American businessman and author Robert Kiyosaki once said, "It's not how much money you make, but how much money you keep, how hard it works for you, and how many generations you keep it for."

When it comes to making money work hard for you, there are few people more qualified to help you do that, than a financial advisor. After all, most people aren’t born with an inherent knowledge of how to effectively manage their finances. Consequently, those who are already struggling financially are vulnerable to falling into a cycle of debt. It is certainly sobering to think about the fact that household debt in the US alone has now topped $14 trillion.

A well-trained and experienced financial advisor has the expertise to help such people reconfigure their finances. They also have the know-how to guide people to make smart investment choices and other important financial decisions.

These are just a few of the reasons why the best financial advisors are worth their weight in gold. So how do you show recruiters that you’re one of them? Create a financial advisor resume that they can’t say no to. With the right formatting, words, and features, you’ll be able to establish yourself as a highly sought-after financial advisor.

We’ve compiled the following resume writing guide to provide you with the best insider tips for creating a strong resume. In it, we’ll answer all of the questions you have about putting together a winning resume including:

• What recruiters are actually looking for
• How to make a resume that passes the ATS (and what the ATS is)
• Which types of skills you should be targeting
• How to expertly match your resume to each job
• What tips experts recommend for making your resume shine

With the Bureau of Labor Statistics projecting that employment of personal financial advisors will grow 7 percent from 2018 to 2028, it’s a fantastic time to launch your job search. Be sure to set yourself up for success by following our expert guide.

1. Multiple Template Examples

2. How to Write a Financial Advisor Resume That Will Get Your Phone Ringing

How to format it

The format you choose for your resume may not seem like a decision that could impact the viability of your application. However, research has shown it is one of the most critical factors that influences how a recruiter views your resume. An eye-tracking study which pinpointed how recruiters read resumes found that they spent more time focusing on job titles, than on any other element in a resume.

This tells us two things: 

1. Recruiters are most interested in reading about your professional experiences. 
2. It’s beneficial to choose a format that positions your professional experiences prominently in your resume.

The format that is best at putting a spotlight on your professional experiences is the reverse-chronological format. In line with recruiters’ expectations, it features your most recent professional experience first and the ones that preceded it after.

The study also highlighted that recruiters have certain preferences when it comes to a resume’s layout, namely, “Clear, simple layouts with clearly marked section and title headers.” To ensure your resume reflects this, we suggest that you follow the layout rules we’ve outlined below:

• • Number of Pages: 1 page at most.
  • Fonts to Use: Only use professional fonts that are easy-to-read and will be processed by ATS, such as Georgia and Cambria.
  • Fonts to Avoid: A good rule of thumb is to avoid fonts you wouldn’t use to write a financial report for a client, such as Caveat and Ultra.
  • Margins: 1 inch on all sides.

• Line Spacing: 1 or 1.15.

• Header size: 14-16 point size.
• Text size: 11-12 point size.

What recruiters will look for

Each recruiter will have their own idea of the “x factor” that separates a good applicant for a financial advisor position from a great one. However, there are certain attributes that all recruiters will agree are absolutely essential for top candidates to possess.

Recruiters are essentially looking for financial advisors who have made a name for themselves for being naturals at what they do. Financial advisors who are looking to get hired should be skilled in providing their clients with reliable, trustworthy, thorough, and effective advice that supports them work towards their short and/or long-term financial goals. Recruiters are also looking for professionals who can equally contribute to the success of their company as a whole.

Needless to say, you will want to show a recruiter that you are the precise candidate they have in mind. Your resume is the key to doing this. When recruiters review it, they should see all of the attributes they’re looking for staring right back at them. You can discover our insider tricks about how to ensure your resume addresses recruiters’ criteria by reading each of the sections below.

