers in the development, testing, and production phases of a $10M project in the aero composite niche. More examples and tips in the Experience section. Hint: use resume action verbs to captivate recruiters and form the best first impression.

Convey a strong personal brand with unique differentiators.

Your resume is not just a marketing tool — it's a storytelling device. If you want to increase the chances of landing a job tenfold, align your personal story with the company's brand. Executives are too often a part of their company’s brand.

Are you tech-savvy genius with exceptional instincts for trends? A roll-up-the-sleeves guy on the frontline? Make sure your personal brand aligns well with the company brand.

Here’s how to establish a career-winning personal brand in your Executive resume:

• Identify key accomplishments and skill scenarios in the top-third of your resume
• Include industry-unique resume keywords to build relevance and authority
• Differentiate yourself from other candidates by showing off your unique differentiators.

More details on how to do that in later sections.

Provide consistent excellence throughout the entire recruitment process.

The process of hiring someone for an executive role involves multiple interviews and stages.At every stage your executive resume will be read by several people for the first time. That means your resume should not be a one-time wonder — it has to consistently WIN on every level: during automated ATS resume scans , manual checks by a hiring manager, and elaborate analysis by C-suite stakeholders.

Here’s how to turn your Executive resume into a golden ticket on every stage:

• Format, format, format. With a clever use of white space, layout, color , font , bold text, and headers, you can make your resume extremely attractive for both humans and robots.
• Use snippets of your resume to enhance your social profiles. Create consistency across various recruitment channels (LinkedIn, personal website, professional profile) to become memorable and project a consistent message.
• Don’t fall for a one-page resume myth . Entry-level candidates should have a one-page resume. Tech professionals can have a one-page resume. But executives with 15+ and 20+ years of excellence, industry awards, authority publications, and hard-won leadership skills? It's possible , but not applicable in every case. Even though we are strong advocates of the “more with less” approach, you won’t benefit from cutting out your best resume bits simply because you heard that one-page resume is good for someone.

The executive resume guide helps you write one that gets approved by both robotic ATS systems and human recruiters . We'll examine key areas of your resume to make sure it stands out and aligns with the company you're applying for.

Here are the sections that your Executive resume will include:

The 6 most important sections of your resume

• A properly formatted header
• A concise and impactful summary
• An experience section tailored to the specific job
• Custom sections based on your experience
• Education & certificates sections

What recruiters want to see in your resume

• Are you a good leader with all the necessary skills for the job?
• Is your position consistent and strong throughout your whole resume?
• Are you a good fit not only in the short-term perspective, but also for the years to come?
• Do you have a solid personal brand and how well does it align with the company’s?
• Can you make an impact, and is there any evidence that you're capable of leading for success?

Your executive resume starts with a header. Let’s make sure it’s properly formatted and doesn't turn recruiters away.

Resume header: make sure recruiters keep reading

We’ll start with the obvious: there are many executive roles in a company.

You have CEO (chief executive officer), COO (chief operating officers), CTO (chief technical officer), CIO, CISO, CSO, and the list goes on.

And yes, there’s a lot of overlapping responsibilities between these jobs. A CIO in one company sometimes can transition to COO/CTO in another.

Despite that, it’s extremely important to use the same title in Header that the job you’re applying for uses, because COO and CIO in the same company do absolutely different things.

You must avoid using more than one title, even if you were working under both titles at one point in your career. This sends mixed signals to recruiters.

It goes without saying that your Header should include your contact details, but many applicants only give their phone number and email address.

Today almost every recruiter checks your LinkedIn profile along with your resume. Include the link to your profile in a header to control the narrative. A well-crafted LinkedIn profile with many connections makes you appear more credible and trustworthy. Check your executive resume and LinkedIn profile to make sure the work history is cohesive. Also, enhance your LinkedIn profile with some bits from your resume to ensure consistency.

If you don't have a developed LinkedIn profile, don’t link to an empty one. It’s better to link to your personal portfolio website or active membership profile in an authoritative, industry-specific network.

Point is, the link should work for you, not against you. But we strongly recommend to start working on your LinkedIn profile ASAP.

Here’s an example of a header that doesn’t work well:

2 executive resume header examples

Here we’ll include link to a Linkedin social profile, as well as use only one title that the job description mentions:

Check out our guide on perfecting your resume header with industry-leading examples !

Now let's engage recruiters even further with an impactful Summary section.

Resume summary: Instantly stand out at every stage

The Summary section can have an incredibly powerful effect on your resume, but it works both ways.

If your Summary section is short, engaging, and relevant to the position, it will engage recruiters and create a lasting positive effect on how they perceive the rest of your resume. Think of the Halo effect.

If your Summary section is long, tedious, and full of fluff, recruiters might not even bother reading further. A major benefit of the Summary section is that you can easily adjust it to every position that you’re applying for once you get the basics of writing it.

Here are some tips to make your Executive Summary section stand out and create a good momentum with recruiters:

• Keep it short. Two or three sentences should be enough to grab someone’s attention. If you’re going beyond that, either rephrase or use other sections to provide more details, e.g. Achievements or Experience sections.
• Keep it relevant . This is going to be recurring advice, but learn as much as possible about the company you’re applying for before writing a resume. What are their values? Are they growing? Are they in crisis?Summary is the first section where your research pays off. If you think the company needs a crisis manager, mention how you were able to transform a struggling business.If the company is a promising startup or a rapidly expanding network, make sure to mention your experience of scaling businesses and navigating a fluid business environment. Mention industry-specific experience relevant to the job to get some bonus points.
• Keep it impactful. Don’t simply brag about your qualities. Provide results and achievements. Instead of writing how you spent 10 years in marketing or corporate leadership, share what the company was able to achieve with your guidance.

Here’s an example of a tedious, self-centered Summary section that makes employers and hiring managers roll their eyes:

2 executive resume summary examples

And here is an example of an engaging summary section to persuade readers to read further:

If you’re applying for another executive position, for example Chief Marketing Officer, follow the aforementioned advice but adjust it to the exact responsibilities of your future role.

Below is an example:

Want to learn more about crafting unique and engaging Summary sections? Check out our Perfect Summary guide with 30+ industry-specific examples .

We’ll now move forward to the bread-and-butter of your Executive resume, the Experience section.

Resume experience section: maximum efficiency word for word

The Experience section is the most elaborate and extensive section of your Executive resume, and recruiters will be returning to it several times throughout the whole recruitment process.

At first they’ll skim through it to understand whether you have a relevant experience, and leadership skills. This is where the most candidates will be filtered out.

During the next phase they will check whether your resume contains specific results and workflows that led you to achieving those results. They’ll be asking themselves: is this someone we need right now?

During the final round of checks, they’ll be comparing it with other candidates and see if you’re a good fit not only in the short perspective, but for years to come.

It doesn’t help that the Experience section is one of the hardest to write because executives have to squeeze in decades of experience in just one page, and make sure there’s still a place left for other impactful sections.

Let’s talk about what you need to include in your Experience section to get more calls, and what better should be left out of it.

Everything you mention in your Executive resume experience section falls into three main categories:

• Buzzwords (resume keywords)

Results are the most impactful component of your experience section. Your achievements should be quantified, otherwise it’s just a string of words. Use numbers for more impact.  Bad example: increased company’s presence on the education CRM market

Good example: over 3 years grew revenue in educational and mortgage segments by 300%

It’s important what kind of results you prioritise. Carefully study job requirements to understand what are the current company goals. Is it cost-efficiency? Workplace innovation? Or a new product launch? Prioritise results that are more relevant.

Workflows are what you did to achieve the results, or circumstances. Those are a perfect opportunity to hint at your core qualifications.

Workflows will reveal your subject matter experience, leadership and strategic qualities, and core competence in driving financial and operational results. You should describe workflows as challenges that you overcome. Use these questions to help to uncover some gems:

How did you contribute to the success of a company in a way that others didn't or wouldn't? What did you do that made the company better, more profitable, more efficient, and more competitive? How did your work benefit your coworkers and clients? What ideas of yours changed the course of events? Again, carefully study job requirements to understand which workflows will play a bigger role. No two companies are the same, so executives’ responsibilities will vary based on the company's size, industry, structure, and culture.

Buzzwords, or resume keywords, are largely defined by trends in every industry, and you can use them to quickly bring your resume up to date and target companies that are looking for very specific competencies.

Examples of buzzwords per industry: distance learning in education, crisis management in travel industry, managing distributed teams in real estate, machine learning and agile practices in IT, and so on.

Don’t overuse trendy words though, and especially don’t insert them blindly just to impress executive recruiters. Use only those skills that you have hands-on experience with.

Again, study job requirements to understand what kind of buzzwords may play into your hands.

For the best results, combine results, workflows, and buzzwords. Study job description and put more relevant workflows on top.

Here’s an example of vague experience section which is more focused on circumstances of work rather than results:

Executive resume experience examples

• • Established and built relationships with top leaders in the market
• • Directed and oversaw financial and budgetary activities
• • Direct the company in keeping with the vision outlined for the company by the Board of Directors

Here’s an experience section optimized for impact with relevant results and comprehensive workflows:

• • Established and built relationships with top leaders in the market, including those representing the highest levels in business, government and non-profit sectors, growing export revenue by 300%
• • Ensured coordination and alignment of all company activities to strategic direction in the areas of resource development and staff alignment, reducing department costs by 25% two years consecutively
• • Planned, organized, directed, and evaluated labor and administrative policies and operations that brought company from state leaders to country leaders.

Here’s an example of how the Experience section might look if you’re applying for a CTO position.

Notice that it contains more buzzwords and technical terms that were revealed after studying the company background and its key products:

• • Established, communicated, and developed a clear action plan for the new vision of Technology Department, reducing $4M annually on operating expenses
• • Facilitated in planning and release of 4 strategic company products that led to 23% increased ML-based CRM solutions market share
• • Increased client satisfaction on a company-wide level by 400% after implementing a set of advanced real-time reporting system for monitoring support staff performance

Beware of “death by bullets”, or using more than five bullet points in a row when describing your experience, otherwise your resume becomes unreadable. If you have too many bullet points, consider rewriting the section or adding short paragraphs of text in between.

C-Level skill section: What recruiters really like to see here

Every executive role involves a wide range of skills. Add to that 15 years of experience on average and every executive can easily fill up a blank page simply listing all the skills they possess.

Don’t fall into this trap. No one will be reading that much. And the impact behind every skill will be diminished by the sheer amount of them.

The best thing you every candidate for an executive role can do is to prioritise skills that are needed the most for a given job, and then group those skills into broader categories.

Bad example: high performance under stress, predictive planning, negotiation, monitoring, critical thinking, etc.

Replace with: Crisis Management: Preserved company’s market share and net profit during the outbreak while the average competitor lost 10-20% of their income.

After you narrow down the most important skill categories, make sure to put those into context, because this is the most convincing way to demonstrate that you really have them.

For most executive roles, apart from Chief Technology officer, soft skills are a priority, so list them first.

Here’s an example how to list soft skills on your Executive resume:

How to describe soft skills on your resume

Below are some skills that you can group in your Skill section:

Soft skills list for C-suite resumes

• Communication
• Strategic management
• Strategic partnerships
• Resource development
• Analytical approach
• Financial management
• Presentation skills
• Revenue Growth
• Coordination
• Active listening
• Time management
• Problem solving
• Strategic planning
• Innovative thinking
• Quality control
• Lean/Growth mindset
• Collaboration
• Risk management
• Process organization
• Policy development

What you need to know about hard skills

The amount of technical skills you need to mention in your resume will largely depend on the specific role.

Chief innovation officer, chief technical officer and chief information officer are expected to be more tech savvy than other executive positions, so listing some key technical skills would be of help.

Same goes for any executive role in IT-related companies vs other industries.

But mostly try to focus on your management skills and achievements associated with them.

Resume education section: do you need it?

Although experience is deemed far more important than education history for any executive position, you’ll rarely find a job that doesn’t require at least a bachelor's degree.

Education requirements vary from job to job. Some companies require a Master's degree in business or related field.

If you don’t have a relevant degree it might be substituted with an advanced business training, such as MBA. Make sure to put it before other information on education in your resume.

Resume certificates: which ones are the best

Certificates aren’t a decisive factor for an Executive resume, but they can strengthen your overall profile.

Note that chief technology officer and chief operations officer will have a different portfolio of certificates, although there are general leadership certificates that any executive resume can benefit from.

Below are some examples:

Top 5 executive certificates for your resume

• Harvard Kennedy School Executive Certificates
• Harvard Business School Certificate of Management Excellence
• MIT Executive Certificate
• Cornell University Executive Leadership
• Michigan State University’s Business Leadership and Management

How to write a senior executive resume?

• Target your resume to the position. It’s imperative that you tailor your executive resume to the position and the company that hires you. Don’t just demonstrate that you have the needed skills. Use the Experience and Summary section to demonstrate that you overcame challenges similar to what they experience right now. Often companies switch leadership in time of crisis and uncertainty. Learn more about the target company’s recent challenges and use this information to build authority and relevance.
• Make the most impact with the top-third of your resume . Your senior executive resume is going to be long, but to make sure people will read all of it you need to give them a motivation. Use the top third section to present your key achievements and skills.
• Maximise the impact of your third page. There’s no need to describe all the jobs you had over the span of a 20 or 30+ year career. This will certainly eat all the pages on your senior executive resume. Instead, use the last page of your resume to showcase your unique identifiers and set yourself apart: list awards, publications you were featured in, research projects, and lifetime accomplishments.

Having problems packing all your years of experience in a resume? Check out our guide on resume length .

Additional sections to boost your resume special sauce

Your executive resume provides impact and demonstrates that you have all the necessary skills to be successful in your work.

It’s time to stand out of your competition and leave a lasting impression with custom sections.

Here are some custom sections that you can use to highlights your leadership skills and build your personal brand even further:

Achievements / Highlights

Every executive with many years of experience undoubtedly had career highlights that deserve attention.

It’s important to keep this section focused on specific achievements and not just brag about yourself.

Those achievements may include: prestigious business awards, work achievements, and even published books relevant to the job.

Our selected resume template above is from one of our successful clients, William H. Saito , who used custom sections to build a strong personal brand and hint at holistic development of his leadership skills.

Day of My Life

If you feel creative and confident in the rest of your resume, you can provide a personal touch with a “Day of My Life” section. This section is extremely powerful as it can help you demonstrate your human side and integrity.

Coupled with your achievements and work results from other sections, this is a great way to show your ability at following work and life balance, balance priorities, and sustain integrity.

A great example of this section in use is our Marissa Mayer’s resume which not only went viral and got a great number of positive responses, but also attracted attention from leaders of a business world, such as Mark Cuban.

• Approach resume writing process not only for marketing, but also for building your personal brand and forming unique selling proposition;
• Make sure the brand you build aligns well with the company that you want to work with;
• Strive to demonstrate impact with every section of your executive resume using results, achievements, and confident language;
• Stand out from the crowd of other candidates with custom sections that drive your personal brand even further and demonstrate you as all-round person;
• Make sure to study the job requirements and the company’s history before applying as it will help you make your resume much more aligned with their vision of who will lead their company.

Executive resume examples

Explore additional executive resume samples and guides and see what works for your level of experience or role.

Looking to build your own Executive resume?

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Executive Resume Examples and Templates for 2024

Executive Resume Templates and Examples (Downloadable)

Most popular executive resumes.

• Sales Executive
• Health Care Executive
• HR Executive
• Nonprofit Executive Director
• Senior Executive
• Executive Chef
• Sales Director
• Chief Marketing Officer
• Chief Information Officer
• Chief Financial Officer
• Chief Operating Officer
• Resume Text Examples

How To Write an Executive Resume

• Entry-Level
• Senior-Level

Sales Executive Resume Example

Health Care Executive Resume Example

HR Executive Resume Example

Nonprofit Executive Director Resume Example

Senior Executive Resume Example

Executive Chef Resume Example

Sales Director Resume Example

Chief Marketing Officer Resume Example

Chief Information Officer Resume Example

Chief Financial Officer Resume Example

Chief Operating Officer Resume Example

Executive Text-Only Resume Templates and Examples

John Bergsen (123) 456-7890 [email protected] LinkedIn | Portfolio Philadelphia, PA 12345

A Vice President with 10+ years of experience within the banking industry, specializing in financial analysis, investment strategy, marketing, and regulatory compliance. A proven track record of building relationships with enterprise customers and identifying opportunities to enhance the growth of client portfolios.

Professional Experience

Vice President, Trust Bank, Philadelphia, PA October 2016 – Present

• Oversee all aspects of client relationships for 15+ accounts valued at $20M, expand revenue opportunities, conduct due diligence, and led client implementations to generate an additional $1.2M in annual revenue
• Lead projects for client initiatives, serve as a liaison between client and business units to ensure successful implementation, and manage stakeholder expectations
• Coordinate cross-functionally with legal, enterprise risk, and compliance teams to mitigate financial risks and ensure regulatory compliance.

Senior Director, Corbin Financial, Philadelphia, PA June 2013 – October 2016

• Managed and developed client relationships generating over $24M in annual revenue for a leading investment firm, educated clients on new product capabilities and risk analytic tools, and successfully grew portfolio by $5M
• Collaborated with product development, sales, and technology teams to expand product offerings, enhance the RFP process, and develop new value-added services

Certifications

• Certified International Investment Analyst (CIIA), ACIIA, 2016
• Certified Fund Specialist (CFS), IBF, 2013
• Investment Banking
• Regulatory Compliance
• Stakeholder Management
• Client Relations
• P&L Management

Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) Temple University, Philadelphia, PA September 2011 – June 2013

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Finance Temple University, Philadelphia, PA September 2007 – June 2011

Yaling Zhang (123) 456-7890 [email protected] LinkedIn | Portfolio San Francisco, CA 12345

A Technology Executive with 10+ years of experience specializing in product innovation, business development, and go-to-market strategy. A proven track record of developing business strategies to drive revenue growth and expand market share. A strong history of engaging with C-level executives and investors to define product strategy.

Vice President, Excelsior Technologies, San Francisco, CA February 2016 – Present

• Oversee a team of five Directors with over 300+ direct reports, define strategic direction for the business unit, manage P&L valued at $50M, and establish a forward-thinking work culture centered on innovation, collaboration, and inclusion
• Develop high-impact go-to-market strategy to expand customer acquisition across digital platforms, contributing to a $10M increase in revenue across five product lines
• Interface with C-level executives, senior management, and investors to assess market trends, define product messaging, and expand reach across untapped verticals

Senior Director, Arkon Technology Inc., San Francisco, CA June 2013 – February 2016

• Managed a team of 30+ engineers, software developers, and data scientists, collaborated with SMEs to define product vision, and established go-to-market strategy
• Pivoted a core product line to a new vertical, created a high-level framework to define market opportunity and value proposition, and achieved executive buy-in, which resulted in over $5M in incremental revenue
• Certified Technical Product Manager, PMHQ, 2015
• Certified Product Manager (CPM), AIPMM, 2013
• New Product Introduction
• Go-to-Market Strategy
• Cross-functional Leadership
• Technology Innovation

Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) Product Management University of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA September 2011 – June 2013

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Computer Science University of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA September 2007 – June 2011

Cameron Malfara (123) 456-7890 [email protected] LinkedIn | Portfolio New York, NY 12345

A dynamic Sales Director with 10+ years of experience building and leading high-performance sales organizations to exceed revenue targets for enterprise companies. A proven track record of establishing enduring relationships with clients founded on trust and integrity. Adept at defining innovative growth strategies to drive new business development.

Vice President of Sales, Grayson Medical Device Co., New York, NY July 2016 – Present

• Manage a sales department comprised of 50+ representatives and account managers, oversee all aspects of the sales cycle, and develop high-impact training programs to improve close rates, resulting in a 160% quota attainment across the team
• Serve as the point of contact for client stakeholders and C-level executives, represent the company at trade shows and industry conferences, and secure six new accounts generating $6M in new revenue
• Recruit, develop, and retain top talent, identify opportunities to enhance performance, and establish a positive work culture centered on inclusion and empowerment

Senior Director, Johnson Healthcare Solutions, New York, NY June 2013 – July 2016

• Coordinated with regional managers to define sales strategy and identify new business opportunities for three territories generating over $30M in annual revenue
• Planned and delivered professional development sessions for sales representatives to improve selling tactics, resulting in a 15% increase in sales revenue
• Established and maintained professional networks, prospected for new clients, and attended meetings with key executives to build long-term relationships
• Certified Master Sales Professional, NASP, 2015
• Certified Professional Sales Leader (CPSL), NASP, 2013
• Sales Strategy
• New Business Development
• Territory Management
• Organizational Development

Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) Strategic Selling & Sales Leadership Columbia University, New York, NY September 2011 – June 2013

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Marketing Columbia University, New York, NY September 2009 – June 2013

As a senior executive, your resume will be much more heavily scrutinized than that of entry-level and mid-career candidates. Companies invest more time and resources into experienced professionals, so craft an accomplishment-driven resume to differentiate yourself from the competition. This guide will provide expert tips to help translate your career experience into an impactful marketing document.

