Vice President Resume Example
If you're hoping to start a career as a vice president, you'll need experience in managing cross-functional teams and reporting to CEO. For a successful vice president application, you'll want to submit a professional resume that showcases your relevant skills. In this article, we'll outline how to write a winning resume to boost your chances of success in your vice president applications.
In the article, you'll find guidance on creating a vice president resume that showcases desirable qualities for senior management and director-level appointments. The article will equip you with tips for highlighting your long-term vision and demonstrating how your leadership has produced successful outcomes for organizations. There are also plenty of tips for presenting your resume in a way that makes a strong impact with decision makers. Continue reading to discover valuable insights from Jobseeker's career experts, to help you create a winning vice president resume.
What to include in a vice president resume
Most resumes contain similar key sections, with a vice president resume being no different.
You will have some choice over your resume layout and structure, but be sure to include these sections as the core of your document:
Resume Header and Personal Information
The resume header is the place to add your name and contact details, along with your LinkedIn URL if you have a profile, so employers can find more information about your career journey and skills. You don't typically need to add a photo, or any other personal information to this section. Make sure your resume header is as brief as possible and doesn't take up too much valuable space. Choose a clear, professional design that sets the tone for your application.
Opt for a professional-looking email address based on your name. If your email address could be construed as unprofessional or inappropriate because it contains nicknames or unsuitable language, create a new, more professional email address for your job applications. Always check your contact details to make sure they're up-to-date before you send your resume.
Eleanor Parker
eleanor.parker@example.com
(111) 222 33 444 55
112 Ocean Avenue, Amityville, NY
linkedin․com/in/eleanor–parker123
Resume Profile
Following your resume header, write a resume summary to introduce yourself and showcase some of your key skills and achievements. Alternative names for this section are 'resume objective' and 'personal profile'. While a resume summary focuses on your career experience, a resume objective covers your ambitions and career plans. Furthermore, when writing your profile, focus on two or three key skills and achievements that showcase your suitability for vice president roles.
Alternatively, use this section to emphasize your career objectives and explain how and why this role is a suitable step for you at this stage of your career.
A good resume summary reflects the job description and highlights some of the key skills required for vice president roles, while leaving the reader with an impression of your unique qualities and strengths. The most effective resume summaries also provide evidence to back up the claims made in them. See below for some great examples of how to approach your vice president resume.
Good example:
Dynamic and results-driven Vice President with an MBA and extensive experience as a Senior Executive Vice President. Proven track record in strategic planning, operational excellence, and driving organizational growth. Adept at leading high-performing teams, optimizing business processes, and fostering innovation to achieve corporate objectives. Skilled in financial management, stakeholder engagement, and market expansion. Recognized for exceptional leadership, analytical prowess, and a commitment to achieving sustainable success
Bad example:
Vice President with some experience in business and leadership roles. Worked in areas involving planning and improving operations. Led teams and worked on making business processes better. Involved in managing finances, talking to important people, and looking at new markets. Known for leadership skills and working towards long-term goals
Conversely, an ineffective resume summary would include generic, unspecific information on your skills and experience, while failing to provide any useful information on what makes you a unique and interesting candidate. See above for some examples of things to avoid when writing your vice president resume summary.
Work Experience
In the next section, list your employment history focusing on the most relevant previous roles and achievements that showcase your vice president skills. List each relevant role in reverse-chronological order starting with your current or most recent role. Add your job title, the organization name, its location and the dates you worked there.
Under each job entry, add several bullet points highlighting your responsibilities and achievements. Consult the job description for a list of the key requirements for the role and make sure your work experience section showcases how you meet these requirements.
If you're writing a vice president resume resume, you can afford to make your work experience section a little longer and more detailed than a traditional resume. Roles at this level require plenty of experience and examples of your achievements, so an extended work experience may be necessary. While established best practice suggests you should go no further than 10 to 15 years back in your resume work experience section, for a vice president resume, you might wish to go back further. This can help you prove you've got the necessary expertise in your field to take on a leadership or senior management position.
