CIO Sample
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As you get ready to write your CIO resume, your first thought may be to do an Internet search of CIO resume examples. That won’t get you very far, though, because that particular search string will return more than one million results!
Which one of those million websites are you going to rely on?
When you reach the executive level, the resume you submit for an open position has to tell a story of achievement and career progression. A lot of people in the tech space make the mistake of writing a resume that’s really tech-heavy, but there are a lot of non-tech-related things that go into being a leader.
In this article, you’ll learn how to write an interview-winning Chief Information Officer resume. We’ll give you an example and a lot of tips and tricks so that you end up with a document that puts you head and shoulders above the competition – other executive job seekers.
How to write a Chief Information Officer resume
By the time you reach the top rung of your career ladder, you should be able to establish yourself as an expert in your field and in motivating others to succeed. But you can’t word-vomit everything you’ve done during your career onto your CIO resume. If you sit back from your computer and your screen looks like a big wall of text, you have some editing to do.
Clear, yet concise
Always keep this in mind: Your resume gets the interview, the interview gets the job. The place for explanations and the time for expanding on ideas is the interview. Your resume should provide just enough about your career to pique the interviewer’s interest so they want to invite you to an interview to ask you questions. If you tell them everything on your resume, what would be the point of talking to you?
Two pages: Keep your resume to two pages – max! In fact, the only time to use a third page is if you need the space to call attention to career extras, like publications, specialized research, or public speaking engagements.
10-15 years: Stick to detailing the last 10-15 years of experience – even if you have 25 years under your belt. Times change! Your resume needs to be focused on current experiences so that it stays fresh and relevant.
Keep it simple: It can be tempting to design an overly complicated and heavily formatted (“pretty”) resume. Avoid doing this at all costs because you are writing for the applicant tracking system – ATS – and the human hiring manager. Your best bet is to use the reverse-chronological resume format – that’s even what the CIO resume example is written with later in this article.
Create a personal brand: Think of your resume as a marketing document. What product is it marketing? You! It’s the first step in proving to the hiring manager that you have what it takes to be a successful CIO. What do you have to say to them to make them see what value you bring? That is your personal brand.
Target your resume to a specific job: You can only prove your worth to a hiring manager if you write your resume specifically for the job they have open. This is why tailoring your resume with the appropriate keywords is so important. Read the job description to find out what they need their new CIO to do, and write your resume to fit within that context.
The right structure
Since you know that you’ll be using the reverse-chronological resume format, the next thing to know is how to structure the content you add to your document. You’ll notice that this format is devoid of text boxes, images, charts, graphs, and designer fonts. Instead, make it aesthetically pleasing by shading your headline with a colored background and contrasting font color and by using different font colors on the section titles.
After you’ve figured out the color scheme you want to use, all you have to do is fill in the template:
Profile paragraph
What are the most impressive accomplishments and skills on your resume? That’s the information to include in your profile paragraph, AKA resume summary.
A resume summary is a brief introduction at the top of your resume, highlighting your work accomplishments. The goal of the summary is to grab the attention of the reader. If your summary wows them, they’ll keep reading.
Skills section
Your Skills section, often named “Core Competencies,” is a list of the skills and knowledge that make you a qualified candidate. Following your summary, it's good to include at least 10-12 relevant core competencies that showcase your ability to succeed.
Your core competencies section not only grabs the attention of human resume readers but also supports an ATS-friendly resume to get past ATS software. Refer to the job description to ensure you list all the core competencies you possess and are required for the job.
Career achievements (optional)
When you get to the executive level of your career, it’s a good idea to draw some attention to your biggest achievements. You can pull these out of your work history and allow them to stand on their own. Having a “Career Achievements” section is a great way to prove that you have what it takes to succeed in a new CIO position.
Add about five bullet points that highlight the things you’re most proud of from your career. These should all be quantifiable achievements that show real results from your past.
Professional experience
Most of your resume should outline your work history. In your work experience section, include your relevant job titles, employers, and the dates you were employed. Below each position, you’ll include your key accomplishments in a bulleted list. The bullets for each position will provide potential employers with the information they need to determine if you're the right fit for the job. To create an impactful resume, start each bullet with a strong action verb and include as much quantifiable data as possible.
