Expert Interview: Yury Zabella on the Skills CFOs Should Highlight on Their Resumes in 2026

As finance leadership roles continue to evolve, today's CFOs are expected to do far more than oversee accounting and reporting. Companies increasingly look for financial leaders who can improve operations, guide strategic decisions, support growth initiatives, and help organizations navigate uncertainty.

To better understand which skills matter most in today's market, we spoke with Yury Zabella, the top-rated fractional CFO for manufacturing and tech startups, with a founder-to-exit track record and verified 8-figure revenue outcomes. Through his work helping founders gain financial clarity, improve margins, and build scalable systems, Yury has seen firsthand which capabilities separate highly effective CFOs from candidates who struggle to stand out.

Q: When reviewing a CFO resume, what skills or experiences immediately signal that a candidate can create strategic business value rather than simply manage financial reporting?

A: The first thing I look for is evidence that the candidate improved the business, not just the financial statements.

Many resumes focus heavily on budgeting, forecasting, month-end close processes, or compliance work. Those are important responsibilities, but they don't necessarily tell me whether someone can help a company grow. I want to see examples of operational impact. Did they improve margins? Reduce waste? Shorten the month-end close process? Implement systems that gave leadership better visibility into profitability? Help prepare a company for a sale or acquisition?

One of the biggest mistakes finance leaders make is describing activities instead of outcomes. "Managed financial reporting" tells me very little. "Reduced month-end close from five days to one day" tells me something valuable. The strongest CFO candidates understand how financial decisions connect to operations, systems, and long-term business value.

Q: Many finance professionals highlight technical expertise on their resumes. Which operational, leadership, or business skills are becoming increasingly important for CFO candidates in 2026?

A: The CFO role is becoming much more operational than it was ten years ago. Today, companies need finance leaders who can work across departments, connect systems, and translate financial information into business decisions. The ability to communicate with operations teams, sales leaders, software developers, and business owners is becoming just as important as technical accounting knowledge.

I also believe system thinking is becoming a major differentiator. Most growing companies don't have a finance problem. They have a visibility problem. Their CRM doesn't talk to their accounting system. Their inventory data doesn't align with their financial reports. Their reporting process depends on spreadsheets that only one employee understands. A modern CFO needs to identify those gaps and create processes that scale as the company grows.

Q: What are the most common mistakes you see CFO candidates make when presenting their experience, and how can they better demonstrate business impact?

A: The biggest mistake is being too generic. Many executive resumes sound interchangeable because they rely on broad statements such as "provided strategic leadership" or "improved financial performance." Those phrases don't help hiring managers understand what actually happened.

Instead, candidates should explain specific business challenges they solved. For example, did they identify an unprofitable product line? Improve inventory controls? Support a successful acquisition? Implement an ERP system? Help a founder understand which products generated the highest margins?

The second mistake is failing to quantify results. If you improved gross margin, by how much? If you increased cash flow visibility, what changed? If you helped prepare a company for an exit, what was the outcome? Specificity builds credibility.

Q: How should CFOs showcase experience with financial systems, ERP implementations, forecasting processes, and operational improvements in a way that resonates with employers?

A: The mistake many candidates make is treating systems as technology projects. Employers don't care that you implemented software. They care about what the software allowed the business to accomplish.

For example, instead of saying, "Led ERP implementation," explain what changed after the implementation. Did inventory accuracy improve? Did reporting become faster? Did leadership gain visibility into profitability by product, customer, or service line?

Throughout my career, I've seen companies invest heavily in systems but still struggle to answer simple questions like: Which product makes the most money? Which customer is the most profitable? Why does it take so long to close the books?

Technology only creates value when it helps leadership make better decisions. The strongest resumes connect systems work directly to measurable business outcomes.

Q: Looking ahead, which CFO capabilities do you believe will become significantly more valuable over the next three to five years, and how should professionals position themselves today to stay competitive?

A: I believe three capabilities will become increasingly valuable:

First, the ability to connect operational data with financial performance. Companies have more information than ever, but many still struggle to turn that information into decisions.

Second, process design and systems integration. Businesses are adopting more tools every year, and somebody has to ensure those tools work together.

Third, exit readiness. Even if a company has no plans to sell today, investors, lenders, and buyers increasingly expect clean financials, documented processes, and reliable reporting. The businesses that prepare early typically have more options later.

For finance leaders who want to stay competitive, my advice is simple: spend less time thinking like an accountant and more time thinking like an owner. The most valuable CFOs understand operations, technology, profitability, and growth. They help leadership answer difficult questions and make confident decisions. That's what separates a finance professional from a strategic business partner.