Based on US labor statistics, financial analysts can earn anything from $45,000 to a huge $200,000! We bet you like the sound of those six figures! However, whilst these positions pay very well, this results in many other candidates so you’re going to need every possible bit of help to make you stand out amongst your peers. Let’s get started. We guarantee that this guide is going to make your job search a lot easier!
There are a ton of jobs to be applied for in the finance industry – whether you are starting off your job search as an entry level financial analyst or you’ve already worked your way to the top as a senior financial analyst, we can help you get better results with your resume. As you know, these senior positions pay really well, and due to this reason, finding a career in the financial analysis sector can be seriously competitive due to the large volumes of other applicants.
Don’t worry, we’ve got good news! We’ve put together this ultimate guide that aims to aid you in the job application process by helping you to write excellent financial analyst resumes and get you more interviews! We are going to be taking a look at how to write, format, and structure high-quality resumes for any position to help you stand out among the crowd!
Additional Information About The Financial Analyst Resume
The annual salaries that you can expect as a financial analyst very much depend on the experience level and position that you are applying for. For example, let’s take a look at the following average annual salaries for jobs based in the U.S. You will notice that they vary quite widely!
- Entry Level Financial Analyst – $62,000
- Senior Financial Analyst – $82,000
- Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) – $89,000
Whilst these aren’t quite the six figures that we promised earlier, take note that these are only averages. The top 25% earn a median $109,000 and plenty of financial analysts earn much more than this. It all depends on the company, past experience and the particular area of finance you will work in. For example, have a look at this list of annual salaries that financial analyst professional positions have provided in the US!
- Junior Financial Analyst at J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. – $65,588
- Senior Financial Analyst at Amazon.com Inc – $94,000
- Chartered Financial Analyst at IBM – $175,000
Example of a Financial Analyst Resume
Here is an example of a great resume
Brent T. Davis
Financial Analyst
brent@gmail.com
+1234567899
Professional Overview
Accomplished Senior Financial Analyst with more than 15 years of experience seeking a new job in a growing fintech organization. Relevant experience working in financial management, reporting, and organizational accountability according to state and federal guidelines and introducing new standards, due diligence, internal controls, and procedures.
Work History
Senior Financial Analyst, McDonalds
03/02/16 – Present
- Analysing results of business performance evaluations, including reports prepared for various departments.
- Accurate and transparent tracking of budget expenditures whilst maintaining data integrity
- Running complex database queries and advising on company strategy while producing reports, graphs and analysis to support advice
- Utilized cutting-edge fintech software to record financial statements and accounts receivable and payable, including checks received and reconciliation with invoices.
Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Finance
Ohio University (2001-2004)
Skills
- Statement Billings
- Computer Literate
- Corporate cost reduction
- Weekly Payroll
- Territory Sales Experience
- Financial model creation
- Monitoring expenditures
This financial analyst resume template should be plenty to get you on the right track, however if you require any additional resume examples written by experts in the field or find yourself struggling then check out our website.
How to make a Financial Analyst Resume
Getting yourself a career start as a financial analyst can be pretty hard work, so it’s essential that your resume must reflect this and be optimized as much as possible to stand out among the competition!
- All relevant personal information, skills and experience should be included on your resume
- Your resume should be 100% personalized for the specific job you are applying for, not just a generalized resume!
- Write individual cover letters for each job that you are applying for to demonstrate why you want this job to hiring managers
The layout of the Financial Analyst Resume
You should always carefully consider the layout of your financial analyst resume before you begin writing. We recommend using the reverse chronological approach – this means beginning by writing about your most recent experiences and qualifications, leaving information about your early career/education until last. This ensures that hiring managers will see your most recent (and thus relevant) experiences first!
The structure of the Financial Analyst Resume
There is a proper way to structure your resume for finance – you should limit the document to be a maximum of two pages in length, and all major sections of information (such as resume summary, experience, education etc.) should be separated with headings.
Start with the Header of the Financial Analyst Resume
It is always important to start your resume with a strong header. This is usually the first thing employers see, so you will need to ensure that it is informative, concise and reels the reader in. Make sure that you include all essential contact information, personal details and other relevant information (such as your LinkedIn profile for example).
Example of a good header for a Financial Analyst
Veronica A. Isaac
Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)
Fairfield, Illinois
987-654-321
veronica.a.isaac@gmail.com
linkedin.com/veronicaisaac
Example of a bad header for Financial Analyst
Veronica Alison Isaac
General analyzer for financial services
987-654-321
veronica345678@hotmail.com
Flat Number 4863, Carter Street, Fairfield, Illinois, Zip Code: 62837
facebook.com/veroincaalison
instagram.com/veronicaisaac
It should be easy to see the difference, but make sure you are aware of what makes this second example a bad header. However, if you’re not too sure and feel like you would benefit from seeing a few more examples, simply navigate to our website and try out our resume builder and a financial analyst resume template. We are sure they will get you on the right track!