1. Write a dynamic profile summarizing your executive qualifications

Your opening summary is a key aspect of the resume. The goal is to create an engaging snapshot of your career to establish your personal brand and draw the reader in. As an executive, focus on presenting yourself as a thought leader within your industry. For example, if you worked primarily with Fortune 500 companies in the technology industry, highlight this in your first two sentences. If you’ve cultivated global leadership experience, mention it in your profile. Seek balance in telling your unique story while highlighting qualifications that match the position you’re applying for.

Professional Profile - Example #1

A vice president with over 10 years of experience within the banking industry, specializing in financial analysis, investment strategy, marketing, and regulatory compliance. A proven track record of building relationships with enterprise customers and identifying opportunities to enhance the growth of client portfolios.

Professional Profile - Example #2

A technology executive with over 10 years of experience specializing in product innovation, business development, and go-to-market strategy. A proven track record of developing business strategies to drive revenue growth and expand market share. A strong history of engaging with C-level executives and investors to define product strategy.

2. Add your executive experience with compelling examples

As an executive, provide tangible examples of your high-level responsibilities, such as defining strategic direction for organizations and interfacing with C-level executives. Hard numbers and data can also help bolster the impact of your bullet points, but not every contribution is easily quantified. For instance, if you worked to establish a forward-thinking and inclusive work culture, this is worth demonstrating even if it can’t be measured with a monetary figure or percentage. Showcase industry-specific projects and accomplishments while also capturing your leadership experience.

Professional Experience - Example #1

Vice President, Trust Bank, Philadelphia, PA October 2016 – present

• Oversee all aspects of client relationships for over 15 accounts valued at $20 million, expand revenue opportunities, conduct due diligence, and run client implementations to generate an additional $1.2 million in annual revenue
• Lead projects for client initiatives, serve as a liaison between client and business units to ensure successful implementation and manage stakeholder expectations
• Coordinate cross-functionally with legal, enterprise risk, and compliance teams to mitigate financial risks and ensure regulatory compliance

Professional Experience - Example #2

Vice President, Excelsior Technologies, San Francisco, CA October 2016 – present

• Oversee a team of five directors with over 300 direct reports, define strategic direction for the business unit, manage profit and loss (P&L) valued at $50 million, and establish a forward-thinking work culture centered on innovation, collaboration, and inclusion
• Develop high-impact go-to-market strategy to expand customer acquisition across digital platforms, contributing to a $10 million increase in revenue across five product lines

3. List any education and certifications relevant to executives

In addition to your education, incorporate industry certifications to demonstrate your knowledge and expertise within your field. Leadership credentials are also valuable for executives, specifically if they pertain to change management and organizational development.

As an executive, prospective employers will often expect more credentials due to your years of experience within your industry.

• [Degree Name]
• [School Name], [City, State Abbreviation] [Dates Enrolled]
• Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) Product Management
• University of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA September 2011 – June 2013
• [Certification Name], [Awarding Organization], [Completion Year]

4. Include a list of skills and proficiencies related to executives

Organizations utilize Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to identify qualified candidates for job openings, even at the executive level. If your resume lacks a certain number of key terms from the job description, you may be rejected at the onset of the application process. Poor targeting might also fail to impress the hiring manager, even if your resume does advance to the next phase. As you build your resume, incorporate key skills and qualifications directly from the posting using tangible examples from your career. Below, you’ll find a wide range of potential keywords you may encounter during the job search:

How To Pick the Best Executive Resume Template

When selecting a template for executive-level positions, choose an option that fits your personal brand without obscuring your content. Be thoughtful in your usage of color and graphics. Despite the visual appeal, this can often have the opposite effect of what you’re hoping for. When in doubt, select a well-organized, straightforward template that keeps the reader’s focus firmly on your career achievements and qualifications.

Joe Battinieri - Senior Talent Acquisition Professional, LinkedIn

Meet our Expert: Joe has over 20 years of experience in recruiting and human resources. His background includes in-house and consulting recruiting roles. He has executive search and talent acquisition leadership expertise in a variety of industries and is currently focused on sales, marketing, client services, and product roles.

1. What are the most in-demand skills for executives that should be featured on a candidate’s resume? -

The most important and in-demand skill for an executive is emotional intelligence. This is the understanding and managing one's own emotions and the emotions of others. Important for leading a team, effective collaboration, and conflict resolution, it builds a positive workplace culture. It creates credibility, communicates ideas, builds relationships, and addresses stakeholders, board members, and team members. Other in-demand skills include strategic planning, the ability to zoom in and out, industry knowledge, and budget management.

2. What work experience and other accomplishments are hiring managers looking for in an executive? -

Hiring managers want executives with a strategic vision, growth mindset, and operational excellence. Depending on the role, a successful executive will have experience with increasing revenue, reducing software development cycles and errors, delivering new products to market, and increasing customer retention. All of these experiences demonstrate a leader’s success in supporting a company’s strategic growth — critical for an executive’s success.

3. What else, in addition to a resume, should an executive candidate be prepared to provide hiring managers? -

Executives should also have a cover letter that strongly aligns with the role they are applying for. They should be ready to share any executive presentations, speaker engagements/TED talk videos, publications, or articles that highlight their expertise.

4. What advice would you give an executive candidate about their job search? -

Your network is critical to your job search. Executives should leverage industry contacts and current and former colleagues. These people know you best and can speak to your abilities. They may also be able to help the candidate vet a company. External recruiters that either placed the executive or people on their team should also be included in your job search.

Interview advice: Executives are hired for their people leadership and expertise in a specific function. Be prepared to highlight your ability to be strategic and share the data that supports your story for both.

Frequently Asked Questions: Executive Resume Examples and Advice

What are common action verbs for executive resumes -.

It’s easy to run out of action verbs during the resume-building process. Often a limited number of words convey your career achievements and experience accurately. Utilizing an array of action verbs is important, as repetition may cause your bullet points to appear redundant to the hiring manager. We’ve compiled a list of verbs to craft your professional experience section:

How do you align your resume with a job description? -

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics , jobs for top executives are expected to grow by 6% between 2021 and 2031. This equates to over 180,000 new openings each year. Despite the high number of opportunities on the open market, executive-level roles are highly competitive, and you’ll need to carefully align your resume with each individual job description.

For example, if you’re applying for a VP-level position at a data science company, you’d demonstrate your thought leadership experience with machine learning products. If you’re applying for an executive role that requires an extensive background in stakeholder management, showcase examples of your interfacing with C-level executives.

Aligning your resume with the job description will give you a tactical advantage over the competition during the job search.

What is the best executive resume format? -

Reverse chronological is the ideal format for job seekers at the executive level. This ensures that your most recent and impactful achievements are featured at the top of your document. Functional resumes should be avoided here, even if you plan on making a career transition, as you’ll be expected to provide tangible examples of your experience when applying for executive roles.

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Cover letters are often required when applying for executive positions. Prospective employers want to better understand your industry expertise and determine whether you’re the right cultural fit for their organization. In your middle paragraphs, mention something specific about the company’s mission statement, reputation, or culture and how it aligns with your professional background. For more information, visit our executive cover letter guide .

Frank Hackett

Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW)

Frank Hackett is a professional resume writer and career consultant with over eight years of experience. As the lead editor at a boutique career consulting firm, Frank developed an innovative approach to resume writing that empowers job seekers to tell their professional stories. His approach involves creating accomplishment-driven documents that balance keyword optimization with personal branding. Frank is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) with the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches (PAWRCC).

Check Out Related Examples

Chief Information Officer Resume Examples and Templates

Chief Marketing Officer Resume Examples and Templates

Sales Director Resume Examples and Templates

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13 C-Level and Executive Resume Examples - Here's What Works In 2024

No company can run smoothly without top c-level executives. if you’re applying for one of these demanding roles, you’ll need a resume that speaks for itself — and we can help. in this guide, you’ll find resume examples for any c-suite role as well as key industry-specific tips and insights..

The C-suite — so named for the job titles of the top executives in most companies — is the group of people at the top whose job it is to make sure the company runs smoothly and stays true to its mission. The Chief Operations Officer (COO), Chief Information Officer (CIO), Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) all work under a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to take responsibility for a specific company function, aligning their department’s inner workings with overall company plans and stakeholder expectations and driving profit. These high-stress, high-stakes positions come with a long list of responsibilities and a compensation package to match. All C-level executives are expected to excel in senior leadership and communication, strategic thinking, decision making, and subject matter expertise. To get to the top, it also helps to have strong qualifications — like an MBA from a top business school — and industry connections. In 2023’s business climate, companies are increasingly looking for executives who can lead change management, understand shifting consumer behavior, and pave the way for growth and recovery.

C-Level and Executive Resume Templates

Jump to a template:

• Chief Operating Officer (COO)
• Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)
• Chief Information Officer (CIO)
• Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
• E-Commerce Chief Financial Officer

Jump to a resource:

• Keywords for C-Level and Executive Resumes

C-Level and Executive Resume Tips

• Action Verbs to Use
• Bullet Points on C-Level and Executive Resumes
• Related Finance Resumes

Get advice on each section of your resume:

Template 1 of 13: Chief Operating Officer (COO) Resume Example

The chief operating officer (or COO) is an executive-level role. They have a wide array of responsibilities that relate to managing the logistics of day-to-day business operations. They oversee policy and procedures, planning and maintenance, staff operations, and legal compliance. They also set budgets, drive growth, and spearhead business outreach. When recruiting a COO, many hiring managers will look for a candidate with a master’s degree in business, though a bachelor’s degree may suffice if combined with adequate experience. Most companies will be looking for someone with at least 10 years of work experience. The ideal candidate for a COO role typically has related experience in sales, marketing, finance, operations, or a combination of these fields. Additionally, it’s important that a potential chief operating officer has the right soft skills, such as public speaking, superb communication skills, problem-solving abilities, and people management.

We're just getting the template ready for you, just a second left.

Tips to help you write your Chief Operating Officer (COO) resume in 2024

   showcase your management experience.

Being that this is an executive level role, it’s expected that you will be a strong leader. It’s important to highlight your experience with managing teams and budgets on your resume. You’ll also want to highlight any experience you have making business decisions or enforcing new policies.

   Demonstrate your project management knowledge

The COO oversees many aspects of an organization. As such, this role requires a candidate with developed project management skills. Showcasing any project management-related knowledge or certifications you have is a great way to stand out for this role.

Skills you can include on your Chief Operating Officer (COO) resume

Template 2 of 13: chief operating officer (coo) - 2 resume example.

As a COO, you’ll need to demonstrate your ability to lead first and foremost. You’ll be tasked with ensuring the company’s administrative and operational functions run smoothly, which requires strong leadership, management, communication, and analytical skills. Your resume should also include essential hard skills, including accounting and finance expertise, change management, and business and marketing strategy.

Tips to help you write your Chief Operating Officer (COO) - 2 resume in 2024

   focuses on the most relevant accomplishments for c-level employees.

If you’re at the top of your career, you’re likely to have more than a few accomplishments you’re genuinely proud of. That doesn’t mean you need to include them all — when it comes to your resume, more isn’t necessarily better. Try to narrow it down to 3-5 bullet points from your most recent positions and 1-2 from older ones. You can and should leave out your less relevant positions to keep your resume to 2-3 pages.

   Concise skills list to get past ATS

The old adage “less is more” applies to your skills section, too. Don’t be tempted to include every skill you have, or even every skill you think you might possibly need on the job — that’s a lot! Instead, identify the top skills named in the job description and opt for those.

Skills you can include on your Chief Operating Officer (COO) - 2 resume

Template 3 of 13: chief operating officer (coo) - 1 resume example.

Typically second in command to the company’s CEO, the COO is a human resources C-level executive. Unlike the CEO, who serves as the public-facing leader of a company, the COO is focused on internal affairs, including payroll, training, recruitment, and legal services. To land a COO position, you’ll need the ability to take charge, to understand the company’s bottom line, and to communicate business needs to other departments.

Tips to help you write your Chief Operating Officer (COO) - 1 resume in 2024

   emphasis on transferable leadership and communication skills, core to coos.

Soft skills like leadership and communication are essential for executive-level positions, but they don’t belong on your skills list. Instead, demonstrate those qualities through your bullet points by including accomplishments like leading a team or overseeing a marketing campaign. If you can point to specific ways your leadership helped the company’s bottom line, even better.

   Uses hard numbers and metrics

If you have achievements that you can quantify, do so. This is especially true for C-suite positions that are expected to directly influence company outcomes. An accomplishment like “drove 150+ employees in a consumer company to grow revenue from $150M to $450M over 5 years” is far more impressive than a vague “led a large team to drive revenue.”

Skills you can include on your Chief Operating Officer (COO) - 1 resume

Template 4 of 13: chief marketing officer (cmo) resume example.

Chief marketing officers are often found in large organizations with sizeable marketing teams. This is an executive-level role that oversees several aspects of the marketing department. The CMO manages the staff of the marketing team, conducts research, makes high-level decisions about marketing campaigns and messaging, develops plans to enhance revenue growth, and more. When hiring a CMO, organizations will be looking for someone with a strong educational background and considerable marketing experience. Hiring managers may look for a candidate with a master’s degree in marketing or business. Additionally, hiring managers will want a candidate with progressive work experience, in roles such as a lead generator, advertising account manager, or brand manager. Hiring managers will be looking for someone with previous management experience, superb communication skills, and strong marketing know-how.

Tips to help you write your Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) resume in 2024

   highlight your experience developing or improving marketing campaigns.

The CMO is often tasked with developing or improving marketing campaigns within a company to drive growth. As such, it’s important that you highlight the experience you have with developing new campaigns and improving old ones. Additionally, it’s important to highlight exactly how much growth you were able to drive with the changes you made.

   Demonstrate your knowledge of relevant software tools

In today's age chief marketing officers will be expected to leverage an array of software tools to collect data, conduct research, and launch campaigns. As such, it’s important to highlight your literacy with common marketing software, such as Marketo, Pardot, and Salesforce. To land this role, you should also detail how you utilized software to drive marketing results in the past.

Skills you can include on your Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) resume

Template 5 of 13: chief marketing officer (cmo) - 2 resume example.

A CMO — also known as a Marketing Director or Global Marketing Officer — needs a strong business acumen, experience with marketing and social media, and understanding of current market trends. You should emphasize your skills in brand management, product development, and customer service, as well as technical skills like search engine marketing (SEM) and search engine optimization (SEO).

Tips to help you write your Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) - 2 resume in 2024

   emphasize internal promotions, which are key to executive positions.

Being able to show that you’ve worked your way up the corporate ladder to your current position is good. Demonstrating the initiative, drive, and loyalty to move up internally within a company is arguably even better. If you’ve held multiple positions at the same company, highlight that by listing the job titles separately under the same company heading.

   Focus your resume on marketing

When applying for a C-level marketing position, you’ll want to focus your resume on your most relevant experience and achievements. That means prioritizing executive-level and marketing experience, accomplishments that show how you drove your company’s marketing strategy and revenue, and skills like sales, digital strategy, and brand management.

Skills you can include on your Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) - 2 resume

Template 6 of 13: chief marketing officer (cmo) - 1 resume example.

While a CMO is a C-level executive position, it remains firmly tied to the sales and marketing division of a company. While all C-suite roles are concerned with increasing a company’s profitability and market share, the job of a CMO is perhaps the most closely linked to revenue. As such, you’ll want to emphasize your marketing and advertising skills, particularly in the increasingly important realms of social media and E-Commerce.

Tips to help you write your Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) - 1 resume in 2024

   tailored to the cmo job, with relevant marketing and leadership experience.

When applying for a job, you don’t need to list every role you’ve ever held. Companies want to see your marketing expertise, so tailor your resume to emphasize your most relevant job history. This goes for keywords, too — skills like social media, advertising, and lead generation are more valuable inclusions than more generic business or technical skills.

   Every bullet point features action verbs

Leading with a strong action verb is the best way to frame your accomplishments in a positive, proactive light. Verbs like “managed” and “spearheaded” demonstrate your ability to lead a team, while “increased” and “transformed” highlight the impact your decisions had on the company.

Skills you can include on your Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) - 1 resume

Template 7 of 13: chief information officer (cio) resume example.

As a Chief Information Officer (CIO), you'll be responsible for overseeing the technological infrastructure and strategies within a company. The tech landscape is constantly evolving and the demand for skilled, visionary CIOs is higher than ever. To stand out when applying for such a role, it's crucial that your resume demonstrates your ability to navigate these changes and deliver impactful results. Highlighting your experience with recent industry trends and showcasing tangible improvements in the companies you've worked for can make a significant difference. Remember, as a CIO, you'll be playing a vital role in shaping the technological future of a company. Your resume should not only showcase your technical skills, but also your leadership and strategic capabilities. Potential employers will be seeking a CIO who can balance big-picture thinking with attention to detail, leading teams to successfully implement new technologies and systems.

Tips to help you write your Chief Information Officer (CIO) resume in 2024

   show strategic it planning experience.

In your resume, emphasize your experience in steering IT planning and implementing technological strategies that align with overall business goals. This demonstrates your ability to work cross-functionally, which is essential for a CIO.

   Highlight cybersecurity expertise

As a CIO, you'll be responsible for protecting company data and systems from threats. Be sure to showcase your experience in implementing robust cybersecurity measures and maintaining a high level of data security in your previous roles.

Skills you can include on your Chief Information Officer (CIO) resume

Template 8 of 13: chief information officer (cio) - 2 resume example.

As the most senior technology executive, a CIO needs to demonstrate skills in project management, finance, and strategy, as well as technical skills like coding, programming, and mapping. Your resume should balance showcasing executive-level leadership, communication, and management skills with hard skills in SQL, operating systems, cloud computing, cybersecurity, and software management.

Tips to help you write your Chief Information Officer (CIO) - 2 resume in 2024

   uses metrics to illustrate achievements as an executive.

When it comes to C-level positions, potential employers don’t just want to know what you’ve accomplished, they want to know the impact your actions had on the company’s bottom line. Including hard metrics — whether that’s 55% improved efficiency in a system you designed or a 300% increase in net profit — will explicitly highlight that.

   Focuses on the most recent experience

If you’ve worked your way up to a C-level position, chances are you have a fairly extensive work history. You don’t need to include your entire background on your resume — focus on the most recent and most relevant positions (usually the past 10-15 years) and omit the rest.

Skills you can include on your Chief Information Officer (CIO) - 2 resume

Template 9 of 13: chief information officer (cio) - 1 resume example.

A CIO — sometimes referred to interchangeably as a Chief Technology Officer — is the executive in charge of a company’s technology and research and development departments. As a CIO, you’ll be charged with leading your company’s technology strategy, keeping up to date with new trends, making sure systems are running smoothly, and liaising with executives from other departments to ensure the technological needs of the entire company are being met.

Tips to help you write your Chief Information Officer (CIO) - 1 resume in 2024

   demonstrate soft skills through bullet points.

CIOs need technological know-how, but as you progress along the corporate ladder, the importance of specific technical skills becomes balanced by the need for soft skills like leadership. Instead of listing these as you would normal hard skills, use your bullet points to illustrate how you’ve put these skills to use in a corporate environment.

   Provides context for CIO accomplishments

When writing your bullet points, take a moment to consider whether adding a little more information would help them sound even more impressive. Managing a $200,000 annual budget for a small business is a very different accomplishment than managing a $15 million annual budget for a multinational corporation, so be specific about the context of your achievements.

Skills you can include on your Chief Information Officer (CIO) - 1 resume

Template 10 of 13: chief financial officer (cfo) resume example.

As a Chief Financial Officer (CFO), you'll play a critical role in shaping the financial health of a company. Your resume should emphasize your strategic financial acumen and ability to drive growth and profitability. Recent industry trends point towards the importance of technology and data-driven decision-making in the CFO role, so showcasing your experience in these areas is essential. When crafting your CFO resume, keep in mind that hiring managers will be scrutinizing your ability to manage financial risks, optimize capital structures, and contribute to overall business strategy. Make sure you highlight your accomplishments in these areas and demonstrate how you've made a significant impact at previous companies.