How to get your resume past ATS

Impressing a recruiter with your resume is half the battle - you also need to get it past ATS. If you haven’t heard of ATS - prepare to be taken aback by the following information. ATS, which stands for Applicant Tracking Software, is a highly-advanced tool that millions of companies and HR professionals use to make the hiring process more efficient.

Instead of making a recruiter personally check over each resume one by one, resumes are fed through an ATS, which uses special algorithms to either instantly pass or reject a candidate. While the algorithm each company or recruiter sets on their ATS will differ, they generally program it to search for particular keywords on each resume. Resumes which feature the keywords will pass...while those that lack them will get rejected.

This means your resume could be rejected before it even gets read by a human! While it sounds like a sci-fi novel that the fate of your next job could be in the hands of a computer program, in reality, the use of ATS is surprisingly common. Research has found that more than 98% of Fortune 500 companies already use ATS. Moreover, an increasing number of SMBs are turning to ATS to streamline their recruitment process.

But before you get too disheartened, the good news is that you can easily get your resume past ATS by keeping a few things in mind. Here are the top ways to ensure your resume gets the tick of approval from an ATS:

• Use the right keywords: Incorporate keywords used in the job ad throughout your entire resume so that the ATS can detect them. Where possible, use the exact keywords found on the job ad rather than paraphrasing. 

• Ensure your resume can be read and processed properly: Most ATS have difficulty reading and processing any “non standard” fonts, line spacing, borders, and colors. To be on the safe side, stick to the standard layout rules we shared above. 

• Avoid using images, logos, or symbols: Another feature that most ATS struggle with is reading any graphics or symbols. This means that you should forget about including company logos, images, or symbols apart from bullet points. 

• Don’t include any information in your resume’s header or footer: Most ATS are only designed to read and process the content found in the main part of a page. Consequently, any information you include in your resume’s header or footer is as good as invisible. 

• Ensure your resume is free of typos: Typos on resumes are bad news all round, but if you’re lucky, a recruiter may not catch them. On the other hand, an ATS won’t be able to process a typo, which is particularly problematic if it is a keyword you’re trying to target. Avoid this faux pas by proofreading your resume until it’s 100% perfect.

Pro tip: Don’t be tempted to keyword stuff! While this technique may get you past the ATS, you need to remember that a recruiter will eventually read your resume as well. They won't be impressed with your attempts to game the system, so always ensure that the keywords sound natural and are written in context.

What skills to mention and how to do it correctly

To be a successful financial advisor, you need to constantly draw on an assortment of skills. You may not even realize how many skills you rely on to effectively carry out each task, because you now apply them like clockwork.

When you’re writing up your resume, you need to pinpoint which of your skills are most worthwhile to highlight for each job application. We have an insider trick that will help you get this right each and every time:

Instead of selecting skills that you think recruiters will find impressive, select the skills you know for a fact that they’re actively looking for.

You’re probably now wondering how you can manage such a feat without reading their minds. It’s much more logical than you think - all you need to do is scan the job ad carefully. You should identify any instances, where the recruiter mentions the skills that they’re after.  Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for both soft and hard skills. We’ll explain the difference between these skills as well as some helpful examples of each below:

Soft skills 

What are they? Intangible skills that relate to a candidate’s interpersonal or communication abilities.

Examples:

• Problem solving
• Empathy
• Ability to handle stress
• Analytical 
• Work ethic
• Time management
• Adaptability
• Confidence
• Sense of ethics

Hard skills

What are they? Tangible, technical skills that are often specific to your particular line of work or the finance industry.

Examples:

• Analyzing financial data
• Accounting skills
• Updating client portfolios
• Advising financial strategies
• Developing a client base
• Recommending services and investments
• Scrutinising investments 
• Generating client enquiries
• Maintaining high level compliance standards 
• Identifying opportunities for financial seminars

To include your skills on your resume, list 6 to 8 in a dedicated “Skills” section. You can also highlight 1 to 2 relevant ones in your resume objective or resume summary. If you’re really wanting to impress, try to incorporate one in each of your job achievements as well!

