Most high-performing CIOs have not kept up with their executive resumes because, well, they are too busy being high-performing leaders. As a result, their current resumes still reflect their years as "tactical practitioners" rather than their track records as leading IT executives.

Many CIO resumes read like a grocery list of "tasks done" rather than showcasing their incredible achievements and unique knowledge base. Oftentimes, the resume takes the reader on a stroll down memory lane instead of positioning them for a future role.

An area of focus that is quickly becoming a critical C-level resume addition is your agile leadership approach and how you used it during the pandemic. This new information is one of many things your resume should contain.

As a CIO or a rising information technology (IT) executive, crafting an interview-generating executive resume is still one of the most important steps for communicating your skills, promoting your achievements, confirming your abilities to work with technical and non-technical leadership, and, ultimately, demonstrating how you are the best candidate for a coveted CIO role.

The key difference between creating an effective CIO executive resume and a professional-level IT resume is integrating human capital management skills and fiscal acumen with your technical qualifications throughout. The CIO resume sample above outlines an example of how this is done.

Here is the bottom line: As an IT executive, you need to demonstrate how you have utilized human and technological resources to improve corporate profitability. Period.

Here are eight ways to achieve this goals:

1. Shift from tactical implementations to strategic results.

Showcase your corporate contributions to top line, expense line items, workflow productivity, and the bottom line.

Graduate from citing specific tactical skills and responsibilities common in a staff-level or middle management information technology resume to outlining initiatives where you have added value and projects that you have led to achieving results. The key with a CIO resume, as with all C-level resumes, is to include the long-range effects of your work in addition to the short-term results. You want to show how you can strategize on the big picture and cause movement with what is directly in front of you.

2. Promote systems transformations utilizing technology to bring workflow efficiencies and revenue maximization.

CIOs and technological leaders are now involved in every department of an organization to bring about system efficiencies and performance maximization. Demonstrate how technological implementations have resulted in systemic transformation of sales processes, supply chain improvements, human capital productivity and quality of life, marketing channels, and fiscal management. Showing how you understand how technology can help other leaders meet and exceed corporate objectives that pertain to their area will show you are the candidate to choose over competitors.

3. Show how you attract high-quality talent and lead teams.

Effective IT executives not only manage technology, but they manage people to manage technology to bring results. Successful CIOs negotiate deals, influence key decision-makers, nurture vendor relationships, and attract and develop key talent. Highlight how your skills in team-building, communication, and influence have contributed to your success.

4. Emphasize your 'soft skills' to develop high-performing teams compassionately.

Don’t lose readers in a list of systems, software, hardware, and applications in which you have expertise. Technical and non-technical types will read your CIO executive resume, and you must cater to both audiences. Highlight how your soft skills have enabled you to manage both technology and people to drive workflow productivity, revenues, and additional profits for the business. Showcasing how you manage teams during economic slowdowns and surges with technological efficiency and managing teams compassionately will set you apart from most senior-level tech leaders.

5. Choose the relevant wins when communicating to prospective employers.

Talking about your biggest achievement is not always the best course of action. Reframing your win to showcase your accomplishment in a way that is digestible to the prospective employer is always preferred. If you saved $20 million dollars on one initiative at a $1 billion dollar employer, but now you are applying to a $200 million firm, you may be perceived as being overqualified. Either choose achievements that are within the fiscal scope of the prospective company or consider using percentages to outline your accomplishments. Choosing relevant accomplishments, and not just your proudest moment, that pertain to your target job is key.

6. Use universal language to highlight achievements and downplay technical jargon.

Outline your technical and human capital achievements in a universal language, not just technical jargon. Appeal to the many types of audiences by whom your resume will be read. You may be most comfortable speaking in acronyms or technical vernacular, but not all CEOs and executive hiring teams are aware of tech-speak. I suggest that you speak about technology in approachable and achievement-based terms to be understood by many types of executive management. This will demonstrate your ability to work with non-technical stakeholders.

7. Be what they want, but never lose yourself in your resume.

The content in your resume, social media profiles, and communications should be congruent with your personality, beliefs, and work style while still meeting the needs of the prospective employer. Ensure your resume will be in line with the person who shows up for the interview—you. Always be who you are on paper, online, and in person.

8. Practice what you preach.

IT recruiters tell us that nothing irks them more than an IT executive who does not include a website or a LinkedIn profile on their resume. A CIO or upcoming IT Executive that has very little to no presence on the internet, or worse, a poor presence on the web, demonstrates that either they are not a lover of technology or that they are a poor promoter of themselves.   The resume of a successful Chief Information Officer must not only demonstrate that you know the why and how behind the technology, but it also must tell a story of how you have communicated effectively with managers, lenders, shareholders, vendors, and other key partners. Frankly, the best CIOs will show how they identify and implement current technology that breeds financial benefits that improve the company’s position within its marketplace. Strategically, design and implement business plans and inspire leadership within the financial departments and with the executive management team to solidify the company's future.

At Chameleon Resumes, we're the only Executive Resume Writing, LinkedIn Profile Development, and Job Search consultancy firm hired by LinkedIn for 8 years to help premium members win interviews faster and negotiate maximum compensation. Our team of former recruiters and hiring managers can turn your resume into a powerful job-landing tool using our proven 4-stage META Job Landing System™.

Don't leave your executive job search to chance. Let us craft a standout resume that will open doors to exciting new opportunities. Visit ChameleonResumes.com to schedule a consultation and explore how our team can support your career advancement.