Financial Analyst Resume Example & Writing Guide
Use this Financial Analyst resume example and guide to improve your career and write a powerful resume that will separate you from the competition.
If numbers are your thing and you love diving into data to find meaningful insights, you might be an ideal fit for the role of financial analyst. This is a highly sought after position in the business world because financial analysts help companies make sound financial decisions by providing them with the information they need to make projections about future growth, profitability, cash flow, and more.
The role of financial analyst is incredibly diverse, as it can encompass everything from forecasting future revenue to managing budgets to calculating risk factors. And while there are some similarities across all financial analyst positions, there are also many unique responsibilities that come along with each job.
To stand out in a sea of other qualified candidates when you’re applying for a job as a financial analyst, you’ll need a resume that showcases your skills, experience, and accomplishments in a compelling way. Follow these tips and resume example to write a financial analyst resume that hiring managers will love.
How to Write a Financial Analyst Resume
Here’s how to write a financial analyst resume of your own.
Write Compelling Bullet Points
Bullet points are the most important part of your resume because they’re the first thing recruiters and hiring managers will read. And they’re the best way to showcase your experience and qualifications.
So it’s crucial that you use them to your advantage. And the best way to do that is by using specific, descriptive language. For example, rather than saying you “analyzed financial data,” you could say you “analyzed financial data to identify opportunities for cost savings and revenue growth across multiple departments within organization.”
The second bullet point is much more specific and provides more detail about what exactly you did and the results of your work.
Related: What Is a Financial Analyst? How to Become One
Identify and Include Relevant Keywords
When you apply for a job as a financial analyst, your resume is likely to be scanned by an applicant tracking system (ATS) for certain keywords. These programs look for certain terms, like “financial analysis” and “investments” in order to determine whether your skills and experience are a match for the job you’ve applied to. If your resume doesn’t include enough of the right terms, your application might not make it past the initial screening process.
To increase your chances of getting an interview, use this list of commonly used financial analyst keywords as a starting point to help you optimize your resume:
- Financial Analysis
- Financial Reporting
- Financial Accounting
- Finance
- Financial Modeling
- Financial Audits
- Financial Planning
- Budgeting
- Account Reconciliation
- Forecasting
- Financial Forecasting
- Financial Statements
- Internal Controls
- Variance Analysis
- Business Analysis
- Analytical Skills
- Analytical Skills
- General Ledger
- Microsoft Access
- Accounts Payable
- Accounts Receivable (AR)
- Fixed Assets
- Variance Analysis & Forecasting
- Management Information Systems (MIS)
- SAP Products
- Strategic Planning
- Business Strategy
- Financial Modeling in Excel
- Cost Accounting
- Microsoft Power BI
Showcase Your Technical Skills
As a financial analyst, you will need to be proficient in the use of various software programs in order to do your job effectively. This might include programs like Excel, which is essential for financial analysis, as well as programs like QuickBooks and Sage, which are commonly used by businesses to track their finances. Additionally, you should be familiar with financial modeling software, like Crystal Reports, and data visualization software, like Tableau.
Including your technical skills on your resume will show potential employers that you have the ability to use the software programs that are essential to the job.
Related: How Much Does a Financial Analyst Make?
Remember The Basics
As you draft your resume, you’ll want to keep a few basic guidelines in mind.
Create Easy-to Scan Sections
There are a few things you can do to make your resume easier to read, such as left aligning your text, using a standard font type and size, and using bullets instead of paragraphs to list your experiences. You should also use all-caps and bold sparingly, and keep your bullets under two lines. Additionally, you can include some white space on the page to make the document easier to scan.
Be Concise
There is no set length for a resume, but it is important to be concise and get to the point quickly. A one-page resume is typically the best option for recent graduates or those with less than five to eight years of professional experience. For more experienced candidates, a two-page resume is fine, but be selective about the information included.
Check Your Work
To ensure your resume looks its best, proofread it for spelling mistakes, punctuation mistakes, and grammatical mistakes. Spell-checking is a good way to catch mistakes, but it is important to have someone else read it over as well.
Consider Including a Summary
A resume summary statement is an important way to introduce yourself to potential employers and explain why you are the best person for the job. It is a brief overview of your skills and experience that allows you to highlight your most relevant qualifications. By stating your intentions clearly, you can show that you are a motivated, proactive job seeker who is excited about the opportunity to contribute to the company. In just a few sentences, you can make a strong case for why you are the best candidate for the position.
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