How to list your education correctly

Clients are rightly cautious about working with just any old financial advisor. After all, it’s their entire livelihoods at stake - so it makes sense that they are looking to get advice from a financial advisor, who has a deep theoretical knowledge and understanding to back up what they’re saying.

It’s for this reason that recruiters value candidates, who have an impressive educational background. Recruiters know that their companies’ clients will seek well-educated financial advisors, so it’s practical to hire someone who already offers one from the get-go. 

At minimum, the majority of financial advisor jobs require candidates to have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited educational institution. Ideally, your major should be in a field that is directly relevant to the profession, such as finance, business, statistics, or even marketing. If you’re applying for a more prestigious firm or a higher up position, you may be required to also have a relevant graduate degree or a Master's in Business Administration (MBA).

In order to correctly include details about your educational background on your resume, you should include them under a section called “Education”. When putting together this section, don’t make the mistake of writing about your degree/s in sentence case, like this candidate did:

Education

I hold a Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in finance from the Bauer College of Business, University of Houston. I graduated in 2016 with a GPA of 3.5.  

This reads more like the start of a resume objective (which we discuss further below), rather than being part of an education section. You only need to provide key details about each degree you have, with the order you list them dependent on the resume format you use.

Below, we’ve listed the key details you should include:

• Name of Degree (use an acronym of the degree to save space)
• Major
• Name of the college or educational institution
• State the college is located in
• Graduation year
• GPA (only include if more than 3.5)

Applying this rule to our candidate above, their experience section should instead look like this:

Education

BBA in Finance
Bauer College of Business

University of Houston, TX
2016

3.5 GPA

Pro tip: If you plan on becoming a certified financial planner (CFP), you must complete college or university-level coursework through a CFP Board Registered Program. 

Why additional certifications are especially important for this role and how to list them correctly

While including certifications on a resume is considered to be a “nice to have” feature in many professions, it is vital to include them on financial advisor resumes. Financial advisors need to demonstrate that they have undergone the required training to provide their clients with fair and effective advice.

The most important certification that you should feature on your resume is your Certified Financial Planner (CFP) certification. As Investopedia explains, “Unlike some certificates that are worth little more than the paper they’re printed on, the CFP designation is one of the most prestigious financial certificates around.”

This certification shows recruiters that you are a high caliber financial advisor, who has the knowledge, skills, and training to provide clients with world-class financial advice. Moreover, many clients are only willing to work with a financial advisor, who is a CPF, so most recruiters will give strong preference to those, who are already one. 

To include your CPF certification on your resume, you can state it right next to your name. For example:

Marianne Mayer (CPF)

You should also include details of your CPF in a dedicated “Certifications” section, using the following format:

Certifications

[Name of the certification], [Institution that issued the certification], [State (if applicable)], [Year you received the certification]

You can also use the above format to include any other additional certifications that are relevant to your profession. Including them will help to further demonstrate your commitment to your professional learning and development.

Pro tip: You should strive to consistently add new certifications to your arsenal to ensure you’re always growing as a professional. A recruiter will be markedly more impressed by a candidate who regularly completes relevant certifications than one whose last certification was many years ago.

How to write a resume objective or summary and examples of both

Every financial advisor resume should either feature a resume objective or resume summary section. Your level of experience will determine which one is optimal for your resume. Whichever you use, make sure to position it under your name and contact details, and keep it to 2 to 4 sentences.

Resume Objective

A resume objective gives entry-level candidates with little to no experience the chance to tell recruiters why they’re a top notch candidate. When writing your resume objective, aim to make the recruiter put aside your relative inexperience and focus on the many draw cards you offer instead.

You should ensure it features information about yourself, which is as relevant as possible to the position you’re applying to. In order to do this, highlight your relevant educational background, skills, and career aspirations. You should also mention relevant work, internship, or volunteer experiences, if you have any.