Let's dissect some bullet points from the CIO resume example to demonstrate how to write an effective Work Experience section for your resume.
Spearhead business and technology partnership in process redesign to achieve business needs and establish application delivery roadmap.
This indicates an ability to recognize and act upon business needs by proactively optimizing processes and developing related vision. To really add a punch, include quantifiable data, like:
Spearhead business and technology partnership in process redesign to achieve business needs and establish application delivery roadmap for 10 departments.
The following bullet shows a talent for cultivating mission-critical relationships in order to drive business strategy.
Collaborate with executive business and technology stakeholders, industry leaders, and trusted colleagues on roadmap status and issues.
An example of customizing this bullet point to include quantifiable data might be:
Collaborate with more than 30 executive business and technology stakeholders, industry leaders, and trusted colleagues on roadmap status and issues to reduce project management inefficiencies by 15%.
Chief Information Officer resume example
If you need inspiration to get started on your own CIO resume, refer to the following CIO resume example. You can even use this example as a template to create your own.
Name
Title
City, State or Country if international
Phone | Email
LinkedIn URL
CIO PROFESSIONAL
Visionary and strategic technology leader with repeated success leading enterprise IT operations, developing architecture, and optimizing data analysis. Extensive experience directing cross-functional teams in the design and integration of leading-edge technology solutions. Expert at launching technology programs that safeguard data, streamline operations, drive innovation, and advance business strategy. Seasoned team builder focused on acquiring and developing high-performing leaders and fostering cultures of excellence.
CORE COMPETENCIES
Strategic Planning
C-Level Engagement
Budget Management
Process Engineering
End-User Training
Cyber Security
Performance Improvement
Team Building & Training
Quality Assurance
Report Automation
Risk Analysis & Mitigation
Disaster Recovery
Project Direction
Enterprise Solutions
Policy Governance
Regulatory Compliance
Infrastructure Management
Mergers & Acquisitions
Leadership Development
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
DIRECTOR - IT POLICY SYSTEMS
Tower Group Companies/Amtrust North America, Jersey City, NJ | 06/2005 – 01/2012
Responsibilities
Promoted from project manager to director role to spearhead company’s largest-ever project and manage multiple legacy systems.
Instrumental in new enterprise Personal and Commercial Lines Policy Administration platform selection.
Led Company’s custom design and implementation of Accenture Duck Creek platform for Personal Lines franchise consisting of 7 States with Home, Auto, Package and Dwelling Fire Lines of Business.
Strategized and directed all Policy Administration system development phases two-year conversion project upon acquisition of One Beacon Company.
Collaborated with CIO and executive team to optimize internal operations and coordinate all aspects of transformational project that changed the core of the company’s IT infrastructure.
Completed all milestones within rigid deadlines and strict quality standards; enabled the company to bring the system live while meeting aggressive corporate forecasts and objectives.
Owned and managed all technical and business projects related to company’s legacy systems
CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER
AIG, Berkley Heights, NJ | 04/2015 to Present
Responsibilities
Manage accountability for delivery of award-winning, groundbreaking program design recommendation engine; automate end-to-end workflow to optimize AIG’s Multinational business and drive substantial cost savings.
Spearhead business and technology partnership in process redesign to achieve business needs and establish application delivery roadmap.
Collaborate with executive business and technology stakeholders, industry leaders, and trusted colleagues on roadmap status and issues.
Direct high-performing teams in delivery, reporting and risk mitigation of roadmap priorities with precision communication of strategy throughout the project life cycle.
Expertly manage $15MM annual budget; met Executive Management annual production demand.
Provide exceptional oversight to 100+ person Vendor network, comprising project management, development and business analyst resources in the end-to-end execution of project deliverables.
Lead core management team that drove adoption of Agile utilizing the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe).
Uncovered and introduced groundbreaking system efficiencies that slashed annual costs and led to dramatic increases in productivity.
VP - IT BUSINESS SYSTEMS
Tower Group Companies/Amtrust North America, Jersey City, NJ | 01/2012 – 04/2015
Responsibilities
Commanded day-to-day operations of enterprise-critical, client-facing policy administration, including development, implementation and on-going maintenance of all projects.
Expertly managed concurrent enterprise system projects, emphasizing those with C-level exposure.
