Finance Resume Sample

A convincing resume is key to securing a job in a competitive industry like finance. Whether you’re applying to be an accountant or a financial analyst, here are four tips to give you the best chance of landing an interview:

1. Highlight your skills

Hiring managers look for candidates who have the knowledge and technical skills to succeed in a finance role. Employers first assess your skills section when looking at your finance resume, and if the desired skills aren’t there, your chances of getting invited to an interview decrease.

The skills section of your resume should show you’re adept at quantitative analysis and report writing, and proficient in industry software. To prove you have the relevant hard skills for a finance job, list these common finance skills (if you have them):

If you have any certifications to list on your resume for platforms like MATLAB, then include those. You can also add any desirable soft skills mentioned in the job posting along with the more technical ones.

2. Add hard numbers to your achievements

Your achievements in the finance industry are measured using hard numbers. To demonstrate to employers what you can bring to their projects, include hard numbers on your finance resume to provide evidence of your positive impact.

As you reflect on your work experience, think about how your achievements can be expressed in terms of revenue increase, money saved, and numbers of clients served.

Here’s an example of how a finance professional can add hard numbers to a resume:

Implemented a new budget system that reduced overall costs by 13%

Incorporating such data strengthens your resume because it shows employers a concrete record of success.

3. Include powerful finance action verbs

Add strong action verbs to your finance resume to make sure your bullet points engage the recruiter. Thinking of new ways to describe your daily responsibilities is challenging, but incorporating convincing resume action verbs into your experience section ensures you grab the hiring manager’s attention.

Using action verbs shows the hiring manager that you take initiative at work. Here are a few action verbs to add to your finance resume:

Strong finance action verbs communicate your achievements more effectively to potential employers.

4. Customize your finance resume for the job post

Take the time to customize your financial resume for the job posting. Showing you’ve done thorough research on the company impresses hiring managers. Although you may be applying to many jobs, your resume should give hiring managers the impression that their job opening is your top choice.

One way to ensure that your finance resume matches what the employer is looking for is to add keywords to your resume. Resume keywords are words and phrases found in the job ad that describe the qualities of an employer’s ideal employee. Here’s an example of a job description with keywords highlighted:

Move any skills referenced in the listing to the top of your skills list if you exemplify them. If the posting mentions a particular project you’d work on, describe similar projects you’ve taken on in previous roles when you list your work experience on your resume. And don’t forget to show how your contributions ensured the project’s success.

At the same time, make sure to remove irrelevant jobs and skills from your resume. For example, only a few of the skills you picked up bartending in college will be transferable to a finance role, so you can safely leave them off your resume and focus on more relevant experience.