Is a photo required in the Financial Analyst Resume?
Many people are not aware of this, but 80% of employers in the U.S. state that they would not consider hiring somebody who included a photograph on their resume. This is due to the fact that it looks unprofessional, and can raise questions as to what the motive for including a photograph may be. Financial analysis careers require statistical understanding and brains, and this has nothing to do with looks and appearance! Companies don’t want to be seen as discriminating based on looks. So don’t include your photo in your resume – employers can always check out your photo on LinkedIn if they want to!
Choosing your Financial Analyst Title
Writing an excellent financial analyst title is essential to providing an overview of your experience and skills relevant to the job application. Ensure that this section is completely personalized to the job as it is one of the first things that will be seen by hiring managers!
Professional resume summary for Financial Analyst
Here are some examples of a financial analyst resume summary:
Experienced Senior Financial Analyst professional with expertise in budget expenditure review, reporting and data analysis. Utilizes the latest analytical approaches to model data and forecast trends. Previous work across business functions including purchasing and hiring. Strong familiarity working with Excel, Oracle and SQL.
Hello, my name is Veronica and I have built up a lot of experience over the years in analyzing and managing finances for hotels in America, I quit my previous job last year but I am looking to find new opportunities
Work Experience in the Financial Analyst Resume
Most positions in finance will require professional experience, especially if it is a senior role! Therefore, it is important that you pay extra attention to this section – it is your chance to show off all that relevant hard work you have built up over the years!
Describe your professional experiences on your Financial Analyst Resume
When it comes to listing your work experience as a financial analyst, you should remember to format it to include the employer, responsibilities and skills practiced, and the start and end dates of your employment. Always ensure that you include at least three bullet points to describe these duties, and avoid writing too much – keep it snappy!
Examples of professional experiences for a Junior Financial Analyst
Apprentice Financial Analyst for KFC
Hours worked: 25 hours per week, 2019 – 2020
- Maintained accuracy and transparency of expenditures for produce and inventory by tracking budget expenses.
- Produced reports for the marketing department including the results and this resulted in increasing accuracy of forecasts for business performance evaluations.
- Conducted market research and wrote financial reports summarising the economic landscape of the company’s competition
Examples of work experience for Senior Financial Analysts.
Senior Financial Reporting Analyst
Pizza Hut
Duties begin/end date: 2008 – 2015
- Initiated analysis of financial obstacles to effectively reach a satisfactory conclusion with an increase in profit margins for all parties concerned.
- Finance professional responsible for monitoring various company databases to ensure accuracy of inventory.
- Produced financial forecasts for the digital marketing department resulting in the revision of existing strategies
Education in the Financial Analyst Resume
Financial analyst jobs will always require an educational history directly related to finance, including at least a bachelor’s degree from a university. If you want to write the perfect financial analyst resume, ensure that you use the reverse-chronological format when it comes to your educational history section – the last thing you want is for your hiring manager to think you only have a high-school diploma! If you have a postgraduate degree then you should include this at the top of the education section, and any further qualifications (such as from online courses) should be listed after formal educational institutions.
Should you start with education or work experience in the Financial Analyst Resume?
It is generally better to begin by writing about your work experience assuming that it is highly relevant to the job listing that you are applying for. However, if you are applying for an entry-level financial analyst position and do not yet have work experience, you can instead focus on your educational history first.
How to properly list your education in a Financial Analyst Resume?
All educational experience should be listed in a format that includes all relevant details to the qualification. You should include the name of the educational institute, the years that you studied, the area that you majored in and your GPA or grade. However, if you did not receive a particularly great GPA then it will probably be worth leaving this out to avoid putting off your potential employer.
Example of the education section of a Financial Analyst Resume
The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg
Mississippi
Finance
Years Attended Degree: 2013-2017
GPA: 3.8
This financial analyst resume example should include all the information you need to write an excellent educational section, but if you need a bit more guidance then you should take a look at additional examples on our website!
Skills to put in the Financial Analyst Resume
A career as a financial analyst will require much more than work experience and a strong educational history – you will need to demonstrate an excellent set of soft skills too! The skills section of your resume is a great place to outline your relevant skills and abilities relevant to finance. It’s one of the main things that employers will be looking for!
What are the main required skills sought for in a Financial Analyst Resume?
The majority of the skills that you will be expected to have as a well-rounded candidate will involve soft skills such as finance, statistics and mathematics. Most positions will also require familiarity with charting software and graph production, whereas some will require more technical skills.
What skills for a junior Financial Analyst?
- Financial Modeling
- Budgeting
- Financial Data analysis
- Risk management
- Compiling financial data
- Superior time management
- Territory Sales Experience
- Account Management
- Funds distribution
- Running database queries
- Experience working within tech companies
What skills for a qualified senior Financial Analyst?
