Tips from Finance Recruiters: The CFO Resume

The key to a strong CFO resume is to showcase leadership ability.  Your executive resume, therefore, needs to demonstrate your excellence as a strategic advisor and team member.  CFOs today are often the right-hand person to the CEO and potentially the change management leader of the organization.  To properly position your professional brand as a knockout C-suite leader, here are some tips for crafting a top-notch resume.

Evaluate Your Professional Brand
Before you rework your existing resume, consider how it portrays your leadership capabilities and professional brand. Does it:

  • Demonstrate an ability to overcome obstacles through innovation
  • Showcase stakeholder management skills
  • Outline your role in identifying cost drivers and substantial areas of savings
  • Illustrate your drive for pursuing new opportunities for capital funding
  • Position you as a strategic thinker and long-term planner

Areas of Expertise
Identify areas of expertise that you’d like to be known for.  For example, perhaps your ability to advise other parts of the organization struggling with profitability is the key to your past success.  On the other hand, you may prefer to channel your analytical mind into standardizing financial operations to improve accuracy.  Regardless, think about where you excel and what you’d like to build your professional brand around.  As a side note, make sure that LinkedIn recommendations support your brand positioning.

Resource:  For tips on getting the best LinkedIn recommendations read this blog.

Align Details
Align the details and scope of your resume with the CFO role you are seeking.  Consider how your specific accomplishments under areas such as stakeholder management, team production, cost savings achieved or budget management can add to your professional brand.  Make sure to quantify your achievements with specific metrics.  This will allow the employer to gain a clear picture of your strengths and competitive advantages.

Financial and Technological Expertise
Be sure to outline the full scope of your financial expertise. Include core competencies such as performance management or team development.  Remember, as always to tie competencies to achievements to increase relevancy and buy-in.  With some CFOs taking on additional responsibilities connected to IT, it’s also important to demonstrate technological proficiency on your resume.

Resource:  Read “Beyond the Numbers: The CFO’s Role as Business Partner” to see how the CFO role has evolved.

Your Next Step
No one should walk the job search or hiring road alone. At Clarity Recruitment we help others realize their success through a process that marries proprietary technology with unwavering commitment. Contact us today to take control of your career, or to partner with us to hire well.

Clarity Recruitment, connecting exceptional people with remarkable companies.

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