Finance Resume Example

A step-by-step guide to write a resume that will get you to the next level of your finance career. Or, have Leet Resumes do the writing for you…for free.

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Written by Marc Cenedella
Leading expert on resumes
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Marc Cenedella

Marc Cenedella is a nationally recognized thought leader on careers, resume writing, job search, career management and recruiting, Marc is frequently sought out by national media organizations for his expert commentary on employment, resumes, the job search and the job market.

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Last updated on September 2, 2022
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A Finance Resume that Gets Interviews

You can make a profit margin where there was once a bleeding asset. You can make money appear out of thin air by taking a fine-toothed comb to the ledgers. But you can’t find an equation to consolidate your career into a perfectly balanced finance resume.

Fortunately, you’ve landed in the right place. In this article, you’ll find:

  • A step-by-step guide to write the kind of resume that gets interviews
  • A resume template to follow so every necessary entry is accounted for
  • A finance resume example that’s actually relevant to your field

We’ll show you how to apply your attention to detail, penchant for numbers and excellent communication skills to create a resume that will land you more interviews and job offers. Ready to get started? Let’s jump right in.

Prefer to have someone else write your resume?

We can do that, too. The experts behind this resume template and guide can do the writing for you. Even better, they’ll do it for free. (Tips for a job well done are appreciated.)

What to Include in a Finance Resume

There are five key sections to include in your resume:

  • Professional Headline
  • Professional Summary
  • Work Experience
  • Education
  • Keywords

This guide will show you the content to fill each section of this resume template, along with helpful tips along the way.

Don’t worry, if you’ve been through Q1 audits and reports, this resume will be a walk in the park.

Name + Contact

First and foremost, type your name top and center in a professional and legible font that’s slightly larger than the rest of the text on your resume.

Directly underneath, add your contact information: phone number, email address and location (just city and state will do).

As for socials, you can leave them out. Unless you check your InMail daily, that rule goes for LinkedIn, as well.

Everything about your resume should represent your level of professionalism, including your email address. Make sure you include an email that you check regularly, but not that LIFOtheparty address you made ten years ago. Remember: professional.

When in doubt, the standard firstname.lastname approach always works.

Professional Headline

This is your calling card, your elevator pitch, your attention-grabbing headline in an advertisement of your career.

In a brief phrase (three to five words), you’ll sum up your career and your value in the finance department all at once. Here’s how:

Start with a flattering adjective that describes you in a positive and accurate light: strategic, innovative, industrious, energetic or cost-effective are a few ideas.

Don’t overthink it, don’t over-inflate it and don’t be too conservative. They don’t want a “decent financial analyst,” or an “adequate financial planner.” Find a way to describe your skills that gets them excited to learn more.

Then add a word to describe your level of experience, like junior, entry-level, senior, lead, executive, and so on.

Finally, cap it off with your official job title.

In the end, you should have something like this:

Proficient Junior Finance Analyst

Or:

Economical Executive Finance Manager

Now it’s your turn.

Professional Summary

Once your headline has hooked them into reading more, your professional summary will show your recruiter why you’re the best candidate for their open finance position.

If you look at the resume example above, you’ll see that your professional summary has no paragraphs, only listed words and short phrases. This makes your resume easy to read and scan, which makes it more likely to be called for an interview.

In the first line, list all the job titles you’d accept for your next finance position. For example, if you’re a Financial Advisor, you might also include other roles you’re interested in like Wealth Manager, Financial Representative or Investment Advisor.

If you’re a Finance Manager, you might include Budget Analyst or Executive Financial Advisor.

These don’t need to be roles you’ve already had, just positions you’re qualified for and interested in doing.

Most importantly, include the exact job title for the job you’re applying for so the recruiter can easily place you into their open position.

In the second line, list the skills, certifications or attributes that qualify you for this specific role. Not everything will fit here – that’s what the keywords section is for later – so choose the most relevant skills in your professional skill set for the recruiter to see your compatibility with the open position.