Be mindful to avoid writing in a way which emphasizes your weaknesses or highlights your lack of confidence in your own abilities, like this candidate did:

I dream about being a financial advisor, but I don’t have any work experience yet. If you would be kind enough to give me a chance and hire me as an intern, I think that I would be a great help to your company. 

Instead, focus your efforts on convincing the recruiter that your strengths would make you an asset to their company. Be confident in highlighting the relevant attributes you can offer, despite your lack of work experience. We’ve revised the above resume objective to show you what a difference changing your perspective makes:

Aspiring financial advisor and final year Bachelor of Science student, with a major in statistics at the University of Iowa (GPA 3.6), is seeking an entry-level financial advisor position at Purple Horizon Financial Consulting. I endeavor to bring my superior data analysis skills, ability to stay calm under pressure, and friendly demeanor to each task.

Resume Summary

In the finance industry, money talks. That’s why it’s vital that your resume summary positions you as a candidate who has what it takes to expertly advise clients about their financial matters as well as generate more revenue for the company itself.

You should ensure you don’t focus on what you can do for the company, as opposed to what you can do for the company, like this resume summary does:

Certified financial advisor with 4 years of experience who wants to work at Constellation Accounting so I can further develop the many skills I already have. Constellation would be lucky to hire such a one-of-a-kind candidate like me.

A recruiter would definitely not be impressed by this candidate! They fail to explain why they’re even worth considering, let alone that they use an unprofessional tone.

To make a resume summary that recruiters will actually look forward to reading, hone in on the relevant skills, experiences, education and training you can use to help the company reach its objectives. We’ve rewritten the above resume objective to show this in action:

Certified financial advisor with 4 years of experience, who endeavors to leverage my proven skills in client acquisition and portfolio analysis, in order to strengthen Constellation Accounting’s year-on-year growth. Along with my second-to-none work ethic, I bring along meticulous organizational and problem solving skills to each task.

How to target your resume for each application, including how to list only relevant skills and achievements for that specific company & position

In order to guarantee a recruiter doesn’t bypass your resume, you will need to target it to address the specific criteria a recruiter is looking for. The two sections you will need to be particularly mindful to do so are your skills and achievements sections.

The key to targeting your resume for each application is to modify your resume each time, so it matches a recruiter’s vision of their ideal candidate as closely as possible. The primary means of doing this is to naturally incorporate relevant keywords from a job ad into your resume. You can easily identify keywords by scanning a job ad and looking for nouns related to the main skills as well as competencies a job is calling for.

Once you have a list of the keywords used in a job ad, you will then need to work on naturally weaving them throughout your resume. For example, if the job ad contains the keywords “quality strategic advice,” you should provide an example, which highlights the impact your quality strategic advice had on a client in your job achievements section.

How to make your resume stand out

There’s no way around it; you need to make your resume stand out so it not only competes against other applicants’ resumes, but is also ultimately chosen over them.

If you’re diligent with following our guide above, you’ll be able to make a resume that is superior to the resumes of most other applicants. But to really differentiate it, you need to go a few steps further. Here are our expert tips to help you do this:

• Quantify your achievements: Make your achievements more eye-catching by quantifying them using numbers and percentages. For example, “Helped a client reduce their debt by 60% in 3 months.” 

• Highlight how much your clients love working with you: Recruiters want to know that in addition to your razor-sharp financial skills, clients actually like working with you. If you have access to them, it’s always helpful to include your client satisfaction rates. 
• Don’t be shy about including your awards: Did you win the “Financial Advisor of the Year” award in your company? Or have you or your team won an award in the industry? Be sure to mention it in your resume summary in a separate “Awards” section. 
• Get a second set of eyes to read over your resume: Ask your mentor or trusted friend or family member to read over your resume in order to offer constructive feedback and pick up on any typos and grammatical errors.

