Finance CV Example

In finance, you’ll handle diverse finance-related responsibilities like proposing investment opportunities and budgetary changes to your superiors.

Employers in finance look for candidates that can demonstrate the breadth of their skills and experience in a professional and straightforward manner. So to prove your finance abilities, create a simple CV that reflects your:

• in-depth knowledge of the finance sector
• qualifications related to finance
• experience and achievements in the finance field

Follow these three tips to build a CV that persuades recruiters in the finance industry to invite you in for a job interview and ultimately invest in you as an employee:

1. Draw the recruiter’s interest with a standout personal statement

High-quality CVs always have a personal statement at the top of the first page. A CV personal statement is the first thing a recruiting manager sees, so it’s the perfect place to include your top finance-relevant achievements, qualifications, and skills.

To write a powerful CV personal statement:

• bear in mind the type of finance role you’re seeking (e.g., audit, tax, compliance)
• analyse the job advert
• research the company you’re applying to
• build a profile of the recruiter’s ideal candidate

Then use your CV’s personal summary to demonstrate how you fit that profile.

Here’s an example of a personal statement written by a candidate applying for a finance manager role:

Finance Manager with 10+ years of experience in accounting and financial management within the consumer electronics sector. Track record of effectively advising executive leadership on business planning and making large-scale decisions. Skilled at developing robust financial management models, establishing investment portfolios, directing finance departments, and improving P&L figures.

2. Highlight your professional qualifications

Working in finance, you’ll have the opportunity to pick up many different qualifications. Depending on the firm you work for, you may be required to study for these qualifications as you progress in your career.

For example, if you work for one of the Big Four Accounting Firms, you’ll normally be required to follow a programme of professional qualifications. For instance, if you join the popular Audit graduate programme at KPMG, you’ll need to study for various professional qualifications during your first few years.

Once you’ve gained a professional financial qualification, showcase it on your CV so that recruiting managers can quickly see you’re qualified in the speciality they’re hiring for. Because professional qualfications are vital in finance, create a standalone professional qualifications section to group them together in an easy-to-find place.

Here’s how to highlight an ACA qualification on a CV:

You should add any other qualifications you’re studying to this section, as well as when you expect to gain them.

Check individual qualifications for organisations’ guidance on how and when to show them on your CV. For example, the ICAEW says you should specify if you passed your ACA exams the first time.

3. Highlight your finance skills (and learn new ones)

You should also create a skills section on your CV that specifies any skills you’ve picked up in previous finance roles or university modules.

If you’ve worked in the finance industry for a few years, you may have more skills than space on your CV to highlight them. In this case, look at the job advert for the finance role you’re interested in, and only add skills to your CV if they’re specifically listed there.

As well as your finance hard skills, don’t forget to add some personality-based soft skills to your CV. Although personal skills might not be mentioned in finance job adverts, these skills are still valuable in the finance sector because they prove you can work well with clients and colleagues, and handle your workload.

Here are some common soft skills that complement hard finance skill sets:

• Collboration skills
• Attention to detail
• Customer service skills
• Teamwork skills
• Communication skills
• Creativity
• Adaptability
• Presentation skills
• Positive mindset
• Working well under pressure

If you’re new to finance or are looking for new skills to pick up, consider some of these resources:

Twitter: @goldmansachs, @wallstreetmojo, @conorsen, @reformedbroker
Reddit: r/finance, r/financestudents, r/financialcareers, r/securityanalysis
YouTube: The Motley Fool, Bloomberg Finance & Markets, WisdomCA, TheFinancialDiet

Talking about how you’ve used these resources or discussing an interesting recent development in the financial world can also help you make connections with the interviewer if you use them when responding to common interview questions.

4. Highlight a finance-oriented personality

While it’s important to show recruiters you have the know-how to fill a finance vacancy, you should also prove that your personality fits the organisation you’re applying to.

If you have space on your CV, you can add a favourite hobbies and free-time interests section and fill it with activities that suit the profile of a finance worker. While you shouldn’t lie about your hobbies and interests, you can refer to lists of the best hobbies for the finance industry and add any you take part in.

Whether these hobbies help you hone skills you use at work or they help you connect with your colleagues, mentioning them on your CV could make the difference between getting an interview or not because recruiting managers will see you want to fit in and make a career in finance.