Chief Information Officer (CIO) Resume Examples

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Tom Gerencer, CPRW

Career Expert

Updated: June 17, 2024

Reviewed by:

Dominika Kowalska, CPRW

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4.43

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As a chief information officer, you plan IT operations to the smallest data byte. You analyze the needs of the company. Create goals for the IT department. Decide whether to implement new systems. Choose technological platforms for all teams.

And that's why you've decided to approach a job search strategically. You need an impressive chief information officer resume to apply for CIO jobs. And we’ll prepare you to write one asap.

This guide will show you:

A chief information officer resume example better than 9 out of 10 other resumes.
How to write a chief information officer resume that will land you more interviews.
Tips and examples of how to put skills and achievements on a chief information officer resume.
How to describe your experience on a resume for a chief information officer to get any job you want.

Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes? Try our resume builder. It’s fast and easy to use. Plus, you’ll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ resume templates and create your resume here.

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Use this resume template

Sample CIO Resume—See more resume samples here.

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Chief Information Officer (CIO) Resume

Hector Bloss, CIO

hector.q.bloss@gmail.com

linkedin.com/in/hectorqbloss

214-448-0382

Professional Summary

Boundary-pushing CIO with 8+ years of experience, skilled in leadership and drafting profitable IT strategy. Seeking to drive ROI for Todo Hotels & Resorts. At CLZI Properties, implemented consolidation of three corporate headquarters, driving yearly savings of $1.4M. Slashed security risks 70% by creating and guiding new least-privilege access policies. Saved $1.5 million in annual breach remediation costs.

Work Experience

CIO

CLZI Properties

June 2012–May 2019

Consolidated three corporate headquarters into a central facility. Saved $1.4M in redundant expenses.
Cut security risk by 70% by implementing company-wide Principle of Least Privilege policy. Saved $1.5M in yearly remediation.
Developed IT strategy for a business with $15M in annual revenue that grew revenue by $1.3M per year.
Led an Agile team of 12 IT managers and 42 IT specialists.

Assistant CIO

20L Partners

Jan 2010–May 2012

Developed proprietary ERP system that worked with internal legacy software. Saved 800 employee-hours per week by automating small but frequently-performed tasks.
Created IT budgets for company that freed up $750,000 per year for R&D, resulting in the creation of 3 new programs with 30%+ profit margins.

Education

2005–2009 Texas Tech University

Masters in Business Administration

Maintained 4.0 average in all IT classes.
Worked on a project to rebuild the school IT department’s computer system.

Skills

Hard skills: Creating IT strategy, Agile, ERP development, Budgeting
Soft skills: Leadership, collaboration, communication, interpersonal skills

Activities

Volunteered to install new IT system for the Saint Christopher Catholic School.

Volunteer 2x per month to build homes for Habitat for Humanity.

Member, weekly cycling club

Here’s how to write a CIO resume that gets jobs:

1. Select the Best CIO Resume Format

CIOs are in charge of the IT “big picture” of a business, guiding all the information systems that keep firms running smoothly. They may have several IT managers under their command. A CIO resume must prove strong interpersonal skills, communication skills, and business knowledge.

Don’t go in sloppy.

Show the CIO hiring team your attention to detail.

Do that with a perfectly-formatted CIO resume.

Use the chronological resume layout. It’s the best format for a resume for CIO positions because it shows your most relevant features first.
Put address information in your resume in a professional header. Include your name, LinkedIn, email, and phone.
The best fonts for resumes are Cambria, Arial, and Helvetica. Size them at 10–12pt.
Make your resume a PDF, not a Word file if you can help it. PDFs don’t go anomalous after you send them.

Pro Tip: Leave breathing room between the sections of your Chief Information Officer resume. A resume needs to look inviting or the hiring team will miss the key points.

2. Write a CIO Resume Objective or Resume Summary

A few seconds.

That’s how much time you’ve got before they toss your CIO resume.

