CEO Cover Letter Example and Template

Chief executive officers, or CEOs, lead organizations by creating strategic plans, overseeing operations and setting budgets. Becoming a CEO can be a rewarding career path for people with strong leadership skills who enjoy working on a wide range of business functions. If you're applying for a CEO position, submitting a compelling cover letter that connects your skills to the job description can give you an advantage in the hiring process. In this article, we explain what to include in a cover letter for a CEO job and share an example of a cover letter for this position. To ensure your resume presents your information in an organized and visually appealing way, you might look at resume samples and templates to find the ideal format. Once you've chosen a format and added your information, you can upload a resume file or build an Indeed Resume to start applying for CEO positions. Gina Thompson, MBA
Atlanta, GA
470-555-0159
gina.thompson@email.com May 4, 2023 Dear Hiring Manager, My name is Gina Thompson, and I'm writing to express my interest in the open position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at South Alpharetta IT Services, LLC. As a skilled management professional with over 12 years of experience in IT business development, I bring a combination of technological knowledge and entrepreneurial instinct to the role. Becoming the leader of an innovative firm like South Alpharetta IT Services is an exciting opportunity, one that fits my skills and professional goals. I have extensive experience creating and meeting business development goals for IT firms. For the past eight years, I have served as Senior Business Director for Vistavia Technology, an IT and software development firm serving the HR industry. In that role, I located small and mid-sized business firms to contact about custom HR software solutions and drove the company's expansion into new territories. Over the course of my time there, Vistavia Technology's annual revenue increased by 215%, largely through new business. I surpassed my annual revenue goals by at least 15% for the last six years of my tenure. Along with my business development experience, I have strong managerial and leadership skills. For the past nine years, I have managed a team of 11 business development professionals, providing guidance and career development. Last year, I earned an MBA with an emphasis in IT management, which allowed me to combine my interest in leading a company with my career-long passion for information technology. Most importantly, I have a clear plan for the future of South Alpharetta IT Services that can help the firm become the Atlanta metropolitan region's foremost provider of IT services for small and mid-sized businesses. I believe my IT experience, entrepreneurial knowledge and determination make me a strong candidate for the CEO position. I've attached my resume and contact information for three professional references to this document. Please contact me if you have any questions about my qualifications or my vision for South Alpharetta IT Services' future. Thank you for your time and consideration, and I look forward to speaking with you soon. Sincerely, Gina Thompson, MBA To upload the template into Google Docs, go to File > Open > and select the correct downloaded file.

What to include in a CEO cover letter

You might customize your CEO cover letter to fit the organization or your experience, but most cover letters for executive leadership positions include the following sections:

Contact information

Including your contact details at the top of each application document ensures that your materials stay together and can help the hiring team contact you quickly. Start with your first and last name, followed by any postgraduate degrees you hold, like an MBA or Ph.D. On the next line, add the city and state where you live. Then, give the hiring manager several ways to contact you by adding your phone number and a professional email address. Consider creating a new email address for your job search, so you can keep all of your application materials and correspondence together. Related: Creating an Email for Job Search: How To and Why You Should

Introduction and candidate summary

At the beginning of the body of your letter, introduce yourself and state which position you hope to get. Then, summarize your qualifications and professional goals. This section of your cover letter can give you the chance to make a strong first impression on your reader, which can help you get an interview or phone screening. By emphasizing your most relevant and impressive qualifications, you can show the hiring team that you can meet their needs as a CEO. You might mention how many years you've worked in the industry or what your goals are for the company. Related: 7 Powerful Ways to Start a Cover Letter (With Examples)

Professional experience

While your resume might list all the jobs you've held, your cover letter gives you the opportunity to describe one or two key experiences and connect them to your desired CEO position. You might describe your most recent position or one that allowed you to use your leadership skills. When you describe your experiences, explain your responsibilities and what you learned from the position. Include information about your success in the role, like revenue numbers or percent increase in business. These details verify your skills and show the hiring team what you can bring to the organization. Related: How To Demonstrate Leadership Skills at Work

Relevant skills

In a new paragraph, you can describe the skills you can bring to the CEO role. You might include advanced degrees you've earned, certifications you hold or key soft skills, like communication and organization. Consider reviewing the job description to identify important traits and job requirements. Then, address your strengths in those areas. In this section, you might also discuss how your skills have helped you determine a plan to lead the organization. Hiring teams often prefer CEO candidates who already understand the company's operating structure and have clear goals for the future. Related: How To Use Leadership Vision To Lead Your Business

Call to action

A call to action is a statement that invites a reader to perform a specific action, like contacting a candidate's references or reading their resume. Ending a CEO cover letter with one of these statements can show the hiring team that you're enthusiastic about the opportunity and that you possess strong leadership skills, which are often valuable in CEO candidates. You might highlight documents that you've attached to the cover letter or ask the hiring manager to contact you if they have questions. Finally, thank the hiring manager for their time and consideration. Related: How To Write a Call to Action in Your Cover Letter Please note that none of the companies mentioned in this article are affiliated with Indeed.