Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Resume Template & Examples

You’ve got what it takes to be a CEO: experience, charisma, exceptional leadership skills, and 20/20 strategic vision. You could be in charge of anything: a tech startup, a manufacturing giant, even a 17th-century ship (if you only knew what all those sails and ropes were called).

But how do you package your awesomeness on a single page and create a CEO resume that makes any board of directors want to hire you? Well, here’s how.

This guide will show you: 

• A CEO resume example better than 9 out of 10 other resumes.
• How to write a CEO resume that will land you more interviews.
• Tips and examples of how to put skills and achievements on a CEO resume.
• How to describe your experience on a resume for a CEO to get any job you want.

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Check out these other executive and management-related resume guides:

• Executive Resume Sample & Guide
• General Manager Resume Sample & Guide
• IT Manager Resume Sample & Guide
• Director of Operations Resume Sample & Guide
• COO Resume Sample & Guide
• CTO Resume Sample & Guide
• Consulting Resume Sample & Guide
• More Example Resumes for 500+ Jobs

Chief Executive Officer Resume Example

Now, this is how to write a CEO resume:

1. Choose the Best CEO Resume Format

Whether you’re a top executive at a multinational corporation or the president of a small business, you keep things clear and orderly so your company succeeds.

It works the same on a CEO resume—

For the owner or board of executives to get the most out of your resume, it has to be easy-to-read, neat, and in order.

In other words, format it right with the perfect CEO resume template.

Here is how to format your CEO resume:

• Start with your contact details in the resume heading area.
• Use bold and large headings to identify the various resume sections.
• The chronological resume format is usually the right resume format to choose.
• Select the best resume font size and style, and use white space to help guide the hirer’s eye along your resume.

Pro Tip: Send them a PDF resume unless the job ad specifically asks for one in Microsoft Word. The PDF format ensures it’s able to render correctly no matter where they decide to view it.

2. Write a Professional CEO Resume Summary or Objective

Also called a profile statement for resume, the resume objective or summary gives the board of directors a quick introduction into who you are.

In a few sentences, use this intro to talk up your executive experience, management skills, leadership background, and impressive achievements. Here's how to write a CEO profile:

Choose the resume professional summary if you have over 2 years as the top exec. The summary statement concisely details your leadership experience while including a proud numbered achievement or two to show the top brass that you’re top-notch.

Choose the resume objective if you have less experience at the highest levels. The objective statement gives them your career goals, but also provides a key accomplishment to show off your past wins.

Pro Tip: This CEO profile statement goes at the top of your resume, but don’t write it until the very end. This makes it easier for you to sort what you’ll write there, since you will already have thought of your top skills and achievements by then.

3. Create the Perfect CEO Job Description for a Resume

It doesn’t matter if you’re a local restaurant chain CEO or the chief executive officer of an international company.

Nothing tells them more about how well you’ll fit than the resume work experience section.

So—

Here’s how to write the best CEO job description for a resume:

• Start with your current or most recent job, then follow it with the one before, and so forth.
• Place your business titles on top of each entry, followed by dates worked, then the company name, and 5 or 6 bullet points outlining your executive and managerial responsibilities. Reduce them to 3 or 4 bullet points as it gets farther back in your work history.
• Use power verbs (e.g., achieved, established, etc.) to begin each bullet point entry.
• Give a quantifiable professional achievement or two for each job listing.
• Instead of a generic resume, tailor this resume to the specific job.

Pro Tip: Adding the right achievements will be critical to your success, both here and at the interview. Pick your most impressive wins, make sure they’re related to company management, and use numbers to verify just how awesome those accomplishments were.

When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.

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When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and our resume checker will tell you exactly how to make it better.

4. Make Your CEO Resume Education Section Shine

The education resume section on a CEO resume is where you get to brag about all your business school lessons and MBA program achievements.

But—

It still needs to follow the proper resume layout.

Here’s how to ace the test in your resume education area:

• Add your highest degree first, including your major, minor (if applicable), college name and location, relevant coursework, Latin honors, etc..
• If you have a second advanced degree, add that next.
• Don’t include high school on CEO resumes, unless you haven’t finished any college yet.

Pro Tip: Relevant coursework for a CEO doesn’t just mean business management and leadership classes. If you have, add coursework related to the industry to which you are applying.

5. Highlight Your CEO Skills on Your Resume

According to the BLS, by 2026, there will be an increase of 8% in top executive positions in the US, which include CEOs, COOs, CFOs, and all those other acronyms.

That’s almost 200,000 other execs to stand out amongst.

So—

Show them your leadership, management, and professionalism go above and beyond with the best CEO skills resume section they get:

CEO Skills for a Resume

• Business Strategy & Planning
• Works Well Under Pressure
• Business Finance
• Management Operations
• International Business
• Business Law & Business Ethics
• Sharp Attention to Detail
• Accountability & Determination
• Accounting & Finance Management
• High-Stakes Negotiation
• Risk Management
• Business Analysis & Intelligence
• Organizational Restructuring
• Public Relations & Media Relations
• Project Management Skills
• Verbal and Written Communication Skills
• Management Skills
• Decision Making Skills
• Critical Thinking Skills
• Interpersonal Skills
• Creative Thinking Skills
• Time Management Skills
• Problem Solving Skills
• Technical Skills
• Leadership Skills
• Collaboration & Teamwork

However—

You won’t display visionary leadership by taking this list and just adding it to your executive CEO resume.

Here’s how to add CEO skills to a resume correctly:

• Jot down the work skills you have, both management related and those which relate to the specific industry. Include soft skills and hard skills.
• Get the CEO job description out, and keep it open for the duration.
• Highlight manager skills and leadership abilities from their job requirements. Those are the best resume keywords to use, because that’s what they’re looking for.
• If a highlighted entry matches something on your skills list, add it to your CEO resume!

Pro Tip: As their next CEO (let’s be optimistic!), hard skills will be trade- or industry-related, while soft skills will revolve more around people management and effective leadership.

6. Add Other Sections to Your CEO Resume

You’ve now written a solid resume for CEOs.

However—

You can make it even better.

Every other executive candidate will include those same core resume areas (CEO profile, education, job history, and education).

To make the best CEO resume possible, stand out by adding extra sections.

Here are several executive extras to put on a resume for CEO jobs:

Sample First Time CEO Resume Extra Sections

• Resume certifications
• Language proficiency levels
• Project portfolio
• Accomplishments and awards
• Memberships on a resume
• Hobbies and interests
• Volunteer experience

7. Attach a CEO Cover Letter to Your Resume

If you went over to your HR department, most of them would tell you that a resume without a cover letter is insufficient.

And, that’s especially true when applying to executive jobs.

So—

Don't neglect the cover letter.

Here are a few tips to writing a cover letter for CEO jobs:

• Consider the cover letter format before you begin writing.
• Start the cover letter with a powerful introduction.
• Showcase your management experience and executive aptitude.
• Add key achievements here, as well, to verify your leadership capabilities.
• Close the cover letter with a compelling ending statement.

Finally, have a look at our great cover letter tips, as well as our articles on how long should a cover letter be and what to include in a cover letter, to really ace yours.

Pro Tip: Don’t forget to follow up after sending your resume. And, as you wait, go ahead and prepare for that interview!

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

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See more cover letter templates and start writing.

Got any questions on how to write a resume for CEOs? Need more CEO CV examples? Not sure how to talk about leadership skills, management certifications, or executive achievements? Get at us in the comments below, and thanks for reading!

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