3. How Resumebuild.com’s Resume Builder Tool Can Be Utilized for an Easy Resume Setup

We’ve now shared all of our insider tips for making a stunning financial advisor resume. The good news is that it’s possible for just about anyone to do so. The bad news is that it’s no walk in the park. You’ll need to set aside hours - if not days - to write, edit, format, and proofread your resume until it’s just right.

Beyond being draining to work on it when you have a million other things on your mind, it is also difficult to schedule the time to do so. Then there’s also the financial cost of endlessly working on your resume - every minute you spend on it is one less minute of possible income. It doesn’t take a financial advisor to realize that’s not economically sound!

That’s why it’s a wise idea to outsource the task of making your resume. However, we’re not talking about hiring a professional resume writer, who can charge an exorbitant fee of upwards of $100.

We’re talking about using an innovative piece of software called a resume builder. High-quality options like Resumebuild.com’s resume builder tool allow jobseekers like yourself to quickly, easily, and affordably create an industry-specific professional resume that’s targeted for each application. Resumebuild’s resume builder will walk you step-by-step through how to expertly complete each section of your resume.

We’ve even sorted out the layout of your resume, thanks to the assortment of stunning, HR-friendly resume templates we’ve created for you to choose from. As an added bonus, we’ve made filling out the trickier sections of your resume a breeze by providing eye-catching pre-written examples for you to use.

In the end, you’ll be able to woo recruiters with a brand new financial advisor resume that not only addresses what they’re looking for, but also properly honors your professional accomplishments. Ready to begin? You can start making your resume in just minutes!

Financial analysts tend to be analytical individuals. After dealing with numbers, spreadsheets, and formulas all day every day, finding the creativity to write a resume can be tough. Combine that with how quickly the financial analyst career field is growing and it’s easy to see just how competitive the job market is.

In a fast-growing field like finance, you need a resume that’s going to stand out. Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done. In this guide, we’ll cover what it takes to create a top-tier financial analyst resume. After reading it, you’ll know:

• How to format your resume
• What recruiters look for in a financial analyst resume
• How to ensure your resume passes through applicant tracking systems
• Which skills you should mention on your resume (and how to list them correctly)
• What to include in the education section of your resume
• How to write a concise and compelling resume objective or summary 
• How to reference job postings and edit your resume for each application you submit
• How to make your resume stand out to recruiters
• Top online resume builder tools

Job searching shouldn’t have to be a stressful, time-consuming endeavor. If you follow our resume writing tips, you’ll be on your way to interviewing in no time.

Let’s get started. 

Multiple template examples 

How to write a financial analyst resume that will get you the job

Resume writing isn’t as intuitive as you might think. Even if you have the experience and skills needed to succeed in a job, that doesn’t always translate into your application. Luckily for you, we know what it takes to impress a recruiter and write an award-winning resume.

How to format it

First things first, you need a properly-formatted resume. Recruiters decide in seconds whether or not they’re going to interview an applicant. If your formatting is off, that’s a telltale sign you aren’t up for the job.

Here are simple, straight-forward rules to follow when formatting your resume.

• Keep your resume to one page in length
• Use one-inch margins on every side
• Divide your resume into the following sections: header, summary, experience, skills, certifications, and education
• Hyperlink contact information so that it’s easily clickable
• List your experience reverse-chronologically
• Use bullet points to emphasis achievements in your experience section
• Use a font that is clean and easy to read
• Use section headers and subheaders to break up text
• Always export as a PDF

These are the very basic resume formatting guidelines every financial analyst should follow. Remember that when it comes to resumes, simplicity is key. You want a resume that is easily readable, with plenty of white space. Trying to cram in as much information as possible almost always does more harm than good.

Instead, keep only the most relevant and important information. A recruiter doesn’t need (or want) to read about things that don’t relate to the job you’re applying to. Conciseness is key. Brevity is your best friend.

What recruiters will look for

When reviewing resumes, there are a few specific things recruiters will look for. Firstly, they want to see that you have the experience needed to succeed.

