8 Senior Leader Resume Skills: What You Need

Stand out from the crowd with the right senior leader resume skills!

Writing an interview-winning resume is no easy feat, especially when you have your sights set on a leadership position. Competition is, after all, fierce! This means you must stand out from the crowd.

How do you do that?

It all comes down to showcasing the right senior leader skills on your resume. You know you have what it takes to succeed as a leader, but you have to prove it to prospective employers. If your resume skills aren’t shining through, you’ll miss out on some great opportunities to climb the career ladder.

Let’s talk about the 8 senior leader resume skills you need to set yourself apart from other job seekers. Here, you’ll find answers to the following questions:

What should a senior-level resume include?
How do you describe leadership skills on a CV or resume?
How do you explain leadership skills?

1. Strategic thinking

Strategic thinking is a key skill for leaders!

Most of the success of a company centers around having a clearly defined set of goals and a clear vision of the future. As a leader, you must use strategic thinking to put plans into place to achieve those goals. On top of that, you have to be able to navigate complexities along the way.

Strategic thinking on a leadership resume

Use Specific Examples: Include specific instances where your strategic thinking made a significant impact. Did you lead a project that improved company efficiency? Did you develop a new business model that increased revenue? Be specific.
Quantify Achievements: Numbers speak louder than words. Whenever possible, quantify your achievements. For example, “Implemented a new sales strategy that increased revenue by 20% over six months.”

Examples of strategic thinking senior leader resume skills include:

Big picture thinking
Goal setting
Challenge the status quo
Anticipate change
Change management

Strategic thinking resume summary example:

Experienced senior leader with a proven track record in strategic planning and execution. Known for anticipating and managing change and navigating complex issues to increase market share. Challenge the status quo to turn around underperforming teams and drive as much as a 30% increase in territory expansion.

Strategic thinking resume experience examples:

Spearheaded the development of a strategic plan that expanded the product line and increased revenue by 25%
Analyzed industry trends and customer needs to create an operational roadmap that optimized resources and increased efficiency by 18%
Captured an additional 15% market share within 1 year by developing a new market entry strategy for a novel product line

2. Communication

Awesome leaders communicate well. They constantly communicate with people – from customers to employees to stakeholders – and must be able to convey their messages concisely and clearly.

Communication is a transactional exchange involving verbal, written, and body language queues. You want to make sure you showcase this important skill in your resume in both the summary and the work experience to strengthen your claim.

As a manager, you should be an engaging storyteller when communicating with your team. This will help motivate and inspire them to do well in their positions. To reflect this talent on your resume, focus on details like who, what, where, when, and why.

Communication on a leadership resume

Highlight Diverse Communication: Mention your experience with various forms of communication, such as public speaking, written reports, and digital communication platforms.
Showcase Leadership in Communication: Include instances where you led meetings, workshops, or large presentations. Highlight your role in facilitating discussions and driving consensus.
Quantify Impact: You should use numbers as often as possible in your resume. So, quantify the impact of your communication. How many projects were led to successful conclusions because of your ability to communicate effectively? How many meetings do you hold on a regular basis to discuss the status of ongoing events/projects? How many people attend those meetings?

Examples of communication senior leader resume skills include:

Public speaking
Written reports
Digital communication
Meetings and workshops
Active listening
Team collaboration
Conflict resolution

Communication resume summary example:

Transformational leader with extensive experience communicating complex ideas to diverse audiences, leading cross-functional teams, and fostering a culture of open dialogue. Known for bridging the gap between executive leaders and front-line workers by distilling complex initiatives into manageable tasks and clearly articulating the duties of each staff member. Understand the importance of employee retention and leverage active listening and conflict resolution skills to reduce attrition by as much as 23%.

Communication resume experience examples:

Developed and delivered a series of training workshops that improved team productivity by 25% through enhanced communication and collaboration techniques
Led bi-weekly team meetings to discuss project progress and address any challenges, resulting in a 30% increase in team efficiency and a significant reduction in project delays
Created and presented a comprehensive business plan to the board of directors, which was instrumental in securing a $5 million investment for the company’s expansion

EXPERT TIP

You can learn more about the best ways to highlight communication skills in our primer on Including Communication Skills on a Resume (Examples and Tips).

3. Decision making

Do you know how to look at a scenario, figure out what’s going on, and then make a decision about how to proceed? If you’re attempting to secure a leadership position, you should be able to make decisions about what’s happening.

