Copy This Experienced Investment Banker Resume Template to Break In As an Associate
I kept getting questions about this one, and I figured we should finish up that series of investment banking resume templates and video tutorials – so here it is.
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to craft your resume if you’re at the MBA level, if you’ve been working full-time, or if you’ve had extensive transaction experience.
Actually, it’s even easier than that: you don’t need to “craft” anything. You just need to copy these templates and modify them slightly.
Don’t you wish you found this site earlier?
Refresher – University Student Template
In case you missed it, here were the major points with the university student investment banking resume template:
- 3 sections: Education; Work & Leadership Experience; and Skills, Activities & Interests
- Focus on 2-4 key work/leadership experiences rather than taking a laundry list approach.
- Use either a project-centric or task-centric format for each work experience entry.
- Include a summary sentence for each entry, and make sure your other bullets include the specifics followed by the results.
These points apply to any investment banking resume, no matter what level you’re applying for – you just need to make a few tweaks.
The Templates, the Video, and the Tutorial
Here’s the overview video, which covers all 3 of the templates we’re looking at here:
- View Large (1024×768) Version
- Download Large (1024×768) Version
- Download iPad Version
- Download iPhone Version
- Download iPod Version
- Download MP3 [10 MB | 22 Minutes]
And if you just want to read instead, here’s the same tutorial in textual form. We’ll go through each of these 3 templates and point out how they differ from the ones we looked at before.
MBA-Level Template
- MBA-Level Investment Banking Resume Template (Word 2003)
- MBA-Level Investment Banking Resume Template (Word 2007-2010+)
- MBA-Level Investment Banking Resume Template (PDF)
Just like the university student template, Education is at the top.
This time, however, it’s greatly condensed – just list your business school and undergraduate name, degree titles, and graduation dates. You don’t need GPA/SAT scores unless the bank specifically asks for them.
Similarly, forget about activities / honors and other trivia and just give them the names and dates.
Work Experience
The Work Experience section should be very similar to the university student template.
The differences:
- Avoid student activities / volunteer work unless that was your “full-time work experience” – e.g. you did Teach for America for 2 years.
- Still pick 2-3 work experiences to focus on, but these should be full-time jobs rather than internships.
- Focus on the most recent 5 years of work experience. If you have more than this maybe extend it to 10 but only do that if it’s relevant – e.g. you were a trader in a former life.
You still need to use a project-centric or task-centric format for each entry and focus on business results as much as possible.
But you should think about 2 additional points if you’re at the MBA-level:
- Leadership is more important than it is for undergraduates or recent graduates, because you’ll need to manage Analysts and prevent them from screwing up.
- Client Management skills are also important. So hopefully you were a male escort in Tokyo in a former life, or you can point to some other hands-on experience.
When you enter at the Associate level, banks start grooming you to win clients and bring in revenue one day – so you need to convince them you’re more of a “leader” than an Analyst might.
Exceptions & Special Cases
If you’ve done some type of pre-MBA program related to finance – interning at a boutique, a PE firm, etc. – and the rest of your work experience is in a different field, you should definitely make this prominent, even if it only lasted a few months.
It’s not lying – it’s changing the focus. Spin 101.
If you’ve only had 1 full-time job before business school, just list your last major internship briefly, below the full-time entry, and write 1-2 bullets about it. A work experience section with only 1 large entry looks odd.
What Skills, Activities & Interests?
This section becomes increasingly irrelevant the more experienced you are. You can still include it at the MBA-level, but keep it short and feel free to drop it.
Full-Time Template
- Working Full-Time Investment Banking Resume Template (Word 2003)
- Working Full-Time Investment Banking Resume Template (Word 2007)
- Working Full-Time Investment Banking Resume Template (PDF)
This is almost exactly the same template as the MBA-level one – the only difference is that your Education section can be even shorter and it should be below Work Experience if you’re not currently a student.
Consider removing the last section as well.
Always pick 2-3 key work experience entries over past 5-10 years unless you’re a C-level executive with a 20+ year-long track record, or you have a lot of transaction experience – which leads us into the next section.
