We have seen people with tens of years of financial experience struggle to find their dream job, and we have also seen fresh candidates landing their dream jobs. The key lies in building your “finance resume” and landing on the interview chair. Even with tens of years of proven experience, you cannot get the job if you cannot enter the interview room. Similarly, you may never land that ideal job if you don’t know how to convey like a pro.
This blog post will let you achieve just that. Let’s get started!
Writing a Finance Resume
A finance resume requires a perfect blend of design, flow of words, numbers, and divisibility of sections. The following 11-step finance resume-building guide will walk you through the ideal method of building a finance resume from scratch.
You can read the full article in one go and start building your resume using our finance resume example and 11-step guide.
Or, the better way is to build it step by step following our instructions. Let’s get started!
Step 1: Choose a Design
A resume design makes a big difference in the overall appeal and visibility of your CV. Some people opt for premade finance resume templates, while others like to get creative and design themselves. Both methods work alright, but we recommend choosing a template. A finance resume template will save editing time and give your CV a good look. An ideal design would have enough white space, so it is easy to skim and read.
One way of doing it is through a SaaS like Canva. Choose a premade template and edit your finance CV.
Finally, if you are proficient in designing, you may also start from scratch and build your resume design.
Step 2: Add personal information
Many candidates failed to get noticed because they entered the contact information incorrectly or at the end. Your personal data must include three or more ways to contact you.
Most companies prefer email for interview invitations and call them to confirm the date and time. You must include your cell number, email, and permanent address. The address part is significant if you are applying for international positions. It lets the hiring party know about where you are located. Also, it can help prevent any misunderstandings or extra effort if the company is only looking to hire locally.
Finally, your personal information must be visible and among the top sections of your finance resume.
Step 3: Include a Resume Summary
A resume summary tells the reader about your overall quality and experience. It must be concise while conveying everything that they need to hear from you. Please look at the finance resume example we have provided.
In short, try to tell them about yourself in three lines or less. More information and fewer words are the way to write an ideal resume summary.
Most successful candidates who often score an interview apply these rules. Lastly, please remember that most recruiters read only the proper final title, name, and resume summary. They skim or overview the rest of the resume.
Step 4: Your Work Experience
The company is interested in where, when, and how have you worked. In the case of famous companies, try to highlight the roles and company name.
Your work experience is the most critical part of your CV selection and during the interview. To score a good interview, ensure your information is correct and complete.
Step 5: Include a Skills Section
Your primary skills in a finance resume tell the hiring party if you are someone who can make a difference in their company. For example, your certifications, Excel skills, accounting skills, Quickbooks, SAP, etc.
There are thousands of finance hires who had not performed in the desired role but had the expected skills.
If you are not proficient in a specific skill, it is better to remove it to avoid tricky questions during the interview or polish the skill to an acceptable extent.
Step 6: Your Educational History
Your education plays a vital role in a finance resume. It tells them about your primary degree and other educational history.
They might not discuss it during the interview, but you wouldn’t be sitting in the interview without it.
About the score or percentage, only include it if you scored exceptionally well. Most people omit the CGPA.
If your CGPA is on a lower end, don’t worry; 90% of the recruiters never ask about your grades. The key is to carry the professionalism and skill set that the company requires.
Step 7: Include Soft Skills
Soft skills may not look like much, but they play a vital role in an employee’s life. Requireters understand them, so you need to add them.
AQnylatical thinking, attention to detail, and communication skills are some examples of soft skills. Naturally, during your interview, the hiring staff will access these skills.
These skills show employers your ethics, behavior, communication, and stress management. When you start working for a major company, these small factors can lead to huge successes and massive failures.
Step 8: Add the Right Keywords
It is 2024, and using the right keywords is paramount if you want your resume to stand out from the crowd. Did you know that most mid-size and large companies use recruiting CRM software to filter out the required resumes from a huge pile?
So, the point is to tell the software you possess the relevant skills and experience the company seeks. Although some software is powered by AI, it still needs the right keywords to display your resume on the recruiters’ screens.
So, how do you find these keywords? It is pretty simple. All you need to do is to read similar post-job descriptions. Or, if you are specializing in the resume, read the primary job description and find the relevant keywords. Now, inject those keywords naturally into your resume.
Step 9: Specializing the Resume
When we say specializing your resume, we mean to make it as close as possible to the vacant position or advertised job. In most cases, we mean tailoring your resume to a specific finance position and showing yourself as an expert in a particular finance category.
Editing your resume each time you apply for a position is a rather tedious task. Applying to hundreds of jobs daily is already draining enough. We get that!
The best action is to specialize your CV in a specific position, such as financial analyst or investment banker. If you have experience in different categories, try to show your main strength in a particular direction. Never try to be a jack of all trades!
