The C-suite — so named for the job titles of the top executives in most companies — is the group of people at the top whose job it is to make sure the company runs smoothly and stays true to its mission. The Chief Operations Officer (COO), Chief Information Officer (CIO), Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) all work under a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to take responsibility for a specific company function, aligning their department’s inner workings with overall company plans and stakeholder expectations and driving profit.
These high-stress, high-stakes positions come with a long list of responsibilities and a compensation package to match. All C-level executives are expected to excel in senior leadership and communication, strategic thinking, decision making, and subject matter expertise. To get to the top, it also helps to have strong qualifications — like an MBA from a top business school — and industry connections. In 2023’s business climate, companies are increasingly looking for executives who can lead change management, understand shifting consumer behavior, and pave the way for growth and recovery.
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The chief operating officer (or COO) is an executive-level role. They have a wide array of responsibilities that relate to managing the logistics of day-to-day business operations. They oversee policy and procedures, planning and maintenance, staff operations, and legal compliance. They also set budgets, drive growth, and spearhead business outreach.
When recruiting a COO, many hiring managers will look for a candidate with a master’s degree in business, though a bachelor’s degree may suffice if combined with adequate experience. Most companies will be looking for someone with at least 10 years of work experience. The ideal candidate for a COO role typically has related experience in sales, marketing, finance, operations, or a combination of these fields. Additionally, it’s important that a potential chief operating officer has the right soft skills, such as public speaking, superb communication skills, problem-solving abilities, and people management.
Being that this is an executive level role, it’s expected that you will be a strong leader. It’s important to highlight your experience with managing teams and budgets on your resume. You’ll also want to highlight any experience you have making business decisions or enforcing new policies.
The COO oversees many aspects of an organization. As such, this role requires a candidate with developed project management skills. Showcasing any project management-related knowledge or certifications you have is a great way to stand out for this role.
As a COO, you’ll need to demonstrate your ability to lead first and foremost. You’ll be tasked with ensuring the company’s administrative and operational functions run smoothly, which requires strong leadership, management, communication, and analytical skills. Your resume should also include essential hard skills, including accounting and finance expertise, change management, and business and marketing strategy.
If you’re at the top of your career, you’re likely to have more than a few accomplishments you’re genuinely proud of. That doesn’t mean you need to include them all — when it comes to your resume, more isn’t necessarily better. Try to narrow it down to 3-5 bullet points from your most recent positions and 1-2 from older ones. You can and should leave out your less relevant positions to keep your resume to 2-3 pages.
The old adage “less is more” applies to your skills section, too. Don’t be tempted to include every skill you have, or even every skill you think you might possibly need on the job — that’s a lot! Instead, identify the top skills named in the job description and opt for those.
Typically second in command to the company’s CEO, the COO is a human resources C-level executive. Unlike the CEO, who serves as the public-facing leader of a company, the COO is focused on internal affairs, including payroll, training, recruitment, and legal services. To land a COO position, you’ll need the ability to take charge, to understand the company’s bottom line, and to communicate business needs to other departments.
Soft skills like leadership and communication are essential for executive-level positions, but they don’t belong on your skills list. Instead, demonstrate those qualities through your bullet points by including accomplishments like leading a team or overseeing a marketing campaign. If you can point to specific ways your leadership helped the company’s bottom line, even better.
If you have achievements that you can quantify, do so. This is especially true for C-suite positions that are expected to directly influence company outcomes. An accomplishment like “drove 150+ employees in a consumer company to grow revenue from $150M to $450M over 5 years” is far more impressive than a vague “led a large team to drive revenue.”
Chief marketing officers are often found in large organizations with sizeable marketing teams. This is an executive-level role that oversees several aspects of the marketing department. The CMO manages the staff of the marketing team, conducts research, makes high-level decisions about marketing campaigns and messaging, develops plans to enhance revenue growth, and more.
When hiring a CMO, organizations will be looking for someone with a strong educational background and considerable marketing experience. Hiring managers may look for a candidate with a master’s degree in marketing or business. Additionally, hiring managers will want a candidate with progressive work experience, in roles such as a lead generator, advertising account manager, or brand manager. Hiring managers will be looking for someone with previous management experience, superb communication skills, and strong marketing know-how.
