2 Exceptional Executive Resume Examples (with Writing Guide!)

How do you manage to do both of those with a 15+ year career history?

Writing a resume as a C-level executive can feel overwhelming!

That’s why we’re here with these helpful executive resume samples. Here at Let’s Eat, Grandma, we’ve written over a thousand successful resumes for job seekers across every industry and experience level. Our professional business writing consultants know a thing or two about resumes, and we’re happy to share our winning formula with you.

These C-level executive clients (names changed) came to us with two different but equally serious issues: one resume was too long, and the other was too short!

We worked with them to distill their long, impressive careers into executive resumes that were concise, yet thorough. Thanks to a few factors, these resumes convey a large breadth of experience while still maintaining a recruiter’s attention.

Check out these executive resume examples (both before and after our rewrites), then read on for some actionable tips.

Looking for more personalized advice on how to make your executive resume stand out? Submit your resume for a free critique by one of our senior resume writers. 

Executive resume examples (before and after)

Chief Revenue Officer (CRO)

Before

After

Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Before

After 

What makes these executive resume examples great?

1. We cut down lengthy descriptions 

We get it – you have a lot of experience, and the job has a lot of responsibilities.

However, you should never have descriptions on your resume that are longer than a few lines.

While aspiring CRO Christopher was on the right track with separating his experiences into paragraphs and bullets, his phrasing was too wordy and buried his great content under unreadable mountains of text.

Hiring managers need to be able to scan through your resume to quickly find what they need. That’s why we rephrased Christopher’s experiences into short, distinct categories with skill-specific bullets.

2. We highlighted impressive content with key accomplishments

CEO Robert had the opposite problem: His resume didn’t have enough content. His experiences were well-phrased, but with just a few simple phrases for each job, they didn’t convey his expertise.

Removing Robert’s previous, pre-1995 jobs not only prevented age discrimination, it gave us room to elaborate on his most recent job.

We filled his job description with easy-to-read bullet points featuring his top specific accomplishments, dynamic verbs, metrics, and last but not least, keywords from the job descriptions.

3. We added a robust Summary of Qualifications

A good Summary of Qualifications (NOT an Objective Statement!) is a necessary part of any resume. With your long career, it’s downright crucial.

Make sure to write a concise summary that mentions:

• Your experience level (with a number of years)
• Your key areas of expertise
• Specific accomplishments

Don’t be afraid to use bolding, italics, and even bullet points with notable accomplishments in your summary.

Writing your executive resume

These examples provide a glimpse into the world of successful executives and offer guidance on how to effectively showcase skills, experiences, and accomplishments in a compelling manner. By studying these examples, you can gain insights into the strategies, formats, and content that resonate with hiring managers at the executive level.

However, it is essential to remember that these executive resumes are not one-size-fits-all templates. While these examples can serve as a starting point, it is crucial to tailor your resume to your unique background, industry, and target roles. The examples should inspire you to think creatively, adapt the formatting and language to reflect your personal brand, and highlight the specific qualifications that make you an exceptional executive candidate.

If the prospect of writing an executive resume sounds like a daunting task, you might want to consider an executive-level writing service. Professional resume writers will work with you one on one to identify your key accomplishments and determine the most effective way to present them.

Whether you chose to create it by customizing these examples to your unique background and goals or enlisting the help of a qualified professional, your new executive resume will position you as an exceptional candidate in the eyes of hiring managers and open doors to exciting executive opportunities.