See below for some good examples of what to include in your resume work experience section.
Good example:
Senior Executive Vice President, January 2022 - Present
Silverline Dynamics Inc, Chula Vista
- Spearheaded a $500M acquisition, increasing market share by 15% and boosting annual revenue by $200M
- Implemented a comprehensive digital transformation strategy, resulting in a 30% operational efficiency improvement and a 25% cost reduction
- Led global expansion into 10 new markets, achieving a 40% growth in international sales within two years
Bad example:
Senior Executive Vice President, January 2022 - Present
Silverline Dynamics Inc, Chula Vista
- Managed various projects and initiatives to support company growth and development
- Oversaw team operations to enhance productivity and efficiency
- Collaborated with departments to drive strategic business objectives
Above, you can see a weaker example of a resume work experience section to best avoid. Less effective resume work experience sections might take a more vague, descriptive approach to previous jobs. They focus on responsibilities and everyday duties rather than referencing career achievements and the value you've added for previous employers.
Educational Achievements
Under education, add details of any degrees or professional qualifications relevant to vice president roles.
You don't tend to need a degree for vice president roles, but you'll still need to list any relevant qualifications, or your relevant educational achievements. If you have PMP Certification, add this here, along with any other education that shows your market research or CRM software.
Include any qualifications relevant to the role. For each, add the name and level of the award, the institution name, its location and your dates of study. You can enhance this section by adding bullet points that show any outstanding grades, awards or achievements and any specialist subjects you studied. These details can make you stand out from other candidates.
If you were a member of any clubs or societies, or volunteered for any causes while studying, you could also mention these in your education section.
Master of Business Administration (MBA), 2017 - 2020
University of Georgia, Athens, GA
Skills
Listing your key skills can help to prove your suitability for vice president jobs. These could be market research, team leadership or various other relevant skills. Again, refer to the job description and make sure you include skills that the employer has listed as essential or desirable for employment as a vice president.
Listing hard skills on your vice president resume
In your hard skills list, include any specific abilities related to the role you're applying for. These could be technical skills or industry knowledge that showcases your expertise in your chosen profession. Furthermore, an extensive list of hard skills helps to make a compelling case for your vice president job applications, as they show employers your understanding of the vice president role. Include around four or five key hard skills that are listed in the job description. These skills will help to convince the hiring manager that you're a good fit for the position.
The best resume hard skills sections focus on specific technical skills necessary for the job, showcasing skills that you have particular expertise in. There are some examples of valuable hard skills for a vice president resume below.
- Strategic planning
- Financial analysis
- Project management
How to list soft skills on your vice president resume
Your soft skills are the core qualities and personal characteristics that make you a good employee. They tend to apply to multiple professions and jobs, though the soft skills you'll require may change as you move from junior to senior positions. Indeed, as the nature of work changes, soft skills are growing in importance, so make sure you include them in your resume.
It's best to aim for four or five soft skills that match the job description and reflect your strongest personal qualities. Your vice president job application should focus on soft and transferable skills that showcase your credentials as a leader.
A strong soft skills section should play to your strengths, listing skills that reflect your personal qualities while also reflecting the skills listed in the job description. For some examples of good soft skills for a vice president resume, see below.
- Strategic thinking
- Emotional intelligence
- Effective communication
Jobseeker Tip:
Position yourself as a thought leader by including board memberships, keynote speaking engagements, or industry awards that demonstrate your influence and authority in the field. (1) Use concise, impactful language to convey your value at the executive level. (2)
Licenses and Certifications
Under this section, list any relevant certifications or licenses that are relevant to vice president jobs. You could list accreditations for certain professional roles or licenses for certain activities that help to make you a strong candidate. Therefore, add any necessary licenses and certifications in this section, along with valid dates so employers can see you're still qualified for the job.
Below you can find several examples of certifications for a vice president resume:
- PMP Certification, 2022
- Six Sigma Black, 2022
- CFA Charterholder, 2022
Optional Sections
There are several additional sections you could add to a vice president resume, to improve your chances of success. Pick from the optional sections below to help show the employer you have the skills and experience for the job.