Tips to help you write your Chief Financial Officer (CFO) resume in 2024

   showcase financial leadership skills.

In your resume, emphasize your financial leadership skills, such as budgeting, forecasting, and financial analysis, as well as your ability to build strong relationships with stakeholders and develop high-performing finance teams.

   Highlight technology and data-driven decision-making

Demonstrate your expertise in leveraging technology and data to drive financial decisions and improve business performance. Mention any specific tools or software you've used, such as ERP systems or data analytics platforms, and share examples of successful projects or initiatives you've led.

Skills you can include on your Chief Financial Officer (CFO) resume

Template 11 of 13: chief financial officer (cfo) - 2 resume example.

If you’re applying for CFO positions, you’ll need to demonstrate skills in financial analysis and reporting, forecasting, portfolio management, and mergers and acquisitions. You should also emphasize a strong background in auditing or accounting, including a business or finance degree and often a professional finance or accounting qualification like Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), Chartered Institute of Management Accountant (CIMA), or Certified Management Accountant (CMA) accreditation.

Tips to help you write your Chief Financial Officer (CFO) - 2 resume in 2024

   use strong action verbs, focused on finance and leadership.

When it comes to your resume, first impressions count — and that goes for your bullet points, too. Start your accomplishments out on the strongest note by using action verbs at the start of each bullet point. Starting your sentences with words like “drove,” “maximized,” and “orchestrated” highlights the specific role you played in each of your achievements.

   Good use of skills section to highlight executive and finance skills

If you’re applying for a CFO position, your skills section needs to include hard finance skills including auditing, forecasting, and private equity. Don’t be tempted to clutter it with unrelated skills, no matter how impressive they are — keeping your skills list short and sweet keeps the focus on what you can bring to this job in particular.

Skills you can include on your Chief Financial Officer (CFO) - 2 resume

Template 12 of 13: chief financial officer (cfo) - 1 resume example.

The CFO is the top finance position in major companies and the most senior leadership position in the financial industry. As a CFO, you’ll be responsible for your company’s financial actions, including cash flow, financial planning, taxation, and new business ventures. You’ll also be tasked with providing cost-benefit analysis of initiatives across different departments, meaning your resume needs to highlight soft skills like strategic communication alongside technical skills.

Tips to help you write your Chief Financial Officer (CFO) - 1 resume in 2024

   shows career growth through promotions in finance roles.

To land an executive-level role, you’ll need to demonstrate steady career progression. You can show promotions on your resume in two ways — by listing the job titles separately under one company heading, or by emphasizing higher responsibilities in your bullet points. Even without a formal promotion, you can use your accomplishments to demonstrate career growth.

   Focused on finance

With a long enough career under your belt, your past roles may include some outside the finance or business leadership sector. While it can be tempting to include everything, your resume doesn’t need to be a comprehensive overview of your entire job history. Focus on your roles specific to finance, or those demonstrating transferable skills if you’re a career changer.

Skills you can include on your Chief Financial Officer (CFO) - 1 resume

Template 13 of 13: e-commerce chief financial officer resume example.

E-Commerce is a growing trend, which means that some companies — particularly larger companies — are hiring specifically for E-Commerce CFOs rather than lumping it in with the regular finance department. As an E-Commerce CFO, you’ll generally need a traditional finance background alongside technical know-how, communication and marketing skills, and experience specifically in E-Commerce. On your resume, emphasize your past E-Commerce roles and highlight transferable skills through your bullet point accomplishments.

Tips to help you write your E-Commerce Chief Financial Officer resume in 2024

   use a resume title to tailor your resume to e-commerce roles.

When applying for a job, it’s always a good idea to list the exact job title at the top of the resume. Where it’s applicable, list past job titles in the same format — for example, listing E-Commerce Chief Financial Officer or E-Commerce Executive Vice President rather than a slightly more generic job title.

   Where relevant, you can list additional certifications relevant to E-Commerce roles

If you’ve picked up a short course or extra qualification that’s relevant to E-Commerce, you can list that briefly in an additional information section at the bottom of your resume. This section should only be a few lines and should be restricted to the move relevant skills or certifications, like technical skills and E-Commerce bootcamps.

Skills you can include on your E-Commerce Chief Financial Officer resume

We spoke to hiring managers and recruiters at top companies like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft to understand what makes a great executive-level resume. The following tips are based on their insights and will help you create a strong resume that showcases your leadership experience and qualifications for a C-level role.

   Highlight your leadership experience

Recruiters want to see your leadership skills and experience managing teams. Use specific examples to show how you led initiatives, projects, or departments.

• Led a team of 50+ engineers to develop and launch a new e-commerce platform, resulting in $10M in sales within the first year
• Managed a $5M budget and successfully cut costs by 20% while maintaining high product quality and customer satisfaction

Avoid vague or generic statements that don't provide any context or results:

• Managed various teams
• Led multiple projects

   Show your impact on the business

Executives are responsible for driving business growth and profitability. Use metrics and data to demonstrate how your work directly impacted the company's bottom line.

• Developed and executed a new marketing strategy that increased lead generation by 50% and conversion rates by 25%
• Negotiated key vendor contracts, saving the company $2M annually

Don't just list your job duties or responsibilities without any context of the results you achieved:

• Responsible for marketing and sales
• Managed vendor relationships

   Tailor your resume to the job description

Customize your resume for each executive job you apply to. Look for keywords in the job description and incorporate them into your resume where relevant.

For example, if a job description mentions they are looking for someone to 'develop and implement a growth strategy', try to use similar language in your resume:

• Developed and implemented a growth strategy that expanded the company into new markets and increased revenue by 30%

Avoid submitting a generic resume that doesn't align well with the specific role:

Experienced executive with a proven track record of success. Skilled in managing teams and driving business results.

   Include a strong executive summary

Your resume summary is the first thing recruiters will read, so it needs to be compelling. Summarize your key leadership experience and expertise in a few impactful sentences.

Dynamic executive with 15+ years of experience leading high-growth tech companies. Proven track record of scaling operations, driving product innovation, and increasing revenue. Seeking a CEO role to help a promising startup achieve market leadership.

Avoid summaries that are too long or that don't communicate the unique value you bring:

Experienced business professional looking for new opportunities. Skilled in many areas including marketing, sales, finance and operations. Successful in both large corporations and small startups.

   Demonstrate board and investor experience

Many executive roles, especially in startups, require experience working with a board of directors or investors. If you have this experience, make sure to highlight it on your resume.

• Presented quarterly financial reports and strategic plans to the board of directors
• Secured $20M in Series B funding and managed relationships with key investors

If you don't have direct board or investor experience, you can still demonstrate related skills:

• Collaborated with the executive team to develop and present business cases for new investments
• Partnered with the finance team to create budgets and financial projections for the board

   Showcase your industry expertise

Employers want to hire executives who are experts in their industry. Demonstrate your industry knowledge and experience throughout your resume.

Include specific industry keywords and mention any relevant industry associations or conferences:

• Spoke at the Annual Biotech Innovation Conference on the future of gene therapy
• Member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Society of Automotive Engineers

You can also highlight projects or initiatives that showcase your industry expertise:

• Led the development of cutting-edge AI algorithms to improve supply chain efficiency for retail clients
• Spearheaded the launch of a new fintech product that garnered coverage in TechCrunch and The Wall Street Journal

Writing Your C-Level and Executive Resume: Section By Section

  header, 1. put your name front and center.

Your name should be the most prominent element in your header, so recruiters can easily identify whose resume they're looking at. Use a larger font size than the rest of your header details.

Here's an example of how to format your name:

Avoid adding labels or titles next to your name that can distract from it, like this:

John Smith, MBA, PMP Senior Executive

2. Include essential contact details

After your name, list the key contact details recruiters need to get in touch with you:

• Phone number
• Professional email address
• LinkedIn profile URL
• City and state (optional)

You can list these details on one line, separated by vertical lines or bullet points. For example:

• [email protected] | 555-123-4567 | linkedin.com/in/johnsmith | New York, NY

Avoid listing your full mailing address, multiple phone numbers, or personal social media profiles, which can clutter your header and distract from the essential information.

3. Showcase your personal brand

As an executive, your header is an opportunity to showcase your personal brand and the unique value you bring to an organization. Consider adding a branded tagline or job title that encapsulates your executive specialty.

For example:

JOHN SMITH VP of Sales | Revenue Growth Strategist

Keep your tagline concise and avoid using generic descriptors like "Experienced Leader" or "Dynamic Executive" that don't differentiate you. Use highly relevant keywords that align with your target executive roles.

  Summary

When applying for executive-level positions, a well-crafted resume summary can be a valuable addition to your application. While not required, a strong summary statement allows you to provide context for your experience, highlight your most relevant qualifications, and showcase your value proposition to potential employers. It's especially useful if you're making a career change or have a diverse background that may not be immediately apparent from your work history alone.

However, it's important to avoid using an objective statement, which is an outdated practice that focuses on what you want from an employer rather than what you can offer them. Instead, use your summary to succinctly convey your unique blend of skills, experience, and achievements that make you the ideal candidate for the role.

To learn how to write an effective resume summary for your C-Level and Executive resume, or figure out if you need one, please read C-Level and Executive Resume Summary Examples , or C-Level and Executive Resume Objective Examples .

1. Tailor your summary to the specific role

When crafting your executive resume summary, it's essential to align your qualifications with the requirements of the position you're targeting. Research the company and the role to identify the key skills, experience, and qualities they're seeking in a candidate.

For example, if the job description emphasizes strategic planning and team leadership, your summary might look like this:

Visionary executive with 15+ years of experience driving strategic initiatives and leading high-performance teams in the technology sector. Proven track record of increasing market share, optimizing operational efficiency, and fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration.

By tailoring your summary to the specific needs of the organization, you demonstrate your understanding of the role and your ability to contribute to the company's success.

2. Quantify your achievements with metrics

When describing your accomplishments in your executive resume summary, use concrete metrics to quantify your impact whenever possible. This helps employers understand the scale and significance of your contributions.

Compare the following examples:

• Experienced finance executive with a strong background in financial planning and analysis

While this summary conveys the candidate's experience, it lacks specificity and measurable impact. Instead, consider:

• Financial executive with 20+ years of experience, managing budgets up to $500M and driving annual cost savings of 15% through strategic initiatives and process improvements

By incorporating metrics, the second example provides a clearer picture of the candidate's capabilities and the value they can bring to an organization.

3. Demonstrate soft skills through examples

While it's important to highlight your technical skills and experience in your executive resume summary, don't overlook the importance of soft skills. However, rather than simply listing soft skills like 'strong communication' or 'team player,' demonstrate these qualities through concrete examples.

Consider the difference between these two summaries:

• Marketing executive with excellent communication skills and a proven ability to lead teams

This summary mentions soft skills but doesn't provide evidence to support the claims. A more effective approach would be:

• Marketing executive with a track record of building and leading diverse, cross-functional teams to launch award-winning campaigns and drive brand awareness. Skilled in fostering collaboration, managing stakeholder relationships, and communicating complex strategies to executive leadership.

By providing specific examples of how you've demonstrated soft skills in your career, you create a more compelling and credible narrative for your candidacy.

  Experience

As a C-level or executive, your work experience section is the most important part of your resume. It's where you'll highlight your career progression, key accomplishments, and the impact you've made at each company. Here are some tips to make sure your work experience section stands out:

1. Show your career progression

Recruiters want to see that you've progressed in your career and taken on more responsibility over time. If you've been promoted within a company, make sure to list each position separately and include the dates you held each role.

For example, instead of listing your experience like this:

• Acme Corporation, 2010-2020 Started as Manager and promoted to Director

List each position separately, like this:

• Acme Corporation Director of Operations, 2015-2020 Manager of Operations, 2010-2015

2. Focus on accomplishments, not just responsibilities

As an executive, you're not just responsible for day-to-day tasks – you're responsible for driving results. Instead of listing your responsibilities, focus on your accomplishments and the impact you've made.

Use metrics and data to quantify your accomplishments whenever possible. For example:

• Increased revenue by 25% year-over-year by implementing new sales strategies
• Reduced operating costs by $500K annually through process improvements
• Led a team of 50+ employees to successfully launch a new product line

3. Tailor your experience to the job you want

When applying for a specific executive role, make sure to tailor your work experience section to highlight the skills and experiences that are most relevant to that position.

For example, if you're applying for a CEO role and the job description emphasizes experience with mergers and acquisitions, make sure to highlight any M&A experience you have:

As CFO at XYZ Corp, led the successful acquisition of ABC Company, a $50M deal that expanded our product line and increased market share by 15%.

4. Use strong, leadership-oriented action verbs

As an executive, you want to showcase your leadership skills and ability to drive results. Start each bullet point with a strong, leadership-oriented action verb to emphasize your impact.

Some examples:

• Spearheaded the development and launch of...
• Orchestrated a company-wide initiative to...
• Championed diversity and inclusion efforts that resulted in...
• Piloted a new program that increased...

Avoid starting bullet points with weak or passive verbs like:

• Helped with...
• Worked on...
• Participated in...

  Education

The education section for executive and C-level resumes should be concise and strategic. It's crucial to showcase your relevant degrees and certifications without taking up too much space. Here are some key tips to help you craft an effective education section that will impress potential employers.

1. List your highest degree first

Start with your most advanced degree, such as an MBA or Ph.D., and work backwards. This format draws attention to your highest level of education and expertise.

Harvard University, Cambridge, MA Master of Business Administration (MBA) Concentration: Finance

If you have multiple degrees, list them in reverse chronological order. Keep the details brief, focusing on the degree, institution, and graduation year (if recent).

2. Highlight relevant coursework and achievements

If you're a recent graduate or your coursework is highly relevant to the position, consider adding a "Relevant Coursework" subsection. This can showcase specific skills and knowledge that align with the job requirements.

Additionally, if you graduated with honors, such as summa cum laude, or received any awards or scholarships, include them to emphasize your academic achievements.

• Relevant Coursework: Financial Analysis, Corporate Strategy, International Business
• Graduated summa cum laude
• Awarded XYZ Scholarship for outstanding academic performance

3. Keep it concise for senior-level positions

If you have extensive work experience, your education section should be brief. Employers will be more interested in your professional accomplishments than your academic background.

Here's an example of what to avoid:

University of California, Los Angeles Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Graduated: June 1985 GPA: 3.8/4.0 Relevant Coursework: Accounting, Marketing, Operations Management

Instead, keep it short and sweet:

University of California, Los Angeles B.S., Business Administration

4. Include relevant certifications and professional development

In addition to formal degrees, include any relevant certifications or professional development courses you've completed. This shows your commitment to ongoing learning and staying current in your field.

• Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
• Project Management Professional (PMP)
• Executive Leadership Program, Harvard Business School

However, avoid listing generic online courses or non-substantial training:

• Online Marketing 101 Course
• Introduction to Microsoft Office Workshop

Action Verbs For C-Level and Executive Resumes

C-level executives need drive and vision. Your accomplishments should show you as the driving force of change, progress, and results, which means you need to structure your bullet points proactively. The best way to do this is to start each bullet point with a strong action verb. For each accomplishment, decide what skill you’re trying to emphasize, and choose your action verb accordingly. Are you applying for a role at a company that needs a new strategy to turn around a floundering quarter? Start with verbs like “spearheaded” or “reorganized.” Is the company looking at a major period of expansion? Try “developed,” “expanded,” and “launched” to highlight times you were at the forefront of growth.

• Spearheaded
• Reorganized
• Implemented

For more related action verbs, visit Leadership Action Verbs .

For a full list of effective resume action verbs, visit Resume Action Verbs .

Action Verbs for C-Level and Executive Resumes

Skills for c-level and executive resumes.

As you move up the corporate ladder, the skill set you need is likely to completely change. As a C-level executive, you’ll find yourself less in need of the specific technical skills you’ve used this far in your career, and more in need of senior-level soft skills – leadership, strategy, and change management in particular. There are two ways to find the skills and keywords you need to include in your resume. The first is to carefully look through the job description and pick out the most important skills listed, then make sure to include them somewhere on your resume — either in your bullet points or in a separate skills list. The second is to use our extensive list of skills and keywords and free Targeted Resume feature to ensure your resume has everything it needs to bypass Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and land at the top of the pile.

• Business Strategy
• Business Development
• Strategic Planning
• Marketing Strategy
• Project Management
• Change Management
• Operations Management
• Entrepreneurship
• Product Management
• Business Management
• Sales Management
• Product Development
• Business Planning
• Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
• Business Operations
• Project Planning

How To Write Your Skills Section On a C-Level and Executive Resumes

You can include the above skills in a dedicated Skills section on your resume, or weave them in your experience. Here's how you might create your dedicated skills section:

Skills Word Cloud For C-Level and Executive Resumes

This word cloud highlights the important keywords that appear on C-Level and Executive job descriptions and resumes. The bigger the word, the more frequently it appears on job postings, and the more 'important' it is.

How to use these skills?

Resume bullet points from c-level and executive resumes.

You should use bullet points to describe your achievements in your C-Level and Executive resume. Here are sample bullet points to help you get started:

Promoted within 12 months due to strong performance and organizational impact - ahead of schedule by 12 months

Overhauled the company's website by increasing graphics usage by 50% and mobile responsiveness by 100%; generated 70% more leads via email capture forms, reduced bounce rate by 20%

Managed team of four analysts to prepare training and proposal materials for strategic development of relationship with client

Managed a 10-member cross-functional (engineering, product, sales, support) team and coordinated with five business partners towards the successful launch of an e-commerce website

Developed go-to-market strategy for ~$100 million B2B market segment; led cross-functional team of 15+ internal stakeholders to prepare new product offering

For more sample bullet points and details on how to write effective bullet points, see our articles on resume bullet points , how to quantify your resume and resume accomplishments .

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C-Level and Executive Resume Guide

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• Tips for C-Level and Executive Resumes
• Skills and Keywords to Add
• Sample Bullet Points from Top Resumes
• All Resume Examples
• C-Level and Executive CV Examples
• C-Level and Executive Cover Letter
• C-Level and Executive Interview Guide
• Explore Alternative and Similar Careers

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5 Executive Resume Examples That Got the Job in 2024

Senior Executive

Best for candidates with 3+ years of experience.

With your job experience and a stunning resume layout, recruiters will be ready to give your application the official stamp of approval.

Resume Builder

Like this template? Customize this resume and make it your own with the help of our Al-powered suggestions, accent colors, and modern fonts.

Executive Resume

• Executive Resumes by Experience
• Executive Resumes by Role
• Write Your Executive Resume
• Entry-Level
• Senior-Level

You’re a skilled and knowledgeable professional who can take businesses to the next level. Organizational policies and procedures are created, employees are managed, and high-level strategies are deployed effectively with you running things. 

Is your executive resume prepared for you to take your career to the next level?

Your decisions and strategies can make or break hitting company objectives, so key decision-makers will want to know you have the right skills for the role. Allow us to help with our executive resume examples that have helped many professionals land a business leadership position in 2024.

or download as PDF

Why this resume works

• You can also emphasize your major accomplishments. Involved in a merger? Helped boost sales? Mention it in your resume and provide greater details when writing a cover letter .
• Above all else, showcase your ability to lead—both projects and teams—and be specific as to the strategies, tools, and methods used.

Senior Executive Resume

• Simply stating that you’ve assisted in driving more traffic isn’t going to do the trick here. Show your individual worth with bullet points where you’ve increased a business’s ROI by creating dashboards that kept track of certain KPIs or handled advertising campaigns to lower expenses.

Executive Director Resume

• You can highlight your history of effective fundraising campaigns, strategic plan development, or partnership collaborations.
• Showcasing your experience managing teams or departments helps to prove your capacity to unify diverse groups for a common cause.

Marketing Executive Resume

• The first way to make a good impression on a marketing executive resume is using a professional template. Next, highlight how you’re able to make marginal differences and help businesses reach their marketing goals using tools like Google Analytics and SEMrush.

Sales Executive Resume

• Showcasing your experience managing teams or departments will make your resume relevant as well.
• And you can add certifications to underline your industry-specific expertise.

Related resume examples

• Executive Assistant
• Operations Manager
• Account Executive
• Business Development

Customize Your Executive Resume to the Job Description

You’re a key decision-maker, so companies will want you to have the right skills to run operations effectively. However, with all the skills you have, where do you start?

Look at the job description and use your excellent analytical and strategic skills to tailor your listed abilities to the company’s needs. 

For example, if you’re applying for a CFO position at a trucking company, listing a mix of top financial management skills with specific needs to a trucking company, like managing trucking insurance, licensing, and permit expenses, would be a great idea.

Need some ideas?

