How to write a resume
Are you looking for your next big break? If you’re ready to take on a new challenge, a well-written CFO resume will open doors. You have roughly two pages to accurately convey your value to the hiring manager. Here are some tips to help you out.
Optimize your resume
Over 98.8% of Fortune 500 companies now use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). The software ranks incoming applications by how well they match the criteria of the job. Only the best matches will make it through the filter and into the decision-maker’s inbox. You can optimize your CFO resume by including specific keywords and phrases in the body of the content. Be sure to use terminology that applies directly to the position. You can refer back to the original job posting or look on the company website for inspiration.
Tell your career story
One of the biggest mistakes that professionals make when writing their resume is simply listing their experience. It’s not just about ticking boxes. You’re applying to be the head of the financial department - you need more than just a load of skills to get the job done. When you’re writing your application, it’s about sharing your professional journey with the reader. If you get this right, you will start to stand out in a sea of resumes for all the right reasons.
Put the spotlight on your value
As we’ve already mentioned, CFOs bring in a gigantic salary. When you’re writing your resume, it pays dividends to keep that in mind. At every turn, you need to show the hiring manager the value that you bring. There are plenty of opportunities to demonstrate this. For instance, you may choose to quantify the mass savings you made for a previous employer or share some important statistics on how efficient you’ve been in other roles.
Chief Financial Officer (CFO) resume examples
Are you struggling with a case of writer’s block? If you’ve hit a wall when it comes to writing your CFO resume, don’t panic. It can be hard to know what to say when you finally put pen to paper. We have what you need to get your creative juices flowing once more.
Let’s take a look at two core sections. The resume summary is a short introductory paragraph that explains what you’re bringing to the table. Think of it as an elevator pitch. The employment history section highlights the professional experience you’ve gained. Below, we share an example of a CFO summary and an employment history sample:
Summary example
Seasoned executive with proven success in overseeing finance strategy, operations, and performance for companies across diverse industries. Trusted member of the C-suite, known for providing sharp insights into financial trends and opportunities to drive profitability. Adept at managing relationships with lenders and negotiating lines of credit, loans, and other facilities to raise capital critical to business growth and expansion. Talent for leading and developing high-performing teams and creating a positive culture.
Employment history example
Solaris, Inc. – Los Angeles, CA 4/2022 to Present
Chief Financial Officer
Oversee financial operations for this leading solar EPC company serving residential and commercial clients. Lead team of 25 across accounting, finance, HR, and IT, mentoring on core competencies to provide team with the tools and knowledge to support exponential growth. Collaborate closely with legal team to shape litigation and contract strategies.
- Optimized revenue management and growth by devising a novel financial reporting system focused on margin opportunities and collaborating with sales and operations to strengthen go-to-market strategies
- Boosted profits and increased liquidity by sourcing and negotiating with new financiers to create low-cost funding options for customers
- Positioned company for continued growth by liaising with lender to evaluate, negotiate, and secure asset-based line of credit, providing additional funding
- Overcame supply chain challenges by cultivating relationships with key vendors to ensure access to limited products and meet in-stock requirements for projected order volume
Key hard and soft skills for Chief Financial Officers (CFO)
On traditional resumes, professionals tend to include skills sections. However, since you’re applying for a role at the highest level, you need to be more specific. You can split your hard and soft skills into two sections.
As you might imagine, the former will include only technical (i.e. hard) skills. In addition, you can weave some of these skills into the narrative in other resume sections. If you’re not sure which core skills to include, here are some examples.
CFO soft skills:
- Collaboration
- Verbal and written communication
- Vendor and bank negotiations
- Team leadership and development
CFO hard skills:
- Internal and external audits
- Financial analysis
- Oracle JDE EnterpriseOne
- MS Insights and Navision
Of course, the CFO hard and soft skills you include on your resume will depend on your expertise. Wherever possible, showcase how you have used these competencies to benefit the business at hand. For example, if you’re referencing a skill in your employment history section, elaborate on how that talent allowed you to excel at work.
Summary and last words
Writing your Chief Financial Officer (CFO) resume is the first step in the next part of your professional journey. If you’re ready to take things to a whole new level, you need a resume that speaks the hiring manager’s language. In this guide, we’ve shared some of the approaches you may choose to take. However, if you want to ensure job-search success, we highly recommend working with a team of expert resume writers.
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