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Thinking of a career in investment banking? Well, the competition seems tight as it is one of the most competitive positions in the market now. As someone who helps governments and companies raise capital, you surely need to show strong credentials through your investment banking resume bullets.
Sit straight as we guide you on how to bankify your IB resume and show up as a worthy candidate.
Your investment banking resume might only have the chance to be reviewed by humans if it passes the applicant tracking system. It means that your investment banking resume should meet the ATS standard. Make sure your investment banking resume has relevant headings, adopts important keywords, and is packed into a readable file type.
No matter if you are writing a professional investment banking resume or an investment banking fresher resume, there are a lot of ways to save your time. Feel free to look for investment banking resume samples online as a pinpoint of your resume writing task.
Select carefully, analyze the strength and weaknesses of each example to come up with the best version of your investment banking resume.
You can also directly write on an investment banking resume template if you feel like being more effective and efficient. Blogs like Mergers and Inquisitions or Wall Street Oasis provide great investment banking resume templates.
💡 Tips: Whichever resume template you choose, remember that a little effort of personalization will still be needed to deliver an IB resume that stands out.
First thing first, notice that an investment banking analyst resume is fundamentally different from an investment banking analyst CV.
Key differences | IB resume | IB CV |
Emphasis | Investment banking/finance industry work experience | Detailed academic career |
Length | Ideally 1 page (2 pages max.) | No limit |
Purpose | Job application | Academic application |
For applying for a banking analyst position, you’ll need an investment banking analyst resume instead of an investment banking analyst CV, as you need to list down relevant experience and skills for the job. And to get the job, your investment banking analyst resume needs to be customized specifically for the position.
Incorporating keywords from the job opening post might get your investment banking analyst resume through the ATS, and probably will communicate to the recruiters that you are qualified for the position - except that if you’re not careful enough, your investment banking resume might end up looking too generic just like the rest.
💡 Tips: To stand out, you should show your own unique experience and qualifications.
As a banking analyst who works with numbers, it is essential to show recruiters how you are good with numbers. You need to show on your investment banking resume how you can solve quantitative problems by showing quantitative results.
Here is an example:
Here is an example: “Researched list of potential targets for a tech company, narrowed down the list from 200 to 20 based on market cap, product line, and geography.”
Target the relevant groups inside the bank when writing your investment banking resume by highlighting finance industry-specific experience and knowledge. But remember to make it legitimate, you have to be able to back up what you say.
An investment banking resume objective is a summary of your whole qualifications. Compared to an investment banking resume summary, candidates who use an investment banking resume objective relatively have less experience, so what they need to showcase is their academic achievement and goal upon working in the company.
An investment banking resume objective helps freshers put together their best qualities despite the lack of professional experience.
Examples of powerful investment banking resume objectives:
As you may have noticed, these examples consist of some similar elements.
To put it briefly, here are some elements that can structure your investment banking resume objective:
The investment banking resume summary is to show your best quality as an investment banking analyst in one shot! Of all the accumulated experiences that you have, pick just one most remarkable achievement, show the results in a quantified way.
The goal is to catch the recruiters’ “wow” and let them continue reviewing your whole investment banking resume.
Examples of great investment banking resume summaries:
Key points to be put in your investment banking resume summary:
The skills section is a very critical part, especially if you’re attempting to write an investment banking fresher resume. It is important to demonstrate both analytical and quantitative abilities in your banking analyst resume. Keep this section simple and informative by putting together technical and organizational skills with bullet points.
Examples of a strong set of skills for investment banking resume:
Technical Skills: | Organization Skills: |
Oracle Hyperion | Strong Analytical Mind |
Negotiation & Deals | Collaboration & Leadership |
Financial Analysis & Research | Project Management Skills |
Equity Management | Strong Communication Skills |
Risk Analysis | Risk Identification & Management |
There are 4 types of resume format (chronological, functional, combination, and targeted). The two basic types and most commonly used resume formats are chronological and functional. The two however emphasize different things - chronological format puts an applicant’s work experience from the latest to earliest, while functional format highlights skills of the applicant.
📝 Important things to keep in mind when formatting your investment banking resume:
An objective statement is a brief paragraph in your investment banking resume that describes how your career intentions align with the company’s value. And the most objective is the one that is tailored to the specific position you’re applying for!
Your education plays a big role too, especially if you’re still in university. But merely attending a very good school won’t be enough. You need to show your passions for the industry during your time of education.
In this digital era, utilizing a digital platform to display your professional experience is a great investment. Not only does it make your investment banking resume visible to more potential employers, but it can also include some relatable links about your past endeavors that make it interactive than just a single printed paper IB resume.
Even in this digital era, no candidate should ever skip this step. A well-written letter expresses your sincere intention and personality as a candidate. An investment banking cover letter consists of these important parts:
CakeResume helps investment banking build professional resumes! Start from choosing a suitable resume template & layout, you can learn from our step-by-step guide to make a perfect investment banking resume for free.
Deal-Maker Investment Banking Associate
Phone: (+1) 000-1729
CakeResume: cakeresume.com/jamessmith
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jamessmith
4+ years experienced investment banking associate with expanding successful records from dealing with $10M worth of non-binding offers and building accurate financial models that led to company acquisition deals. Excited to join the Goldman Stanley team in providing analytical services to clients and mentoring new analysts.
Investment Banking Associate, Asia Bank
July 2018 - Present
Selected Transactions:
Investment Banking Analyst, Goldman Stanley
June 2017 - June 2018
Technical Skills: | Organization Skills: |
Oracle Hyperion | Strong Analytical Mind |
Negotiation & Deals | Collaboration & Leadership |
Financial Analysis & Research | Project Management Skills |
Equity Management | Strong Communication Skills |
Risk Analysis | Risk Identification & Management |
2013 - 2017
--- Originally written by Elonike Verina ---