15 popular executive skills

• Process Improvement
• Cultural Leadership
• Contract Negotiations
• Employee Relations
• Stakeholder Relations
• Zoho Corporation
• Strategic Planning
• Business Presentations
• Microsoft Office
• Data Interpretation

Your executive work experience bullet points

You know the importance of standing out in promotional and strategic business efforts. The same can be said when listing work experience on your resume. 

Hiring managers know what your specific job duties are. Rather than simply rephrasing that, take these bullet points a step further by listing accomplishments using your top skills in aspects like contract negotiations or strategic planning. 

Each example should be measurable with metrics you achieved. Here are some awesome metrics that executives can focus on when creating a resume.

• Gross margin: An executive’s ability to manage margins by reducing costs or increasing workplace efficiency is crucial.
• Customer retention: Ever heard the phrase it costs less to keep a current customer than acquire a new one? Every business knows that your ability to retain customers and create a satisfying shopping experience is essential. 
• Employee satisfaction: Executives must ensure all employees are satisfied to achieve high productivity.  
• Sales volume: You have a great product, but is it selling? Emphasize how you helped increase sales to achieve business objectives.  

See what we mean?

• Resolved conflicts and facilitated productive communication to reduce interdepartmental disputes by 52%. 
• Engaged stakeholders through regular communication to boost satisfaction by 21% and strengthen partner relationships. 
• Directed negotiations with key accounts to secure long-term contracts, resulting in a 17% increase in contract renewal rates. 
• Managed a portfolio of key accounts that increased annual revenue by 34% and exceeded sales targets by 16%. 
• Automated lead nurturing campaigns with HubSpot to increase lead engagement by 36%. 

9 active verbs to start your executive work experience bullet points

3 tips for crafting an executive resume with minimal experience.

• Even if you haven’t led from an executive role, you have still likely held a management position or led teams in other ways. For instance, if you were a key account manager and are now applying to be a sales executive, you could explain how you identified market opportunities and led sales teams to generate 57% more sales volume. 
• You should emphasize your most relevant experience by showcasing it at the top of your resume. This is often best served by using reverse chronological formatting to put your most recent experiences in aspects like process improvement and budgeting first. 
• You’ve likely gained tons of experience and knowledge during your career. You can showcase that through higher education or how you have consistently achieved better results. For instance, if you managed 20 accounts and increased yearly sales from $1.5 million to $3.7 million in seven years, that would show tons of growth during that time. 

3 Executive Resume Tips for Experienced Pros

• A resume summary will work great for executives will ten or more years of experience. It should be two or three sentences long and include your most relevant skills, like how you increased sales by 43% and reduced expenses by 76% through market and budgetary analysis over your 12-year career. 
• You have tons of experience, so limiting your resume to three or four jobs that are the most relevant and recent is a good idea. For instance, if you’re applying to be a CMO and have eight years of sales management experience, your past sales internship and sales associate jobs probably won’t be necessary anymore. 
• You’ve achieved excellent results, but how you display them matters to make the most impact. The CAR technique (challenge, action, and result) is a simple and actionable method. For example, you could explain how you identified five areas where material spending was over budget and negotiated a better deal with a local supplier to reduce expenses by 65%. 

Using some strategies to ensure you pass ATS checks will increase your chances of success. You should list some key skills exactly as they are written in the job description , such as cultural leadership or Netsuite. Additionally, listing the exact job title at the top, such as CFO or VP of sales, helps.   

Executive resumes should be one page long. Limiting it to three or four key jobs and keeping your descriptions about aspects like performing market analysis presentations to one sentence will help you narrow the information down. 

Remember, you can share more details about your contributions and achievements in a story-telling method when writing your executive cover letter .

Work experience will likely be more important for executives and should be emphasized. However, including your education, like a master’s degree in finance, business management, or related fields, still matters to present a thorough skill set. 

Executive Resume Example for 2024 [Free Templates]

Being in charge of entire departments comes with a whole set of advantages - high impact, lots of responsibilities, interesting work, high pay, and so on.

Being an executive, though, does not mean you get to skip out on the job search process. You still need to create an executive resume and cover letter and apply for jobs.

And creating an executive resume comes with its own special types of hurdles. 

Most conventional resume-writing advice does not apply here, leaving you with a ton of questions:

• With so much work experience under your belt, how can you make your executive resume as impactful as possible?
• Do you limit yourself to one page (which is the industry standard), or can you go over it?
• How detailed does your work experience have to be, and do you include positions from a decade back?

In this article, we’re going to answer all these questions and more!

To help you write the executive resume, we’ll cover: 

• How Is an Executive Resume Different?

How to Write a Compelling Executive Resume in 9 Steps

• 17 Relevant Skills for Executives

Executive Resume Example

Before we dig into the steps you need to take to create a convincing executive resume, let’s cover an example, so you know what it looks like:

The executive resume example above does everything right, including: 

• Reverse-chronological resume format. The executive resume example above uses the reverse-chronological resume format to highlight this executive’s impressive work experience.
• Attention-grabbing resume summary. This executive resume example contains an impressive resume summary that emphasizes the candidate’s passions, strengths, and industry-related achievements. 
• Focus on work achievements. The executive resume example above highlights the candidate’s most noteworthy achievements , which helps them stand out from other candidates only listing their responsibilities. 
• Concise education section. This executive resume example doesn’t go into too much detail in the executive’s education section and instead simply lists the candidate’s most recent and relevant degrees. 
• Good use of bullet points. This executive resume example uses bullet points to structure and present information, making the resume well-structured and easy to read. 
• Well-structured skills section. Instead of listing all skills in one column, this executive resume example only includes the most relevant skills for the executive position and divides them into soft and hard skills.
• Certifications. The executive resume example above lists all of the candidate’s industry-related certifications. 
• Additional sections. This executive resume example includes the candidate’s proficiency in foreign languages and their memberships to help them stand out from other candidates with similar work experience and education. 

How Is an Executive Resume Different? 

Executive positions are nothing like normal jobs, so it only makes sense for an executive resume to be different from a normal resume too. 

But what exactly are those differences? Here are the most important ones you should know about: 

• Resume length . As an executive, you probably have much more work experience than your average candidate. As such, you don’t have to fit it all on one page; as a rule of thumb, the executive resume can be two pages, with a maximum of three.
• Data-focused achievements. The last thing recruiters want to see in an executive resume is a list of your responsibilities. If you want to stand out from your competitors, you have to show exactly how you improved the company, optimally by providing data and evidence. 
• Conventional format. If you’re applying for an executive position, it’s your resume content that should impress recruiters, not its format. Meaning, that although your executive resume should be well-organized, with ample white space, and with impeccable grammar and spelling, a simple, conventional, black-and-white design should be more than enough. As an executive, there’s no need to go overboard with fancy fonts and creative designs . 
• Tailored to the position. Most executives - and especially the senior ones - have a rich work history that could probably fill out more than three pages. That, however, would be counterproductive (both for you and the hiring manager). So, the key here is to tailor your work experience to the target position. Yes, you might have had amazingly valuable work experiences as a team lead from twenty years back, but unless they’re super relevant for the position you’re applying for, you might as well leave them out of your resume. As a rule of thumb, don’t go further back than your last 15 years of employment on your executive resume (some exceptions may apply). 
• Selected achievements. Yes, you’re an executive. But you’re also competing against other executives with plenty of achievements. To make your achievements stand out, add a Selected Achievements section right below your resume summary and list 3-4 accomplishments you’re especially proud of (and don’t forget to back them up with hard data). 

Now let’s go over each section of a successful executive resume, step by step: 

#1. Format Your Executive Resume Right

How your executive resume looks is just as important as what it contains. After all, before you impress recruiters with your achievements, you have to get them to read them. 

A messy, cluttered resume, however, might just have the opposite effect. 

This is where formatting comes in! 

The first thing to know is that the reverse chronological format is the most suitable for executives among the three most popular resume formats (the other two being the functional and combination formats) . 

That’s because it is both the most popular among recruiters and the most suitable for candidates with a lot of work experience. 

Here’s an example of the reverse-chronological resume format: 

Additionally, make sure that you follow these layout tips:

• Use clear headings to identify the sections in your resume (e.g. H2 or H3). Alternatively, use a bigger font size for your headers and bold them. 
• Choose the right font style and size to ensure your executive resume looks professional. For example, Overpass is a formal and classic font perfect for executives in conservative industries.
• Don’t forget to save your resume as a PDF file (unless specifically requested to deliver it in another format). PDFs remain the same no matter the device or Operating System used to view your resume and look much more professional than, say, MS Word files. 

Use an Executive Resume Template (& Save Time on Formatting)

Creating a compelling executive resume from scratch can take you hours, especially if you’re using outdated tools like Microsoft Word.

And as a busy executive, time is something you don’t have.

Want to create a well-designed, eye-catching resume within less than 5 minutes?

Use one of our resume templates ! 

You can choose among 8 free resume templates - executive resume template included and 8 Premium templates. 

With Nóvóresume’s free resume builder , you get to skip out on all the resume formatting hassle and focus on what matters - the resume contents.

#2. Add Your Contact Information

The contact information section on a resume is as straightforward as it gets, so you might as well get it out of the way first. 

That said, this section is as essential as it is straightforward, so make sure to double and triple-check that it contains no typos. 

After all, you don’t want a recruiter not to be able to contact you just because of a typo on your phone number.

Here’s what this section must include: 

• First and last name.
• Professional title.
• Updated phone number. 

Additionally, you can also include your LinkedIn profile ’s URL and a link to your personal portfolio or website, if you have one. 

The same goes for your personal website or portfolio, which can effectively give recruiters a more in-depth look at who you are and what your strengths are.

87% of recruiters check candidates’ LinkedIn profiles during the hiring process. So, we’d recommend optimizing your LinkedIn profile to reflect your executive profile and achievements! 

Here’s an example of an executive resume’s contact information section: 

Michelle Larkins Chief Financial Officer [email protected] 123-123-2233 Silicon Valley, California

#3. Write an Attention-Grabbing Resume Summary

The resume summary is among the first things recruiters notice and it serves as a short intro to your professional profile and, specifically, the highlights of your career. 

Typically, here’s what this 2 or 3-sentence long paragraph includes: 

• Your experience
• Your skills
• Your professional background
• Your accomplishments

Nailing your resume summary is a must if you want recruiters to dig deeper into your executive resume. Just remember to keep it short and sweet with some of your most noteworthy achievements and notable skills. 

Here’s an example of a great executive resume summary: 

• CMO with 7+ years of experience in developing and overseeing promotional marketing campaigns. Coming from a long career in public affairs and digital marketing strategies, I am now Executive Vice President at NewEast Inc. Winner of the 2021 Global Best of the Best Effie Award. 

#4. Add a Selected Achievements Section 

If you were to choose, you’d probably want recruiters to notice your career highlights right off the bat, instead of having to look for them. 

Well, as an executive, you can do just that by adding a Selected Achievements Section. 

Positioned between your resume summary and your work experience, a Selected Achievements section can give recruiters a quick preview of your most noteworthy achievements and get them to look deeper into your executive resume. 

As such, think about the highlights of your career - between two and five achievements you’re particularly proud of - and list them in bullets on your executive resume. 

Here is an example of an executive’s Selected Achievements section:

• Was the youngest person to be promoted to CFO in the company in 40 years. 
• Led company-wide initiatives that won me the Strategy Execution Award and the Young CFO of the Year Award.

#5. Focus Your Work Experience Section on Your Achievements

The work experience section is going to be the highlight of your executive resume.

This particular section is exactly where you show off years worth of experience and achievements. 

Here’s how you should do it: 

• Start with your current or most recent position and go backward from there. 
• For every work entry, list your professional title, company name, the dates you worked there, and 4-6 of your achievements in bullet points. 
• The further back you go in your work history, the fewer achievements you need to list. For jobs going 5+ years back, you can save resume space and just list 1-2 of your most notable accomplishments. 
• When listing your achievements, make sure to make them as quantifiable as possible. For example, instead of writing “improved company stock,” you can write “increased company stock by 15% within a one-year period.” 
• Give your work experience section an active voice by using action verbs such as “achieved,” “managed,” “increased,” “led,” “emphasized,” etc. 
• Tailor your work experience section to as many jobs as you’re applying for. So, if you’re applying for more than one position, use your diverse work experience to customize your resume based on the job you’re applying for, as opposed to submitting a one-fits-all executive resume. 

It’s actually pretty simple, right? Here’s a concrete example of an executive’s work experience section:

Chief Human Resources Officer XYZ Inc. 02/2018 - 06/2022

• Successfully led teams of +200 employees in 4 locations. 
• Updated the company’s talent acquisition strategy, leading to a 20% increase in the number of people hired in 2021.
• Improved company inclusion policies, which resulted in winning a Forbes diversity award. 
• Changed up the company’s hiring process, paying particular attention to positive discrimination policies, resulting in hitting company diversity quotas for the year.

Human Resources Manager

02/2013 - 12/2017 

• Improved company hiring rates by 47% by establishing a more inclusive hiring process. 
• Applied new interview questions to the hiring process, making the hiring process more effective by hiring employees that are more suitable to the company culture.

#6. Briefly Mention Your Education

Your education should come right after your work experience section. This section is just as important as your work experience, though it doesn’t require that you go into too much detail. 

After all, if you already hold an executive position, you probably already have a lot to show through your professional achievements. 

Here’s what you should include in your education section to make it stand out from the crowd:

• Begin with your most recent degree and include the institution’s name and location, as well as the years attended. 
• If you hold more than one Master’s or advanced degree, also include those in your education section.
• Leave your high school education out of your executive resume. 

Here’s what this looks like on an executive resume: 

Ph.D. in Marketing 

Haas School of Business - University of California, Berkeley

2012 - 2014

MSc in Innovation & Marketing Management

Strathclyde Business School - University of Strathclyde, Glasgow 

2011 - 2012

#7. Include Your Executive Skills

It probably comes as no surprise that executive positions are highly competitive. 

This means that you need to make sure that, in addition to your work experience and education sections, other sections also need to stand out, including your skills, certifications, interests, and awards. 

In light of this, here’s the best way to list your skills on your executive resume: 

• List your soft skills and hard skills. Include both CEO skills (e.g. leadership) and management skills, as well as industry-related skills here (e.g. if you’re into finance, that would include all your finance-related skills). 
• Pay close attention to the job description of the position you’re applying for. Do any of the keywords indicate what skills are required for the position?
• Make sure to include the skills mentioned in the job description on the skills listed on your executive resume (as long as you actually have them). 

17 Relevant Skills for Executives 

Here’s a list of relevant skills for executives that you can use on your executive resume:

• Senior Leadership Skills
• C-Suite Communication & Presentation Skills
• Change Management
• Emotional Intelligence
• Strategic Thinking
• Decision Making
• Employee Development
• Adversity Management
• Collaboration
• Active Listening
• Communication Skills
• Interpersonal Skills
• Conflict Management
• Negotiation
• Project Management

#8. Add Optional Resume Sections

The difference between great and perfect lies in the details - such as taking advantage of some optional sections that can take your executive resume to the next level. 

Specifically, the following sections can help you stand out from other executives applying for the same position by highlighting your individuality and the diversity a truly great executive needs:

• Awards , especially anything job-related. 
• Memberships , for example, Member of the Chicago CEO Club.
• Foreign languages , particularly those you’re fluent in.
• Certifications , such as Project Management Professional (PMP) or Accredited Business Communicator (ABC). 
• Personal achievements , including successful personal initiatives and noteworthy recognitions outside your industry. 
• Hobbies and interests , anything from fitness to reading books. 

#9. Don’t Underestimate the Power of the Cover Letter

Attaching a cover letter to your application is just as essential as creating a powerful executive resume. 

Specifically, a cover letter is important because:

• Recruiters expect a serious job application also to include a cover letter, even if they skip reading it. 
• It lets you go into more detail about your skills and qualifications. 

Here’s how to write a cover letter that is on par with your executive resume: 

• Start your cover letter with an impactful introduction. 
• Use the body of your cover letter to offer a more in-depth explanation of your executive skills and managerial experience. 
• To enhance your executive resume, include skills and achievements that support what you’ve stated there. 
• End your cover letter with a call to action. 

To give you a more concrete picture of what we mean, here’s what the structure of a cover letter should look like: 

Want to learn more about cover letter writing? Then check out our guides on cover letter tips and common cover letter mistakes !

Key Takeaways 

And that’s a wrap! 

By now, you should be ready to nail your executive resume! Before you go, here are the most important points we covered in this article: 

• Your executive resume must include your contact details, a resume summary, a work experience section with your most notable achievements, your education background, and a skills section. 
• Additionally, your executive resume can contain some extra sections, such as certifications, awards, memberships, etc.  
• Choose the chronological resume format to build your executive resume. 
• List relevant quantifiable achievements under each entry in your work experience section. 
• Use a ready-made template to save time and effort when you’re writing your executive resume!  

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Executive resume examples & templates

Executives are the decision-making body of any company. No matter what their functional responsibility, their leadership decisions can make or break everything. They hold the fate of their people in their hands. Brilliant executives build companies up, but poor executives can destroy them. This executive resume guide seeks to explore how a resume of an executive might stand out from the crowd of “leaders” who assume the grandiose title just because they manage a couple of people. 

Whether you are a CEO, COO, CFO or CTO (amongst others), the role of an executive is pivotal in any company. True leaders let their behavior and decisions do the talking, and it is crucial to illustrate exactly this in an executive resume.

When you are right at the top of any company hierarchy, it is natural to expect that you have experienced some stunning successes (and a fair few devastating failures) along the way. The secret of a great executive resume is not only to explore how you hit the highs, but also how you dealt with the lows. The person reading your resume wants to see someone who can handle all the realities of corporate life, someone who is prepared to make the tough decisions and someone who is willing to make mistakes and move on from them. 

So much is written about leadership and management in various online articles, but how can you distil the best advice to create the most compelling resume? At Resume.io we've worked with professionals to create a library of more than 350 occupation-specific resume examples and guides. This guide will cover the following topics:

What does an executive do?

• How to write an executive resume (tips and tricks)
• The best format for an executive resume
• Advice on each section of your resume (summary, work history, education, skills)
• Professional resume layout and design hints.

Along with our sample resumes and builder tool, we will help you to show just how good you are.

In a world of work where we are all doing ever more specialist roles, an executive might focus on a certain functional area (people or finance, for example) but they have to have a deep affinity for all sorts of more general business skills. CFOs and COOs need to be able to negotiate, present, problem solve and budget. CTOs and CHROs need to plan, communicate, develop strategy and influence others. CEOs and CPOs need to manage, deal with customers, design processes and purchase services.

An executive that does not push themselves hard enough is an executive who is always wondering what might have been. No one wants to work with (and for) a leader who doesn’t aim for the stars. Each executive role might have different functional responsibilities, but in this resume guide we want to explore what it means to be an executive in broader terms. A CFO will focus on finance and a CTO will focus on the tech, but they will share a significant number of behaviors and approaches that will make them effective. Everyone is different and there will naturally be countless versions of this ideal executive “recipe,” but the basic ingredients will all be there in differing qualities. 

In fact, they all need to be able to do all these things as part of their work. The generalist skills of an executive are wide-ranging and will to a large extent dictate their success. A CTO who is an expert in technology but who has no influencing skills will never get any projects approved. A CEO who is a great leader of people but who has no financial acumen will be easily led up the garden path by his finance team. A COO who possesses brilliant organizational skills but can’t negotiate with suppliers will find their bottom line eroded horrendously.

How to write an executive resume

A great executive is a great executive for many for reasons. From their functional competencies, to fine-tuned skills in making decisions under difficult market conditions and immense pressure. You'll certainly be given a chance to honor each of these aspects. However, there are some basic criteria that your executive resume needs to adhere to. Before you start writing, your CV should contain the following sections:

• The resume header
• The resume summary (aka profile or personal statement)
• The employment history section
• The resume skills section
• The education section

Choosing the best format for an executive

An executive hire is one of the most important strategic decisions that an employer will make. Their resume will be painstakingly analysed by a whole host of stakeholders. The resume will remain a vital document in terms of forming a definite impression. That's why it's important to make sure the format you choose does justice to your experience!

Since you're sure to have plenty of experience, the reverse chronological resume format is usually preferred. This resume format focuses on highlighting your last few professional positions and what you brought to the job role. As the format name suggests, you will display your previous employment in reverse chronological order. This means there is a focus on your suitability for this new role being rooted in the last few positions you've held.