The CMO is often tasked with developing or improving marketing campaigns within a company to drive growth. As such, it’s important that you highlight the experience you have with developing new campaigns and improving old ones. Additionally, it’s important to highlight exactly how much growth you were able to drive with the changes you made.
In today's age chief marketing officers will be expected to leverage an array of software tools to collect data, conduct research, and launch campaigns. As such, it’s important to highlight your literacy with common marketing software, such as Marketo, Pardot, and Salesforce. To land this role, you should also detail how you utilized software to drive marketing results in the past.
A CMO — also known as a Marketing Director or Global Marketing Officer — needs a strong business acumen, experience with marketing and social media, and understanding of current market trends. You should emphasize your skills in brand management, product development, and customer service, as well as technical skills like search engine marketing (SEM) and search engine optimization (SEO).
Being able to show that you’ve worked your way up the corporate ladder to your current position is good. Demonstrating the initiative, drive, and loyalty to move up internally within a company is arguably even better. If you’ve held multiple positions at the same company, highlight that by listing the job titles separately under the same company heading.
When applying for a C-level marketing position, you’ll want to focus your resume on your most relevant experience and achievements. That means prioritizing executive-level and marketing experience, accomplishments that show how you drove your company’s marketing strategy and revenue, and skills like sales, digital strategy, and brand management.
While a CMO is a C-level executive position, it remains firmly tied to the sales and marketing division of a company. While all C-suite roles are concerned with increasing a company’s profitability and market share, the job of a CMO is perhaps the most closely linked to revenue. As such, you’ll want to emphasize your marketing and advertising skills, particularly in the increasingly important realms of social media and E-Commerce.
When applying for a job, you don’t need to list every role you’ve ever held. Companies want to see your marketing expertise, so tailor your resume to emphasize your most relevant job history. This goes for keywords, too — skills like social media, advertising, and lead generation are more valuable inclusions than more generic business or technical skills.
Leading with a strong action verb is the best way to frame your accomplishments in a positive, proactive light. Verbs like “managed” and “spearheaded” demonstrate your ability to lead a team, while “increased” and “transformed” highlight the impact your decisions had on the company.
As a Chief Information Officer (CIO), you'll be responsible for overseeing the technological infrastructure and strategies within a company. The tech landscape is constantly evolving and the demand for skilled, visionary CIOs is higher than ever. To stand out when applying for such a role, it's crucial that your resume demonstrates your ability to navigate these changes and deliver impactful results. Highlighting your experience with recent industry trends and showcasing tangible improvements in the companies you've worked for can make a significant difference.
Remember, as a CIO, you'll be playing a vital role in shaping the technological future of a company. Your resume should not only showcase your technical skills, but also your leadership and strategic capabilities. Potential employers will be seeking a CIO who can balance big-picture thinking with attention to detail, leading teams to successfully implement new technologies and systems.
In your resume, emphasize your experience in steering IT planning and implementing technological strategies that align with overall business goals. This demonstrates your ability to work cross-functionally, which is essential for a CIO.
As the most senior technology executive, a CIO needs to demonstrate skills in project management, finance, and strategy, as well as technical skills like coding, programming, and mapping. Your resume should balance showcasing executive-level leadership, communication, and management skills with hard skills in SQL, operating systems, cloud computing, cybersecurity, and software management.
When it comes to C-level positions, potential employers don’t just want to know what you’ve accomplished, they want to know the impact your actions had on the company’s bottom line. Including hard metrics — whether that’s 55% improved efficiency in a system you designed or a 300% increase in net profit — will explicitly highlight that.
If you’ve worked your way up to a C-level position, chances are you have a fairly extensive work history. You don’t need to include your entire background on your resume — focus on the most recent and most relevant positions (usually the past 10-15 years) and omit the rest.
