As you start writing your chief executive resume, you will realize the structure isn't all that different from resume writing you have done in the past. As you know, the responsibilities and experiences you need to highlight to land an executive position hold great importance on your resume, because a CEO has ultimate responsibility for the company. Therefore you need to feature the correct experiences to make the cut.
For a CEO resume, you will need to highlight your relevant professional experiences alongside an education section in addition to the right hard and soft skills that make you fit for an executive position. Choosing a resume structure that reflects all of these attributes while also looking slick and professional may seem challenging, but it’s possible once you find an appropriate format. You can choose from the following:
Remember, for each format, you will still need to include the following information and sections in your resume:
To create the best professional resume, you should include a header at the top of the page. This will feature all the contact information that the hiring manager will look for in order to contact you, so make sure it is accurate and includes the following:
Your resume summary is crucial to a CEO's resume, as you should have a lot of experience and achievements to convey. A resume summary will highlight your best accomplishments while visually looking as professional as possible. Your summary should only be a few sentences and briefly outline your achievements and experience. Here is an example:
"Pioneering and determined Chief Executive with ten years of experience in managing teams and creating the best business strategies to take startup businesses off the ground."
Although focusing on your accomplishments and experience is important, all the best resumes also contain a robust skills section driven by bullet points. Skills are particularly important for applicant tracking systems (ATS), which employers use to scan resumes for skills that match up with similar keywords used in the job description. Here are some examples of skills you will need to include in your resume:
Your experience section will likely be lengthy for a CEO resume and take up the most significant portion of your page. Make sure you go in reverse chronological order, talking about your most recent and relevant position first.
You don't need to go into too much detail with your education section, but you still need to include it within your resume. This should consist of your places of study, their location and your credential (e.g., bachelor's degree). You don't need to have any specific information on classes, modules, etc. unless they're particularly relevant to the position you want.
For example, if you're applying for a CEO position at a public relations firm, mentioning that you specialized in public relations when studying business administration course would be valuable. Remember, you can also use your cover letter to detail your studies further.
You should always include a cover letter for a CEO application. This will help you go into detail about your years of experience while providing evidence that you have the skills mentioned in your resume. You can use Resume Nerd's cover letter template to help you with this.
As you will have many years of experience, your resume likely won't all fit on one page. For an executive resume, this is okay. However, your resume shouldn't be any longer than three pages, as many hiring managers will receive many resumes and won't have time to read that much content.
You should read each job description thoroughly and edit your resume accordingly. This means none of your resumes should be completely the same but instead showcase your relevant skills to match each position you apply for. You can also use a resume builder to help you accomplish this.