However, their are plenty of successful executives whose career trajectories were not a linear ones. If the value that you would bring to this role isn't necessarily based on last few formal jobs, then a resume in the functional resume format could be a wise move. With this format you can draw focus to relevant skills and competencies that you acquired through other avenues such as education, volunteering, vocational training, or even board positions held.

How do you choose the right keywords for the ATS?

The Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is used by most modern day recruitment systems, regardless of seniority. If the ATS doesn't think that you are a fat, then your resume risks being unread. Read the job description and imagine what the writer would be looking for in terms of key skills. The ATS will often use the job description as a template to scrape keywords from – make sure that there are enough similarities so that you do not miss out.

Resume summary example: Leadership and expertise

The most effective place to make an impact with the reader is at the start of the resume. The summary section for any executive should seek to convey authority, experience and visionary leadership skills. The summary for an executive resume should focus on their impact on their people and their business function. What extra magic have they brought to their workplace? 

While all executives will exhibit the majority of the required behaviours (or they wouldn’t have got there in the first place), in their resume summary it is important to give a sense of the scale of their achievements. Lead with the standout moments in your career – great executives should have a long list of stunning successes to call upon. Amongst the thousands of CMOs out there, who has run the most popular and audacious campaigns? Which COOs have overseen change projects that have transformed the face of their businesses? How have CTOs kept their companies at the cutting edge of technological change?

The summary is a place to describe one or two massive “wins” and hint that there are many more to come throughout the resume. If you try to pack it with too much detail, you risk it becoming a boring list of responsibilities rather than an impactful punch of amazingness. If you talk about a couple of genuinely impressive achievements, readers will be confident that there are more to come.

The true power of an executive does not come from their mind; it comes from how they harness the minds and hearts of those around them. Helping to channel the talent of others will always have more of an impact than individual brilliance, so any executive summary should make mention of their work with their teams and others in their executive team. It is rare to see a group of executives pulling in exactly the same direction as sometimes plans will conflict, but if there is a willingness to work together, the end result will be optimal.

Dynamic Executive with six years of experience helping organizations reach their full potential. Adept in making key decisions and working with other professionals to achieve goals and solve problems. Experienced in managing employee and community programs, and dedicated to successfully directing business operations.

Many executives have long careers in one or two industry sectors. Your summary is the place to double down on your length of service and highlight just how many difficult situations you have overcome. If you cannot tell an employer why you consider yourself an industry leader, you need to take a long hard look at exactly why you go to work every day – this is exactly what your people and your company expect of you. Look at the resume example content for ideas on how to lay out your leading philosophy in no uncertain terms.

Employment history: Best foot forward

The employment history of an executive needs to build on their summary, but here an executive has the space to share more detail about their projects. A potential employer needs to see that every conceivable business need is covered. It doesn’t really matter where in the timeline of their careers a particular project came up or a certain behaviour was required. An executive’s experience is built up over many years. The employment history should start with the most recent role (and give more information for a couple that are most recent). However, there is likely to be some interesting experience from a while ago that it would be a shame not to include. Variety of experience is the key.

Some executives may have had gaps in permanent employment where they have taken on interim or consulting roles, but there is much to be learned here too, so don’t think that this will be frowned upon. When you are a senior leader, different perspectives often help when making difficult decisions. If you are doing a detailed description of a situation, you might consider using the STAR method; S - the situation that you were in; T – the task(s) you had; A the actions/strategy that you used; R- the result you achieved. 

With a bit of research it should become clear where the emphasis should be in this key section of your resume. Executives for Tesla will behave differently to executives in General Motors, but even though these two companies seem at opposite ends of the corporate spectrum there will still be much in common. It may be that certain behaviors are highlighted more than others. This is to be expected but it should not deflect from the fact that their resume should portray them as a rounded and highly experienced business person. When you read their resume, you need to have the impression that they have “been there and done that” and can handle any challenge that comes their way.

So what sort of executive behaviors might you include in the resume? First and foremost, executives have to show extensive leadership skills. They have to take their respective teams with them on a journey of growth, find the right strategies and bring people together to make them happen. Their planning and management skills have to be top notch and they need an acute sense of how to reach their goals in the face of formidable obstacles and seemingly insurmountable doubts. Every executive needs to cultivate the right mix of people within their teams, developing a culture that is their own, recruiting the right talent and helping their people to grow. The employment history section is a great place to show some of these impressive feats in action. However, there will be more room in your skills section to mention further competencies that are worth highlighting. The resume sample content below should give you some inspiration.

Senior Sales Executive, Pitney Bowes, Stamford Jan 2013 - Sep 2019

• Demonstrate proven success by achieving or exceeding 100% of the total sales quota.
• Generate new business opportunities and work to maintain excellent relationships with current customers.
• Partner with dedicated product specialist resources to ensure complete territory and account coverage.
• Engage in effective cross-selling to fully penetrate sales opportunities with both existing and prospect accounts.
• Leverage resources to assist in making new customer contacts.
• Provide accurate forecasts of sales results.
• Support clients with technical resources, continually adding to success in sales.
• Effectively negotiate and close large business transactions.
• Successfully assist with the management of a multi-million dollar franchise.
• Help to oversee software transactions and solutions.

Junior Sales Executive, Pitney Bowes, Stamford Mar 2010 - Jan 2013

• Managed projects which resulted in the substantial reduction of global risks and an increase in total revenue.
• Saw a 40% increase in sales during my three year position.
• Effectively coordinated a robust sales pipeline and create a strategic plan to achieve goals.
• Utilized a variety of communication tools to engage with clients, prospective clients, and with other Pitney Bowes resources.
• Successfully employed Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools.
• Assisted with providing accurate geographic data to make smarter business decisions and lead projects to their fulfillment.
• Worked well independently, as well as with colleagues to meet goals.

CV skills example:  Beyond the basics

The skills section of an executive’s resume has the potential to be very long as the demands on an executive are almost limitless. The skills that they therefore choose to highlight should be a close fit for the role in question. The longer format examples below and explanations of your skills could be integrated into your summary and employment history sections. The below resume example content are from a variety of functional areas for different executives:

• Negotiated a $90m new product deal with a 25% uplift in commercial margin.
• Recruited over 90 members of my wider team over a three-year period.
• Ran quarterly board strategy meetings and pulled together global comms.
• Made over $4m in annual cost savings from 40 external suppliers.
• Increase customer satisfaction metrics by 14% points over a six-month project.
• Presented corporate vision at over 70 conferences across 25 countries.

No matter which department they work in, an executive must have a comprehensive financial awareness and ability to positively influence the bottom line in every way that they can. Problem solving and creative thinking are at the core of many of their decisions and to get things done they need to be adept at presenting their ideas and influencing those who might not think the same way. They put their people first (often even before their customers) and they never forget that their success comes from those around them. One vital aspect to include is the fact that executives need to work together with other executives to get things done – if the COO cannot collaborate with the CTO, very few projects will get off the ground. 

If you have not considered these points by including clear illustrations in the previous employment section, then the skills section is your opportunity to make sure they don't go unmentioned. Make sure the hiring manager, the board, or anyone else who's reading knows in no uncertain terms that you understand the rules an executive has to live by.

• Leadership Skills
• Complex Problem Solving
• Digital Advertising
• Knowledge of CRM systems
• Interpersonal Communication Skills

Executive resume education example: Extra effort

Many executives have undertaken significant additional qualifications in their areas of expertise over and above a college degree. MBAs are common and general management courses are also worth including. A great executive is always learning. A bachelor’s degree in business or a functionally-related subject such as marketing, supply chain, I.T. or human resources forms the basis of the education section, but every executive should have a short list of the most impactful courses that have shaped their development. Many executive interviews will focus on how they have grown throughout their career, and without formal education to fall back on, it is not always possible to develop to the maximum possible extent.

Boston College, Bachelor of Finance, Boston Sep 2003 - May 2007

Resume layout and design

The layout of your executive resume example should give you enough space to do justice to your skills. Many executive resumes are three pages rather than two, so if you have things that are worth sharing, don’t be scared to add more detail. If a prospective employer is interested in hiring you, they won’t mind reading an extra page. A longer resume will give them more information upon which they can base your interview. There are no specific rules about which format to choose, but we can suggest some guiding principles:

Firstly, ensure that it is visually clean, easy to read and symmetrical. You will have a lot to say about your achievements, but the starring moments of your career will be lost if it is cluttered. Secondly, don’t make any section too densely technical. A recruiter without a deep understanding might skip to more readable parts. Including technical terms is good for the ATS, but make sure that they are integrated into a clear layout. Our professional resume template collection can help you with this.

Key takeaways for a Executive resume

• Stand out from the crowd by highlighting how your decisions and behaviour led to glory.
• Show how and why you have made tough decisions and describe the effects.
• Don’t forget to demonstrate the breadth of your business acumen.
• Talk about how you influence others and talk about how you have been influenced.
• Highlight your impact on your company and your industry – are you really a leader?
• Share figures and growth wherever appropriate – measuring success is important.
• If you have too much to talk about, don’t be afraid to create a three-page resume.
• Make sure that you share your unique philosophy of how you lead others.

Beautiful ready-to-use resume templates

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Best Executive Resume Templates and C-Level Examples

An executive resume is a document that highlights the skills, experiences, and achievements of an individual who is in a senior level position. This type of resume is designed to showcase the leadership and strategic thinking abilities of executives, as they are responsible for making major decisions in organizations.

Importance of a Strong Executive Resume

In today’s highly competitive business environment, having a strong executive resume is crucial. With the increasing number of highly qualified candidates applying for executive positions, it is important to stand out from the crowd and differentiate yourself from other applicants. A powerful executive resume can help you do just that by demonstrating your unique value proposition, showcasing your experience and achievements, and highlighting your leadership abilities. A well-crafted executive resume can make the difference between being overlooked or considered for a top executive position.

Understanding the Different Types of Executive Resumes

Writing an effective executive resume requires more than just summarizing your work experience and education. It involves choosing the right type of resume format that showcases your skills and presents you as the best candidate for the job. Let’s explore the different types of executive resumes that you can use:

A. Chronological Resumes

A chronological resume is the most common type of resume format. It lists your work experiences in reverse chronological order, starting with your current or most recent job. This kind of resume is ideal for executives and professionals who have a steady career path with no significant employment gaps or career changes.

B. Functional Resumes

The functional resume format, also known as a skills-based resume, emphasizes your skills and achievements rather than your work history. This type of resume is best suited for executives who have transferable skills and experience across multiple industries or those who possess a unique skill set that makes them stand out from other candidates. With a functional resume, you can highlight your skills and accomplishments, even if you lack extensive work experience.

C. Combination Resumes

A combination resume format combines the best features of both chronological and functional resumes. It highlights your skills and achievements at the top of your resume, followed by your work history in reverse chronological order. This type of resume is ideal for executives who want to showcase both their skills and work experience in a way that highlights their accomplishments and potential.

D. Targeted Resumes

A targeted resume is a customized resume that is tailored to a specific job opening. It showcases your relevant skills and experiences that match the job requirements of the position. A targeted resume is an effective way to demonstrate why you’re the best candidate for the job and how your skills and experience can add value to the company.

Choosing the right type of executive resume is crucial to presenting yourself as the best candidate for the job. Whether you opt for a chronological, functional, combination, or targeted resume, ensure it showcases your skills and accomplishments in a way that is easy to read and demonstrates your potential.

How to Choose the Right Executive Resume Template

As someone looking to create an executive resume, it’s important to understand that the importance of a well-formatted document. One of the first steps in creating your resume is selecting the right template. In fact, it can make or break your chances of landing that highly coveted executive role.

Here are some factors to consider when choosing an executive resume template:

A. Factors to Consider when Choosing a Template

• Functionality : Does the template have all the necessary sections for an executive resume (summary, experience, education, skills, etc)?
• Design : Is the design modern and up-to-date? Consider whether the aesthetic is a reflection of your personal brand and industry.
• Customization : Can you easily customize the template to fit your specific needs? For example, is it easy to add or remove sections?
• Flexibility : Does the template offer different format options such as PDF, Word or Google Docs?

When it comes to choosing a template, there are also some things to avoid:

B. Things to Avoid when Choosing a Template

• Overly Creative or Flashy Designs : Potential employers are more interested in content than the design of the document. Avoid using a template with too many fonts, colors, and graphics that could distract from your qualifications.
• Outdated Templates : While it can be tempting to select a flashy, retro-looking template, this can make you appear old-fashioned or out of touch.
• Restrictive Templates : Avoid templates that are too restrictive or difficult to customize for your needs.

Key Components of an Executive Resume

When it comes to creating a powerful executive resume, there are certain sections that should never be left out. These sections help showcase your relevant experience and qualifications in a way that makes it easy for recruiters and hiring managers to quickly understand your value proposition.

A. Contact Information Section

The contact information section is perhaps the most basic section of any resume – it contains your name, email address, phone number, and physical address. However, it’s important to note that the way you present this information can have an impact on how easy it is for recruiters to contact you. A good way to format this section is to make your name stand out in a larger font size, and to include hyperlinks to your email address, LinkedIn profile, and any other relevant online profiles.

B. Executive Summary Section

The executive summary section is where you want to make your strongest impression. This section should be a brief overview of your career and the value you bring to the table. It’s important to tailor this section to each individual job you’re applying for, highlighting the skills and experiences that are most relevant to the position. Keep in mind that recruiters and hiring managers often read dozens of resumes in a day, so you want to make sure your summary catches their attention.

C. Skills or Core Competencies Section

The skills or core competencies section is an opportunity to showcase the skills and knowledge that make you a strong candidate for the job. This section should be a bulleted list of around 6-8 skills or competencies that are directly relevant to the job posting. Use language from the job description to make it clear that you have the skills necessary to excel in this position.

D. Work Experience Section

The work experience section is where you’ll provide a detailed overview of your work history, including your job titles, companies worked for, and dates of employment. It’s important to include specific accomplishments and metrics, such as increasing revenue or reducing costs, to help showcase your impact in previous roles. It’s also important to include all relevant work experience, even if it’s not directly related to the position you’re applying for.

E. Education or Certification Section

The education or certification section should list your educational background and any relevant certifications or licenses you hold. It’s important to include your degree(s), field of study, and the name and location of the institution where you earned your degree(s). If you have any relevant certifications or licenses, list the name of the organization that issued the certification and the date it was acquired.

F. Volunteer/Community Work Section

The volunteer/community work section is optional, but can be a valuable addition to an executive resume. This section can help demonstrate your commitment to giving back to the community and can also showcase relevant skills, such as leadership or project management. If you choose to include this section, list the organization, your role, and any relevant accomplishments.

G. As an experienced copywriter and subject matter expert, I understand the importance of crafting an effective executive resume that highlights an individual’s unique skills, achievements, and impact. Here are some helpful tips to create a professional and impressive executive resume:

Tips on Writing an Effective Executive Resume

A. make it professional.

Your executive resume should communicate professionalism and expertise. Use a clean, modern design with a professional font, and avoid using flashy graphics or images that distract from the content. Make sure the overall layout is easy to navigate, with clear section headings and bulleted lists.

B. Keep it Concise

Remember that busy executives don’t have time to read lengthy resumes. Keep yours concise, typically to no more than two pages. Focus on your most important accomplishments and skills, and avoid including irrelevant or outdated information.

C. Highlight Your Achievements and Impact

Your executive resume should focus on your track record of success and the impact you’ve had on your previous organizations. Use specific examples of achievements, such as revenue growth, cost savings, or successful projects you’ve led. Quantify your accomplishments whenever possible to give hiring managers a clear picture of what you’ve achieved.

D. Use Keywords

Use industry-specific keywords and phrases throughout your resume to demonstrate your expertise and experience. Many companies use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to screen resumes, which rely on keywords to match candidates with job openings. Use keywords that are relevant to your industry, such as specific software or technical skills, to increase your chances of being noticed.

E. Focus on Your Strengths

Your executive resume should showcase your unique strengths and areas of expertise. Use your professional summary or career objective to explain your value proposition and what you bring to the table. Highlight your specific areas of expertise and demonstrate how they can help the organization achieve its goals.

F. Use Metrics to Tout Success

Quantitative metrics are a powerful way to demonstrate your success and impact. Use metrics such as revenue growth, cost savings, or time-to-market to show how you’ve added value to previous organizations. Be sure to put these metrics into context so that hiring managers can understand how significant they are.

G. Consider Using an Executive Resume Writer

If you’re struggling to create a compelling executive resume, consider hiring a professional resume writer who specializes in executive resumes. These professionals have experience crafting resumes that showcase executive-level skills and accomplishments, and can help you stand out from the competition.

Your executive resume should be professional, concise, and focused on highlighting your achievements, skills, and strengths. Use keywords and metrics to demonstrate your value proposition, and consider using an executive resume writer if you need additional help crafting a compelling resume. By following these tips, you’ll increase your chances of landing your next executive role.

Examples of Effective Executive Resumes

If you’re an executive looking to overhaul your resume, it can be helpful to see some successful examples from your peers. Here are four examples of effective executive resumes, including one each for CEOs, CFOs, CIOs, and COOs.

A. Example of a CEO Resume

John Smith CEO | Business Strategist | Transformation Leader

Summary: Results-driven CEO with a proven track record of leading high-growth organizations and driving sustainable business strategies. Expertise in driving revenue growth, optimizing operational efficiency, and building high-performance teams. Demonstrated success in developing and executing strategic initiatives to maximize shareholder value. A visionary leader known for fostering a culture of innovation, customer-centricity, and continuous improvement.

Experience: CEO, XYZ Corporation, 2015-present

• Led a team of 500+ employees and transformed the company’s strategic direction, resulting in a 30% increase in annual revenue.
• Implemented a customer-centric approach, resulting in a 20% improvement in customer satisfaction and retention.
• Spearheaded international expansion initiatives, opening new markets in Europe and Asia.
• Developed strategic partnerships and negotiated key contracts, driving business growth and market expansion.

President & COO, ABC Enterprises, 2010-2015

• Streamlined operations, resulting in a 25% reduction in costs and increased profitability.
• Led the successful integration of acquired companies, optimizing synergies and driving business growth.
• Developed and executed a comprehensive sales and marketing strategy, resulting in a 40% increase in market share.
• Implemented performance management systems to drive employee engagement and productivity.

Vice President of Sales, DEF Corporation, 2005-2010

• Directed a high-performing sales team and achieved consistent revenue growth of 15% year over year.
• Developed and executed sales strategies to penetrate new markets and increase market share.
• Established key partnerships with industry leaders, expanding the company’s customer base and revenue streams.
• Implemented sales performance metrics and incentive programs to drive sales productivity.
• Master of Business Administration (MBA), University of XYZ
• Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, ABC University
• Strategic Planning and Execution
• Business Development and Growth
• Financial Management and P&L Responsibility
• Leadership and Team Building
• Change Management

B. Example of a CFO Resume

Emily Johnson CFO | Financial Strategist | Risk Management Expert

Summary: Strategic CFO with a demonstrated ability to drive financial performance and optimize business operations. Skilled in financial planning, forecasting, and analysis, with a strong focus on risk management and compliance. Proven track record in developing and executing financial strategies to support organizational goals. Adept at building cross-functional partnerships to drive operational efficiency and profitability.

Experience: CFO, XYZ Corporation, 2017-present

• Led financial planning and analysis, resulting in a 20% increase in operating income.
• Implemented robust risk management processes, reducing financial exposure by 30%.
• Developed and implemented cost-saving initiatives, resulting in $10 million in annual savings.
• Led the negotiation of key contracts and vendor agreements, optimizing supplier relationships and reducing costs.

Finance Director, ABC Enterprises, 2012-2017

• Oversaw financial operations, including budgeting, forecasting, and financial reporting.
• Implemented financial controls and internal audit processes, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements.
• Led the integration of financial systems and processes following a merger, resulting in streamlined operations and cost savings.
• Collaborated with cross-functional teams to develop and execute strategic initiatives, driving revenue growth and profitability.

Senior Financial Analyst, DEF Corporation, 2008-2012

• Conducted financial analysis and modeling to support investment decisions and business planning.
• Managed the annual budgeting process and provided financial guidance to business units.
• Implemented financial performance metrics and dashboards, enabling data-driven decision-making.
• Developed financial forecasts and scenario analysis to assess business risks and opportunities.
• Master of Business Administration (MBA), Finance, University of XYZ
• Bachelor of Science in Accounting, ABC University
• Financial Planning and Analysis
• Risk Management and Compliance
• Budgeting and Forecasting
• Financial Reporting and Governance
• Strategic Financial Management

C. Example of a CIO Resume

Michael Thompson CIO | Technology Strategist | Digital Transformation Leader

Summary: Strategic CIO with a strong background in technology strategy, innovation, and digital transformation. Skilled in driving operational efficiency and business growth through the strategic use of technology. Proven track record in leading large-scale technology initiatives and implementing enterprise-wide systems. A visionary leader focused on leveraging emerging technologies to enhance business processes, customer experience, and competitive advantage.