A CIO — sometimes referred to interchangeably as a Chief Technology Officer — is the executive in charge of a company’s technology and research and development departments. As a CIO, you’ll be charged with leading your company’s technology strategy, keeping up to date with new trends, making sure systems are running smoothly, and liaising with executives from other departments to ensure the technological needs of the entire company are being met.
CIOs need technological know-how, but as you progress along the corporate ladder, the importance of specific technical skills becomes balanced by the need for soft skills like leadership. Instead of listing these as you would normal hard skills, use your bullet points to illustrate how you’ve put these skills to use in a corporate environment.
When writing your bullet points, take a moment to consider whether adding a little more information would help them sound even more impressive. Managing a $200,000 annual budget for a small business is a very different accomplishment than managing a $15 million annual budget for a multinational corporation, so be specific about the context of your achievements.
As a Chief Financial Officer (CFO), you'll play a critical role in shaping the financial health of a company. Your resume should emphasize your strategic financial acumen and ability to drive growth and profitability. Recent industry trends point towards the importance of technology and data-driven decision-making in the CFO role, so showcasing your experience in these areas is essential.
When crafting your CFO resume, keep in mind that hiring managers will be scrutinizing your ability to manage financial risks, optimize capital structures, and contribute to overall business strategy. Make sure you highlight your accomplishments in these areas and demonstrate how you've made a significant impact at previous companies.
In your resume, emphasize your financial leadership skills, such as budgeting, forecasting, and financial analysis, as well as your ability to build strong relationships with stakeholders and develop high-performing finance teams.
Demonstrate your expertise in leveraging technology and data to drive financial decisions and improve business performance. Mention any specific tools or software you've used, such as ERP systems or data analytics platforms, and share examples of successful projects or initiatives you've led.
If you’re applying for CFO positions, you’ll need to demonstrate skills in financial analysis and reporting, forecasting, portfolio management, and mergers and acquisitions. You should also emphasize a strong background in auditing or accounting, including a business or finance degree and often a professional finance or accounting qualification like Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), Chartered Institute of Management Accountant (CIMA), or Certified Management Accountant (CMA) accreditation.
When it comes to your resume, first impressions count — and that goes for your bullet points, too. Start your accomplishments out on the strongest note by using action verbs at the start of each bullet point. Starting your sentences with words like “drove,” “maximized,” and “orchestrated” highlights the specific role you played in each of your achievements.
If you’re applying for a CFO position, your skills section needs to include hard finance skills including auditing, forecasting, and private equity. Don’t be tempted to clutter it with unrelated skills, no matter how impressive they are — keeping your skills list short and sweet keeps the focus on what you can bring to this job in particular.
The CFO is the top finance position in major companies and the most senior leadership position in the financial industry. As a CFO, you’ll be responsible for your company’s financial actions, including cash flow, financial planning, taxation, and new business ventures. You’ll also be tasked with providing cost-benefit analysis of initiatives across different departments, meaning your resume needs to highlight soft skills like strategic communication alongside technical skills.
To land an executive-level role, you’ll need to demonstrate steady career progression. You can show promotions on your resume in two ways — by listing the job titles separately under one company heading, or by emphasizing higher responsibilities in your bullet points. Even without a formal promotion, you can use your accomplishments to demonstrate career growth.
With a long enough career under your belt, your past roles may include some outside the finance or business leadership sector. While it can be tempting to include everything, your resume doesn’t need to be a comprehensive overview of your entire job history. Focus on your roles specific to finance, or those demonstrating transferable skills if you’re a career changer.
E-Commerce is a growing trend, which means that some companies — particularly larger companies — are hiring specifically for E-Commerce CFOs rather than lumping it in with the regular finance department. As an E-Commerce CFO, you’ll generally need a traditional finance background alongside technical know-how, communication and marketing skills, and experience specifically in E-Commerce. On your resume, emphasize your past E-Commerce roles and highlight transferable skills through your bullet point accomplishments.
When applying for a job, it’s always a good idea to list the exact job title at the top of the resume. Where it’s applicable, list past job titles in the same format — for example, listing E-Commerce Chief Financial Officer or E-Commerce Executive Vice President rather than a slightly more generic job title.
