As a finance professional, your resume must reflect expertise in money management. Highlight your proficiency in things like financial analysis, risk assessment, and strategic decision-making skills. This guide provides expert insights and examples to help you write a finance resume that shows you would be a valuable asset to any organization.
Ensure your finance resume looks professional and well-organized by using a ready-made template. Your finance resume should include these sections:
Within the header at the top of your resume, list your current contact information. Include your full name, phone number, email address, location, and a link to your online professional profile. This ensures hiring managers and clients can easily reach you for more information or to schedule an interview.
Your Name
(123) 456-7890
[email protected]
City, State Abbreviation Zip Code
LinkedIn
A resume profile concisely summarizes your job title, years of experience, and unique specializations within finance. As you create your profile, use the job description as a guide to align your resume with the role’s requirements. Highlighting what’s most relevant shows potential employers that you’re an ideal candidate who can contribute to their financial goals.
Experienced credit analyst with a seven-year foundation in commercial lending. Certified as a chartered financial analyst and mortgage loan originator. Navigates the complexities of loan underwriting and portfolio management within nonprofit and for-profit sectors. Deploys advanced analytics through Excel, Power BI, and Encompass.
Whether you’re a credit counselor or financial manager, a key skills list immediately communicates to hiring managers what you’re capable of within your field. Technical competency and interpersonal dynamics are equally important in finance. Include both skill types on your resume while customizing the list to align with the demands of the job.
Hard Skills | Soft Skills |
---|---|
Accounting principles and practices | Attention to detail |
Budgeting | Collaboration and teamwork |
Data analysis and interpretation | Communication |
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems | Decision making |
Financial modeling | Emotional intelligence |
Investment analysis | Ethical integrity |
Market research | Negotiation |
Portfolio management | Organization |
Tax planning and compliance | Persuasiveness |
Valuation techniques | Time management |
To instantly improve the professional experience section of your finance resume, use action verbs instead of first-person language (e.g., “I was responsible for…”). These words help to quantify your work history and frame your daily responsibilities as accomplishments. As you describe the work you’ve done in past jobs, start each bullet point with an action verb like the ones we’ve listed below:
Action Verbs | |
---|---|
Analyzed | Balanced |
Budgeted | Calculated |
Consolidated | Forecasted |
Implemented | Invested |
Modeled | Negotiated |
Optimized | Reconciled |
Streamlined | Underwrote |
Validated |
This section of your resume should clearly outline your career trajectory within finance. Starting with your most recent job first, describe past duties and achievements, recounting times when you worked on a team, optimized operations, mitigated a risk, or increased profitability. Hiring managers like to see results, so quantify your work when you can.
Credit Analyst, Enterprise Community Loan Fund, Detroit, MI
April 2019 – present
Loan Officer Assistant, Midtown Home Mortgage, Detroit, MI
January 2017 – February 2019
As a finance professional, you know that numbers can be more impactful than words alone. Quantifying your experience provides concrete evidence of your capabilities. Each time you use numbers to illustrate your past achievements, you convey a sense of measurable value. This increases credibility and helps hiring managers gauge the scale and impact of your work.
The job outlook for professionals in finance is bright, with faster-than-average growth predicted for the next 10 years. Although demand will likely continue to increase, your resume must be well-tailored to land your dream job. To resonate with hiring managers, each resume you submit should be uniquely customized for that specific position and organization.
Start by identifying the key qualifications the employer values. Then, highlight similar skills, experiences, and qualifications on your resume. Include those keywords from the job ad throughout your document to optimize it for applicant tracking systems (ATS) now used by many employers. Your goal is to show you meet the unique criteria of each finance job you apply for.
While you may not have held an established role yet, you can leverage a wide range of assets to create an effective finance resume. If you have a robust academic background, start by featuring your degrees, honors, scholastic achievements, and coursework prominently on your resume. Include internship and externship experiences as well.
Next, consider the transferable skills you have that easily translate across industries and roles. Things like analytical thinking, software proficiency, and customer service are all essential to a well-rounded portfolio. If you were involved in extracurricular finance clubs and associations or donated your time and finance skills as a volunteer, be sure to describe these experiences.
The education section should start with your highest degree and any other finance-related academic experience, including relevant coursework and honors. Next, list certifications that could help set you apart from other applicants. Prioritize finance and industry-specific credentials such as Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).
Certifications
Your Name
(123) 456-7890
[email protected]
City, State Abbreviation zip code
LinkedIn
Experienced credit analyst with a seven-year foundation in commercial lending. Certified as a chartered financial analyst and mortgage loan originator. Navigates the complexities of loan underwriting and portfolio management within nonprofit and for-profit sectors. Deploys advanced analytics through Excel, Power BI, and Encompass.
Credit Analyst, Enterprise Community Loan Fund, Detroit, MI
April 2019 – present
Loan Officer Assistant, Midtown Home Mortgage, Detroit, MI
January 2017 – February 2019
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Finance, September 2012 – June 2016
Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
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