Experience: CIO, XYZ Corporation, 2016-present

• Led the digital transformation strategy, resulting in a 40% increase in online sales and improved customer engagement.
• Implemented cloud-based infrastructure, reducing IT costs by 30% and enhancing scalability and agility.
• Developed and executed cybersecurity strategies, ensuring data privacy and protection.
• Oversaw the implementation of an enterprise-wide ERP system, streamlining operations and improving efficiency.

Director of IT, ABC Enterprises, 2012-2016

• Led the technology roadmap and IT initiatives, aligning with business objectives and driving innovation.
• Implemented a data analytics platform, enabling data-driven decision-making and improving operational performance.
• Managed vendor relationships and negotiated contracts, optimizing service levels and cost efficiency.
• Developed and implemented IT governance processes, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements.

IT Project Manager, DEF Corporation, 2008-2012

• Managed large-scale technology projects, including system implementations and infrastructure upgrades.
• Developed project plans, allocated resources, and ensured timely project delivery within budget.
• Led cross-functional teams and facilitated collaboration between business and IT stakeholders.
• Implemented project management methodologies and best practices to improve project outcomes.
• Master of Science in Information Technology, XYZ University
• Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science, ABC University
• Technology Strategy and Planning
• Digital Transformation and Innovation
• Cloud Computing and Infrastructure
• Cybersecurity and Risk Management
• Project Management and Delivery

D. Example of a COO Resume

Sarah Wilson COO | Operations Strategist | Process Improvement Expert

Summary: Strategic COO with a proven track record of optimizing operations and driving business growth. Skilled in process improvement, operational excellence, and change management. Demonstrated success in implementing lean methodologies to increase efficiency and reduce costs. A collaborative leader known for building high-performance teams and driving organizational performance.

Experience: COO, XYZ Corporation, 2018-present

• Led the operational strategy, resulting in a 25% improvement in operational efficiency and cost savings of $15 million.
• Implemented lean manufacturing practices, reducing production cycle time by 30% and improving on-time delivery.
• Led the implementation of an ERP system, improving inventory management and supply chain visibility.
• Developed and implemented performance metrics and KPIs to drive operational excellence and accountability.

Director of Operations, ABC Enterprises, 2014-2018

• Oversaw all aspects of operations, including manufacturing, supply chain, and logistics.
• Streamlined production processes, resulting in a 20% increase in productivity and cost savings of $10 million.
• Implemented quality management systems and achieved ISO 9001 certification.
• Led cross-functional teams in process improvement initiatives, reducing waste and improving customer satisfaction.

Operations Manager, DEF Corporation, 2010-2014

• Managed day-to-day operations, including production planning, inventory management, and quality control.
• Implemented process improvements, reducing defects by 15% and improving overall operational efficiency.
• Led the implementation of a warehouse management system, optimizing inventory accuracy and order fulfillment.
• Developed and implemented standard operating procedures to ensure consistency and quality.
• Master of Business Administration (MBA), Operations Management, University of XYZ
• Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering, ABC University
• Operations Strategy and Execution
• Process Improvement and Lean Methodologies
• Supply Chain Management
• Quality Management and Six Sigma
• Team Leadership and Collaboration

Dos and Don’ts in Executive Resume Writing

When it comes to executive resume writing, there are certain dos and don’ts that you should keep in mind in order to create an effective and impactful document. Here are some tips to help you out:

A. Dos in Executive Resume Writing

Do tailor your resume to the specific job and company you are applying to. Take the time to research the company and understand their values, goals, and mission. Then, make sure your resume aligns with those aspects.

Do focus on your achievements and results more than your duties and responsibilities. Employers want to know what you have accomplished, not just what you were responsible for. Use quantifiable data to highlight your successes.

Do use action verbs and be concise in your writing. Avoid passive voice and lengthy paragraphs. Use bullet points to break up information and make it easy to read.

Do include relevant keywords in your resume, especially if applying online. Many companies use automated applicant tracking systems, so using keywords from the job description can help your resume get noticed.

Do include a summary or branding statement that describes your unique value proposition. This should be a brief statement that captures your key strengths, experiences and value.

B. Don’ts in Executive Resume Writing

Don’t include irrelevant or outdated information. If you have experience that is not relevant to the position you are applying for, leave it off your resume. Similarly, avoid listing information such as high school education or hobbies that are not related to your professional career.

Don’t lie or exaggerate your qualifications. This can lead to devastating consequences if caught. Stick to the truth and focus on highlighting your strengths and achievements.

Don’t use clichés or generic language. Instead, use specific examples and outcomes to showcase your skills and experience.

Don’t include a photo or personal information such as marital status or age. This is not relevant to your qualifications and can lead to discrimination.

Don’t neglect proofreading and editing. Mistakes in spelling, grammar, or formatting can make you appear careless or unprofessional. Take the time to review your resume carefully.

By following these dos and don’ts, you can create an executive resume that showcases your strengths, accomplishments, and unique value proposition. Use the best executive resume templates as your guide and refer to C-level examples to ensure that your document meets the highest standards. With the right approach, you can create a winning executive resume that helps you stand out from the competition.

The Role of LinkedIn in Executive Job Search

A. importance of linkedin for executives.

As an executive, having a strong presence on LinkedIn has become crucial for job searches. With over 700 million users, LinkedIn is the go-to platform for recruiters and hiring managers to search for and connect with potential candidates. By leveraging LinkedIn, executives increase their visibility, network, and ultimately their chances of landing a new job.

Moreover, executives can use LinkedIn to showcase their accomplishments, share their thoughts on industry trends, and stay abreast with the latest developments in their respective fields. This provides an opportunity for executives to establish their authority and thought leadership, which could further enhance their reputation within their industries.

B. How to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile

To make the most of LinkedIn in executive job search, optimizing your LinkedIn profile is key. Start by ensuring that your profile is complete and contains relevant information on your education, work experience, and other professional credentials.

Next, focus on your profile headline and summary. Use these sections to highlight your unique selling proposition, including your skills, achievements, industry expertise, and professional mission statement. Develop a strong professional brand and include targeted keywords that recruiters and hiring managers will likely search.

Lastly, uploading a professional headshot and other multimedia content, such as videos or slideshows, can further enhance the overall appearance and impact of your LinkedIn profile.

C. Utilizing LinkedIn for Job Search

LinkedIn offers various tools and features to aid executives in their job search. These include:

• Setting up job alerts to receive notifications about job opportunities that match your preferred job title, location, and industry.
• Researching potential employers by following their company pages, reviewing their job postings, and connecting with current employees.
• Reaching out to recruiters and hiring managers by sending personalized messages or InMails.
• Joining relevant groups and participating in discussions to expand your industry knowledge and network.
• Leveraging LinkedIn’s Premium subscription for advanced job search and networking capabilities.

By utilizing these strategies, executives can maximize the potential of LinkedIn in their job search efforts and leverage the platform to connect with potential employers and industry leaders. By optimizing your LinkedIn profile, staying active on the platform, and leveraging its features, executives can position themselves as top candidates for their dream job.

Cover Letter for Executives (Heading 10)

A well-written cover letter is crucial for executives looking to showcase their experience and stand out from other candidates during the hiring process. The cover letter serves as the first impression and can influence the recruiter’s decision to continue reading the rest of the application.

A. Importance of Cover Letter for Executives

For executives, the cover letter not only conveys their qualifications but also their leadership qualities, communication skills, and overall work values. It provides an opportunity to showcase their personality and genuine interest in the position and the company. A well-crafted cover letter also shows the candidate’s attention to detail, which is highly valued in executive roles.

B. Key Components of Cover Letter for Executives

The key components of a cover letter for executives include a strong opening statement that captures the reader’s attention, a brief overview of their relevant experience and achievements, and specific examples of how their experience aligns with the company’s goals and values. The letter should also highlight their leadership style, management skills, and ability to solve complex business problems.

C. Examples of Effective Cover Letters for Executives

An effective cover letter for executives should be tailored to each position and company and should avoid generic statements that could apply to any job. Here are a few examples of effective cover letters for executives:

A CFO cover letter may focus on their financial analysis and strategic planning skills, along with their leadership experience in managing large teams and driving growth and profitability.

CFO Cover Letter

Dear Hiring Manager,

As a seasoned financial executive with a track record of success in driving growth and profitability, I am excited to apply for the CFO position at [Company Name]. With extensive experience in financial analysis, strategic planning, and team leadership, I am confident in my ability to contribute to the continued success of your organization.

Throughout my career, I have consistently delivered exceptional results by effectively managing financial operations, implementing cost-saving initiatives, and driving strategic decision-making. In my most recent role as CFO at [Previous Company], I successfully led the financial planning and analysis function, resulting in improved forecasting accuracy and increased operational efficiencies.

One of my key strengths is my ability to provide valuable insights and recommendations based on comprehensive financial analysis. I have a deep understanding of financial statements, cash flow management, and risk assessment, allowing me to identify areas of improvement and drive profitability. Additionally, my expertise in developing and executing strategic plans has enabled me to guide organizations through periods of growth and expansion.

In addition to my financial acumen, I am also a skilled leader with a proven ability to build and motivate high-performing teams. I have successfully managed large finance departments, fostering a collaborative and results-driven culture. My strong interpersonal and communication skills have allowed me to effectively collaborate with cross-functional teams, senior executives, and external stakeholders.

I am excited about the opportunity to join [Company Name] and contribute to its continued success. I am confident that my combination of financial expertise, strategic mindset, and leadership capabilities make me a strong fit for the CFO role. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss how my skills and experiences align with your organization’s needs.

Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to the possibility of contributing to the success of [Company Name].

Sincerely, [Your Name]

An HR Director cover letter may highlight their expertise in managing employee relations, implementing diversity and inclusion initiatives, and improving overall company culture.

HR Director Cover Letter

I am writing to express my strong interest in the HR Director position at [Company Name]. As a seasoned HR professional with a passion for creating inclusive and engaged work environments, I am confident in my ability to drive HR strategies that align with your organization’s goals and values.

Throughout my career, I have successfully led HR initiatives, implemented best practices, and fostered a positive and inclusive company culture. In my previous role as HR Director at [Previous Company], I spearheaded various employee engagement programs and diversity and inclusion initiatives that resulted in increased employee satisfaction and retention.

One of my key strengths is my ability to effectively manage employee relations and create a positive work environment. I have a deep understanding of employment laws and regulations, enabling me to navigate complex situations with fairness and empathy. I have successfully implemented performance management systems, developed training programs, and provided guidance to managers and employees on various HR matters.

In addition to my HR expertise, I am a strategic thinker with a focus on driving organizational success. I have partnered with senior leadership to develop and implement HR strategies that align with business objectives. By leveraging data and analytics, I have provided insights that have informed decision-making and contributed to improved organizational performance.

I am confident that my combination of HR leadership, strategic mindset, and passion for fostering a positive work culture make me an ideal candidate for the HR Director role at [Company Name]. I am excited about the opportunity to contribute to your organization’s success and would welcome the chance to discuss further how my skills and experiences align with your needs.

An Operations Manager cover letter may emphasize their experience in supply chain management, process improvement, and cost reduction strategies, all while driving efficiencies and scaling the business.

Operations Manager Cover Letter

I am writing to apply for the Operations Manager position at [Company Name]. With a proven track record in supply chain management, process improvement, and cost reduction strategies, I am confident in my ability to drive efficiencies, optimize operations, and scale your business for success.

Throughout my career, I have consistently delivered results by implementing best practices, streamlining processes, and optimizing resource allocation. In my previous role as Operations Manager at [Previous Company], I successfully led cross-functional teams and implemented supply chain strategies that resulted in significant cost savings and improved customer satisfaction.

One of my key strengths is my ability to identify areas for improvement and implement solutions that drive operational excellence. I have a deep understanding of lean methodologies, process mapping, and data analysis, which have allowed me to identify bottlenecks, reduce waste, and enhance overall productivity. Additionally, I have successfully managed inventory and procurement processes, ensuring optimal stock levels and timely deliveries.

In addition to my operational expertise, I am a skilled leader with a track record of building and motivating high-performing teams. I have successfully developed and mentored individuals, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and collaboration. My strong communication and interpersonal skills have enabled me to effectively partner with stakeholders at all levels of the organization, driving alignment and achieving operational goals.

I am excited about the opportunity to contribute to the success of [Company Name] as the Operations Manager. I believe that my combination of operational expertise, strategic mindset, and leadership capabilities make me an ideal candidate for this role. I would welcome the chance to discuss further how my skills and experiences align with your organization’s needs.

A well-written, tailored cover letter can set executives apart and help them land their next C-level position.

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CVs & Résumés

• May 19, 2023
• 10 min read

Writing an Executive CV/Résumé: Best Examples and Tips

Inspiration to craft the perfect executive résumé awaits.

Electra Michaelidou

Career and Lifestyle Writer

Reviewed by Chris Leitch

Working your way up the  career ladder  has some serious benefits: more autonomy, a higher salary and better job opportunities, to name a few. At the same time, it comes with an increase in responsibilities, added pressure… and a résumé that runs out of space a little too fast . The latter is a nice problem to have, however!

If you’re unsure how to fit all of your skills, achievements and relevant information into one document, you’re at the right place. In this article, we’ll go over the dos and don’ts of the often-dreaded curriculum vitae to help you land the executive job you’ve got your eye on.

Without delay, let’s look at 10 executive résumé examples and some useful advice to get you started in creating your very own professional document.

In this article, we’ll be using the terms “CV” and “résumé” interchangeably. We cover academic CVs, which can be several pages long, in another article .

Executive résumé examples

Need some inspiration? The following section comprises 10 executive résumé samples — or CV samples, if you’re from across the pond — for you to look at.

1. Business manager

A business manager’s duties and responsibilities can vary significantly depending on their industry and the company they work for. Your résumé, then, should provide the hiring manager insight into what your past roles have encompassed and highlight any quantifiable achievements you’ve attained.

This template enables you to create a straightforward and  visually clean résumé  that includes everything you need: a personal summary, contact information, areas of expertise, technical and soft skills,  work experience , and academic qualifications.

2. Chief executive officer

As a  chief executive officer , your résumé should prioritize your experience within this role, as well as your accomplishments in your career thus far.

As an individual who has harnessed a lot of experience, your past roles, responsibilities and achievements should be the first thing a recruiter sees. Meanwhile, your education could be placed on the second page of your résumé, along with any other noteworthy information such as publications, memberships, certifications, skills and expertise.

As CEOs usually boast extensive work experience, their résumés tend to be packed with information, lengthy descriptions and chunks of text. As you can see, the template below follows a lean and straightforward structure, which allows recruiters to skim through information with ease while also retaining the most important details on your résumé.

3. Chief operating officer

There is no better COO résumé example than that of Sheryl Sandberg. The document captures her experience, expertise and greatest achievements in a single page by optimizing the space each section occupies and utilizing smart graphics.

What’s great about this  résumé example  is that Sandberg’s character shines through along with her professionalism. For example, her job title not only includes “COO” but also “Proud Mother & Women’s Rights Advocate”, creating a more personalized image of herself.

The “EXPERIENCE” and “MOST PROUD OF” sections, meanwhile, both encapsulate Sandberg’s professional journey by using quantifiable information rather than just a description of her duties. For example: “Led Facebook in revamping its mobile ads strategy, bringing in $8bn in revenue, 85% of Facebook’s total revenue to date.”

You don’t need to be Facebook’s chief operating officer to create an equally impressive résumé. The key here is to focus on your own professional achievements and incorporate them within the content of your résumé, along with your most noteworthy skills and characteristics.

4. Chief information officer

As the senior technology executive within a company, you oversee the organization’s security systems and IT operations. Therefore, you must prove to recruiters that you’re a tech-savvy individual, in sync with new technological developments in an ever-evolving industry.

Your résumé is also a good indication of this, so a modern and up-to-date layout will certainly help sway recruiters. The specific sample below is separated into two columns, making information more accessible while also maintaining work experience as the main focus.

It’s also worth mentioning how the personal summary is utilized in this example. Instead of stating generic objectives, Peter Smith uses this space to promote his skills and showcase his experience as CIO, which immediately creates a more impactful impression on the recruiter.

5. Marketing executive

This résumé sample is focused and to the point. The candidate not only utilizes her professional summary to talk about her professional experience, but also backs up her claims with valuable data: “Creating multiple Facebook Ad campaigns that generated $500k+ revenues and 700k views.”

The next section is strategically placed above the candidate’s work history, as it enables the recruiter to decipher the candidate’s suitability for a marketing executive role through her areas of expertise. The presentation is also much more comprehensible than the conventional bulleted lists often used to exhibit skills and specializations.

As you move down the work experience section, you can see that the candidate uses the given spaces to illustrate not just her duties but also her achievements in each role, once again emphasizing her prowess.

6. Chief financial officer

As a  chief financial officer , your role involves overseeing the financial operations of an organization. It’s important, then, to present powerful, fiscal achievements within your résumé. That said, make sure that the content of your résumé isn’t overwhelmed by numbers and statistics. Remember: your application will be reviewed by both financial and non-financial recruiters, so it should be comprehensible to both.

In the template below, the candidate combines numerical data with wordier descriptions under each of their previous roles. This allows the recruiter to gain a more detailed insight into the candidate’s experience as well as their key achievements and responsibilities without financial jargon.

The template’s minimalist design also pairs well with the content, giving it a clean and polished look.

7. Vice president

Like CEOs, vice presidents tend to have a lot of experience to show off on their résumé.

You don’t necessarily need to use  bullet points  to summarize your duties and achievements. For example, this particular CV showcases the applicant’s experience and also captures her professional objectives and achievements throughout her profile, as well as in each job description.

This résumé template illustrates the person’s experience in great detail, but due to its simplistic and clean design, the information is digestible and easy to get through. The template’s monochromatic tone also makes it an elegant and professional choice for someone within an executive rank.

8. President/Founder

As a company founder, you need to ensure that your résumé captures your business acumen as well as your background knowledge. Founders usually have diverse educational backgrounds, so it’s also important to indicate your career journey thus far.

In this particular example, the two-column layout allows the applicant to showcase his technical skills, expertise and interests, all while featuring his work experience, personal summary and education.

What’s great about this design is that you can exhibit your suitability for an executive role in a single page, capturing the recruiter’s attention from the get-go.

9. HR officer

What’s unique about this résumé is that the candidate’s key areas of expertise and accomplishments appear before the work experience section. This is quite a wise move, as the applicant uses quantifiable data to make themselves stand out.

As for its design and  résumé structure , the applicant’s information and work history are neatly presented throughout the document, while the dash of red font also creates a bold and prominent résumé. All these become factors which, when combined, can make a lasting impression on any recruiter.

10. Sales director

As a sales director, you’ll know the important role that presentation plays when it comes to sealing a deal. Well, the same rule also applies to your résumé.

This is a modern and fresh design that helps all the information within it to stand out.

This résumé sample not only encapsulates the person’s experience in a neat and straightforward manner, but it also highlights crucial key points about the candidate that are presumably  tailored to the role’s requirements .

How long should an executive résumé be?

Before you write a CV, it’s good to keep in mind the length you should be aiming for . Since the term “résumé” comes from the French verb résumer , meaning “to summarize”, your document must be concise.

As an executive, your résumé needs to span two pages at most. However, if condensing all your information to cater to the two-page rule turns out to be impossible, consider making your résumé a little longer.

Should you include all your experience?

This is one of the most common questions among jobseekers. As a general rule, you should aim to go back about 10–15 years when listing your work experience.

Every rule has its exception, though. If — and we do emphasize the “if” — you held a particularly noteworthy position or worked at a well-known company more than a decade ago, feel free to take the hiring manager on a trip further into the past.

Where should you showcase your achievements?

A good CV comes with a list of achievements. A great CV, however, highlights an applicant’s accomplishments in more than one place.

To begin with, you’ll want to mention your accomplishments in the work experience section. Aside from a description of your responsibilities, you’ll want to mention what you accomplished in each role.

In addition, create a “Selected Accomplishments” section at the top of your CV, right beneath your professional summary.

Should you include hobbies?

Including hobbies and interests is a common practice for more inexperienced job applicants . The less work experience you have, the more relevant information about yourself you’ll need to add, so the hiring manager can paint a better picture of you. The same goes for career changers , who haven’t yet worked in a new field.

