English
My account

You control your data

We use cookies to tailor the experience of creating resumes and cover letters. For these reasons, we may share your usage data with third parties. You can find more information about how we use cookies on our Cookies Policy. If you would like to set your cookies preferences, click the Settings button below. To accept all cookies, click Accept.

Settings Accept

Cookie settings

Click on the types of cookies below to learn more about them and customize your experience on our Site. You may freely give, refuse or withdraw your consent. Keep in mind that disabling cookies may affect your experience on the Site. For more information, please visit our Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

Choose type of cookies to accept

Analytics

These cookies allow us to analyze our performance to offer you a better experience of creating resumes and cover letters. Analytics related cookies used on our Site are not used by Us for the purpose of identifying who you are or to send you targeted advertising. For example, we may use cookies/tracking technologies for analytics related purposes to determine the number of visitors to our Site, identify how visitors move around the Site and, in particular, which pages they visit. This allows us to improve our Site and our services.

Performance and Personalisation

These cookies give you access to a customized experience of our products. Personalization cookies are also used to deliver content, including ads, relevant to your interests on our Site and third-party sites based on how you interact with our advertisements or content as well as track the content you access (including video viewing). We may also collect password information from you when you log in, as well as computer and/or connection information. During some visits, we may use software tools to measure and collect session information, including page response times, download errors, time spent on certain pages and page interaction information.

Advertising

These cookies are placed by third-party companies to deliver targeted content based on relevant topics that are of interest to you. And allow you to better interact with social media platforms such as Facebook.

Necessary

These cookies are essential for the Site’s performance and for you to be able to use its features. For example, essential cookies include: cookies dropped to provide the service, maintain your account, provide builder access, payment pages, create IDs for your documents and store your consents.

To see a detailed list of cookies, click here.

Save preferences

CEO Resume—Examples and 25+ Writing Tips

You have the right executive skills to steer the ship. Now you need to show the board you’re the next Lynsi Snyder or John Legere. Do it with this professional CEO resume sample.

Tom Gerencer, CPRW
Career Writer at ResumeLab
CEO Resume—Examples and 25+ Writing Tips

CEOs have it easy. They get golden parachutes and relax while everyone else works hard.

 

Not true.

 

The CEO works harder than anyone, with 10x the stress. Everything is riding on your shoulders.

 

The BoD knows that. If your CEO resume doesn’t prove you’re Satya Nadella-level, they’ll see you as a liability.

 

You’ve got this.

 

To write a resume for CEOs that works, learn their needs, then show you can provide them. You’ve done that before.

 

In this guide:

 

  • A CEO resume sample better than most.
  • How to write a resume for CEO positions that earns their trust.
  • How to craft the perfect CEO job description for resumes.
  • Why you can’t just list CEO skills (and what to do instead).

 

Save hours of work and get a job-winning resume like this. Try our resume builder with 20+ resume templates and create your resume now.

 

Create your resume now

 

CREATE YOUR RESUME NOWceo resume example

What users say about ResumeLab:

I had an interview yesterday and the first thing they said on the phone was: “Wow! I love your resume.”
Patrick

I love the variety of templates. Good job guys, keep up the good work!
Dylan 

My previous resume was really weak and I used to spend hours adjusting it in Word. Now, I can introduce any changes within minutes. Absolutely wonderful!
George

Create your resume now

 

Looking for a different kind of executive resume? See our guides:

 

 

Haven't found what you're looking for? Check all our Resume Examples.

 

CEO Resume Sample You Can Copy and Use

 

Harley Yoshio

CEO

 

Personal Info

 

Phone: 401-612-7484

E-mail: harleyyoshio@gmail.com

linkedin.com/in/harleyyoshio

twitter.com/harleyyoshio

 

Summary

 

Driven CEO with 5+ years of executive experience and 8 years of professional experience. Seeking to raise earnings 40% at Quickbeam Tech. At AZQL Tech Global, raised revenue from $18M to $50M through organizational restructuring. A dynamic thought leader who drives revenue growth through employee engagement.

 

Experience

 

CEO

AZQL Tech Global

2014–2019

  • Delivered executive leadership for global tech firm with $50M in revenue, 7 business offices, and 500+ employees.
  • Reorganized corporate structure to create leaner, more market-driven business, leading to revenue growth from $18M to $50M in 5 years.
  • Leveraged employee leadership, idea collection, and policy deployment strategies to grow repeat business by 73%.
  • Developed relationships with 20+ new partners in Asia and Europe.
  • Opened 6 new product lines worth $15M using redundant employees.

 

Sales Executive

Goldspan Media

2011–2014

  • Developed improved sales strategy resulting in $11.2M in new business and 70+ new clients in 3 years.
  • Restructured 4 global sales departments to follow Agile work methodology, increasing productivity by 35%.

 

Education

 

MBA, Northeastern University

2009–2011

  • Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society.