Give the top-line info above the fold with a profile summary.

That’s your elevator speech. It shows the best 2–3 reasons they should hire you.

It’s the most vital part of your resume. If it doesn’t convince them to read the rest, your job search is dead in the water.

Include a couple skills that match the CIO job, plus a few of your finest IT leadership moments.

Pro Tip: Can you write a great summary for a resume for CIO jobs before you write the rest? Probably not. Save the summary for last to make it easy on yourself.

3. Optimize Your Resume for the CIO Job Description

The hiring team can’t afford to make a mistake.

They don’t just want to fill the CIO position.

They want the perfect fit.

That’s you, but your CIO resume needs to prove it.

How to write work experience in a resume:

Make your job titles the same as the job you’re applying for.
Decode their CIO job description to find key requirements.
Load your resume with accomplishments that show you fit.
Include data like “$15M” to prove you weren’t just playing around.

Pro Tip: Steer clear of “handled” or “responsible for.” Use action verbs for resumes that set you up to prove central skills. “Slashed, cut, raised, built, developed” then facts and numbers.

4. Tune Up Your CIO Resume Education Section

So many don’t know this:

An educational background on a resume must show achievement.

Why?

The board wants to know you’re a born unicorn.

So, add bullet points with projects, publications, clubs, and other wow-moments.

Bonus points if they prove skills from the job posting.

Pro Tip: What about a GPA in a CIO resume? If it’s Wozniak-level, show it. Otherwise, save that real estate for something that’ll drop their jaws.

5. Show CIO Skills in Your Resume

Use this CIO resume professional skills list.

CIO Resume Skills

Hard Skills:

Developing IT strategy
Implementing IT strategy
IT objective setting
Hardware sourcing
Hardware purchasing
IT project management
Strategic planning
Enterprise software development
Budgeting
Agile
VMware
Business intelligence
Recruiting
SAP enterprise software
Data warehouse architecture
Microsoft Sharepoint

Soft Skills:

But—

Specialize in listing skills they’ve told you they require.

Pro Tip: You need to show a technical skills list in a resume for CIO jobs, but you also need some soft skills. That’s the only way to prove you’re more than just raw data.

Creating a resume with our builder is incredibly simple. Follow our step-by-step guide and use content from Certified Professional Resume Writers to have a resume ready in minutes.

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When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and our resume checker will tell you exactly how to make it better.

6. Add Other Sections to Your CIO Resume

You may have experience and education.

But how’s your passion level?

Show you’re an “ask a busy person” person with added resume categories for your CIO resume.

Try any of these:

Volunteer work
Activities
Associations
Projects
Honors & awards
Commendations
Fitness pursuits
Conventions
Publications
Interests

List licences and certifications in a bonus section under your education.

Pro Tip: Don’t know how to write language skills on a resume? Those can go in a special bonus resume section too.

7. Send a Cover Letter With Your CIO Resume

Do you need a cover letter for a resume for CIO jobs?

Every time.

The board may not read them, but if they do and you don’t send one, ouch.

How to format a cover letter:

The first paragraph of a cover letter must electrify the reader. Put your finest moment there, or something about the company you admire.
In the middle, share details about impressive things you’ve done.
When ending a cover letter, bring something to the table. Try, “I’d be glad to explain how I raised revenue by 10% in 14 months.”

The ideal cover letter length is half a page. Wow them, then get out and let your CIO resume do the rest.

Pro Tip: Here’s how to follow up on a job application: Wait three days, then send a low-pressure reminder. Fire off another in a week, then two. You want to stay top-of-mind without nagging.

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

Create my cover letter now

See more cover letter templates and start writing.

That’s it!

That’s how to write a Chief Information Officer resume.

What’s your least favorite thing about your CIO resume? Most favorite? Give us a shout in the comments. We’d love to talk!

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Chief Information Officer (CIO) Resume Examples