In your case, then, there won’t be a need (or any room) for hobbies and interests.

Should you list your GPA?

Does any high school information belong on a professional CV? The answer is that it depends.

Typically, you don’t need to mention your GPA or any other secondary education accomplishment if you’ve completed an undergraduate or postgraduate degree. So, if you’ve earned a bachelor’s degree or higher qualification, detail that instead .

Key takeaways

To create the perfect executive résumé, you need to consider multiple factors. The information you decide to include, but also how you choose to present it, will play a major role in your  application success . So, allow yourself plenty of time to outline your sections and get every detail right before sending off your application material.

To summarize:

• Keep your information relevant to the job listing . Your brief teaching experience from 15 years ago won’t matter when applying for a CFO position today, for example.
• Aim for two pages in length . Most executive résumés span two pages, but you can go a little over if you need more room.
• Dedicate a section to your accomplishments . Add this to the top of your résumé, just below your professional summary.
• Avoid sharing any personal details, as well as mentioning hobbies and any high school-related information. Your GPA won’t be relevant if you’ve gone on to attend higher education.
• Use the Internet to your advantage if you get stuck . Free CV templates and samples are great sources of inspiration and guidance.

Do you have any tips to share with other executives on how to create a CV that stands out? Join the conversation in the comments section.

Originally published on October 4, 2017. Contains contributions by Melina Theodorou.

Résumé Examples

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Best Resume Format for 2024: Tips + Examples

Sudarshan Somanathan

Head of Content

July 25, 2024

You’ve been eyeing a company for months, and they’ve just posted the job opening you’ve been waiting for. 

But as you start the application process, you notice that over 500 people have already applied! How can you make your application stand out and secure that interview?

The key lies in crafting a powerful resume that grabs attention, passes through applicant tracking systems [ATS], and effectively showcases your professional experience and skills. 

Choosing a good resume format is crucial for presenting your strengths. Whether you want to highlight your career progression with a reverse chronological resume format , emphasize your skills with a functional resume , or take a balanced approach with a combination resume , the proper format can make all the difference.

If you’re unsure how to format your resume, don’t worry. This guide on the best resume formats will help bring you closer to your dream job. 💼 🚀 

Chronological resume format

Skill-based or functional resume format  , combination or hybrid resume format, factors to consider when choosing a career format , key elements to include in your resume, 1. professional resume template example by resume builder, 2. combination resume template example by myperfectresume, 3. creative resume template example by indeed, 4. modern resume template example by enhancv, 5. freelancer researcher resume template example by template.net, streamlined resume drafting, targeted resume optimization, organized resume management, efficient resume collaboration, simplified job search, tips to improve your resume format, craft effective resumes for various industries with clickup .

Understanding Different Resume Formats for Job Seekers

The average time a recruiter spends screening a resume is 7.4 seconds . With such limited time to grab their attention, you must have a visually appealing resume. 

But every job seeker is unique, and your personal preferences, background, and circumstances play a role in your final resume format. So there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to drafting a resume.

For instance, a reverse chronological format might not be the best choice if you’ve had a long career break between jobs. On the other hand, if your skills, technical or otherwise, are your strongest asset, a functional resume could be more effective. The key is to highlight your strengths and minimize any gaps.

Let’s explore different resume formats and resume format examples to help you pick the one that suits you best.

The most common format for writing resumes is chronological. This format primarily focuses on your work experience , listing the positions you’ve held in reverse chronological order , with the most recent ones at the top.

It’s a conventional choice for most job seekers, as it provides a clear and detailed account of your career progression, making it a safe bet when choosing a resume format.

When to choose the chronological resume format: This format might be ideal if you’ve had a steady career trajectory within a specific industry, such as ten years in marketing, where you’ve progressed from a marketing executive to a marketing manager.

Recruiters are accustomed to and prefer this format, so this is the best choice if you have a standard, traditional career path.

Resume example:

Rather than focusing on your professional experience, this format highlights your skill set . It begins with a comprehensive skills section positioned upfront, preceding the details of your work experience.

Since the central focus is on your skills, each skill is typically introduced as a heading, supported by bullet points showcasing its relevance and demonstrating your proficiency in that area.

When to choose a functional resume format : This format is ideal if you have gaps in your employment history or are transitioning to a new career . 

It allows you to effectively highlight your relevant skills and abilities, making it a strategic choice for those navigating career changes or periods of employment gaps.

Functional resume example:

Are you a seasoned professional with solid skills and career progression to showcase? 

Opting for a combination or hybrid resume might be your best approach. 

This format begins with a substantial skills section highlighting your key competencies upfront, followed by a comprehensive work experience section detailing your career trajectory and achievements.

This resume format is particularly favored by professionals with extensive experience and a diverse skill set, as it allows them to present their skills and work history cohesively.

When to choose a hybrid resume format: This format is ideal for seasoned professionals with over seven years of experience. It is tailored to highlight a combination of skills and relevant experience. 

It’s particularly beneficial for professionals starting a new job in a different industry where their existing skills and expertise are valuable.

Hybrid resume example:

How to Choose the Best Resume Format

Choosing the proper resume format based on your career level, industry, and experience is half the battle won. Let’s break down the key factors to help you make this decision.

There are two factors you must take into account: your career level and the type of industry.

Career level     

Applicants at different career levels must choose different resume formats. 

• Entry-level applicants: Chronological or functional

Reason: A chronological format highlights your education, internship experiences, and part-time work in a structured timeline. A functional format emphasizes your skills since you have limited professional work experience. 

• Mid-level applicants: Chronological or combination 

Reason: A chronological resume showcases steady career progression and relevant job experiences, while a combination format allows you to highlight work habits and skills and provide a detailed work history for career advancement.

• Senior-level applicants: Chronological or combination

Reason: A chronological resume demonstrates extensive experience in a clear timeline, while a combination format accommodates significant accomplishments and a robust work history. These factors make them ideal for showcasing the expertise of seasoned professionals.

Industry type

The type of industry you presently work in or aim to work in also determines your resume format choice. Let’s look at ideal resume formats for different industries: 

• Corporate (finance, consulting, management) : Chronological

Reason: A chronological format resume emphasizes steady, consistent career progression, showcasing stability and growth, which is highly valued in these industries.

• Technology (IT, software development) : Chronological or combination

Reason: The chronological format is ideal for professionals with stable career growth and solid industry experience who wish to showcase their skills in a structured timeline. 

On the other hand, the combination format is great for listing technical skills and significant projects while providing a clear and detailed career history.

• Healthcare (medicine, nursing, research) : Chronological

Reason: Demonstrates a clear progression of roles and responsibilities, crucial in the healthcare industry where experience and tenure are critical.

• Creative (design, marketing, media): Functional or combination

Reason : A functional format emphasizes skills and abilities essential to the creative industry, particularly for freelancers or individuals working on multiple projects. A combination format allows you to highlight creative skills while maintaining an easy-to-read structure.

Certain elements must be present regardless of your resume format to ensure its effectiveness. Here’s a checklist you can rely on: 

• Personal information: Include details such as name, phone number, and email address. Add a (clickable) link to your LinkedIn profile and professional website or portfolio to add to your credibility
• Professional summary: Highlight your career goals, key skills, and what you bring to the role within a couple of lines. Tailor this summary to the role you’re applying for by emphasizing relevant skills and experience
• Key skills: Write pointers on your most relevant hard and soft skills for the job. Soft skills may include problem-solving, leadership, etc., whereas examples of hard skills (or technical skills) include web development, data analytics, search engine optimization (SEO), etc
• Education: Mention your degrees, the name of the college or university, location, and graduation year. You should also mention relevant diplomas, associate degrees, apprenticeships, and other coursework to highlight your formal education
• Certifications and licenses: Emphasize your expertise and stand out by showcasing verified skills and professional credibility by adding details of relevant licenses and certificates

💡 Pro tip: Leverage a career map template to identify the skills required for future roles. Compare these with your current skills to spot gaps and plan your development.

5 Resume Examples and Templates

Feeling overwhelmed about where to begin or how to format your resume? 

Here are five resume templates to inspire and help you build your resume quickly.

Designed with technical professionals in mind, this resume template perfectly presents your skills and experience. 

It allows you to seamlessly input personal information, education qualifications, and work experience. A standout feature is its unique presentation of skills, designed to capture the recruiter’s attention immediately.

These technical resume template examples show a high level of professionalism and organization. They feature a personal objective statement, a dedicated section for educational qualifications, and professional fonts for a polished look.

This combination resume template divides the resume into two vertical sections, enhancing readability and visual appeal for potential hiring managers and employers. It provides a balanced approach, allowing you to highlight your skills and work history concisely and comprehensively.

A well-planned color scheme visually separates these sections and adds to the aesthetic appeal. 

Plus, the chosen font style and size ensure clarity and professionalism throughout the document, making it particularly suitable for technical fields where detail and precision are crucial.

This modern resume template features a minimalist style. It’s perfect for professionals looking to showcase their individuality, creativity, and succinctness. 

It follows a chronological format, prioritizing work experience initially and briefly listing skills towards the end.

Key section titles stand out in blue, enhancing visual appeal and navigation ease. This blend of minimalism and practical functionality makes the template an excellent choice for job seekers who want to present their relevant qualifications effectively.

The template is designed for those who want to inject creative design into their resume. It lets you briefly define yourself in a single line beneath your name, emphasizing your unique qualifications and suitability for the job.

One standout feature is the donut chart, which visually depicts how you manage and allocate your time through a diagram. 

This resume format template also includes dedicated columns for languages, passions, and achievements and a focused section for relevant technical skills crucial to the role.

With the basic resume layout divided into two clear sections, this template ensures you can provide comprehensive information about yourself without overwhelming the page.

💡Pro tip: Customize project management resume templates (like the one above) to focus on your achievements rather than just listing responsibilities. Quantify your impact where possible, such as increases in product adoption rates, revenue growth, or successful product launches.

You might need to extend your resume to two pages if you’re a freelancer or a seasoned professional with over ten years of experience. 

This visually striking resume template features a background color theme that immediately draws attention. It begins with a focused skills section followed by your job experience, following the functional resume format.

The resume is structured in clear sections. It utilizes a three-color scheme to distinguish and organize different aspects of your background. This approach enhances visual appeal and ensures clarity and emphasis on crucial details.

How to Create and Format a Resume

Drafting just one resume won’t cut it. What opens doors is tailoring your resume to fit specific job descriptions and roles.

And for that level of customization, you need more than just a basic resume template.

That’s where ClickUp steps up.

ClickUp is a powerful productivity platform that can be leveraged to create and manage the entire resume-building process.

Below are the key benefits of using ClickUp to craft the perfect resume:

ClickUp Docs with ClickUp Brain can be used to write and refine your resume.

ClickUp Brain, the platform’s AI feature, provides intelligent suggestions and prompts to help you craft compelling resume content highlighting your skills and experiences. This allows you to create a living document that is easy to edit and update as your background changes.

ClickUp’s AI-driven insights can analyze your resume and provide personalized recommendations to optimize it for specific job postings. 

This helps ensure your resume is tailored to the requirements of each role, increasing your chances of getting noticed by recruiters.

ClickUp’s robust project management capabilities allow you to stay on top of your job search. 

The Docs Hub allows you to store resume versions and manage all your job-related documents and assets in one centralized location.

ClickUp makes it easy to collaborate with others on your resume. 

Within the platform, you can invite colleagues, mentors, or certified professional resume writers to review and provide feedback on your resume drafts.

ClickUp offers many pre-built templates that streamline your professional life, including job search management. These templates help you start quickly and provide a structured framework to organize your work.

The ClickUp Job Search Template enables you to track job openings, application status, company ratings, and more, all within the ClickUp platform. 

With this template, you can:

• Create tasks for each job opportunity you’re interested in, complete with details like the job title, company, and application deadline
• Update the status of your job applications as you progress through the hiring process, from initial submission to final decision
• Assign ratings to companies based on factors like culture, benefits, and growth potential to help guide your decision-making 

💡Pro tip: Use skills management software to create a comprehensive inventory of your skills, including technical, soft, and industry-specific competencies.

Looking to take your resume to the next level? These tips to improve your resume format will help you differentiate yourself from the competition and highlight your skills and unique value add.

• Formatting: Keep a 0.5 to 1-inch margin on all sides for neat resume formatting. Use easy-to-read and professional fonts with sizes between 10 and 12. Use a professional, well-structured format
• Bullet points: Divide your resume into sections and use bullet points to add details about your job experience, skills, and certifications to make it easy to read for the recruiter 
• Length: Keep the resume length restricted to one page unless you have over ten years of experience or need to list your publishing history. Try not to exceed the length of a two-page resume in any case
• File type: Ensure your resume is in a PDF format to preserve its structure and layout. Name your resume file as ‘Name_Resume’ for easy identification
• Objective statement: Begin your resume with a concise personal statement or career summary outlining your professional goals and strengths
• Keywords: Customize your resume for each job application by incorporating relevant keywords from the job description. This strategy improves your resume’s chances of passing through applicant tracking systems

Crafting a well-structured resume in a suitable format is essential for standing out in a competitive job market and advancing to the next stage of the hiring process.

Ensure your resume format and structure are tailored to match the job role, your career level, and your target industry. Try out the resume format examples listed above and see what works for you.

Use ClickUp Docs and ClickUp Brain to help you draft an impactful resume tailored to different job titles and roles, incorporating the necessary keywords and ideal format type.

Sign up for ClickUp and take the first step towards securing your dream job with a polished and effective resume.

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Executive Resume: Examples & Writing Tips [+3 Templates]

Learn how to write an executive resume with resume examples, templates, executive summary sample, skills, format options, tips, and a cover letter sample.

In a hurry to create the perfect executive resume?

Click on the resume sample below to download it.

If you need tips on how to customize your executive resume, keep reading.

Additional Executive Resume Examples

We have also included Marketing and Finance resume samples!

Click on a sample below to download the full resume sample.

Check out even more executive resume examples on our website!

Include an Executive Summary on Your Resume

You’ve seen the templates and some formatting options, so let’s dive into customizing your executive resume for you .

Leadership, sharp perception, business acumen, and strategic thinking.

What else does an executive position require you to do?

Demonstrate that you possess all that and much more in your executive resume summary!

A resume summary, or executive summary, is one of the elements of your resume that gets a hiring manager’s attention in the first few decisive seconds. So you have to make it count.

How can you do that?

Simply by personalization and being highly relevant.

You should craft a summary that gives the most impressive overview of your executive career as well as demonstrates how your expertise and experiences will help solve the company’s pain points.

Include your most impressive roles and achievements along with a hint at how your career so far makes you the best candidate for that specific role.

While selecting your roles, skills, and achievements, give utmost importance to the ones that show your leadership and decision-making capabilities as an executive and the actual impact of your decisions and efforts so far.

If you can quantify the impact and relate it to any major challenges the company is facing right now, even better!

For example:

Suppose, you have led a team of customer analysts at XYZ Corp that enhanced the customer journey or led to a precise personalization of marketing messages, which in turn, increased the customer satisfaction score by 20%.

Luckily, from your research, you have found that the company you are applying to now is in the middle of doing something similar with their customer analysis efforts.

Bam! You have your leverage.

That’s what personalization of your executive summary looks like.

Your executive resume summary should be 4-6 sentences long. Use keywords from the job description to help describe yourself as the most fitting candidate for the role.

Take a look at an executive summary example:

Senior Marketing Executive with verifiable achievements in providing the full scope of global advertising, brand development and multi-platform marketing strategy. Record of success in building and mentoring top performing teams by driving cultural improvements and supporting employee growth. History of redefining brands through high-impact, ROI-driven advertising and marketing strategies that deliver tangible results in brand visibility, customer experience and revenue growth. Versatile change agent and executive leader with strengths in encouraging buy-in amongst all levels of an organization and utilizing data-driven concepts to deliver sustainable revenue gains across competitive markets.

Here, the applicant was aware of the organizational challenges the company was facing, such as redefining their brand and has leveraged that expertise in the executive summary.

Try writing your summary after you have completed the rest of your resume. It will be easier to see your most impressive and relevant experiences.

(Find more information about writing your executive summary in this article .)

Hard & Soft Skills for Your Executive Resume

The skills you use on your executive resume need to show that you are a strategic leader.

Do not just list every single skill that you have.

Applying for executive-level roles won’t require you to show any skills that you used when you worked at a cafe twenty years ago.

You should stay away from task-focused skills that will make you look like you are applying to lower-level roles.

Check the job description of the job you are applying for to see what skills they seem to be seeking. The keywords used in the job description will often be the same keywords you should use on your resume.

Here are hard and soft skills examples to use on an executive resume:

When writing the skill section of your resume, if you present a list of skills that looks like a soliloquy, that isn’t going to be interesting. Instead, ensure that you only include the skills you possess that are relevant and valued.

However, you don’t want to make it look like you have very few skills either; it is a balancing act. You need to show aptitude without going overboard.

Keep the number of skills in the skills section of your resume to 10-15 to be on the safe side. They should be a mixture of hard and soft skills.

If you have 16 solid, relevant skills, don’t panic about cutting one out. It’s a guide, just aim to be around 12-15. If you can only think of 10 high-quality skills, don’t add two obscure skills just to get to 12.

There are endless formatting designs for the skills section of your resume and you can label this section of your resume with different titles.

Instead of “Skills,” you can use a section title like “Areas of Expertise,” “Areas of Excellence,” “Core Competencies,” “Signature Competencies,” or “Leadership and Technical Competencies.”

Here is an example of the skills section of an executive resume:

Check out the skills section in the resume samples provided above.

(For more information on skills for your resume, read Most Important Skills for a Resume .)

Prove Your Achievements On Your Resume

Anyone can type a laundry list of skills into a resume.

But can they prove their skills and achievements with numbers and examples?

Quantify Your Accomplishments

Metrics are king on a resume, and definitely on an executive resume.

Whenever possible and wherever relevant, quantifying your successes looks significantly better than just alluding to them.

If your neighbor told you that they took your dog for a walk for a while when dog-sitting for you, that’d be nice.

But if they said they took the dog out for 2 hours, we’d really be getting somewhere.

Quantifying the fact gave significantly more clarity. And you know that the dog needs a drink!

The same applies to your resume. Any time that you are listing an achievement, try to quantify it.

The achievement stays the same, but the person reading about it gets better information if you include a number.

For example, instead of:

Worked at ABC Company for 6 years and streamlined our service to increase net profit.

You can say:

Increased net profit 17% through the introduction of cost control initiatives and automated systems.

You say the same thing, but one way is significantly more enticing.

Additionally, if there is an accomplishment that you can’t easily put a number to, you can add an adjective to it.

Organized an event? Well, don’t just say “organized an event”.

An event where the attendance or donation goal was slightly missed was still organized.

Say that you “organized a successful event.” If you can’t state how much you beat a goal by, include the number of attendees or amount of money raised if it was still significant.

Here are some additional examples of quantifying successes on a resume:

Established a centralized mixing facility that improved tire division warranty and quality revenue. Restructured the facility after four years to generate a $4M savings in cost structure.

Drove a 30% reduction in inventory through the development, negotiation, and implementation of a plant storeroom vendor managed inventory program.

Improved employee on-boarding process and implemented a six-month new-hire training program to drive a 25% reduction in employee turnover.

Established a client-centric culture, focused on creating, innovative and effective marketing/advertising strategies, resulting in 25% new and organic revenue growth in 2019, positioning team as top-performer across agency network.

Created a comprehensive global marketing strategy that increased brand recall 11 points, improved net promoter score (NPS) 10% and boosted annual revenue 22%, achieving $28.4B.

Ensure your executive resume stands out with numbers and statements like those above.

Show How You Achieved Success

The person reading your resume are under no obligation to believe you.

That doesn’t mean that they’ll assume that you are lying. But it is easy to make claims that sound good. But without backing them up, what is the use?

Are you telling the hiring manager that one of your skills is project management?

Well, highlight how this was demonstrated. How did you control costs? How did you lead your team? How did you manage suppliers?

Otherwise, your claims will seem very insipid.

Check out some examples showing how success was achieved:

Increased cash flow by over $1M over a period of 7 years by improving tax planning and researching/utilizing federal R&D tax incentives.

Improved reporting accuracy and timeliness by creating a comprehensive financial and managerial reporting process and obtaining buy-in from key process participants.

Improved efficiency and automation levels by expanding the existing utilization of Salesforce CRM from just the sales department to the entire organization. Led the integration of Salesforce with Microsoft Dynamics SL.

Reversed 7 weeks of churn caused by competitor’s marketing attack by rolling out a new high-profile advertising campaign across multiple platforms; restored pre-attack churn levels in under 6 weeks.