Experienced Investment Banker / Private Equity / Hedge Fund Financier
- Experienced Investment Banker Resume Template (Word 2003)
- Experienced Investment Banker Resume Template (Word 2007)
- Experienced Investment Banker Resume Template (PDF)
The Disclaimer – Read This First
Only use this template if you’re an experienced Associate, VP, or beyond that, and you have dozens of transactions to write about.
If you use this as a sophomore in college, it’s your fault. You will look stupid and not get any interviews.
What’s Different This Time?
This one is still similar to both the university student resume template and the investment banker resume template – with one key difference:
Rather than going into detail on all your clients and deals on the first page, you make a separate page or set of pages for your “Transaction Experience” and follow the same format there.
As with the templates above, Skills, Activities & Interests can be dropped and the Education section should be greatly condensed.
Each entry should consist of a summary sentence and 2-3 others that capture the main highlights from each experience – working with clients, management teams, bringing in business if you’re more senior, or doing analytical work for junior-level entries.
This person is showing more “leadership” at each level by writing about how he/she managed Analysts and Associates, and also highlighting more sourcing and business development at higher levels.
As you move up, investment banking becomes a pure Sales job, so your resume should reflect this.
It’s good to list “Notable Transactions” so that anyone can tell what he’s done at a glance without going to the second page.
Transaction Page
This should follow the chronological order and format of the first page.
The language here is not much different from the Analyst/Associate investment banker resume template – the person still discusses valuation/modeling work and his/her impact on the deal process.
But the focus is different at each level:
- Analyst – More analytical and valuation/modeling-focused, since that’s what Analysts do. Well, that and fix broken printers…
- Associate – The focus shifts to managing the Analysts, working with clients, and making presentations. Associates still do quantitative work, but it’s more advanced – think LBO models rather than going through SEC filings looking for non-recurring items.
- VP – He/she focuses more on pitching clients to potential buyers and executing the deal.
What About for Private Equity and Hedge Funds?
Not much is different – if you have an extensive transaction / investment list, you should still list it on a separate page.
Just flip around the language and write about “investments” and “potential investments” as opposed to “deals.”
For the first page, write about your efforts sourcing investment ideas rather than potential clients.
It can be near-impossible to come up with concrete “results” on the buy-side because of the time frame – it might take years for a firm to exit a particular investment.
So don’t feel pressured to always have tangible “results.”
What Next?
Use these templates – just make sure you’ve read the disclaimers first.
You don’t need to follow the exact format and language here – these are intended to give you ideas and guide you in the right direction.
As always, if you’re paranoid about having the same-looking resume as everyone else, just change the font, font size, or other formatting to make it look different.
Up Next
You should now know 95% of what you need to craft your resume copy these templates and use them for your own purposes, from the Analyst-level to VP-level and up.
I may cover examples of specific bullets / language you would use for different industries (marketing, accounting, wealth management, etc.) and do a few “resume makeovers” in coming months.
Any questions?
Break Into Investment Banking
Free Access to Exclusive Content for Members Only!
Sign up for The Banker Blueprint today and enjoy:
- Free Report: 37-page guide with the action plan you need to break into investment banking - how to tell your story, network, craft a winning resume, and dominate your interviews.
- Exclusive emailed bonus material.
- Free Banker Blueprint newsletter with more in-depth advice.
- Unlimited access to all articles, videos, and advice - and free updates whenever new content is added to the site.
Hey, unrelated to the post, but a few questions:
3.6 soph at state school, decent connections, great network.
just landed a internship at a PE firm that I plan on holding for this whole school year or more. i have some other great experiences as well (brand name regional PWM, small mutual fund firm in NY).
I have a few questions, little predicaments, future career possibilities that Id like some help in deciding what to do. Ultimately Id like to work in PE.
Should I focus on getting a soph rotational or another PE internship this summer?
If I want to go PE after undergrad, would it be better to have a few internships at different PE firms, or some PE and a summer analyst position (for training and skill set)?
Or, is it just that difficult getting into PE out of undergrad and I should really just go for a two year analyst role and try to get into PE from there?