 

BS Business Administration, Fairfield University

 

Additional Activities

 

  • Published 50+ articles in Forbes.
  • Member, NACEO

 

Volunteer Work

 

Board member, Rhode Island Hospital. Facilitated a fundraising and grant money increase from $5M to $12M per year.

 

Conferences

 

2019 — IFMA World Workplace — Keynote Speaker

2017 — CIO Executive Leadership Summit

 

Hard Skills: Business development, partnership development, organizational restructuring, business strategy

 

Soft Skills: Leadership, vision, EQ, communication, critical thinking

 

Here’s how to write a CEO resume that blows their hair back:

 

1. Select the Perfect CEO Resume Format

 

Your resume format is a first impression.

 

So—

 

Start with the reverse-chronological resume layout. It puts the best face on your resume for CEO jobs. List your current position first and remember about such details as:

 

CEO Resume Format

 

  • Choose a 2–4 page resume length. The best CEO resumes are like a trophy case of corporate accomplishments. Yours can’t be skimpy.
  • Pick a professional resume font like 10–12pt Calibri or Helvetica.
  • Set one inch margins.
  • Make it readable by adding white space.
  • Create resume sections like Heading, Summary, History, Education, and Skills.
  • Send an ATS-friendly PDF resume to look sharp across all devices.

Expert Hint: CEOs spend 56% of their time in meetings. That goes double for the BoD. Respect their time with a clean resume format that conveys your key points fast.

2. Write a Powerful CEO Resume Summary

 

Sell them in the first five minutes.

 

That starts with yourresume profile (in the form of resume resume summary or summary of qualifications).

 

That’s a quick elevator speech of your best features at the top of your CEO resume.

 

But—

 

To get attention, don’t just say, “I’m a strong leader with a track record of blah blah blah.”

 

To knock their cashmere socks off, show evidence of your best wins.

 

Use:

 

  1. An adjective (resourceful, engaging)
  2. Job title (CEO)
  3. Years of experience (5+, 9)
  4. How and who you’ll help (raise earnings 40% at Quickbeam Tech)
  5. Best CEO moments (raised revenue from $18M to $50M...)
  6. Some tempting skills (organizational restructuring, employee engagement...)

 

Finally—

 

Write it last to ease the strain.

 

These startup CEO resume examples drive success:

 

Resume CEO Summary—Example

Good Example
Driven CEO with 5+ years of executive experience and 8 years of professional experience. Seeking to raise earnings 40% at Quickbeam Tech. At AZQL Tech Global, raised revenue from $18M to $50M through organizational restructuring. A dynamic thought leader who drives revenue growth through employee engagement.
Bad Example
Experienced CEO with international and domestic experience in oversight, operations, marketing, and product distribution through multiple channels. Skilled in P&L and driving growth in startups and established organizations alike. A results-driven leader with a track record of success in strategic positioning. Excels in driving the bottom line.

Wow.

 

Both CEO resume samples sound good.

 

But the first one seals the value proposition with that $18M to $50M achievement.

 

The ResumeLab builder is more than looks. Get specific content to boost your chances of getting the job. Add job descriptions, bullet points, and skills. Easy. Improve your resume in our resume builder now.

 

CREATE YOUR RESUME NOW

 

CREATE YOUR RESUME NOWcreate your resume now

Nail it all with a splash of color, choose a clean font, and highlight your skills in just a few clicks. You're the perfect candidate, and we'll prove it. Use our resume builder now.

 

3. Strengthen Your CEO Job Description and Skills

 

What skills belong in a CEO resume?

 

Here’s a list:

 

CEO Resume Skills

 

Hard Skills

Soft Skills

Business Strategy

Leadership

Business Development

Interpersonal Skills

Partnership Development

Communication

Organizational Restructuring

Active Listening

High-Level Negotiation

Creative Thinking Skills

Risk Management

Problem Solving

Market Planning

Critical Thinking

Sales Forecasting

Persuasion

Budgeting

Vision

Media and Public Relations

Organization

Warning:

 

Don’t list all those skills. The board will see through that like a bad IPO.

 

To write a CEO job description for resumes:

 

  1. Learn the perfect resume skills by interviewing some insiders.
  2. Add them as keywords to your resume sections.
  3. Show you turned them into bottom-line results.

 

Follow these CEO resume samples:

 

Let’s say you’re applying to a company with $40M+ in revenue. It wants to grow revenue and gain repeat business.

 

It needs skills in executive leadership, organizational restructuring, policy deployment, new partner relationships, and new product lines.