If you’ve picked up a short course or extra qualification that’s relevant to E-Commerce, you can list that briefly in an additional information section at the bottom of your resume. This section should only be a few lines and should be restricted to the move relevant skills or certifications, like technical skills and E-Commerce bootcamps.
We spoke to hiring managers and recruiters at top companies like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft to understand what makes a great executive-level resume. The following tips are based on their insights and will help you create a strong resume that showcases your leadership experience and qualifications for a C-level role.
Recruiters want to see your leadership skills and experience managing teams. Use specific examples to show how you led initiatives, projects, or departments.
Avoid vague or generic statements that don't provide any context or results:
When applying for executive-level positions, a well-crafted resume summary can be a valuable addition to your application. While not required, a strong summary statement allows you to provide context for your experience, highlight your most relevant qualifications, and showcase your value proposition to potential employers. It's especially useful if you're making a career change or have a diverse background that may not be immediately apparent from your work history alone.
However, it's important to avoid using an objective statement, which is an outdated practice that focuses on what you want from an employer rather than what you can offer them. Instead, use your summary to succinctly convey your unique blend of skills, experience, and achievements that make you the ideal candidate for the role.
As a C-level or executive, your work experience section is the most important part of your resume. It's where you'll highlight your career progression, key accomplishments, and the impact you've made at each company. Here are some tips to make sure your work experience section stands out:
The education section for executive and C-level resumes should be concise and strategic. It's crucial to showcase your relevant degrees and certifications without taking up too much space. Here are some key tips to help you craft an effective education section that will impress potential employers.
C-level executives need drive and vision. Your accomplishments should show you as the driving force of change, progress, and results, which means you need to structure your bullet points proactively. The best way to do this is to start each bullet point with a strong action verb.
For each accomplishment, decide what skill you’re trying to emphasize, and choose your action verb accordingly. Are you applying for a role at a company that needs a new strategy to turn around a floundering quarter? Start with verbs like “spearheaded” or “reorganized.” Is the company looking at a major period of expansion? Try “developed,” “expanded,” and “launched” to highlight times you were at the forefront of growth.
For more related action verbs, visit Leadership Action Verbs.
For a full list of effective resume action verbs, visit Resume Action Verbs.
As you move up the corporate ladder, the skill set you need is likely to completely change. As a C-level executive, you’ll find yourself less in need of the specific technical skills you’ve used this far in your career, and more in need of senior-level soft skills – leadership, strategy, and change management in particular.
There are two ways to find the skills and keywords you need to include in your resume. The first is to carefully look through the job description and pick out the most important skills listed, then make sure to include them somewhere on your resume — either in your bullet points or in a separate skills list. The second is to use our extensive list of skills and keywords and free Targeted Resume feature to ensure your resume has everything it needs to bypass Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and land at the top of the pile.
You can include the above skills in a dedicated Skills section on your resume, or weave them in your experience. Here's how you might create your dedicated skills section:
This word cloud highlights the important keywords that appear on C-Level and Executive job descriptions and resumes. The bigger the word, the more frequently it appears on job postings, and the more 'important' it is.
You should use bullet points to describe your achievements in your C-Level and Executive resume. Here are sample bullet points to help you get started:
Promoted within 12 months due to strong performance and organizational impact - ahead of schedule by 12 months
Overhauled the company's website by increasing graphics usage by 50% and mobile responsiveness by 100%; generated 70% more leads via email capture forms, reduced bounce rate by 20%
Managed team of four analysts to prepare training and proposal materials for strategic development of relationship with client
Managed a 10-member cross-functional (engineering, product, sales, support) team and coordinated with five business partners towards the successful launch of an e-commerce website
Developed go-to-market strategy for ~$100 million B2B market segment; led cross-functional team of 15+ internal stakeholders to prepare new product offering
For more sample bullet points and details on how to write effective bullet points, see our articles on resume bullet points, how to quantify your resume and resume accomplishments.
Thank you for the checklist! I realized I was making so many mistakes on my resume that I've now fixed. I'm much more confident in my resume now.