Short answer is I would just aim for PE internships at the most well-known places you can get into. If you have PE experience and good connections, you can probably get in from undergrad so I wouldn’t bother with anything else.
Thanks for the Associate templates…I think they’ll be helpful in helping me craft mine.
I was wanting to know something…I’ve been at a boutique IB internship here for about a month now, and I’m helping close an M&A deal (and by that, I mean I’ve initiated and maintained contact with a potential buyer who’s also a personal connection from my prior job). Should I wait until the VERY, VERY end before I mention it on my resume?
I’m also working on researching and identifying targets, acquirers, or investors for other clients we have. Should I give it more time before I begin using the format describing individual deals (or even begin writing a deal sheet?)
Thanks!
You can mention it now, but don’t give the name and just list it as a “Potential” M&A deal.
Honestly I would not do a deal sheet unless you have at least 4-5 years of full-time experience in banking.
Using the “deal” format – as on the IBD resume template – is fine even in the early stages, but make sure you describe everything as “Potential.”
OK, that makes sense.
Thanks!
Thanks for the full time template, it is very helpful. I have few questions regarding the template.
1. How would you put a client project (should I put client name or just Client 1 or Project 1)that you worked on per client’s request, even though my job as an analyst didnt directly bring in revenues,but the revenue was partly based on the work the analyst and our group did. I worked as a Porfolio analyst for a custodial bank in their oprations division, but I had direct contact with the clients and often worked on project (performed analysis such as impact on MV and performace on the Fund given a certain change in holding of certain securities)would you consider this back office position?
2. I was in the military and worked on several project, but have no name for them, should i just leave it as Project 1, or should i try to give the project a name.
3. I currently have 2 undergraduate degrees, from the same university but different campus (For example Rutgers University New Brunswick and Rutgers University Newark), should i put both degrees under Rutgers University or should I put it as two seprate entries.
Thanks in advance for your help.
1. I would describe the client by Net Worth, AUM, Industry, or something similar and write, “Portfolio Analysis for [Industry Name] Client”
2. For military I would not use the “project” format – better to just say what you accomplished overall. Too hard to describe with specific projects.
3. I would put them both under Rutgers – you waste too much space with separate entries.
Hi,
does an engineer with master in finance and no banking experience fits in the Full-Time Template? I mean, does it make sense to include job engineer experience at top before the education section?
Al
If you’ve been working full-time, you pretty much need to do that – doesn’t make sense to put Education at the top unless you’re IN school right now.
Hi,
I’m just wondering if the Full-Time Template can be used by someone not from Finance industry but planning to break into Finance?
Thanks!
GC
As long as you’re out of school already it’s fine to use no matter what industry you’re in.
Thank you for the great templates. These are some of the most efficient and organized I’ve seen. For the university template, what do you think of linking to a website (my “professional” website/blog that my university encourages students to create and maintain) between the address and the contact information lines? Thanks again.
-Lee
Personally I would not do it unless the material is both highly professional and highly relevant to the job search… outside finance that’s fine, but most financial services firms tend to be quite conservative.
Hi!
I read your article but still can’t figure out in which resume category do I fit in?
I’ve 1.5 years of full-time banking experience as country manager and I’ll graduate in December in Msc Finance.
Thank you for your advice!
Marianna
If you’re still in school, use the MBA-level template – once you graduate, then you can use the full-time template here.
I am a Marketing person with 7 years of work with MNCs and going to graduate from a top school in Europe.
I don’t have any finance experience except some private investment account in Forex, Gold and a short course on stock valuation. I also have a long list of finance books that I’m going to finish reading by the end of the MBA.
Should I mention all the above activities and reading list in the resume to assure IB of my strong interest in switching career and gain some advantage?
Thank you for your advice.
Thang
You don’t need to mention all of that but might be good to include a sentence or two.
Hey M&I,
Great site. I just bought your networking ninja kit and put it to work at a JP Morgan event tonight!
I need your advice. I am a first year Master’s in Financial Engineering student with trying to get a summer internship in trading, portfolio management or asset management with no prior industry experience.