For almost every position, a bachelor’s degree is required—preferably with a focus in finance or accounting. In addition to education, they’ll look at your past experience. This section is even more important than your education. To show you have what it takes to succeed, you’ll want to highlight your achievements rather than just list your responsibilities.

Secondly, they’ll look to see if you’ve tailored your resume for the specific job posting. And trust us when we say it’s obvious if you haven’t. You can keep a master resume that you use as a starting point for each application, but you should always adjust your summary, experience, and skills section for each job you apply to.

Thirdly, they’ll try to gauge whether or not you’ll be a good fit culturally. This might seem like a difficult thing to convey over a resume, but with a little extra effort, you can. The best place to do this is in your objective or summary section. Focus on how you work with others, the relationships you’ve built with clients, and your professional character.

In order to even get in front of a recruiter’s eyes though, your resume needs to pass through an applicant tracking system (ATS). 

How to get your resume past an ATS (Applicant Tracking System)

Applicant tracking systems are used by many large and even medium-sized companies to weed out unqualified candidates. If during the application, you have to submit information through an online system or form, you’re most likely dealing with an ATS.

An ATS uses algorithms to perform an initial screening of all resumes. In doing so, the ATS helps recruiters eliminate candidates that don’t fit the job posting requirements.

Obviously, you don’t want that to happen to you. If it does, there’s virtually no chance a recruiter will even see your resume. In order to ensure your resume passes an ATS, here’s what you need to do.

Include the right keywords

It doesn’t matter how much experience you have or which companies you’ve worked for; if your resume doesn’t include the right keywords, it won’t pass the system. To determine which keywords you need to include, read through the job posting and make a list of which skills and attributes are mentioned multiple times throughout. Be sure to include them wherever you can on your resume.

Just be sure you don’t go overboard. Stuffing your resume with keywords might help it pass the system, but it won’t impress a recruiter. The use of your keywords should feel natural, not forced.

What to include in your resume header

There’s a lot of conflicting information about what needs to be included in your resume header. The good news is, we’re here to clear that up. While it certainly used to be common practice to include your address in your resume header, that’s no longer necessary. It’s outdated and unnecessary.

The days of snail mail are long gone. A simple email and phone number should do. If you want, you can also include your city and/or your LinkedIn profile. Including a link to your LinkedIn profile can be especially useful if you find yourself struggling to keep your resume to a page in length. 

Luckily, your LinkedIn doesn’t have any page-length requirements. So even if you don’t have room for everything on your resume, a recruiter can click through and see it all on your LinkedIn. 

What skills to mention and how to do it correctly

You obviously need analytical skills to succeed as a financial analyst, but that’s pretty broad. To show exactly what skills you possess, you’ll need to break things down a little further. 

Start by making a list of all the skills you have. Don’t reference any job postings, just write down every skill that comes to mind, even if they aren’t necessarily related to your career as a financial analyst. 

This will be your Master Skill List and the starting point you use for each job application. Divide your skills into soft skills and technical skills. List them in order of how strong you think they are or how relevant they are to the position you’re applying to.

Now that you’ve created and organized your Master Skill List, you can start cross-referencing them with each job listing. Here are some top sought-after soft skills for financial analysts:

• Accuracy
• Attention to detail 
• Multitasking
• Organization
• Presentation and public speaking 
• Problem-solving
• Project management
• Prioritization
• Strategic planning
• Time management
• Teamwork 

And here are the top hard, technical skills for financial analysts:

• Budgeting
• Cost-benefit analysis
• Data validation techniques
• Data visualization
• Decision-making
• Economics
• Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems
• Financial forecasting 
• Financial modeling
• Financial planning
• Financial software applications
• Mathematics
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Access
• Risk management
• Statistical analysis
• SAP
• SQL
• Trend analysis 

If you can, try to weave these into your experience section wherever possible. And remember that soft skills can be better demonstrated with on-the-job examples. Simply stating that you have problem-solving skills doesn’t mean much if you don’t have any examples to back it up.

