What is a chief executive officer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
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The position of a Chief Executive Officer is the last step on the corporate ladder. CEOs are elected to this position by shareholders. They are the ones who make all the major decisions regarding the activities of the corporation, coordinate operations, oversee budgets, and manage resources. They represent the company in public and communicate with the board of directors.

The duties of CEOs vary, depending on the size of the company and the nature of the business. The larger the corporation is, the more detached the CEO becomes from practical daily operations, focused instead on setting company goals and making strategic decisions to make sure the business keeps growing.

Changing CEOs is a risky business that leaves a company vulnerable, if only temporarily, which can affect stock prices. So once you become a CEO, it is in everyone's best interest to keep you in that position for as long as possible.

ScoreChief Executive OfficerUS Average
Salary
10.0

Avg. Salary $192,260

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
10.0

Growth Rate 6%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
1.6
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.65%

Asian 7.76%

Black or African American 3.81%

Hispanic or Latino 7.90%

Unknown 3.90%

White 75.99%

Gender

female 31.53%

male 68.47%

Age - 52
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 52
Stress Level
10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
10.0

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
3.0

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

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Chief Executive Officer career paths

Key steps to become a chief executive officer

  1. Explore chief executive officer education requirements

    Most common chief executive officer degrees

    Bachelor's

    59.0 %

    Master's

    18.6 %

    Associate

    10.6 %
  2. Start to develop specific chief executive officer skills

    Skills
    ascdesc
    Percentages
    ascdesc
    Healthcare12.73%
    Patients9.80%
    Patient Care8.35%
    Customer Service7.91%
    Financial Management6.37%
  3. Research chief executive officer duties and responsibilities

    • Manage the bidding process by reviewing all RFP and preparing responses.
    • Manage complex Google, Facebook, SEO/Content, drip email, behavior base emails, and so much more.
    • Manage and grow Instagram accounts of large and small businesses as well as individual accounts such as models and singers.
    • Design, execute, and manage the construction and d cor of store location and seasonal windows of old store location.
  4. Get chief executive officer experience

    Generally, it takes more than 10 years to become a chief executive officer. The most common roles before becoming a chief executive officer include vice president, president team lead and chief operating officer.
  5. Prepare your chief executive officer resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your chief executive officer resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a chief executive officer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Chief Executive Officer Resume templates

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    Chief Executive Officer Resume
  6. Apply for chief executive officer jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a chief executive officer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Chief Executive Officer Job

T

Tarun NagarTarun Nagar LinkedIn Profile

Chief Executive Officer, Dev Technosys

It's been an incredible ride leading Dev Technosys. This journey began in 2010 with a small team of 50 passionate individuals and has now blossomed into a force of over 200 experts with 13 years of experience. As the CEO, I'd (Tarun Nagar) like to share some insights into this experience, the challenges we've faced, and the exciting road ahead.

Building the Foundation: Making IT Accessible.Dev Technosys wasn't born out of a desire to compete but rather a mission to bridge the gap between complex technology and businesses. We saw how IT jargon and processes often intimidated companies, hindering their growth. Our core value has always been to make IT understandable, reachable, and approachable. This philosophy permeates everything we do. We start by truly understanding our client's needs. We don't just throw technology at a problem; we provide customised solutions that align perfectly with their goals. Whether it's a robust mobile app or a cutting-edge web platform, our solutions are designed to empower businesses.

The Heartbeat of Dev Technosys: Our Team Our team is the lifeblood of Dev Technosys. From the very beginning, we've focused on attracting and retaining top talent. We have a diverse group of 80+ developers, each with exceptional experience in their field. Our team boasts expertise in various mobile and web development domains, including Objective-C, Swift, Java, PHP, MySQL, and other leading technologies.
But expertise is just one piece of the puzzle. We foster a culture of continuous learning. We actively participate in tech events, hold internal seminars, and encourage participation in global developer conferences and workshops. This ensures our team stays abreast of the latest trends and technologies, allowing us to deliver the most innovative solutions to our clients.

Guiding Clients Through the Tech Maze Choosing the right platform for app development can be daunting. We believe in complete transparency and a free flow of information. We take the time to understand our clients' businesses thoroughly. We consider factors like the size of their enterprise, the competitive landscape, and future challenges. This comprehensive analysis empowers them to make informed decisions about their app development journey.

Embracing the Future: A World of New Technologies. Technology is a constantly evolving landscape. We at Dev Technosys are fearless in embracing new trends. We've already begun incorporating cutting-edge tec
L

Lawrence Dillon

Chief Executive Officer, ENKI LLC

I was hired into RS Medical (RSM) as their CIO in 2011. RSM is a medical device manufacturer and healthcare provider. I was relocated from Philadelphia to Vancouver WA, about 3,000 miles away.

Given my experience, I knew revenue cycle management (RCM), which is the Insurance A/R part of Finance for healthcare providers. On day one I started helping the CFO improve the percent of contracted allowable from insurance companies. This is known as % of Allowable. For years RSM was short-paid by insurance companies but had no tracking, reporting, or management in place. We also co-sourced the RCM group with an outsourcing company, reducing cost per “claim” with automation. When the CFO left in 2012, I took over that group lead by an amazing woman, so it was easy to take on.

When the COO left in 2012, I leveraged my experience helping manufacturing companies 15 years early and I took over all global operations and kept IT and Revenue Cycle. The improvement in all operating metrics after I took over the roles helped me build the confidence that I knew more about running a business than I thought.

When I left at the end of 2013, we moved 3,000 miles back to the Philadelphia area. I was going to be an independent consultant while job hunting and found ENKI LLC to manage invoicing for me. I started getting more requests for help and eventually built a team. In 2016, ENKI’s owner asked me to bring in technology to help her with Payroll, accounting, website, etc. and once that was in place she told me that I had to run the back office, so the owner made me the COO and Global IT Practice Leader. A year later she made me the CEO and went back to client consulting, which they loved to do.

So, today I run ENKI LLC. I have external companies that help with areas such as legal, financial, and HR. I support all of ENKI’s back office and front office activities and I still run the IT consulting with our Innovation Hub. Our client engagement, organizational change management, and business consulting is run by my consulting counterpart, where I am part of her team as the business & technology strategist.

So, as I shared, my CEO story is accidental.

Average chief executive officer salary

The average Chief Executive Officer salary in the United States is $192,260 per year or $92 per hour. Chief executive officer salaries range between $104,000 and $354,000 per year.

Average Chief Executive Officer Salary
$192,260 Yearly
$92.43 hourly

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Chief Executive Officer reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2022
Pros

Independence in decision making

Cons

I am responsible for everything be it any side of the business


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2022
Pros

It provides me an opportunity to actively employ my passion for a leadership, while taking ideas from other people, above my position and developing leaders that work in my group. I have taught many classes in Customer Service, Communications Skills, Leadership and many others, for the State of NH, Federal Government and colleges and universities, including Entrepreneurship, for SNHU.

Cons

Being restricted to working with a smaller group, than might need Leadership training and coaching.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2020
Cons

Cannot have true friends at work because you are at the top, board members if they don't get your work but insist on being involved, overdemanding funders.

Pros

Working with teams, creating and sustaining service delivery systems, variety of tasks and projects, making it happen.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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