It may seem like decision-making isn’t super important, but companies want to know that the people they put into place to make decisions will make good ones. After all, the decisions made by leaders often affect the business as a whole – and can either fuel growth or drive things into the ground.

Decision-making on a leadership resume

Use Specific Examples: Include instances where your decision-making led to positive outcomes, including times when you made critical decisions that impacted the organization.
Emphasize Analytical Skills: Prove that you have the ability to analyze data, consider various perspectives, and make sound judgments.
Quantify Achievements: Provide measurable results (again, use numbers) of your decisions to emphasize their effectiveness.

Examples of decision-making senior leader resume skills include:

Strategic decision-making
Analytical thinking
Risk management
Data analysis
Problem-solving

Decision-making resume summary example:

Analytical senior leader with a progressive career and track record of making solid decisions that return substantial growth and record-breaking multimillion-dollar profits. Leverage data-driven insights by analyzing historical data and market trends to inform future-facing business decisions.

Decision-making resume experience examples:

Directed the launch of a new product line by making strategic decisions on market entry, pricing, and distribution, resulting in a 20% increase in annual revenue
Overcame a major supply chain disruption by implementing critical decisions that minimized downtime, maintained customer satisfaction, and improved delivery times by 15%
Chaired a committee that evaluated and selected a new software platform, leading to improved operational efficiency and a 30% reduction in processing times

4. Problem-solving

Problem-solving goes hand-in-hand with decision-making in that you have to be able to look at an issue and all of the tasks surrounding it to figure out a solution. Prospective employers like knowing the leaders they employ can solve problems because that’s part of where innovation and improved processes come from. It also builds trust because they know they can look to you to guide staff members through challenging situations.

Problem-solving on a leadership resume

Use Specific Examples: Include instances where you successfully resolved significant issues. Highlight the steps you took and the results achieved.
Emphasize Analytical Skills: Showcase your ability to analyze problems, identify root causes, and develop effective solutions.
Quantify Achievements: Provide measurable outcomes of your problem-solving efforts to emphasize their impact.

Examples of problem-solving senior leader resume skills include:

Problem-solving
Critical thinking
Root cause analysis
Creative solutions
Continuous improvement

Problem-solving resume summary example:

Creative problem solver and experienced senior leader with a history of identifying corporate issues and developing solutions to challenges. Consistently drive continuous improvement by resolving project bottlenecks and developing plans that prevent issues from reoccurring.

Problem-solving resume experience examples:

Led a task force to solve declining customer satisfaction scores–conducted root cause analysis and identified key issues to create new service protocols that increased customer experience and satisfaction scores 20% within 6 months
Discovered a major production issue and introduced lean manufacturing principles that increased efficiency by 25%, eliminated problem, and reduced waste
Created a plan to recover from a major IT system failure that restored functionality and improved uptime by 27%

5. Team building and development

A motivational leader gets the best results. They motivate and inspire their team through morale boosting, incentives, rewards, and more to increase performance. Increased performance goes hand-in-hand with increased revenues. This is best showcased in the work experience as an achievement.

Team building and development on a leadership resume

Highlight Leadership Roles: Mention specific instances where you led teams and facilitated their development.
Training and Mentorship: Include examples of how you have trained, mentored, or coached team members.
Quantify Achievements: Provide measurable outcomes of your team-building efforts, such as improved performance metrics or increased employee satisfaction.

Examples of team building and development senior leader resume skills include:

Team building
Talent development
Mentorship
Training programs
Employee engagement

Team building and development resume summary example:

Motivational leader with a history of building and developing peak-performing teams. Balance team engagement with organizational needs to foster a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement. Hand-picked by executives to broaden diversity, inclusion, and equity initiatives to empower underrepresented staff to climb the corporate ladder.

Team building and development resume experience examples:

Spearheaded a team-building initiative that increased employee engagement by 40% and reduced turnover rates by 25% within the first year
Developed and implemented a comprehensive training program that enhanced team skills and knowledge, resulting in a 30% increase in project completion rates and a 20% boost in team efficiency
Mentored junior leaders, providing guidance and support that led to promotion within the organization and contributed to a 50% improvement in leadership pipeline readiness

6. Visionary leadership

Strong leaders have an innate leadership ability that is almost second nature to who they are. The most effective and productive leaders are the leaders who stay true to their core beliefs. They don’t try to mold themselves; instead, they are able to lead confidently with their own style. They lead with integrity and honesty, balancing the ability to lead by example and get involved on a personal level when appropriate.