 

CEO Job Description for Resume [Sample]

Good Example

Experience

 

CEO

AZQL Tech Global

2014–2019

  • Delivered executive leadership for global tech firm with $50M in revenue, 7 business offices, and 500+ employees.
  • Restructured organization to create leaner, more market-driven business, leading to revenue growth from $18M to $50M in 5 years.
  • Leveraged employee leadership, idea collection, and policy deployment strategies to grow repeat business by 73%.
  • Developed relationships with 20+ new partners in Asia and Europe.
  • Opened 6 new product lines worth $15M using redundant employees.
Bad Example
  • Manage sales and marketing budgets, reporting directly to CEO of company.
  • Spearhead plan to restructure the ecommerce department to reach profitability.
  • Contribute to CEO Committee plan to approve IT capital investment company-wide to improve data fidelity.
  • Develop and communicate internal health and wellness strategy to all employees.

That’s black and white.

 

The first of those CEO resume examples shows the skills and results they want.

Expert Hint: In an IBM study, CEOs said creativity is the most important job skill. But your resume for CEO jobs can’t just say, “creative.” It has to show bottom-dollar results. 

4. Draw Attention with Your Education Section

 

A resume for CEO positions needs an education section.

 

But sweeten the deal by adding extra.

 

This founder and CEO resume sample shows how:

 

CEO Resume Example—Education

Good Example

Education

 

MBA, Northeastern University

2009–2011

  • Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society.

 

BS Business Administration, Fairfield University

That’s Kevin Sneader-level.

 

That CEO resume example shows you were unstoppable even in college.

Expert Hint: A third of CEOs have engineering degrees. Only 11% have MBAs. Don’t feel self-conscious if your education wasn’t business-heavy.

5. Make Your CEO Resume Stand Out with “Other” Sections

 

Whatever it takes.

 

You need to show you’ll do that for the company.

 

Prove you’re on the clock even when you’re out-of-pocket.

 

How?

 

With a couple “other” sections:

 

  • Associations (NACEO, etc.)
  • Conferences, especially where you spoke
  • Publications or appearances
  • Volunteering
  • Projects
  • Additional activities
  • Languages
  • Sports activities

 

This sample CEO resume handles it:

 

CEO Resume—Extra Sections

Good Example

Additional Activities

 

  • Published 50+ articles in Forbes.
  • Member, NACEO.
  • Competitive sailboat racing team captain.

 

Volunteer Work

 

Board member, Rhode Island Hospital. Facilitated a fundraising and grant money increase from $5M to $12M per year.

 

Conferences

 

2019 — IFMA World Workplace — Keynote Speaker

2017 — CIO Executive Leadership Summit

That’s Bill McDermott-level.

 

Those hospital CEO resume examples show a competent and confident professional.

Expert Hint: Write a cover letter they’ll remember. To do that, show the intersection of your CEO accomplishments and the company’s finest attributes.

Double your impact with a matching resume and cover letter combo. Use our cover letter generator and make your application documents pop out.

 

CREATE YOUR COVER LETTER NOW

 

CREATE YOUR COVER LETTER NOWcreate your cover letter now

Want to try a different look? There's 21 more. A single click will give your document a total makeover. Pick a cover letter template here.

 

Key Points

 

Here’s how to write a CEO resume that convinces:

 

  • Use the CEO resume template up top. It puts your best executive achievements on the table.
  • Don’t just list CEO skills. Organizational restructuring and business strategy are important. But to drop jaws, show results.
  • Don’t be cowed by a non-MBA degree. Most CEOs don’t have MBAs.
  • Add resume sections that enhance your value. Volunteering or conferences show passion beyond your salary.

 

Got questions on how to write great resumes for CEO positions? Not sure how to put CEO on a resume? Leave a comment. We’ll be happy to reply!

 

About ResumeLab’s Editorial Process

 

At ResumeLab, quality is at the crux of our values, supporting our commitment to delivering top-notch career resources. The editorial team of career experts carefully reviews every article in accordance with editorial guidelines, ensuring the high quality and reliability of our content. We actively conduct original research, shedding light on the job market's intricacies and earning recognition from numerous influential news outlets. Our dedication to delivering expert career advice attracts millions of readers to our blog each year.

Rate my article: ceo
Thank you for voting
Average: 5 (6 votes)
Tom Gerencer, CPRW
Having published over 200 career-advice articles, Tom Gerencer is a career expert who covers the whole array of job-seeking topics for people at all career stages, from interns to C-suite members. His insights, commentary, and articles reach over a million readers every month. With inside knowledge of key industry players and in-depth research, Tom helps job seekers with advice across all professions and career stages. Tom holds a degree in English from Colby College.

Was it interesting? Here are similar articles

56 Resume Writing Tips and Tricks for 2023

56 Resume Writing Tips and Tricks for 2023

You can stop searching—this is the ultimate collection of best resume tips that can help you succeed in 2023. These resume writing tips will help to impress hiring managers.

Roma Kończak
Roma Kończak
Career Expert
Best IT Resume Examples & Template to Follow in 2023

Best IT Resume Examples & Template to Follow in 2023

You manage information like a pro, but retrieving data for your IT resume is hard or even impossible? No more. Follow our examples with expert tips and make a job-worthy resume.

Roma Kończak
Roma Kończak
Career Expert