CIO Resume: Examples, Templates and Guide

CIO resume example
Created by CakeResume

What is the best job for a person who is knowledgeable in both technology and business-management?

Chief Information Officer (CIO) may be one of the answers.

Usually, in larger-size companies, the role of Chief Information Officer is different from that of a Chief Technology Officer (CTO). CIO focuses on the company’s internal management of technology needs and determines the long-term IT goal.

To be more precise, he/she has to analyze different technologies to choose and implement the best one (e.g., information systems) that can benefit and improve the company’s daily operation. Therefore, besides technological expertise, CIO has to understand well how to run a business.

As for CTO, this position requires deeper technical proficiency than a CIO since this role is in charge of external technology strategies that are often related to product developments. CTO has to catch up with the newest technology and science trends to ensure the company does not leave behind the industry. Also, he/she will conduct a variety of technology plans to assist with the CIO’s policies.

Thanks to the rapid growth of technology nowadays, more employers are desperate for a qualified CIO to maintain or increase their companies’ competitiveness. If one is ambitious to become a technical management role in a company, it is integral to prepare the best CIO resume.

How to write a professional CIO resume?

Here are the steps one needs to go through when writing his/her CIO resume.

Step 1: Write an eye-catching CIO resume headline.

A CIO resume headline (also called a profile title) highlights the applicant’s best competency in one capitalized sentence at the top of the resume. Since hiring managers have limited time to read one’s resume, they will be grateful if an applicant includes a CIO resume headline helping them understand one’s professional level in a short time.

To write an excellent CIO resume headline, try to outline your most outstanding achievements and characteristics related to the position, and avoid using some generic words like hard-working or excellent. 

CIO resume examples for the headline section:

  • Innovative CIO with 15+ Years of Experience in the Software Industry
  • CIO with 20 Years of Experience Specializing in Designing and Conducting IT Strategies 
  • Manager with a Tech Background Experienced in Managing 50+ Employees

Step 2: Craft a CIO resume summary.

With an attractive CIO resume headline to encourage employers to read through your CIO resume, next, you need a concise but impressive CIO resume summary to summarize your whole resume in around 30-50 words.

In this section, it is crucial to integrate the keywords mentioned in the job descriptions.

For instance, if employers expect an applicant familiar with the Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA), you should highlight this skill in your CIO resume summary if you happen to possess the knowledge.

CIO resume samples for the summary section:
  • Communicative CIO with outstanding leadership and communicative skills. Experienced in software development (Agile & Waterfall). Passionate to join Cybers Incorporation as a CIO to increase efficiency through technologies. Integrated ERP system into the previous company, which saved overall operational costs by 25%.
  • Proficient in IT resources arrangement and cross-functional teamwork ability. Seeking a CIO position to utilize my international strategy planning skills to grow with Branet Corporation. Cooperated with IT managers across 3 regions (New York, Los Angeles, and California) to automize 3 working procedures, which increases productivity by 20%.
  • CIO with 17 years of experience. Responsible for the performance of 200+ employees. Eager to enter Pixero to cooperate with ambitious co-workers to elevate the company to the next level. Implemented cloud-based systems, which increases efficiency by 70%.

Step 3: Include key skills related to the CIO position in your CIO resume.

The skill section can be a decisive part of your chief information officer resume. It is a simple standard for hiring managers to compare the competencies of candidates to make selections. However, since the CIO position requires many years of experience, the work experience section is more important than your CIO resume’s skill part.

As for what skills to include in your best CIO resume, refer to the requirements stated in the job description. Adding the skills employers expect in your CIO resume can increase the chance of getting an interview.

More, a simple bullet list is the most common way to demonstrate your skills, but if you only want to list up to 5 skills with detailed descriptions in your CIO resume, an expanded bullet list is a great choice.

Skill section sample for a CIO resume:

Hard skills

  • Software Development
  • Strategic Planning Skills
  • IT Project Management
  • Vendor Management
  • IT Budgeting

Soft skills

  • Leadership Skills
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Communication Skills
  • Strategic Thinking

Further reading: Skills for Resume|Examples List, Templates, Formats

Step 4: Tailor your CIO resume to the specific company.

The best CIO resume is the most customized resume. Because each company has its unique culture, it is better to create a CIO resume specifically for your applications. So remember to add the company’s name in the summary section of your chief information officer resume.

Step 5: Proofread your CIO resume & CIO cover letter.

The last step of writing your CIO resume and CIO cover letter is proofreading. Some people may ignore this process, but typos or grammatical mistakes will sometimes occur. A CIO resume without any error is the primary qualification for a CIO candidate.

What is the best resume format for a CIO?

Now, it is time to choose a suitable resume format for your CIO resume. Here are four types of resume format to choose from: 

1. Chronological resume format

If you do not know what format to adopt, a chronological resume format may be suitable for your CIO resume. It is the most common layout. All of your work experience, activities, projects, etc., can be listed in reverse chronological order.

2. Functional resume format

If you have gaps in your work history, then try to use a functional resume format. You will craft a skill-based CIO resume that emphasizes your skills, projects involved, or accomplishments instead of listing work experience with a clear timeline.

3. Hybrid/ Combinational resume format

As the name suggests, a hybrid resume format combines both chronological and functional resume formats. This format highlights skills and lists work experience in reverse chronological order. Freshers with no experience frequently use it, but it is up to you to use this format for your CIO resume.
Simply remember to focus more on the work experience and not let the skill section take up a large space of your CIO resume.

➡️  Free CIO Resume Templates & Format ➡ Download

How to make a CIO resume template?

Only you will know best how to arrange a unique CIO resume template that can demonstrate your expertise. Here are two tools to use:

1️⃣  Microsoft Word

If you want to create a CIO resume in Word, consider the following recommendations.

