CEO Resume Example & Writing Guide
- Why use this CEO resume example?
- Which key skills are relevant to a CEO's resume?
Being a CEO puts you at the top of the corporate ladder. If you want to get that coveted CEO position, then your resume has to be top-notch and second-best just won’t do. That’s okay. We’re here to help you craft a CEO-worthy resume. Read on for some solid information and tips on how to create an outstanding resume.
Why use this CEO resume example?
One of the biggest challenges for executive-level job seekers is to keep their resume short. Your executive resume should be one or two pages at the most. You’ll notice that our example CEO resume is quite short. You only need to detail the last 10-15 years of experience; it’s not necessary to list every single job you’ve ever had.
Focus on your most relevant skills by incorporating them into your introduction, professional experiences, and accomplishments. The single most important thing a CEO does for a company is to provide leadership. Your resume has to drive home the point that you’re an outstanding leader. Each of your professional experiences should include something about how you led the organization and teams. Use your achievements to highlight how your leadership made the company successful.
Speaking of achievements, make them quantifiable. How many people did you oversee? How large was your organization? How much money did you make or save for the company? Using numbers to quantify your accomplishments is important because it gives your potential new employer a frame of reference and allows them to clearly understand the scope and size of your achievements. This is especially critical for executive positions because they are key to making a company successful and profitable. Demonstrating how you’ve done that in the past is crucial.
Lastly, present your educational background, including the name of the degree or certification, school, and location. Anything more than that is optional and takes extra space on your resume. Keep everything brief and include just the most important facts.
Which key skills are relevant to a CEO's resume?
As the top executive for the company, you’ve got to have a lot of great skills. The skills you put on your resume need to fit the role you’re seeking. Read the job description carefully, highlight the skills and keywords, and use those words as often as possible when describing your job duties and achievements.
Below is a list of some of the top skills for a CEO’s resume:
Clear communication
Employee recruiting and retention
Specific market and customer knowledge
Business acumen
People management
Strategic thinking
Financial management
Summary example
Influential CEO, COO, GM, and business consultant with global and domestic operations experience in the pharmaceutical, personal care, cosmetics, and animal care industries. Strong track record of driving brand awareness, sales, revenue, and profits for industry leaders and small businesses. Confident and creative marketer, social media expert, and sales professional with a strategic mindset and proven success capitalizing on growth opportunities in highly competitive markets.
Employment history example
CEO at Earthly Beauty Group, Inc. 2012 - Present
Created a luxury beauty and wellness brand from the ground up targeting the wellness and spa demographic. Managed every aspect of the business from infrastructure, branding, product packaging, multi-channel sales strategies, eCommerce strategies, and distribution.
Key Accomplishments:
Conceptualized and built the brand from scratch; created and managed every aspect of the business – from business ideation to brand and product development, trademarking, manufacturing, and distribution.
Launched two web-based store fronts and built online distribution. Enjoyed monthly revenues of $5K after only six months at Amazon.com.
Negotiated and closed all contracts for all outside consultants, legal, financial, manufacturing, purchasing, distribution and sales.
Designed comprehensive SEO, SEM, and PPC strategy to spur sales growth and generate leads; drove external demand from Facebook, YouTube, and Google SEM activities.
Principle at ABC Consulting 2010 - 2012
Advised small business leaders in Europe on strategies to enter the US market. Focused on social media and marketing.
Key Accomplishments
Hired as a contractor to overhaul a client’s infrastructure; restructured P&L goals, launched a new website, and secured distribution of over 170 products.
Recommended an exit strategy for a client’s US strategy after being assigned to evaluate the business platform; delivered on timeline within two years.
Director, Channel management at Pfizer, Inc. 2007 - 2010
Created and developed a groundbreaking strategy for retail and OTC channel within Pfizer’s Animal Health Division. Gained senior leadership and board approvals to launch a new business unit from the group up within targeting the previously underserved OTC distribution and agricultural retail.
Grew the business from $32M to $40M in year one; created a P&L structure, securing $1M windfall due to data driven/analytical pricing modeling.
Hired a team of 13 people and developed a 12-month marketing roll-out campaign with the Marketing Director and Brand Manager.
Education example
Executive MBA at Stern School of Business, New York University, New York
Bachelor of Science in Economics at Fordham University, New York
Skills example
Social Media and Digital Marketing
DTC Sales and B2B Distribution
Team Building and Leadership
Market Research and Analysis
Startup and Established Organizations