Hobbies
Hobbies and interests can be a useful way of showing your skills and experience beyond your work and education. Your hobbies and interests are useful for a vice president resume if you want to show a different side to your personality, or to stand out among other candidates. They can also be valuable if you're a junior candidate without much relevant work experience. If you're thinking about adding hobbies and interests, just make sure they add something unique to your application, and showcase your personality and interests in unique and interesting ways.
Voluntary Work
If you're lacking relevant vice president work experience, volunteer work can help to show you still have the relevant skills. Add any voluntary roles, including your position, the name of the organization, the dates of your voluntary work and a brief explanation of your responsibilities and achievements.
References
It's relatively unusual to include references in a standard vice president resume, but they are required occasionally. Check the job advert to see if you'll need to add references to your resume. Include a maximum of three professional references, being sure to check with your referees before including them in your resume.
References are available upon request.
Best action words for your vice president resume
Using strong action verbs in your work experience bullet points can make a stronger impression on employers and show the value you added to your previous roles. The suggested action verbs below will help the reader to understand your key qualities and the impact you made on the organization.
- Lead
- Strategize
- Innovate
- Oversee
- Collaborate
- Drive
- Implement
- Optimize
- Mentor
- Negotiate
As an experienced vice president, you'll want your resume to do justice to your experience and standing in your industry. As such, it's acceptable to submit a longer than average resume of two pages or more. Jobseeker's resume templates were created by careers experts to help you produce a professional resume in minutes. You can also find cover letter templates to complete an eye-catching job application that gets you noticed.
Example of a vice president resume
Using each of the sections above, we've created this example vice president resume, to help guide you when creating your own:
112 Ocean Avenue, Amityville, NY
•
eleanor.parker@example.com
•
(111) 222 33 444 55
•
linkedin․com/in/eleanor–parker123
Results-driven Vice President with a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) and extensive experience as an Executive Vice President. Proven track record of strategic leadership, driving operational excellence, and achieving business growth. Skilled in team management, financial oversight, and implementing innovative solutions to enhance organizational performance.
Executive Vice President
2020
-2022
Sterling Horizons International (Nashville)
- Spearheaded a $50M revenue increase through strategic market expansion and innovative product development over a 2-year period
- Successfully led the integration of a major acquisition, resulting in 15% operational cost reduction and enhanced market position
- Implemented a comprehensive digital transformation strategy, boosting customer engagement by 30% and reducing downtime by 25%
Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA)
2017
-2020
University of Georgia (Athens, GA)
Strategic planning
Financial analysis
Project management
Strategic thinking
Emotional intelligence
Effective communication
PMP Certification
Six Sigma Black
English - Fluent
Spanish - B2
Key tips for a vice president resume
Key tips to help you craft a strong resume
- Showcase your key vice president qualities with a strong resume summary or objective to catch the attention of the reader.
- Mention your key educational achievements, such as degrees and professional qualifications, along with grades such as your GPA, if they're high.
- Use a clear resume format with professional elements, including suitable headings, line spacing, fonts and margins, to make your resume as readable as possible for hiring managers.
- Add key skills throughout your resume that match the job description, along with a dedicated 'skills' section.
- Quantify your achievements and show evidence of how you've used your skills to bring positive outcomes in your career to date.
Things to avoid on your resume
- Don't fill your resume with unnecessary details. Focus everything on showing you're right for the job.
- Don't fill your resume with industry jargon or business-speak that could alienate the reader.
- Don't use overly decorative formatting and layouts that can detract from the content and make your vice president resume harder for scanning by applicant tracking systems (ATS).
- Don't include personal details beyond your name, location and contact details. Adding your age, gender, nationality or a photo can create unwanted hiring bias.
- Don't use an email address that creates an unprofessional impression. Instead, create an email address for job applications based on your name.
