Best CEO Resume Examples For 2026 (Samples + Writing Guide)

COO is one of the coolest C-suite roles. Perhaps the coolest. You effectively run the business – while staying out of the harsh political spotlight. But landing the coveted role starts with writing a humble COO resume.

The brutal truth is that COO roles attract a lot of seasoned candidates. Some of them are internal – others external to the company.

Either way, the successful candidate is rarely the most experienced leader. But they’re almost always the best at presenting themselves.

Let me show you how to sell your worth to recruiters and hiring leaders on your COO resume.

Expert Tip.

If you’d like us to write your COO resume, consider hiring one of our executive resume writers.

Above: Front page of a COO’s resume. Notice the abundance of white space – it creates a welcoming feel while providing the resume with logical structure.

Key Takeaways.

Use a contemporary resume template with plenty of white space. Don’t make your COO resume look like a dull, intimidating government tender.
Quantify your achievements. Recruiters want to know about the impact you’ve had on the business.
There are almost 69,000 COOs in the United States as of 2026. An excellent COO resume will help you stand out.

What Are The Main Sections Of A COO Resume?

Would you trust a COO whose resume looks confused and sloppy? Hell no.

A COO’s resume must be a masterclass in efficient communication. Stick to the following sections, in this order:

Header
Profile
Employment history
Key Assets
Professional Experience
Additional Roles (if any)
Education

Want to know how to craft each section?

Above: Page 2 of a COO’s resume. Notice how it presents professional experience in reverse-chronological order.

1. Use A Modern-Looking Resume Template.

Do me a favour. Avoid busy, cluttered “creative” resume templates.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, boxes, callouts, quotes and complex font combinations make your resume weaker – not stronger.

They confuse the reader’s eye and scatter attention.

The best resume templates – especially at the executive level – are logical and minimalist. They create an easy-to-understand visual hierarchy that your brain instantly “gets”.

Important!

Do not cram every page of your COO resume with dense text. Allow plenty of white space. Recruiters hate documents that appear intimidating and “hard work”.

Where to find a great resume template? One word – Canva. A membership costs about $20/month, and this fee gives you access to an excellent selection of resume designs.

Above: Page 3 of a COO’s resume. It contains Education and Earlier Career History sections, as well as spillover from the Professional Experience section.

2. Craft A Header That Sells You Immediately.

The header of your COO resume will contain your contact details (phone, email and LinkedIn profile URL) as well as your headline.

Expert Tip.

Recruiters in the United States don’t expect you to include your D.O.B. or marriage status on your resume. In fact, they will view the inclusion of these details as a blunder.

The headline is your first opportunity to set yourself apart from generic COOs.

It must contain three parts:

Title (COO – or VP Operations, depending on company).
Specialisation (are you a turnaround COO or a rapid growth COO?).
Industry / sector (e.g., finance, SaaS).

Above: See how this headline provides excellent context? It’s clear that Mason isn’t a generic, jack-of-all-trades COO.

3. Write A Compelling COO Profile.

The resume profile (we used to call it the “objective” back in the day) must communicate your value proposition and career story.

It must confidently answer the question – “why should I hire you vs 10 other COO candidates?”

This is one of the hardest resume sections to write, so be patient with yourself. Expect to go through 3-5 drafts until you come up with a version you’re happy with.

Your priority here is to sell yourself at the right level.

You’re now a senior executive, so you must speak in the language of tangible commercial business outcomes – not technical or operational detail.

Expert Tip.

Write the resume profile last – after you finish the experience and Key Assets sections. It will flow out of you more easily.

Above: The profile of this SaaS COO makes it abundantly clear what value he delivers, and to whom.

4. Show Off Your Key Assets.

This is the most underrated section on a COO’s resume.

Living at the bottom of page one, it highlights your most epic wins.

Many COOs botch it by simply listing a bunch of generic “Key Skills” here. For example:

Operational efficiency.
Cost control.
Process improvement.

Yawn.

I think I just slipped into a coma.

The better alternative is to create a list of 3-4 “Key Assets”. Think of them as your greatest hits; you can grab them from any of your previous roles.

Above: The Key Assets section can make or break your COO job application. It’s that important.

5. Unpack Your Professional Experience.

This is where the proverbial rubber hits the road.

Use the reverse-chronological resume format to present your professional experience.

It presents your working history in reverse order – with your most recent roles appearing first.

Recruiters love this format because they care most about your recent few roles; they don’t have to waste time looking for it.

When writing about your professional experience, list 3-5 of your most recent positions. Each entry must include:

Job title.
Mandate (why were you hired?)
Company name (providing location is also a common practice in the US).
Dates you worked there.
Your main responsibilities and accomplishments.

Include four to six responsibilities and achievements for each role. The more recent the role, the more bullets you should provide.

Use action verbs and measurable data to explain:

Impact you had on the business (i.e., what value did you create?)
Challenges you overcame (e.g., regulatory headwinds).

Above: This COO’s mandate, responsibilities and achievements are unambiguously clear.

6. Don’t Forget The Education Section.

You’re no spring chicken, so recruiters no longer care about your high school education – you can safely leave that off your COO resume.

Even your undergraduate degree is probably not relevant (unless you’re in a technical field – e.g., you’re a COO of Tennis Australia, and you did an undergraduate degree in Exercise Physiology).

But you must definitely showcase your business school credentials (e.g., an MBA), as well as any short courses you’ve completed related to business, finance, or leadership.

Each entry must include the following:

The degree.
The institution.
Your course dates (no need to include months – just years will do).

Above: This section alone can make or break your application. Make sure it’s on point.

7. Write A COO Cover Letter.

Cover letters are more controversial than JK Rowling.

Some recruiters will tell you not to bother with one. But others will not look at your resume – unless you also submit a cover letter.

I suggest optimising for the lowest common denominator. Include one – even though noone may read it.

When writing a cover letter to support your COO application:

Ensure your cover letter design matches your resume. It’s a small detail, but it makes your application look more professional.
Avoid laborious, fluffy, generic paragraphs. Get straight to the point, showcasing your most relevant and impressive achievements. Yes, they can be almost identical to the ones in your resume’s “Key Assets” section.
Don’t waffle. Close sharply with “Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Your Name.”