  • Refer to already-made CIO resume templates in MS Word and select the components and layout you favor. 
  • Remember to have clear headings (sections) like Contact Info, Summary, Work Experience, Skills (Qualifications), Education to tailor an ATS-friendly CIO resume. 
  • Use bullet points for legibility.
  • Bold texts such as titles of each section, your name, and other essential contents.
  • Choose a proper font between 10 to 16 points (usually 12 points is the best) to create a more reader-friendly chief information officer resume with a consistent layout.

✅  Best CIO resume font: 

  • Times New Roman
  • Arial
  • Cambria
  • Georgia
  • Calibri

2️⃣  Online Resume Builder

Besides Microsoft Word, you can also use an online resume builder to tailor your CIO resume.

For example, on CakeResume, you can freely add or remove each section of your CIO resume by dragging and dropping. There are plenty of resume templates to adopt. Moreover, you can download your CIO resume in PDF. In this way, you can use it wherever you want.

CakeResume provides the right CIO resume templates & formats for CIO to showcase their skills and experience. Sign up to create the best CIO resume Now!

Top 10 CIO resume dos and don'ts

Before you start writing your CIO resume, keep a note of some CIO resume dos and don’ts.

 ✅  Dos:

  1. Tailor each of your CIO resumes with only relevant information.
    We already discussed the importance of customization. When it comes to CIO resume writing, remember another primary principle - relevance to the position.
    Add the information that hiring managers want to know, and remove those redundant ones like your irrelevant hobbies, interests, etc.
  1. Add quantifiable and measurable achievements to your CIO resume.
    Compared with mere descriptive words, quantified data are more explicit for hiring managers to measure one’s achievements.
  1. Optimize your CIO resume for ATS.
    Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is software that uses an algorithm to scan resumes for relevant keywords. Some typical CIO resume keywords might include characteristics like “leadership" or previous work experience such as employment years.
    Pay attention to the job description and put those specific words into your CIO resume and try not to include too many graphical things into your CIO resume since it is also not understandable to ATS. .
  1. Choose the right resume format for your CIO resume.
    We mentioned three types of resume formats previously. No matter which forms you use, make sure it highlights your strength and paints you in the best light.
  1. Use action verbs in your CIO resume.
    Action verb in your CIO resume makes your resume come alive. If you want to emphasize your management ability, instead of using “managed,” write verbs like “directed,” “guided,” “coordinated,” and so on.

❌  Don’ts:

  1. Mix up a CIO resume with a CIO CV.
    A CIO resume and a CIO CV are both for the job application, but the former contains more compressed & concise information and thus will not exceed two pages.
    On the other hand, it is acceptable to include more detail about one’s experience in a CIO CV with more than two pages. Just ensure which document is required by your potential employers before you apply.
  1. Adopt an old-style CIO resume objective statement.
    A CIO resume objective tends to be old-fashion nowadays since a career objective is often too generic to use. Nevertheless, if you still need to write a CIO resume objective, try to craft a persuasive one with crucial elements.
  1. Disclose confidential information about previous employers in your CIO resume.
    It is improper and impolite to disclose confidential information about previous employers. From the perspective of hiring managers, this kind of behavior indicates that in the future, this applicant will probably reveal their trade secrets or sensitive information to others, which results in significant risks to their companies.
  1. Include unnecessary personal details that might lead to potential discrimination.
    Here are things you should not include in your CIO resume:
    
    • Current salary
    • National insurance number/social security number
    • Sexual orientation, marital status, dependency, religion, and belief
    • Race, nationality, gender, birthday (note that most European Union countries may require a Europass CV which reveals these personal details)
  1. Send your CIO resume in Word doc.
    Remember to save your CIO resume in PDF to avoid any layout mistakes.

CIO resume sample

Beatrice Barclay

Proactive CIO with 10-Year Management Experience and 23-Year IT Experience

Mobile: (333) 123-888
Email: [email protected]
Address: Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S.
Linkedin: Linkedin.com/in/beatricebarclay

Summary

23 years of experience in the IT industry. Proficient in information security, IT infrastructure management, and enterprise software development. Ambitious to join the team of Recons to utilize technologies to facilitate the growth of your company. Coordinated 100+ employees and directed 10+ system implementation projects (e.g., CRM, ERP applications).

Work Experience

CIO, Accell Corp.

July 2018 - Present

  • Coordinated with 20 IT managers, specialist, and assistants to build IT infrastructure such as MPLS Networks, Data security system, ERP applications, CRM, billing system
  • Developed 5-year IT strategies the investment cost and benefit
  • Cooperated with CTO to design and conduct cloud transformation plan, which exceeded the goal by 150% within 1 year

CIO, Legend Inc. 

Oct. 2012 - Nov. 2015

  • Built the IT team from scratch, recruiting and training the procedure design team, and mentored 10+ IT professionals
  • Assessed technology trends to establish IT strategies to support each SBU’s needs, which led to a $1M decrease in overall operational expense
  • Reported directly to CEO to ensure the plans aligned with the goal of the business
  • Negotiated with vendors to introduce the data security system into the company

Skills

Hard Skills: Infrastructure, IT Project Management, Expense Reduction, IT Transformation, Vendor Management

Soft Skills: Verbal & Written Communication, Leadership Skills, Team Building, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving 

Language: English (Native), Spanish (Fluent)

Certifications: Project Management Professional (PMP) 

Education

MBA, Columbia University

2016 - 2018

BS in Information and Decision Sciences, University of Illinois

1998 - 2002  

  • GPA: 4.0
  • Relevant courses:
    Business Project Management, Internet Applications in Business, & Business Systems Analysis and Design

--- Originally written by Angela Ye ---

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