While the first two lines are as necessary as assets and liabilities on a balance sheet, the third and fourth line are completely optional. If nothing comes to mind to furnish the content, you can skip them altogether.

In line three, add your career achievements in finance and in line four, list your awards and promotions.

Need a break?

If you’d like to get back to the numbers and leave this qualitative report to the experts, Leet Resumes will write your finance resume for you. They’ll also do it for the financially-reasonable cost of: Free (seriously). Try it for yourself.

Work Experience

You know the ins and outs of the finance department, but don’t assume your recruiter does. To attract interview requests from potentially non-financial folk, you need to show off your accomplishments and achievements in a way they understand.

It’s a mistake to think that includes listing your daily duties and responsibilities. Unfortunately, no one wants to read an instruction manual on asset allocation, amortization or risk management, much less the inner workings of each.

Instead, treat your resume as an advertisement and your work experience as a highlight reel of the amazing results your finance expertise can bring.

Start by listing your work history in reverse chronological order. Referring to the resume example, add your exact job title, dates of employment and previous employer.

Under each position, add a bullet point list of the successes you brought to that role using this equation:

Strong Success Verb + Measurable Data (Number) = Positive Result

For example: Boosted ROI by 18% by analyzing the sales process and reallocating assets to capitalize on 4 major market trends Increased working capital by 25% by reducing monthly expenses by 2% and creating a 6 month savings strategy

These professional resume examples are strengthened by these two elements:

Success Verbs

These are words like optimized, accelerated, advanced, resolved, reduced or acquired.

Each bullet point in your resume should start with a strong success verb that alludes to the positive outcome of your work without mentioning the details. They also keep your resume focused on the results rather than your duties and responsibilities.

So the next time you find yourself writing how you “managed” or “was responsible for” one of your many financial duties or reports, find a strong success verb to take its place and make your resume shine.

Numbers

Numbers in your bullet points are key to writing a great resume because they’re specific. Even if your recruiter doesn’t know the difference between dividends and interest, they can easily understand that increasing revenue is good and so is decreasing losses.

When you’re specific with numbers, the recruiter (and your potential employer) can quickly visualize the positive effects you bring to an organization.

For this reason, include as many numbers as possible in your work experience.

In a final note of what to include here, don’t forget to add every promotion you’ve received (yes, each one). Promotions show your success from a different angle and build a demand for your skills and contributions in your potential employer.

Keep Your Resume Simple

Even though there’s a lot of information packed into your resume, don’t think you need to organize it into multiple columns or color coordinate things like it’s conditionally formatted.

It’s the content that will gain the interest of the recruiter, not your design skills. With this in mind, use the simple and straightforward single-column format you see in the resume example. This keeps the details easy to find and easy to read.

Education

Here, you’ll provide context to your career through your educational background. As you’ll see in the resume example, short and brief is all you need.

Include the educational institution you attended, your dates of attendance, the degree(s) obtained and any awards or honors you received.

As for extracurricular activities or affiliations, those can be saved for the post-interview camaraderie. Keep this section straightforward and focused on getting to the next level of your financial career.

Keywords and Skills for a Finance Resume

In the final section of your resume template, list the key skills required for the job you’re applying to. Be sure to highlight a variety of skills that show off your expertise and qualifications from these categories below:

Soft Skills:

  • Collaborative
  • Analytical Thinking
  • Leadership
  • Attention to detail
  • Project Management
  • Multi-Tasking

Key Finance Skills:

  • SAP
  • Data Analysis
  • -Account Management -Financial Statements
  • GAAP
  • SEC Filings

Software & Technologies:

  • Microsoft Office
  • SQL
  • Oracle
  • SAP
  • Power BI
  • Agile

Certifications:

  • FINRA
  • Certified Financial Planner (CFP)
  • Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
  • Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)
  • Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC)

Once the final keywords of your resume template are complete, your finance resume is ready to send! Congratulations.

Can someone else write my resume for me?

Absolutely. The experts at Leet Resumes will gladly write your finance resume for you…and they’ll do it for free (though tips are always appreciated!)

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