Making an ATS-friendly resume
Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are one of the key ways recruiters and employers manage the hiring process. The systems can screen candidates by scanning and ranking resumes based on each candidate's likely suitability for the vacancy. If you follow a few simple tips when writing your vice president resume, you'll give yourself a better chance of ranking highly in the ATS screening and progressing to the next stage.
Here a some simple tips to follow for an ATS-friendly resume:
- Choose a resume structure that matches the traditional, reverse-chronological layout or alternatively, the functional resume structure. This should make your resume more readable for ATS applications.
- Add keywords throughout your resume that help ATS software match your application to the job description. A higher match means your application is more likely to proceed to be reviewed by human eyes.
- Add each section with clear headings that match the established resume conventions, so ATS software can easily identify each part of your resume.
- Adopt a resume design that uses clear, professional design principles and leaves white space for your content to breathe. Use the most readable fonts and incorporate subtle design elements to enhance the readability of your document.
- Keep your resume as concise as possible, to make it easier to read, and for ATS software to scan.
If you need help creating a professional resume, take a look at our expert career articles and variety of resume examples created by careers experts.
Frequently Asked Questions for a vice president resume
Now that you know how to write a professional vice president resume, you might also want to learn how to write an accompanying cover letter that makes a similar impact.
Check the job description to see whether a full, formal cover letter is necessary. In some situations, it might be more suitable to simply send a brief email to introduce yourself and accompany your resume.
If you choose to write a full cover letter, follow traditional letter-writing conventions surrounding greetings, sign-offs and use of professional language. The body of the cover letter tends to be three paragraphs. The first introduces yourself and the role you're applying for, giving reasons for your application. The second briefly covers your key skills and achievements that are most relevant to vice president roles. Finally, the third paragraph re-emphasizes your interest in the role and leaves a call to action, encouraging the employer to reach out to you.
If you want to impress employers with a professional cover letter, use Jobseeker's simple and beautiful cover letter templates.
When thinking about how far back to go with your resume, it's important to consider the level of the role and the industry you're applying in. For senior positions such as vice president roles, a longer resume that goes further back in your career timeline is often acceptable. While 10 to 15 years is generally accepted as the furthest back your resume career timeline should go, for a vice president resume, you may wish to go back further.
A resume headline can catch the attention of the reader and give them a strong first impression about your suitability for vice president jobs. Resume headlines can also help you pass the ATS stage of the selection process, by highlighting the job title and one or two key details. Write a few words to set the tone for your resume, including the job title, your experience or track record and one or two key skills that make you stand out.
See below for an example of a well-constructed resume headline:
- Dynamic Junior Vice President Leader
- Dynamic Vice President of Operations
- Seasoned Executive Vice President
The best resume format for a vice president role is one that allows you to showcase the achievements and experience that make you eligible for such a senior position. A traditional, reverse-chronological resume format is typically the most suitable structure for highly experienced, senior candidates as it gives you the best chance to showcase your distinguished employment history. Focus on showcasing your achievements and skills in your work experience section, but leave space for additional sections that can help to prove your industry standing and reputation. These might include certifications, professional memberships, awards, publications and conference speeches.
Key takeaways for your vice president resume
If you want to catch the eye of employers and recruiters, you need a professional resume that showcases your best skills and career achievements. Pick a resume format that matches your experience levels, and tailor the content of your resume to reflect the details of the job description.
HR-approved resume templates and other tools by Jobseeker are the easiest way to create a winning job application. Sign up and follow the simple instructions to complete a resume that stands out from the crowd. Jobseeker's expert-designed cover letter generator can help your applications make a strong first impression on hiring managers. Find detailed cover letter examples to complement your resume and get your application noticed.
Sources:
(1) Overcoming the Most Common Challenges in the Executive Job Search, MIT Career Development Office: https://cdo.mit.edu/blog/2024/10/15/overcoming-the-most-common-challenges-in-the-executive-job-search/
(2) How to Impress an Executive Recruiter and Break Into the C-Suite, Harvard Division of Continuing Education: https://professional.dce.harvard.edu/blog/how-to-impress-an-executive-recruiter-and-break-into-the-c-suite/