Step 10: Finalizing and Proofreading
Proofreading must be done more than once. It can reduce the chances of errors, misinformation, typos, and more.
Recruiters often ignore resumes because they contain spelling or format mistakes or look unsightly.
Some clever yet effective ways to proofread your resume are:
- Read it aloud or ask someone else to read it for you.
- Read backwards.
- Check for consistency in the texts, format, etc.
- Check for the white space; there should be enough, but not too much.
- Take a rest and proofread it after some time. It will help you change your approach.
- Ask a professional for a review.
Step 11: Applying for a Finance Position
When applying for a finance position, you must treat each application as the only job you will ever apply for. Naturally, you must specialize your cover letter by including the company’s name, the post you are applying for, and what makes you stand out. Employers love such applications when you tell them about their company and how you already know them.
In short, this method will show them your dedication and enthusiasm for the advertised position.
Handling Your Shortcomings in Your Resume
Everyone has their shortcomings during their professional careers. Some of you might have a resume gap, while others shifted between jobs too often. We also observed some professionals with different career paths. These can leave a bad impression when the hiring party views your CV. The smart move is to portray these weaknesses as your strengths. Also, you may choose to hide them creatively.
Suppose you have a two-year gap due to a pandemic, illness, or a family emergency. If you say it was COVID-19, you were sick, or you had a private emergency, it is okay, but the hiring managers might think you are not being truthful or are slacking off.
A creative way to cover all this up would be to tell them you were involved in social welfare work. You can also say that you joined a COVID-19 relief camp.
Of course, these are just a few examples, and we don’t want you lying or misinforming on your resume. The point is to be creative since we all have things that can easily cover up our flaws in a Finance resume.
Resume gurus often use the following methods when facing the shortcomings of their clients:
- They highlight the transferable skills during the CV gaps.
- They mention online financial courses or certifications to fill in the gaps.
- They frame jobs as opportunities to become more diversified and adaptable.
- They highlight soft skills developed during the CV gaps.
Finance Resume Example
Finance resume examples are the best way to show you how to make a pro-level resume. The following Finance resume example includes the application of all the points mentioned above.
Contact
Millie Brown
35 Houston Street, West Side, Chicago, IL | 304-555-0092 | Millie5B@email.com
Summary
A results-driven financial professional with over 7 years of experience enhancing cash flow, minimizing costs, and ensuring regulatory compliance. Adept at resolving complex accounting challenges, optimizing reporting processes, and driving operational efficiency with precision and integrity.
Education
BS – Business Administration
Texas State University, Houston, TX
Graduated: May 2012
Experience
Bechtel Group Inc.
Controller | San Francisco, CA | August 2019 – Present
- Lead the finance operations of a $100M revenue company with 150+ employees.
- Prepare financial statements, cash flow reports, and activity summaries while ensuring regulatory compliance.
- Safeguard assets and strengthen financial stability by developing and enforcing robust accounting policies.
Fluor
Accountant | Irvine, CA | Jan 2016 – April 2019
- Oversaw accounts payable and receivable for a company generating up to $25K in monthly revenue.
- Streamlined accounting workflows, saving 10+ hours per month and increasing efficiency.
- Identified a significant cash flow discrepancy, leading to $47K in cost savings.
- Built advanced financial models using Microsoft Excel to aid decision-making.
- Conducted bank reconciliations, audit reviews, trial balance preparation, and monthly book closures.
Trainee Financial Associate, Acme Company, Houston, TX | Sep 2015 to Nov 2015
- Supported senior finance staff in developing client proposals and conducting financial analyses.
- Contributed to data-driven marketing efforts to attract investors and promote business growth.
Volunteer Work
American Red Cross, Financial Volunteer, Public Affairs | 2016 to Present
Skills
- Budget and financial management.
- Portfolio management.
- Financial reporting and analysis.
- Process optimization.
- Financial Reporting.
- Full-Cycle Accounting.
- SAP ERP & QuickBooks Proficiency.
- Cash Flow Optimization.
- SAGE 100 Expertise.
Soft Skills
- Communication skills.
- Analytical skills.
- Team player.
- Ethical Judgment and Integrity.
- Time Management.
Creating the Best Finance Resume in 2025
From designing to finalizing your finance resume, it is imperative that you pay extra attention when building it. It can even be called an art to build a CV that is good enough to catch the attention of most hiring parties. Still, your past work experience, skills, and the application method can boost the possibility of an interview by many folds.
Companies in 2025 will be looking for finance professionals with excellent computational knowledge, which is a must. Your application method should start with specializing your resume per the advertised job post.
Finally, the finance resume examples give you an idea of what an ideal finance CV looks like. You can also copy and edit our example. That’s Everything!
Additional Resources :- How To Write Account Manager Resume