Executive Resume Example

An executive resume is read by a board member, a chief executive or a search firm partner, usually in under a minute before they decide whether to call. They look for the size of what you ran, the results you delivered and the kind of situation you are good at: growth, turnaround, integration or scale.

The Sample resume below is for a vice president of operations in his sixth year at executive level, who runs a manufacturing division with a $240 million budget and 1,100 people. Each bullet is a business result at the level the reader thinks in: margin, revenue, working capital, safety and the leaders he hired. There are no task lists; an executive is judged on outcomes and on the team left behind.

Write the summary as a short positioning statement and tailor it to the situation each company is in. If the role is the top job, with a board and investors to answer to, the CEO example shows how that page differs. The operations manager example shows the step below, and the Executive template suits this level.

Updated . The person and employers in this Sample resume are fictional.

Executive sample resume

Raymond Castellano

Vice President of Operations, Manufacturing and Supply Chain

Pittsburgh, PAraymond.castellano@example.com(412) 555-0171

Summary

Operations executive with six years as a vice president and fifteen in manufacturing leadership, currently running a $240 million division of 1,100 employees across three plants. Raised operating margin by four points while growing volume, and rebuilt the leadership bench so that each plant now has a ready successor. Best in businesses that need to grow without losing control of cost, quality or safety.

Experience

Vice President of Operations, Brasswick Home Products

– Present

Pittsburgh, PA

  • Run manufacturing, supply chain and quality for a $240 million division with three plants and 1,100 employees, reporting to the chief executive.
  • Raised division operating margin from 9.5 to 13.6 percent over four years through a lean program, footprint changes and supplier renegotiation.
  • Led the $38 million consolidation of two plants into one, finished on budget and without a missed customer shipment.
  • Replaced four of seven direct reports and built a succession plan; two internal promotions now run plants.
General Manager, then Director of Manufacturing, Ashgrove Consumer Goods

–

Erie, PA

  • Ran a 420-person plant with full profit-and-loss responsibility for four years, then led manufacturing for two plants.
  • Cut recordable injuries by more than half through a safety program led by line supervisors, not the safety office.
  • Freed $11 million in working capital by reducing finished goods inventory while holding on-time delivery above target.

Education

M.B.A.

Maumee Bay School of Management, Toledo, OH

B.S. in Industrial Engineering

Allegheny Plateau University, Morgantown, WV

Skills

  • Profit-and-loss management
  • Operational strategy
  • Lean manufacturing
  • Supply chain
  • Capital planning
  • Mergers and integration
  • Executive team building
  • Board reporting
  • Labor relations
  • Change management

Certifications

  • Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, American Society for Quality,

Start yours from this example

Bring your own resume or start blank, then tailor it to each posting in about two minutes.

Use this example

Templates for the executive resume

All templates

How the resume changes with experience

The same executive resume, written at three levels: a summary and three bullets for each.

Entry level

Zero to two years, or a first role in the title

Newly promoted director stepping into a first executive role, with a record of running a single site or function and delivering its plan.

  • Took over a department of 120 people and delivered its annual cost plan in the first year.
  • Presented the function's results to the executive team each quarter.
  • Hired and developed three managers who now lead their own teams.

Mid level

Three to seven years, owns a process or a workload

Vice president with five years at executive level, leading a large function and accountable for its budget and results.

  • Lead a function of 600 people and a budget of $90 million.
  • Delivered a multi-year improvement program that raised margin and service levels together.
  • Sit on the executive team that sets company strategy and the annual plan.

Senior

Eight years or more, leads people, budgets or programs

Chief operating officer with fifteen years at executive level, accountable for all operations and a member of the board's strategy sessions.

  • Run operations across eleven sites in three countries for a $1.2 billion company.
  • Led post-merger integration of an acquired competitor, meeting the synergy target a year early.
  • Developed three leaders who became chief executives or presidents elsewhere.

Skills to put on the executive resume

Hard skills

Profit-and-loss ownership
The size of the budget and the results you owned are the first test at executive level.
Strategy into execution
Boards hire leaders who turn a plan into delivered numbers, so show both halves.
Capital allocation
Investment decisions carry long consequences, and your record with them shows judgment.
Mergers and integration
Many executive openings follow a deal, and prior integration work makes you immediately useful.
Talent and succession
Executives are judged partly on the leaders they develop, which is visible in promotions from their teams.

Soft skills

Clarity of direction
Large organizations move when priorities are simple, and interviewers listen for how you set them.
Board and peer influence
Executives win resources and alignment from peers and directors, not from authority alone.
Composure in hard decisions
Plant closures, layoffs and reorganizations happen, and search firms ask how you led through them.

Mistakes that cost executive interviews

  1. A resume that reads like a manager's

    Tasks and processes belong on a manager resume. At this level, lead each role with scope (budget, people, sites) and follow with business results.

  2. Too many pages

    Two pages is the limit for most executives. Summarize roles older than fifteen years in a short early career line.

  3. No positioning

    A summary that lists strengths in general terms gives a search partner nothing to pitch. Say what kind of situation you lead best and prove it with one result.

  4. Only percentages without a base

    Grew revenue significantly or cut costs sharply is weak. Give the starting size so the reader can judge the scale.

  5. Forgetting the team

    Boards care about the leaders you hired and developed. One line on succession or promotions from your team answers a question they will ask.

Questions about the executive resume

How long should an executive resume be?

Two pages for most executives. The first half of page one must carry the headline, positioning summary and most recent role, since that may be all a board member reads.

Should an executive resume have a summary?

Yes, a short one: your level, the scale you have run and the kind of situation you lead best. Skip generic leadership adjectives.

What is the difference between an executive resume and a CEO resume?

An executive resume covers a function or division inside a company. A chief executive resume adds the whole company's results, the board, investors and outside stakeholders.

Do executives still need a tailored resume?

Yes. Each company is in a different situation, growth or turnaround or integration, and the order of your results should match it.

Should I include board or advisory roles?

Include board seats and advisory roles in a short separate section. They show judgment outside your own company and help at the next level.

Related resume examples

All examples

Every application goes out fitting the job.

Paste a posting, get a resume rewritten for it in two minutes.

Tailor your resume — free

Free to start. No card. Same price on web, iOS and Android.