- Analysis of key performance indicators
- Financial modeling
- Long range planning based on financial data
- SEC and call reporting proficiency
- Financial model creation
- Business administration
- Advanced data analysis
- Ad-hoc analysis
- Ability to assess risk management
It is important to realize that whilst all of these skills are useful in the financial industry, not all of them will be relevant to the specific financial analyst job that you are applying for! If you need suggestions for the skills sections of specific positions, check out some more examples on our resume sample website!
Write the Ideal Resume Hook for a Financial Analyst Resume.
Your next key focus point should be on writing a strong opening resume hook that provides concise information about yourself. This is a great place to outline your experiences, specializations and general skill-sets relevant to the job.
Example of a tagline for a junior Financial Analyst position
A recent graduate from finance school with extensive knowledge of accounting software and processes. A talented manager with a proven track record of completing multiple projects simultaneously and consistently meeting tight deadlines.
Sample tagline for a senior level Financial Analyst position
Certified financial analyst with 13 years of public accounting experience including working with high net worth individuals, C corp., S corp., partnerships, trusts and estates. Proven track record for improving operational efficiency of financial departments.
Additional Headings for your Financial Analyst Resume
You have probably gathered by now that it is essential to personalize your financial analyst resume to the specific job that you are applying for, and additional headings could be required to achieve this. Analyze the job description for any key skill-sets that are required, and consider whether an additional heading may be required to summarise this. For example, if the job requires the demonstration of a strong portfolio of past high-profile clients, this could deserve its own section!
Computer skills and certifications in a Financial Analyst Resume
Financing is almost exclusively undergone through computer software these days, so the jobs that you will be applying for will require fluency in these skills. Examples include a general fluency in computer operating systems such as Windows 10, in addition to more platform-specific experience in financial software, statistical databases etc. Ensure that you reference the job description to check if any specific software knowledge is required!
Interests in a Financial Analyst Resume Sample
Don’t be tempted to create a section dedicated to your interests outside of work! Whilst it may feel intuitive to write a little bit more personal information about yourself, this could be distracting and flag up in the ATS system. Unless relevant to the role, it will just look unprofessional, so definitely leave this section out!
Languages in a Financial Analyst Resume
Any job based in the U.S. will always need to speak fluent English. When the requirement for speaking another language arises, evidence of your fluency should be provided. With this in mind, both IELTS and TOEFL (with at least a 30-point score) are acceptable for English.
Financial Analyst Resume Summary: Key Points for Writing
We’ve covered tons of information throughout this guide, so we’ve included the following resume summary of four more tips to optimize your financial analyst resume!
- Maintain the strict resume format specified in this article when writing your document – we’re recommending it for a reason, it covers all the basics!
- Ensure that the entirety of your resume is customized for the specific job. If you include obviously generalized information then this will make your resume seem low-effort.
- Always remember to consider the ATS systems! This will check for use of irrelevant keywords and a lack of use of relevant keywords, so double and triple-check that job description to ensure your resume doesn’t get filtered out!
- Never rush your resume. Whilst you may think this will allow you to hit that deadline, a rushed resume always sticks out like a sore farm. Leave yourself plenty of time to write it!
We hope that these expert tips help! Always remember that if you are struggling with writing your resume, we’ve got your back! Simply check out some more financial analyst resume samples on our website to gain some further insight.
Write Cover Letters That Goes With Your Financial Analyst Resume
Not every financial analyst position will require cover letters, but it is always better to include one regardless! This should be a one-page word-processed document which explains exactly why you want the job and what you will bring to the table. You can be a little bit more liberal and creative with your writing here as it generally will not be checked by ATS systems. This is your opportunity to sell yourself as a prospective employee to a hiring manager, so make the most of it!
Frequently Asked Questions for a Financial Analyst Resume
Last but certainly not least, we thought we would finish things up with a FAQ section that should hopefully answer any final questions that you’ve got.
What should a financial analyst put on their resume?
Within your financial analyst resume, you should include all relevant details relating to your past work experience, educational background, skills and abilities and any other headings that are relevant to the job that you are applying for!
What are the top 3 skills for financial analysts?
The top three skills for a financial professional are data analysis, variance analysis and knowledge in statistics/mathematics.
How do I write a financial analysis resume?
You could write your financial resume in a word-processed format using software such as MS Word. The document should be one page in length, and most importantly you should use this guide as a reference throughout the entire process!
However, you can also use a dynamic online resume builder which automatically arranges the formatting and sections for you. It is much simpler and easier than learning to format it yourself.
How can I make my resume stand out in finance?
You can make your resume stand out by personalizing it to fit the specific position that you are applying for, in addition to by writing an excellent and supportive cover letter.
