IT Executives, whether Chief Information Officers (CIOs), Chief Information Security Offiers (CISOs), Chief Technology Officers (CTOs), PMO Leaders or Software Engineering Execs, must develop a long- and short-term technology strategy and lead teams that execute it to support a company’s vision for growth.
A successful IT Executive is one whose strategy yields tangible results and whose steady progression showcases a history of career growth and success. Their resume must tell the reader how results came to be by balancing strategy, leadership, fiscal stewardship and technical know-how.
Let’s take these one by one…
#1 STRATEGY
IT strategy (and the roadmaps that follow) must be reverse-engineered with the end goal in mind, often to level up teams/organizations or modernize tech stacks. Whether that goal is company turnaround, growth or even post-M&A integration, show the reader the big picture by tying the strategy to Board/CEO vision.
#2 Leadership
CIOs, CTOs, IT SVPs and VPs never succeed solo. Their success depends on building and/or leading teams and managing external partners/vendors and internal stakeholders to make their strategy a reality.
☑ Team Management: IT Executives must build teams who can execute their strategy. Noteworthy considerations include whether teams are centrally located or dispersed, offshore or global,or comprised of 3 or 300 FTEs. To properly convey scope, spell these details out.
☑ Stakeholder Management: IT Executives must continually engage with boards, C-Suites and cross-functional business partners to gain and maintain strategy buy-in — and likely drive post-implementation adoption. Be sure the reader is clear on all parties involved, including those requiring convincing through case-building before giving the green light.
☑ Vendor Management: IT leaders get judged on the success of vendor negotiations, vendor implementation and their contribution to the bottom line. Here’s where it’s critical to include details about enhancements or overhauls to ERPs, CRMs, hardware and software solutions, to explain how much was saved, who benefited and how.
#3 Fiscal Stewardship
IT Executives must manage finances closely (ideally as if it were their own money), make build v. buy decisions and ensure directs are adhering to program and project budgets.
Show results in this area by monetizing wherever possible. Be sure to include the budget size, tangible ROI and any spend reductions or savings achieved during vendor negotiations or from tech investment choices.
#4 Technical Know-How
Although most recruiters no longer expect a Senior IT Executive to be hands-on and current on development or programming, the ability to lead teams who are is a must. A career progression that includes tenures in hands-on technical roles (even if featured under an “Additional Experience” section when earlier than 15 years ago), shows this.
It tells the reader you can confidently “talk the talk” with front-line technologists.
Make Vision Reality
A resume that showcases strategy shaping, strong leadership, fiscal soundness and technical savvy will impress a company looking to fill an IT Executive Leadership role.
More importantly, it will show you have what it takes to champion an IT strategy that transforms a company’s vision to reality.