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Chief Financial Officer Sample
Download and customize our resume template to land more interviews. Review our writing tips to learn everything you need to know for putting together the perfect resume.


A Chief Financial Officer resume should be an executive-level resume showcasing all accounting and financial abilities. CFOs are results-focused and growth-oriented with the ability to analyze and manage financial accounts to optimize profitability and maximize revenues. The resume should include professionally written summaries and keywords for maximum impact.
Expert Tip
You should never use a creative resume
Many job seekers think that an eye-catching resume template will help them stand out to hiring managers and increase their chances of landing an interview. This is a myth put out by resume builders that value design over content.
The truth is that most hiring managers prefer a traditional resume format.
Creative resume templates, like the one pictured here, can actually hurt your chances of landing an interview. Instead, you should use a basic resume format that quickly communicates your basic information and qualifications–like the one included below.
Chief Financial Officer resume (text format)
How confident are you feeling about your resume? If you need more help, you can always refer to the following resume sample for a position.
Name
Title
City, State or Country if international
Phone | Email
LinkedIn URL
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICE PROFESSIONAL
Detail-oriented, driven CFO highly regarded for leadership and specialized excellence in all areas of Finance. Exceptional analytical skills, with the ability to examine and understand business needs and deliver comprehensive reports for external groups while exceeding stringent expectations. Accustomed to managing multiple projects simultaneously in fast-paced, deadline-driven environments. Strong collaborative skills with experience working in a team environment, able to work effectively alongside individuals from diverse backgrounds.
CORE COMPETENCIES
Financial Accounting
Balance Sheet
Business Acumen
Financial Statements
Accounts Payable
Accounts Reconciliation
Leadership/ Coaching
Market Analysis
P&L Analysis
Cash Flow Projections
Strategic Partnerships
Process Improvement
Accounts Receivable
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Chief Financial Officer
Company | Location | Year to Year
Responsibilities
Manage financial planning and budget (with focus on growth) for company with annual revenue of $1M+
Collaborate extensively with other executives to define and improve company mission
Implemented cost-saving initiatives and productivity tools, including streamlined internal audit procedures and use of SAP ERP software company-wide
Established competitive quotas and bonus program for sales department, increasing YoY revenue 10% in most recent fiscal year
Managed budget and vendor relations for company with 500+ employees
Spearheaded expansion of HR and accounting teams to keep up with company growth, assisting with recruiting of top talent
Financed a $35 million capital expansion project with Canadian Ex-Im Bank that provided unconventional financing that went beyond machinery financing to include soft costs, facility costs, and tooling. This financing package improved initial operating cash flow by $9 million and delivered ongoing savings of 11/2% for the cost of capital.
Obtained stretch financing for closing one Canadian plant and consolidating it into the remaining two plants.
Created common operating metrics for all plants that led to improved accountability for operations.
Initiated mid-month and last day of month flash reporting to the parent company.
Successfully directed all of the Y2K activities.
CFO
Company | Location | Year to Year
Responsibilities
Led successful effort to re-engineer the publishing business unit. All facets of publishing including revenues, costs, product mix, philosophy, and frequency of publication were addressed. The publishing business unit became more focused, achieving bottom line improvements of $500k annually.
Key member of the management team that successfully completed the sale of the publishing business unit to new ownership
Implemented internal audit procedures which identified $100k in annual cost savings and revenue opportunities
Designed and implemented a new billing review process to ensure efficiency and accuracy
Negotiated cost savings and new vendor terms reducing operating costs by $50k, and improving cash flow by $150k
Accounting Manager
Company | Location | Year to Year
Responsibilities
Responsible for day to day operations of the accounting department including treasury, safety, audit reviews, health insurance, and risk management. Manage a staff of three.
Consolidated departmental responsibilities and streamlined accounting system, reducing staff from five people to three, saving $75,000 annually.
Reduced time necessary to file quarterly and annual payroll tax returns, monthly, quarterly and annual financial statement from 20 to 15 days.
Spearheaded changes in safety program, resulting in a reduction of Worker's Compensation cost by $25,000 annually, a 10% savings.
