You’ve got broad industry knowledge and you see the big money picture like no one else. But employers don’t know that without proof. Use this sample CFO resume to give it to them.
Highly effective CFO with 7+ years of experience, skilled in leadership and finance. Seeking to improve finances at Execulink Community Services. At CentuFund, helped raise revenue from $3 million to $22 million through carrying out 6 acquisitions and redesigning operational flows. Worked with cross-functional teams to improve accounts collections by 28%.
Work Experience
CFO
CentuFund
June 2012–May 2019
Increased company revenue from $3 million to $22 million per year through 6 targeted acquisitions and spearheading a lean management system across the business.
Worked closely with cross-functional teams to reverse a downward trend in past-due account collections with better automated outreach.
Researched and secured a $2M line of credit. Used resulting free cash flows to generate an additional $10M per year in revenue.
Raised sales by 160% by analyzing existing programs and redesigning marketing and advertising spending plans.
Assistant CFO
20L Partners
Jan 2010–May 2012
Assisted in a project to raise revenues by $1M per year. Analyzed product offerings and refocused the business on higher-profit business areas.
Increased profit margin from 10% to 23% in 15 months by shifting away from commodities and into new product development.
Education
2005–2009 Haas School of Business
Masters in Business Administration
Pursued a passion for corporate accounting classes.
Created a small business student project with $90,000 in annual revenue.
Skills
Hard skills: Developing financial strategies, creating budgets, strategy planning
Soft skills: Interpersonal skills, leadership, communication, problem solving
Activities
Volunteer CFO, Heppleblue Montessori School. Increased funding by 35%.
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CFOs are executive-level officials who manage the financial side of a corporation or other organization. They track a company’s cash flow and handle financial planning and analysis. A CFO resume must show strong leadership skills and skills in creating sound fiscal strategies.
You only get one shot to make a first impression.
Make your CFO resume as crisp as a freshly-tailored Kiton.
A good font for resumes is Cambria in 10 or 12 point size. Just like in a financial report, leave a little white space for tired eyes.
Send a professional resume file in PDF. Don’t send an MS Word chief financial officer resume. Word resumes can lose value in transit.
Pro Tip: Do PDFs conflict with ATS hiring software? Not in 2019. But double-check the job description to see if it forbids them.
2. Make a CFO Resume Objective or Resume Summary
Six seconds.
That’s how long most hiring teams look at each CFO resume.
Yours should stand out like Jack Welch in a McDonald’s.
Do that with a resume summary. That’s the top-line info in your resume, restated.
Here’s the key: fund it with your most impressive CFO achievements.
Pro Tip: Your summary is just the elevator pitch—not the full presentation. Write it after you’ve done due diligence on the rest of your resume for CFO jobs.
3. Tailor Your Resume to the CFO Job Description
The board doesn’t want to hire the wrong candidate.
They’ll pay close attention to which resume fits the CFO job best.
Home in on the CFO skills the hiring team mentions in the job ad. Focus on both your hard and soft skills.
Pro Tip: Show a mix of soft skills and technical skills in a resume for CFO jobs. The board wants to know you’re a well-rounded applicant.
When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building your resume here.
Pro Tip: When following up on a job application, keep it positive and short. Give them three days, then a week before you check back in.
That’s it!
That’s how to write a resume for CFO positions.
Be honest: will your CFO resume wow them or leave them wanting? What’s the hardest part for you about writing a resume for CFO positions? Give us a shout in the comments. We’d love to talk!
Tom Gerencer, a Certified Professional Résumé Writer (CPRW), is a career expert who has published over 200 in-depth articles on Zety. Since 2016, he has been sharing advice on all things recruitment from writing winning resumes and cover letters to getting a promotion.
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