Earlier this year I started a small investment partnership with a few friends and our meager savings. Basically, we meet every month to discuss our latest investment research and how we should invest our capital. Even though I wouldn’t consider this anywhere near a full-time job, I am inclined to include this under “Professional Experience” on my resume. I am also thinking about leading with it to show potential employers that I have a serious interest in portfolio management.
The trouble is, I’ve got 4 solid years of tech consulting experience at a reputed firm (not an MBB) on my resume, which includes working directly for a CIO, so I’m not sure how to structure my resume to make the best first impression.
Should I include the investment partnership under professional experience? Should I lead with it or put it near the bottom?
James,
Glad to hear it has been helpful. I would actually put the investment partnership at the top because it’s more recent, and then write about consulting below that – you may want to review this article for a tutorial on how to write about this type of experience:
http://www.mergersandinquisitions.com/investment-banking-resume-no-work-experience/
Just got a question, I got a Bachelor degree in Commerce (major in accounting)and a Master of Arts (interpreting and translation). As it does not have a close connection with Finance, do you think i should do a MBA or another Master degree in Finance or continue to do my PHD in interpreting and translation in order to get into investment banking..
Thanks in advance
Don’t do a PhD. Maybe go for a master’s degree in finance (see the related master’s degree and major articles on the site)
Hi,
I will be attending a target school this fall for MBA. I have worked at an analyst level in a real estate PE firm in India before. I am interested in exploring opportunities in banking ( with maybe a different industry focus now) and so so was preparing my resume. I want to ask you if executed deals and potential deals have to be highlighted under separate headings or combined under the Transaction Experience?
Also will highlighting in the education section “emphases on finance and RE” have an effect if i get a chance to interview with a non RE desk?
I have cleared CFA 2 . Where do you think i should put it in the resume?
Thanks in advance.
Sandy
You don’t need to list them separately. Listing RE on your resume may bias you a bit toward RE groups and away from others – maybe leave it out for non-RE groups you apply to. CFA Level 2 I would list at the bottom under Certifications.
Thanks a lot.
Sandy
I’m an MBA student now, a year removed from undergrad (finance major, 3.1 GPA). I worked in a sales job (non finance) for almost a year after undergrad (also sold insurance etc for a few months). Without much financial experience, can I still list my undergrad GPA and Relevant coursework? I feel like I should mix/match the undergrad/MBA templates to push any finance background possible. I am pursuing jobs in the public finance/fixed income fields.
I also played Division I baseball for 4 years, and was wondering if that should be highlighted.
Yes
Sure
Hi,
Thanks for the Associate templates.
I am a second year MBA student (from a non-target school) with four years of IT engineering experience in the banking industry and recently completed an internship in corporate banking. I plan to transition into IB and am looking for an associate position.
I have completed CFA Level 1, am the president of the finance club at my school and also an equity research analyst with our student run Investment Fund. Will it be prudent to explain these positions in detail like you demonstrated in the undergraduate section? These are the major activities that I have undertaken to facilitate my transition into finance but you mention that these activities should not be given a lot of importance on the resume and this confuses me. How will I then demonstrate my interest in finance and specially in IB?
Thanks,
Anish
In that case, I would devote around half of your resume to your pre-MBA experience and half to the student groups and activities you mentioned; activities would not be as relevant if you’re coming from a finance background already.
Thanks a lot for clarifying that.
Anish
Hi Brian,
Thank you very much for the very useful information. I have a question here. I am a second year graduate school student and I am a career changer. Before my graduate studies, I was a journalist. In the summer, I did a S&T internship. This semester I will be a teaching assistant for a finance course at my graduate school. How should I re-organize my resume? Should I emphasize my teaching assistant job or my journalism experience after my banking experience in my resume? Thank you very much!
I would devote 50% of the space to the S&T internship, 20% to the teaching assistant job, and 30% to journalism
Hey M&I,
Awesome site, thank you!!
