Chief Operating Officer Resume Example & Writing Guide
Use this Chief Operating Officer resume example and guide to improve your career and write a powerful resume that will separate you from the competition.
Chief operating officers oversee the day-to-day operations of a company, acting as a liaison between the board of directors and the rest of the executive team. They’re responsible for driving growth and achieving business goals while ensuring that the company is compliant with regulations and industry standards.
If you’re ready to take on a new challenge and want to put your experience in operations management to work for a company that’s poised for success, a COO role could be the perfect next step for you. Here are some tips and an example resume to help you write a compelling COO resume that will get you noticed by hiring managers everywhere.
How to Write a Chief Operating Officer Resume
Here’s how to write a chief operating officer resume of your own.
Write Compelling Bullet Points
When you’re writing bullet points, it can be tempting to focus on the responsibilities of your job. But that’s not enough to make a compelling resume.
Instead, you should focus on the results of your work. For example, rather than saying you “managed company finances,” you could say you “reduced operating costs by 15% while increasing revenue by 10%, resulting in a 5% increase in net profit.”
The second bullet point paints a much clearer picture of what you did and the results of your work. And that’s what hiring managers want to see!
Related: What Is a Chief Operating Officer? How to Become One
Identify and Include Relevant Keywords
When you apply for a COO role, your resume goes through an applicant tracking system (ATS). This program looks for certain keywords related to the position in order to determine whether you’re a good fit. If your resume doesn’t include enough of the right terms, your application might not make it past the initial screening process.
One way to make sure your resume contains the right keywords is to look at job postings and take note of the terms that are used most frequently. You can then add those same terms into your resume where they’re relevant. Here are some of the most commonly used COO keywords:
- Corporate Governance
- Executive Management
- Business Strategy
- Strategic Planning
- Finance
- Management Consulting
- Start-ups
- Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)
- Leadership
- Marketing Strategy
- Business Development
- Change Management
- Team Leadership
- Operations Management
- Digital Marketing
- Consulting
- Marketing
- Cross-functional Team Leadership
- Strategy
- Strategic Partnerships
- Business Planning
- Business Transformation
- Financial Analysis
- Business Process Improvement
- Operations
- Management
- Budgeting
- Negotiation
- Team Building
- Change Management
Showcase Your Technical Skills
There are a few key reasons why it’s important for CEOs to list their technical skills on their resumes. Firstly, many CEO positions require a certain level of technical proficiency, and not including this information on your resume may disqualify you from consideration. Secondly, listing your technical skills highlights your ability to not only use technology, but also to effectively manage and implement technology-based projects. This is an important skill that many recruiters are looking for, as technology is becoming increasingly prevalent in most businesses. Finally, including your technical skills on your resume allows you to show off your breadth and depth of knowledge and experience, which can make you a more desirable candidate for CEO positions.
Related: How Much Does a Chief Operating Officer Make?
Remember The Basics
As you’re writing your resume, you’ll want to keep a few basic guidelines in mind.
Make It Easy to Scan
There are a few things you can do to your resume to make it easier to scan and understand quickly. Aligning everything to the left, using a standard font type and size, and keeping bullets under 2 lines will help make your resume more skimmable. You should also try to leave some white space on the page to help the recruiter easily scan through your information.
Be Concise
The ideal resume length is one page, but it can be two pages if you have a lot of experience to include. When trimming down a resume, remove irrelevant information and focus on the most relevant experience and qualifications. Remember to be concise and get your point across quickly.
Check Your Work
Proofreading your resume is an important step in ensuring that it looks its best. There are a few key things to look for when proofreading: spelling mistakes, punctuation mistakes, and grammatical mistakes. It is also important to be aware of easily confused words. Spell-checking your resume is a good way to catch mistakes, but it is important to have someone else read it over as well.
Consider Including a Summary
As a job seeker, it’s important to take advantage of every opportunity to market yourself. A well-written resume summary statement can be a great way to introduce yourself to a potential employer and highlight the skills and experiences that make you the perfect candidate for the job. By explaining who you are, what you do, and what you’re looking to do next, you can help to give the recruiter a better understanding of how your skills might be a good fit for the role you’re hoping to land. Keep it short and simple, and be sure to highlight your most relevant skills and experiences.
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