How to make that Financial Analyst resume pop

Companies are looking for financial analysts with a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a business field. They look for individuals that excel on Excel, can read financial statements in their sleep and have impeccable accounting skills.

When companies make big investments, they don’t do it without the go ahead of financial analysts. Financial analysts will learn deeply about potential investments and support or veto them with cold, hard facts.

In this article, you will find a resume sample that is vouched for by recruiters, tips from a financial analyst on how to write a resume that stands out as a student, how to properly highlight your education & work experience and behind-the-curtains insight into how financial analyst screen resumes.

There are over 80310 open positions for this role within the United States posting an average salary of $80310. Getting your foot in the door with your resume is the most difficult part.

Below, you will find excerpts of an interview with a financial analyst who will break down each section of the resume, share a brief overview of what stands out to them and provide bullet point examples you can use as you adapt your own resume.

Given that these professionals spend 6 seconds per resume, every bullet of every section has an important role to play in securing interviews.

Q: What should financial analyst candidates include in their resume’s education section?
A: Include university name, dates attended, GPA, major(s) and any other notable university-wide accomplishments. If you were a business major in the fields of finance or accounting, be sure to include that information.

Q: What majors are companies looking for in financial analyst hires?
A: Finance and accounting are the most common majors for this role. Statistics, economics and general business majors have also become more regular faces in the field.

Q: Should I only list work experience that relates to what a financial analyst does?
A: Candidates should include previous work experience in either finance or accounting. Strong examples would be something like helping fund managers make investment decisions on stocks, bonds, real estate, etc. If you have other work experience that deals with numbers, such as Physics research or something similar, that may still make a case for your competence around numbers.

Q: How can I convey that I am qualified to be a financial analyst?
A: If you don’t have direct work experience in this role, you can still create a great resume. First, share any experience you have working with financial or accounting professionals. Make models you have created to analyze companies or markets available on your resume via a link. You can also publish independent investment theses on websites like SeekingAlpha or The Value Investors Club to demonstrate your analysis and communication skills in one bundle.

Q: What if I don’t have enough work experience?
A: Everyone has to start somewhere. Separate yourself from the crowd. First, you can manage your own portfolio. Next, you can start publishing pieces on your investments. Last, but certainly not least, you can share helpful spreadsheets with the finance and accounting communities.

Q: What skills go on a financial analyst resume?
A: Start with the basics like Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint. From there, you can include more advanced data analysis tools you may have at your disposal like R, Stata or Python. You can also include whether or not you have passed certain accounting examinations, earned your CPA, etc.

We hope you found this interview valuable as you continue to adapt your resume.

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