Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Resume Example, Tips & Tricks
You’ve made it to the top of the career ladder and landed a role as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO)! It’s more than simply knowing your way around numbers. You take the reins when it comes to the business’ long-term financial goals, budgets, and objectives. Managing all of the above comes complete with a hefty salary of $393,377, on average. If you’re ready to take the next step in your professional life, you’ll need a stellar CFO resume.
If you’re looking for your next challenge, you’ve come to the right place. Here at TopResume, we have everything you need to support your career progression. In the following guide, we will be taking a look at how to write a CEO resume, examples of what you should include in a couple of the resume sections, and some handy tips and tricks.
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.
Introduction to TopResume: Professional resume writers
Allow our team of professional resume writers to help you along the way. Armed with an optimized CFO resume, you can land more interviews and get hired faster. When you’re aiming high, taking that extra measure and investing in yourself is never a bad idea.
Since launching our exclusive service, we’ve helped more than a million job seekers in reaching, and even exceeding, their long-term goals. Rated as “excellent” on TrustPilot, we have the tools you need to succeed and you can put your professional growth firmly in our hands. TopResume’s Ultimate Package is tailor-made for C-suite professionals, featuring a resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn page written by an executive-level writer.
Why you should make use of our resume writing services to land your next job as a Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Writing a succinct and effective application is one of the biggest hurdles that executives face when applying for new positions. When you’re shooting your shot for the top position, you need a perfectly-pitched, optimized Chief Financial Officer (CFO) resume. However, it can be hard to know which pieces of information to include and which to leave out.
On top of that, since you’re applying for a top position, the hiring manager will expect your CFO resume to look the part. Unless you happen to be a design master, crafting an exceptional-looking resume can be challenging. Choosing to work with resume writers means that you get everything in one place - astounding content and a professional look.
Resume writing service for CFOs: Let us write your resume
Here at TopResume, we make things easy. Our exclusive business and management resume writing service is the ideal solution. You’ll have the opportunity to work with one of our elite writers and gain the tool-kit that you need for your career success. Rather than merely listing your qualifications and skills, our team will work to create a compelling story that piques hiring managers’ interest. The end result is a document that encapsulates your value and shows the reader you are more than an average candidate.
Who are the TopResume writers?
Billie J.
Senior Resume Writer
4+ years of experience
4+ years of experience
Bachelor of Arts in Humanities and Classical Studies
Bachelor of Arts in Humanities and Classical Studies
Billie is a passionate writer whose mission is to write impactful resumes to support career growth, evolution, and transition targets. Billie’s love of the written word spans her entire life, and she enjoys utilizing that passion to empower successful career transitions.
Traci K.
Senior Resume Writer
10+ years of experience
Master of Arts in English
Traci has a Master of Arts in English and has been writing since middle school. After spending several years in marketing, she used her writing skills and corporate knowledge to help job seekers put their best foot forward and achieve their career goals.
Jeremy Z.
Senior Resume Writer
15+ Years of Experience
Bachelor of Arts in English and Business Writing
Jeremy has helped 6K+ clients gain the confidence to apply for and get their dream jobs. His educational background in English and business writing and dedication to supporting clients’ needs inspire him to deliver top-tier career support.