Improved information flow to external auditors, reducing audit costs by $10,000 annually, a 25% savings.
Reduced Worker's Compensation experience rate by nine percentage points within 12 months.
Negotiated with insurance company and generated competitive bids to reduce insurance cost $20,000 annually, a 15% savings.
By establishing and maintaining a strong working relationship with the bank, converted $1.5 million line of credit to $1 million 4-year note and $500,000 line of credit.
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
Everything you need to write your chief financial officer resume
Now that you’ve seen an example of a job winning Chief Financial Officer resume, here are some tips to help you write your own. You should always begin with a summary section. Remember to use basic formatting with clear section headings and a traditional layout. Finally, be sure to include top skills throughout your resume. We’ve included several examples common for Chief Financial Officer below.
Let’s start with your resume summary section.
1. Summary
The resume summary replaces the out-of-date resume objective. A summary outlines the most impressive parts of your resume for easy recall by your potential employer, while also serving to fill in personal qualities that may not appear elsewhere on the page. Remember that summaries are short and consist of pithy sentence fragments! You can check out the Chief Financial Officer resume example for more information!
Expert Tip
Always start with your most recent positions at the top of your resume. This is called reverse-chronological format, and keeps your most relevant information easy for hiring managers to review.
2. Formatting
Our experts recommend you start your resume with a resume summary, like the one above. Other common sections are Work Experience, Education, and either Skills or Core Competencies. Here are some guides from our blog to help you write these sections:
Some resumes will include other sections, such as Volunteer Experience or Technical Skills. When it comes to what sections you need to include on your resume, you will know best!
Other sections for you to consider including are foreign language skills, awards and honors, certifications, and speaking engagements. These could all be relevant sections for your resume.

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3. Appropriate skills
Financial Accounting
Balance Sheet
Business Acumen
Financial Statements
Accounts Payable
Accounts Reconciliation
Leadership/ Coaching
Market Analysis
P&L Analysis
Cash Flow Projections
Strategic Partnerships
Process Improvement
Accounts Receivable
Executive Leadership
Financial Analysis
Financial Management
Cost Control and Reduction
Process Improvements
Budgeting
4. Experience section
Your Work Experience section should make up the bulk of your resume. This section should include your relevant job titles, companies that employed you, and the dates you were employed.
Most of your resume will be the Work Experience section, so it's important to write about your professional history in an impactful way. To demonstrate how to write an effective Work Experience section for your resume, let's dissect some bullet points from the example above. • Spearheaded changes in safety program, resulting in a reduction of Worker's Compensation cost by $25,000 annually, a 10% savings. This shows you can create a program effectively while also slashing costs across the organization. • Reduced time necessary to file quarterly and annual payroll tax returns, monthly, quarterly and annual financial statement from 20 to 15 days. This bullet is great because it shows you can reduce filing time, thus saving on costs and allowing for more projects. • Negotiated cost savings and new vendor terms reducing operating costs by $50k, and improving cash flow by $150k This bullet is strong because it shows skills in vendor relations, cost savings, cash flow improvements, and negotiation. • Financed a $35 million capital expansion project with [Bank] that provided unconventional financing that went beyond machinery financing to include soft costs, facility costs, and tooling. This financing package improved initial operating cash flow by $9 million and delivered ongoing savings of 11/2% for the cost of capital. This is a great bullet because it has several accomplishments and measurable achievements.
Let’s wrap it up!
Standout resumes will include a resume summary, a traditional reverse-chronological layout, and the skills and experience relevant to your job target. This resume example shows how to include those elements on a page. It’s up to you to insert your personal compelling qualifications.
Keep your resume format easy to scan by both humans and computers; our resume template is designed by our experts to satisfy both audiences. And be sure to include your own skills, achievements, and experiences. Job-winning resumes are resumes that successfully market you, leading recruiters and hiring managers to want to learn more!
Finally, emphasize your interest with a customized cover letter. When writing, remember that the resume and cover letter should support each other. Check out our cover letter tips and examples for more advice.
Didn’t get the specific answers you were looking for on this page? Hire a professional resume writer to get the advice you need to land your next job.
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