How to list your education

The education section of your resume should be simple and straightforward. Include your college name, location, and the degree you obtained. There’s no need to mention your graduation year. Employers care that you have the degree, not when you earned it.

If you have the space for it, you can also include any notable achievements, including GPA, honors, student organization positions, and relevant coursework. Keep in mind, though, that these are more relevant for recent grads or financial analysts with only a few years of experience.

If you’ve been in the workforce for more than 5 years, there’s no reason to go into that much detail about your education. That space can be better used in your experience or skills section.

How to write a resume objective and examples of this

If you’re trying to decide between writing a resume objective or a resume summary, here’s a guide to helping you decide. If you have little to no experience, write a resume objective. If you’ve been in the workforce for a few years, write a resume summary.

If you’ve decided that writing a resume objective is the best choice for you, be sure to follow these tips. Write a resume objective that is specific to the job you’re applying to. Go into as much detail as possible about what you hope to achieve. A generic objective doesn’t give a recruiter any useful information. 

Wrong resume objective:

Financial analyst with more than 3 years of experience. Skilled in MS Excel, MS Access, and financial forecasting skills. Seeking a new position focused on strategic planning similar to what I did previously at Mizuho.

This resume objective is very meh. There’s not necessarily anything wrong with it, but it definitely isn’t going to catch a recruiter’s eye. It’s average at best.

Right resume objective:

CFA with 3+ years of experience working for Mizuho, a Fortune 500-company in the financial space. I worked closely with our CFO on strategic planning initiatives to increase revenue. Through financial forecasting, MS Access, and MS Excel, I identified low performing portfolios and adjusted as needed, resulting in a 12% increase in revenue. 

This objective, on the other hand, goes into much more detail and mentions measurable achievements. A recruiter will be much more likely to call this candidate than the first one.

How to write a resume summary and examples of this

Perhaps a resume summary makes more sense for you. Similar to a resume objective, you want to be as specific as possible in your resume summary. 

In a resume summary, the goal is to explain in a few sentences why you’re the best fit for the job. To do this, you’ll want to talk about your most notable achievements as well as what kind of value you can bring to an organization.

Wrong resume summary:

Organized and detail-oriented financial analyst seeking a new full-time opportunity where I can expand my skillset and grow my financial knowledge.

This resume summary isn’t specific at all. Pretty much any financial analyst could use it—which means it won’t stand out. And it certainly doesn’t tell a recruiter anything useful about you.

Right resume summary:

CFA Financial Analyst with 5+ years of experience. Seeking a full-time position where I can leverage my financial forecasting and cost-benefit analysis skills. Saved Miller/Coors $1.3 million through improved pricing and low-margin projects.

This resume summary goes into much more detail about the candidate as well as their past experience. A recruiter can get a sense of their top skillsets as well as the scale of financial planning projects they’ve worked on.

Whichever you end up choosing, a resume objective or a resume summary, remember not to write in first-person. In fact, you don’t need to use any pronouns at all. Just sentence fragments are fine.

How to list certifications on your resume

In some industries, certifications are optional. For financial analysts, they’re not. You absolutely should include a certification section on your resume.

The main certification for financial analysts is the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) certification. To obtain it, it takes four years of work experience and a three-part, extensive exam.

That said, if you hold this certification, it needs to be prominently featured on your resume. If you don’t, that’s okay. Here are other certifications worth including on your financial analyst resume:

• Chartered Financial Analyst
• Certified Financial Planner
• Chartered Financial Consultant
• Certified Public Accountant
• Certified Fund Specialist
• Certified Investment Management Analyst
• Chartered Investment Counselor
• Personal Financial Specialist

It’s also helpful to add any major certifications you hold in the header of your resume. For example, “Samuel Jones, CFA” sounds much more credible than just “Samuel Jones”. It’ll also ensure a recruiter knows right away that you’re certified.