Leadership skills are especially important to highlight on resumes for any supervisory position. If you're going to be in charge of people, you need to show that you have experience!

Key Takeaway

Including leadership skills on your executive resume is an important way to separate yourself from your competition.

Visionary leadership on a leadership resume

Prove Your Achievements: Include specific examples where your vision led to significant advancements or transformations within the organization.
Showcase Innovation: Mention instances where you introduced innovative ideas or strategies that had a substantial impact.
Quantify Impact: Provide measurable results of your visionary initiatives to emphasize their effectiveness.

Examples of visionary leadership senior leader resume skills include:

Visionary leadership
Strategic planning
Innovation
Change management
Future-oriented thinking

Visionary leadership resume summary example:

Innovative leader with a reputation for steering impactful production operations, providing oversight for budgets up to $500M. Process improvement specialist known for managing change and uncovering areas in need of improvement to streamline workflows and elevate productivity.

Visionary leadership resume experience examples:

Led the development and execution of a transformative company vision that resulted in a 50% increase in market share and positioned the company as an industry leader
redefined organizational vision, aligning all departments with new strategic goals and increasing performance and employee engagement by 40%
Launched new green products, inspiring a cultural shift toward sustainability that increased the company reputation and improved sales by 25%

7. Financial acumen

Whether you’re going into a finance leadership role or not, you have to have some abilities with finance – at least a basic understanding of financial principles and data. This type of knowledge is key to being able to make sound business decisions with regard to budgets, sales forecasting, and profitability.

When you’re able to make informed financial decisions, you can effectively manage risks and allocate resources in a way that supports the financial solvency of the company.

Financial acumen on a leadership resume

Demonstrate Financial Responsibilities: Mention specific roles and responsibilities that prove you understand financial management.
Showcase Achievements: Include instances where your financial decisions led to significant improvements or savings.
Quantify Results: Provide measurable outcomes of your financial decisions and how they positively impacted the company you worked for.

Examples of financial acumen senior leader resume skills include:

Financial analysis
Budgeting
Forecasting
Cost management
Financial reporting

Financial acumen resume summary example:

Results-driven leader with diverse experience overseeing budgets and sales forecasts for small to mid-sized businesses (SMBs). Leverage progressive career experience to drive multimillion-dollar profits and expand business to new territories – sometimes by as much as 5 new territories at once.

Financial acumen resume experience examples:

Managed a $50M annual budget and reduced operational costs by 10% through strategic financial planning
Created a cost-saving plan that reduced expenses by 15% without sacrificing efficiency, resulting in $1.5M in annual savings
Turned around a struggling division by managing expenses and creating new revenue strategies that increased profits 25% within 2 years

8. Adaptability

If there’s one constant in life and business, it’s change. Part of being a successful leader is being quick to adapt to change and guiding your team through any necessary transitions. Those adaptations can involve anything from new strategies and structures to changes in processes or company culture.

Prove that you have what it takes as a leader by demonstrating to prospective employers that you’re capable of pivoting in a way that inspires confidence in your team and fosters resilience to ensure the company stays competitive.

Adaptability on a leadership resume

Highlight Change Initiatives: Mention specific instances where you led or managed significant changes within the organization.
Showcase Flexibility: Include examples of how you adapted to new roles, challenges, or market conditions.
Quantify Impact: Provide measurable outcomes of your change management efforts to emphasize their effectiveness.

Examples of adaptability senior leader resume skills include:

Change management
Adaptability
Resilience
Process improvement
Strategic agility

Adaptability resume summary example:

Versatile senior leader with a proven ability to manage change and drive transformation in the wake of organizational and market shifts. Successfully guide high-impact teams consisting of as many as 25 staff members through complex challenges by fostering a culture of resilience.

Adaptability resume experience examples:

Earned leadership buy-in for a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and trained staff on new workflows, reducing processing times by 25%
Partnered with executive leaders to build and execute pivot plans in response to changing market conditions that increased market share by 30% in 1 year
Promoted more agile and collaborative work environment that boosted employee engagement by 40% and increased overall productivity

Demonstrate your value as a senior leader

Your resume should include the eight skills listed above and strengthen your claim of these skills through examples. Another great way to showcase these skills is through stories during an interview. You want recruiters and hiring managers to know you possess these skills and can use them to make an impact at their company. Follow the above guidelines to make your resume stand out!

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