Strategized implementation plans, estimating effort, and cost and managing progress; mitigate risks and resolve issues throughout the project life cycle on multiple, concurrent system initiatives.
Optimized a $10M+ annual budget and team of 50+ project managers, developers, analysts, and quality testers onshore and offshore.
Successfully converted acquired Company’s legacy system; yielded annual multi-million-dollar savings.
Enhance vendor management system comprising budget and staffing for multiple Vendor relationships.
EDUCATION
Complete School Name, City, St/Country: List Graduation Years If Within the Last Ten Years
Complete Degree Name (Candidate) – Major (GPA: List if over 3.3)
Relevant Coursework: List coursework taken (even include those you are planning on taking)
Awards/Honors: List any awards, honors or big achievements
Clubs/Activities: List clubs and activities in which you participated
Relevant Projects: List 2-3 projects you have worked on
Key hard & soft skills for Chief Information Officer resume
Your Chief Information Officer resume should include a healthy blend of hard and soft skills. Hard skills, also referred to as technical skills, are measurable and can be learned through hands-on learning or training.
Soft skills, also referred to as people skills, are skills you learn and hone throughout your life. They’re not easily measurable and can even be difficult to describe. Still, they’re necessary to succeed in most jobs in today’s world.
Chief Information Officer resume hard skills
Here are examples of common hard skills for a CIO resume:
Strategic Planning
C-Level Engagement
Budget Management
Process Engineering
End-User Training
Cyber Security
Performance Improvement
Team Building & Training
Quality Assurance
Report Automation
Risk Analysis & Mitigation
Disaster Recovery
Project Direction
Enterprise Solutions
Policy Governance
Regulatory Compliance
Infrastructure Management
Mergers & Acquisitions
Leadership Development
Comp TIA Security+
CompTIA Network+
Ethical Hacking
ITIL v3 Foundations
Office 365
SharePoint
Cloud Services
After Action Reviews
Post Implementation Reviews
Migrations
Chief Information Officer resume soft skills
Here are some necessary soft skills commonly found on a CIO resume:
Detail oriented
Leadership
Problem-solving
Time management
Adaptability
Communication
Interpersonal skills
Teamwork
Creativity
Summary & last words
Writing a standout resume takes thoughtful consideration. Using the correct format and structure is critical to ensure you pass an ATS and excite hiring teams. From there, it's also vital that you have a stellar resume summary and a work history section that shows vs. tells why you're the person for the job. To do so, incorporate valuable data about your skills and accomplishments.
The included Chief Information Officer resume example shows how to incorporate these elements on a page. The template is also formatted to be easily read by both humans and computers.
So, you now know how to write your Chief Information Officer resume with a resume template to guide you. However, if you feel you need a bit more support in crafting your resume, consider hiring a resume writer.
Introduction to ZipJob: Professional resume writers
When writing your resume feels like hearing nails on a chalkboard, know you're not alone. Many people struggle with sharing about themselves or the technical aspects of writing a resume, in general. And even if you're good at writing it, you might not have the time to dedicate to making your resume the best it can be.
The good news is you have access to a team of professional resume writers to help you write your resume, so you don't need to go through the stress of doing it alone. Our team of writers collaborates with you so you have a Chief Information Officer resume you can be proud of and trust will land you interviews.
Why you should make use of our resume writing services to land your next job as Chief Information Officer
You get that when it comes to leadership skills and working with all elements of information analysis and technology within an organization; you're the person for the job. However, writing an outstanding Chief Information Officer resume might not be in your wheelhouse or your favorite thing to do. Fortunately, it is precisely what the ZipJob team of resume writers does - help you write a stand-out resume you can trust will stand out to prospective employers.
Resume Writing Service for Chief Information Officer: Let us write your resume
The ZipJob team of writers has expertise across hundreds of jobs in numerous fields. They’ve written thousands of resumes for all types of positions, including those seeking a Chief Information Officer role. Our resume writing service will help you get past an employer’s ATS while also ensuring you make a positive first impression with hiring managers. The hiring team for each job application you submit will quickly see your outstanding accomplishments, competencies, and knowledge that showcase your ability to succeed. You can trust you’re in excellent hands to support you in landing your next leadership role as Chief Information Officer.