Improved employee morale and engagement by establishing an employee “Impact Award” that recognized and rewarded employees for innovation in safety, quality, and efficiency improvements.

If you can show results and how you accomplished those results, you successfully subsidize your claims.

(Learn more about turning duties into accomplishments on your resume .)

What is the Best Format for Executive Resumes?

There are a number of resume formats to use and we will explain the differences and when to use them below.

Chronological Resume Format

The chronological format is the most used format for executives, and with good reason.

We would advise that you use this format too, as it focuses on your professional work experience.

That is exactly what recruiters want to hear about when you are pursuing a position like this.

Including key details about your recent employment experience puts you in the best position to catch the eye of the recruiter.

You will list your professional work experience in reverse-chronological order with the resume format, describing your duties and accomplishments in each of your recent roles.

Combination Resume Format

If the chronological format does not work for you because of a recent gap in employment or you are changing careers, use the combination resume format.

Your key transferable skills will be highlighted before your work history with this resume format.

Your resume is for an executive position. As such, work responsibilities and achievements will be a huge determining factor on your candidacy, so ensure that you give your previous employment section the attention it deserves.

We emphasize that the chronological format is the more effective of the two if you can choose between them.

Avoid the Functional Resume Format

On an executive resume, you don’t want to  completely remove focus from your professional experience.

That is exactly what this format does as it prioritizes skills and only provides a high-level view of your experience.

Yes, you get to highlight your key skills and achievements with this format, but you also need your resume to focus on what an executive recruiter wants to know about you. If you don’t include the details of your employment history, you may look like you are hiding something.

(For more information, and for samples of how these formats look, read The 5 Best Resume Formats ).

How Long Should Your Executive Resume Be?

There are some questions that can come up as you create your resume to target executive-level roles.

We will address the length of your resume as well as some common issues for executives.

Your Executive Resume Should Be 2 Pages

Should your resume be one page as an executive? Is two pages the maximum length for an executive resume?

The short answer is “no.”

But the longer answer highlights that the recommended length can vary.

The goal of your executive resume should be 2 pages. As an executive, you will need to cover too much experience to fit on a one-page resume.

But if your resume reaches three pages, should you be concerned? Should you adjust the line spacing and font size to get it down to two pages?

But only if everything that you have included on your resume helps sell you for the position you are targeting with that particular resume.

If there’s a lot of space taken up with information that is not adding much value, then cut those sections out. The length of your resume isn’t so rigid here.

Some executives just can’t limit their relevant accolades and experience to two pages. If this is you, you are not expected to downsize your resume.

Do Not Go Back More Than 15 Years (Even If Tempted!)

You do not want to look like you are relying on your work experience from over a decade and a half ago to get you a job today.

If your resume is covering details of your accomplishments and skills when George W. Bush was first taking office, things will look quite dated. And sadly, so will you.

Times change. And so do you.

If you cannot sufficiently demonstrate your aptitude from your last 15 years of work experience, then that is not much use.

If your resume says that you held 3 different positions recently, each for less than 6 months, but won an award in 2002, the award is not going to be what stands out.

You want to be giving evidence of your continued success, and that is best achieved by including the most up-to-date information.

You can include a small section on your resume titled “Earlier Career” or “Additional Experience” which can list job titles and companies from prior to 15 years ago if needed.

Got a fantastic accomplishment from prior to 15 years ago? That could be an award or similar. You may include it, but you are better off omitting the date.

Most Resumes Will Only Be Read for a Few Seconds

You spent hours and hours perfecting your resume. You completed every section of your resume.

And then it gets less than 10 seconds of attention before being placed to the side.

How do you ensure that this isn’t something that happens to you?

Keep your content relevant to the role you are applying for and only as long as it needs to be.

Hiring managers do not want to sift through 3 pages of your experience and accomplishments that have nothing to do with the role they’d like to see you in.

Don’t sound generic and boring, especially in the top sections of your resume.

Instead, be engaging. Hit the reader with impressive numbers, make them want more from the start.

Fantastic statistics halfway down the page will hardly matter if the reader doesn’t get that far.

Make bold points, not bland points.

If you can use numbers to back your statement up, do so. It makes your claim a lot more substantial.

Should You Hide Your Age On Your Resume?

Are you concerned about your age getting in the way of getting an interview?

Perhaps there is a stigma attached to you being considered too young or too old for the position.

We have some do’s and don’ts to hide your age on your resume.

First, do not lie about dates worked or the dates of your education. The truth can easily be found by your potential employer.

However, you can omit the dates of your education.

If you fear you will be looked over because of your older age, make sure any statements about how much experience you have don’t make you sound like you have too many years of experience.

If you are an older executive, including only your last 15 years of experience (as mentioned above) won’t highlight exactly how many years you have been in the workforce.

Another key way to hide age is to distract the reader with the most relevant skills. Recent experience and skills will do a fantastic job of framing you as a qualified and up-to-date candidate.

Your age won’t be relevant if you appear to be a perfect fit!

Executive Cover Letter Example

Once you have completed your resume, crafting a stellar executive cover letter won’t be much of a hassle.

You will just need to pick the best parts of your resume and present those details in the form of a letter.

Below is an example of an executive cover letter. Click on the image to easily customize the letter for yourself.

Keep these executive cover letter writing tips in mind:

• Address the letter to the hiring manager by their name.
• Just like you did for the resume summary, include your most impressive and relevant details in the opening paragraph.
• Present your career highlights in a bulleted list containing all of your most impressive and relevant skills, experiences, accomplishments, awards, and other details.
• End your letter with an open call to action inviting the hiring manager to chat about how your executive acumen would help their organization progress on their path forward.
• For finding the perfect tone and voice, study the company website, LinkedIn profile, and other publications and follow their brand voice.
• Keep your letter under one-page and around 350-400 words.
• Formatting and styling should be the same as you used on your resume.

With these tips at your disposal, you are on your way to creating the best cover letter the recruiter is going to ever receive.

Key Takeaways

And there you have it.

Everything from what to write in your executive resume to how to write it has been covered.

Here is a summary of the key information in this article:

• Include key sections in your executive resume including a summary and a space dedicated to your skills.
• Personalize your executive summary to be relevant for the job you are applying for with your top skills and keywords from the job description.
• Include executive-level and relevant skills in your resume. Study what skills the recruiter wants, and then include the skills that you possess in your resume.
• Quantify and your experiences and accomplishments when you can.
• Keep your executive resume to 2 pages if possible.
• Include a cover letter to highlight your best accomplishments and why you are the best fit for the job.
• Use an  executive resume writing service if you need to. Resume writing isn’t for everyone. There is no shame in making an investment to ensure that you get the best possible outcome.

Use these tips to create an executive resume on your own. Good luck with your job search!

Recommended Career Advice For You

The Writing Guru Review [Cost + Customer Reviews]

5 Benefits of Entry-Level Jobs for Career Growth

Resume Summary: How To Write [+ 15 Examples]

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Executive Career Brand™

Executive Job Search - Personal Branding, Executive Resumes, LinkedIn Profiles, Biographies, etc.

July 19, 2023 By Meg Guiseppi

What’s the Best Executive Resume Format and Length?

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Often when I speak with executives who are in job search, or planning one, the first thing they ask me is how their executive resume stacks up.

Many of them have never been in a job search or haven’t faced one for a number of years.

They’ve either slid easily from one company to the next, without ever having to look, or have progressed up the ladder within one or more good companies.

Often these lucky job seekers haven’t needed a resume, and have missed the boat on the new resume strategies.

They’re woefully out-of-date on how their resume should look and read .

They also often don’t understand best practices for executive job search , and that networking into the so-called “hidden” jobs is the best way to land a great-fit new gig.

You’ll note that I barely mention job boards here. For executives, especially at the c-suite and other top levels, this method yields dismal results and takes up too much time. Your time is better spent in networking your way into companies and circumventing gatekeepers for at least a time, until you become somewhat known.

First, create 3 versions of your executive resume for various purposes

1. A nicely formatted, visually appealing MSWord version.

2. A PDF version so that formatting of the above will set up exactly as you meant it to. On the receiving end, the formatting on MSWord documents may shift. With a PDF, it won’t.

3. A stripped down, barely formatted text or ATS-friendly version to make it through Applicant Tracking Systems . This can be created as a Word document.

How ATS works

Here’s what happens when you send your resume to recruiters and employers , and when you respond to job postings:

• The document is put into a database or ATS, along with thousands of other resumes.
• The ATS attempts to match candidates to jobs. The database sifts through the resumes and parses their content for the relevant keywords they’ve fed into it for that particular job.
• The only resumes selected are those that are formatted in a way that the ATS can “read”. And they have to contain enough of those relevant keywords.
• Resumes are not selected if they are incorrectly formatted, don’t contain enough of the right keywords, or don’t fit the bill in some other way.

Some career professionals advise creating just one MS Word resume version that covers both bases – formatted for visual appeal but will also get the resume through ATS.

But there are more than 200 kinds of ATS out there. Some accept various enhancements and some don’t. You won’t know which version the company is using and how much formatting enhancement will be okay.

It’s safer to have a designated ATS resume version as I described above for the times you know your resume is going into an ATS. And reserve the nicely formatted Word version for human eyeballs only.

For specifics on building the content for your executive resume, read my post, How to Build Personal Brand Content for Executive Job Search .

And get my set of 4 proprietary worksheets to help you identify the information to include in your resume, and write your resume in a way that will resonate with your target employers.

Which executive resume format(s) to send to which people

Your executive job search campaign will include networking and communicating with:

• Executive recruiters
• Hiring professionals (or Human Resources) at your target companies
• Various other people who work at your target companies
• Your existing network

If you’re responding to job postings on company websites or job boards, upload your ATS-friendly resume version and follow their directions on any other format(s) or documents to include.

If you’re circumventing job boards and company website postings and reaching out directly to recruiters and other hiring professionals, your first communication will probably include your resume, with a brief cover letter/email expressing your interest. 

Send these people all three resume versions. You may not know whether they will review your resume on their desktop/laptop or phone, and whether they may pass it on to an Applicant Tracking System, so play it safe and cover all the bases.

Tap employees at various professional levels at your target companies and others in your network for informational interviews , to help you with company research and market intelligence.

Your initial short emails to this second group of people are just “feelers”. You’re not presenting yourself as a candidate yet, because you don’t know at this time where and how you might fit into those companies, so don’t include your resume .

Once you get their feedback and determine the situation, customize your resume to position yourself as a good fit, and send a more detailed email with your targeted, nicely formatted Word resume.

Ultimately, your networking efforts should focus on penetrating the “hidden” job market . That is, coveted jobs that are never advertised anywhere.

What about the length of your executive resume?

Don’t get bogged down by confusing dictates you may have read about resume length, like “ your resume must never be more than 2 pages ” or, heaven forbid, “ keep your resume to 1 page “.

Focus instead on detailing what makes you a good fit for your target employers , based on the research you’ve done to determine their current pressing needs, and how you’re uniquely qualified to help them problem-solve.

Resume length is driven by what information needs to be in it, to successfully market yourself.

A three page resume is fine, especially for c-suite and senior-level executives . . . if you’ve ruthlessly edited down to the essentials, and included only the things that will matter to your target companies.

Include in your resume a link to your LinkedIn profile – which should include the whole story – and direct people to find more details there.

And let me stress that your LinkedIn profile should have a lot more information about you in it than your 2 to 3 page resume will allow. If you have a skimpy, anemic LinkedIn profile, get to work on pumping it up for people assessing you and optimizing it for LinkedIn search .

There are some exceptions about executive resume length

1. Executive recruiters have been known to ask for a lengthy resume (sometimes 5 or more pages) including ALL your career history in depth. Provide them whatever they require. They know what their client companies want.

2. An ATS-friendly resume has no length restrictions. In fact, longer is probably better. More content means it will contain more of the relevant keywords the ATS will be looking for.

More About Executive Resumes and Successful Job Search

Is Your Executive Resume an Interesting Read?

Stop! Before You Write Your Executive Resume or LinkedIn Profile …

How Storytelling Makes Executive Resumes and LinkedIn Profiles Dazzle

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• Career Advice
• What to Say When Emailing a...

What to Say When Emailing a Resume (with Examples)

10 min read · Updated on June 12, 2024

Introduce yourself professionally when you email your resume

You've written the perfect resume and tailored it to the role you're aspiring to. What should you do next? A few years back, you'd have printed it off on some quality paper, addressed an envelope in your best handwriting, posted it off, and settled in to wait for a response. These days, though, it's more common to email your resume. It's faster, it's more professional, and it's easier to share a file than a printout.

But if you're going to email your resume, what should you say? Should you attach a cover letter? How much detail should you include? 

So many questions! 

But fear not, TopResume is here to help you decide what to say when emailing a resume, and we have answers to all these questions and more. Settle in as we guide you through it.

Should I email my resume?

Yes! It's absolutely fine to email your resume when you apply for a job. In fact, it's usually preferred to printed correspondence these days. Of course, the most important point is that you should follow the instructions on the job posting. If it requests a printed resume or a resume uploaded via an online portal, you should definitely apply in line with those instructions. However, if there are no specific instructions, an email application is advisable. Just make sure you're addressing it to the right person!

General rules for emailing your resume

Before we get into the specifics, let's refresh on some general guidelines for emailing your resume to a company. After all, first impressions count, so using proper email etiquette is important.

Use a professional email address. “ HotLips69@...” may have seemed cool and funny when you set up the account, but does it really convey that you're a credible professional? If necessary, set up a new email account to use for job applications – and remember to check it regularly for responses!

Add a clear subject line. Make the point of your email clear with a logical  subject line – you could include the job title of the vacancy you're applying for, for example, or refer to the fact that the email is a job application or resume.

Choose a professional greeting. Think “Dear [name],” or even just “[name],” rather than “Hiya” or “Greetings.” While email is less formal than a letter, you still need to keep the tone professional.

Be concise. Short,  snappy paragraphs are easier to read on a screen, and no one wants to trudge through pages of waffle to find the information they need. Respect the reader's time by keeping it simple.

Add a formal sign-off. A version of “thank you” and your name is sufficient – you may also want to add your professional title, a contact number, and a link to your portfolio if you have one.

Don't forget the attachments! Make sure that you've actually attached your resume (and your cover letter, if required). Ensure they have sensible file names, too: “Jay Miller – Resume” or “J Miller – Sales Executive Resume” is more professional and easier to retrieve than something like “JM 010224 v3” or simply “Resume.” Also, double-check the file type that you're sending – check out our article  Word vs PDF  if you're not sure.

What to say when emailing your resume – the detail

So now we've reviewed the basics of email etiquette, let's get down to business. You need to know what to say when emailing a resume. Well, the exact wording will vary depending on the situation, the role, and your personality, but you'll certainly need to include the following:

Why you're emailing

Your reader may have a ton of open vacancies and is likely to receive many resumes for each one. Make their life easier by clearly stating the role you're interested in applying for. If you have a reference number for the vacancy, you can include that too.

Your elevator pitch

Briefly explain who you are , what you do, and why you're the right person for the open role. This doesn't need to take up a lot of space or be very detailed – the key thing here is to be convincing enough for them to want to open your resume document to find out more. Include whatever information is most pertinent to the role – that could be your academic qualifications, your industry experience, awards and accolades, or particular skills. Refer to the job posting to find out what the company wants to see in a successful candidate and ensure the requirements are reflected in your email.

A call to action

Encourage the reader to open your resume, reach out with further questions, or schedule an interview. This one little line can show your enthusiasm for the role, emphasize your professionalism, and prompt your reader to take the next step in progressing your application.

What to say when emailing a resume – sample messages

Do you need a bit more inspiration to craft your message? Take a look at these sample emails and use them as a frame for your own resume email. Remember, the job advert is your cheat sheet when it comes to deciding what details to prioritize here.

What to say when cold emailing a resume

To: Katie French

From: Matthew Cole

Subject: Sales resume

I've long admired XYZ Inc. as a leading supplier of home tech solutions and have heard many positive reviews about your company as an employer. To that end, I am attaching my resume in the event that a sales vacancy may soon arise.

As you can see, I have enjoyed a successful 10-year career in technology sales and am a committed user and advocate of your products. This year, I am on track to exceed my sales target by 46%. I would bring an extensive network of industry contacts and a proven ability to motivate sales teams to surpass expectations.

If there are no suitable vacancies at the moment, please feel free to keep my resume on file for future reference. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Matthew Cole

Sales Manager, Acme Products

What to say when emailing a resume in response to a job posting

Subject: Sales Executive vacancy (Ref: ABC123)

In response to your advertisement for a Sales Executive, I am attaching my resume. As you can see, I combine eight years of sales experience with a degree in Marketing and three awards for excellence in sales roles. 

The advertised role is particularly interesting to me, as it will allow me to leverage my expertise in technical sales, provide the opportunity for international growth, and establish trusted relationships with your clients to open new avenues for revenue and increased sales.

Please don't hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions; I look forward to discussing my suitability further with you at an interview.Thank you for your consideration,

Sales Executive, Acme Products

What to say when emailing a resume to a recruiter

Subject: Healthcare Roles

Dear Katie,

I saw on JobBoard.com that you are recruiting for several healthcare roles, and would like to submit my resume for your consideration. I combine 10 years' experience as a Healthcare Assistant with numerous industry certifications and consistently receive positive patient feedback.

I look forward to hearing from you,

What to say when emailing a resume to follow up on a conversation

Subject: Finance Manager follow-up

Following our phone discussion earlier today, I would like to reiterate my interest in the Finance Manager position and attach my resume for your consideration.

As you can see, I am currently fulfilling the Finance Manager role at XYZ Company and am looking forward to developing my career within a global organization. I have a master's degree in Business Administration, as well as extensive experience in managing the finance function within a security business. I look forward to bringing my leadership skills to your team of finance experts.

Please reach out to me at 555-555-5555 when you have had a chance to review my attached resume.Regards,

Finance Manager, XYZ Company

What to say when emailing a resume following a referral

Subject: Events Manager vacancy

Dear Ms French,

Please find attached my resume. I have been referred to the Events Manager position by one of your colleagues, John Day, who I previously worked with at ABC Inc. Having delivered many successful events with John as my manager, I'm flattered that he has now asked me to apply for your open role. 

I've recently delivered a conference for 800 international delegates and a team building event for 5 national teams, both of which were very well received and were completed within challenging budgets. I am confident that I can bring a similar level of client satisfaction to DEF Inc. and look forward to discussing the position further with you.

Please don't hesitate to get in touch to schedule an interview at your convenience,

555-555-5555

Should you attach a cover letter when emailing a resume?

Now we've covered what to say when emailing a resume, it's time to consider the cover letter. As you can see, we recommend that the body of the email be kept short and concise. If you feel the need to include more detail, you can consider attaching a cover letter as well as a resume. There's no obligation to do this unless a letter is specifically requested as part of the application instructions, but it does give you the opportunity to expand on key points of interest.

Top tip: You may like to read our article on  how to write a cover letter to make sure you get this part of your application bang on!

How long does it take to hear back after emailing a resume?

Don't panic if you don't hear back immediately! While email is a speedy way to apply, recruiters and hiring managers receive many resumes for every open role and need time to sift through them, create shortlists, and schedule interviews. That said, certain recruiters have a reputation for ghosting unsuitable candidates, or your application may simply have been overlooked, so there's no harm in following up after a week or two if you haven't heard anything.  

What to write in a follow-up email

Subject: Communications Assistant vacancy (ref: 12345)

I emailed my resume to you last week in response to your advertisement for a Communications Assistant. I just wanted to check that you'd received it, and to reiterate that I remain very interested in the role.

If you didn't receive the resume or have further questions regarding my application, please do get in touch with me either via email or by phone at 555-555-5555.

Email with confidence

Now you know what to say when emailing your resume in any situation, you're ready to apply for your dream job! Use this checklist to make sure you've nailed it before you hit the send button:

Correct email address and personalized greeting

Appropriate subject line

Clarification of the role you're applying for

Elevator pitch

Call to action

Professional sign-off

Attachments attached

Final proofread

If you feel that your resume isn't quite ready to be unleashed upon the world, why not get an expert opinion? Our free resume review will explain which areas need further work before you submit your application.

Recommended reading:

How to Write the Perfect Goodbye Email to Co-Workers & Clients

The Networking Email That Works Every Time

How To Use AI To Prepare For A Job Interview

Related Articles:

Guide to Writing a Great Resume with No Work Experience

How To Write a Sick Leave Letter (with Template and Example)

Resume Mistakes: Red Flags Employers Are Looking For

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