How do you write a professional financial resume?

Before jumping into writing your resume, we recommended that you first check the job ad to see what professional finance skills they are looking for. Then make a list of your skills and look for talents that show up on both lists.

This can include increasing revenues, growth in terms of business expansion, increasing profitability by building strategic partnerships, or making strategic business decisions.

One of the most important parts of a financial resume is the profile summary. This is where you get to introduce yourself as a candidate and describe why you make a great candidate for this position. It should be between 2 to 4 sentences and touch on your background, core skills, and accomplishments.

For example, "Senior financial analyst with six years of experience seeking a role at Company X. Past achievements include helping drive costs down by over 12% at Company Y by eliminating wasteful processes. Skilled in risk management, data validation techniques, and more. CPA-certified".

Next, your work experience section provides you the opportunity to flesh out your financial experience. Be sure to include 3 to 6 bullet points that provide real-world examples that highlight your achievements more than just your responsibilities.

For example, "Executed trades, managed internal systems, and wrote financial plans for 150+ clients with over $200M under management."

If you're just starting in finance, you should use the education section as an opportunity to highlight some of your academic achievements and relevant coursework. If you hold any certifications, be sure to include that in a separate section.

Finally, provide a section just for skills and include a mixture of hard and soft skills.