How to list any additional details, like hobbies, interests, and/or volunteer experience

If you find yourself with extra space, you can add an extra section to your resume. In a business-oriented industry like finance, though, you need to carefully consider what you want to add. 

Hobbies or interests that are unrelated to your career or the industry you’re working in don’t deserve space on your resume. You might think it gives a recruiter a better sense of who you are as a person, but that’s what interviews are for. Your resume should be strictly professional and work-related. For example, you wouldn’t want to include craft beer as an interest if you’re applying for a position at Capital One.

If you’re applying for a position at Miller/Coors though, that can show you have a keen interest in the industry you’ll be working in.

If you do have hobbies or interests that are finance-related, by all means, add them. Just make sure that information is more important than adding an extra bullet to each of your job descriptions. 

You want every word on your resume to be a strong selling point and making the best possible use of space is key to doing that. 

Volunteer experience is certainly appreciated by recruiters, but again, that’s always something you can mention in your interview. Whether or not you include it on your resume is unlikely to determine whether or not you’ll get called in for an interview. 

How to target your resume for each application

We touched on this earlier, but in order to stand out to a recruiter, you need to target your resume for each application. If you just send out a generic version, it’s unlikely you’ll hear back from many companies. Most recruiters receive hundreds of resumes for every open position. 

To target your resume for each application, you’ll want to reference the job posting. Make note of any important words, phrases, or skills that are mentioned throughout. 

When you write your resume, work them in when you can. Edit your experience section so you highlight previous experience that most closely relates to the position you’re applying for. In doing so, a recruiter will see you’re a qualified candidate instead of just someone who works in the field of finance.

How to list only the relevant skills for that specific company and position

Next, you’ll want to cross-match your skills so that you’re only listing the relevant ones. To do this, reference your Master Skill List we mentioned making earlier. Whichever skills appear on both the job posting and your skills list should be added to your resume. 

After you’ve cross-matched your skills, add any others that you think will help you stand out. Think about which skills from your list you would use most in this position if you were hired and add those to your resume.

How to make your resume stand out

Okay, now you know how to format a resume. You know to highlight your achievements, tailor your resume for each application, and cross-match your skills. Those are all important but it doesn’t necessarily mean your resume will stand out.

So, how do you ensure your resume will impress a recruiter? Here are some top tips.

Use power verbs to further emphasis achievements

When talking about your past places of employment, use verbs that emphasize the ways you solved problems. Instead of just stating your day-to-day duties, use verbs like “increased,” “improved,” or “spear-headed.”

Quantify your achievements 

When you use numbers on your resume, they instantly catch the eyes of a recruiter. And as a financial analyst especially, your resume should be filled with numbers. Here are some top quantifiable achievement examples for financial analysts:

• % of cost reductions
• Size of budget you managed (in dollars)
• % increase in operational efficiency 

Use a resume template

Trying to design your resume is difficult. Instead of starting from scratch, consider using a professionally-designed resume template. This way, you only have to worry about adding in content, saving you valuable time and energy you would otherwise spend on formatting and design. 

How Resume Build’s resume builder tool can be utilized for an easy resume setup

If you’re interested in using an online resume builder tool, check out Resume Build. In just three simple steps, you can create a resume that’s sure to stand out.

1. Choose a template: With more than 20 tailored-built resumes, we have options for every industry that are professionally-designed and HR-approved.
2. Show the world what you’re made of: Start adding in your content! You can copy and paste from previous resumes. Or, if you’re struggling to find the right words, use a pre-written resume, and simply adjust as needed.
3. Download your resume: Get a PDF, ready-to-send resume.

It’s really that easy! We’re here to do the heavy lifting for you so you can focus on finding the right positions to apply to. Job searching shouldn’t have to be stressful—or overly time-consuming. With our guides, we help you work smarter, not harder.

Start building your resume today.