Some background:
I have a First Class engineering (4 years straight masters) undergrad. As part of this I did one year of research for an external firm. The research was in Quantum Physics. I got the highest grade in the class for my research, it was later published, and the firm are pursuing it commercially.
I have been working for a top IT services provider on the business side for 4 years. 2 years as a customer relationship manager. 2 years as a financial modeler on muti million dollar engagements. This is similar to the modeling done in M&A (High pressure, last minute bid deadlines, long hours, requests for menial changes etc.). Some of the deals I have modeled have been FSS clients.
Some Questions
1) I am going for analyst positions as I think that’s where I’ll have the best chance. Do you agree?
2) Should I mention Quantum Physics Research under education, or under a separate “Company Name” given it was conducted commercially, but formed part of my undergrad?
3) Given my strongest asset (I think) is my undergrad, should I elevate this to the top, or leave it at the bottom
4) Should I spend more time on my customer role, or my modeling role?
5) Is it acceptable to use 2 pages in the UK – that’s what all other industries use here, but don’t know about IB.
6) Should I put my 2 roles I have had at the same company as separate “Company Name” sections or as separate projects?
sorry for all the questions. Perhaps some day I can repay your generosity!!
Al
1. Yes but with 4 years exp. it will still be tough, MBA is probably a better bet.
2. Education
3. With 4 years work experience it would be odd to have Education at the top.
4. 40% customer 60% modeling
5. Not for IB unless you are a senior banker – stick to 1 page if you have less than 20 years of experience.
6. Don’t make separate Company sections, just include separate roles.
I am a Chemical Engineering PhD with 2 postdocs (biofuels/biotechnology).. 5 months and 1 year each + some finance classes (4) from business school. I also have 1 year software development experience outside US. My questions are as follows,
1. Should I include research experience while doing PhD?
2. Should I include non-US experience which dates back more than 5 years?
3. Anything I can include being a PhD (publications, conference presentations)?
4. How postdoc experience can look “business”?
5. Can research experience in biofuels/biotech be leveraged in targeting “IB Analyst/Associate – energy/biotech” jobs?
Thank you.
Sincerely,
AAA
See this section for what to do about research experience: http://www.mergersandinquisitions.com/get-a-banking-job/#resume
Honestly it will be really tough if you already have a PhD with 2 postdocs – you are 500x smarter than what is required of an analyst. I would actually downplay your education and target exclusively biotech / pharmaceutical boutique banks. Non-US experience is fine, it doesn’t really make a difference, the larger issue is that you’re over-qualified for banking.
Dear Brian,
Thank you for your advice. Do you think it is waste of time to look for associate position through networking?
Thanks,
AAA
That’s all you can do at this point, so no – try it for a few months and see where it takes you.
Thanks Brian! I much appreciate your help. If I succeed I will send you a story or case study…just kidding!
Sincerely,
AAA
I was hoping to find a deal sheet template.
I have 18 years of experience in Corporate Development and recently left Nortel as part of the bankruptcy of Nortel Networks and looking for a new gig. I have completed 50 deals with a total value over $10.4B, and would estimate I have been involved in at least 300 opportunities. I would love to have someone contact me, and would like to have someone give some thought on how you can help me or for me to help you.
Kirk
We don’t offer 1-on-1 consulting at the moment – I have also removed your phone # because 10,000+ people read this site every day and may see that. I would ask on WallStreetOasis and see if someone there can help you as this site is targeted at the entry-level instead.
I have a 3 years non-finance experience before starting my MBA.
I also did two non-IB finance internship before MBA and now during MBA i am leading a team of 4 into the finals of a top Annual IB Case-Competition ,being judged by 2 BB banks in my country.
Would you reccomend using a mixture of ‘MBA-Investment-Banking-Resume-Template’ AND ‘Spin-Non-Finance-Experience-After’? So i devote 30% to two finance internship,30% to full time work-ex and may be 10% to the Annual IB Case Competition (should i write this competition at the top..? ,just below my education as you have done this in ‘Spin-Non-Finance-Experience-After’ template)
Thanks,
Yes. List the competition at the top in Education.
Hey great site + materials.
I’m wanting to find an elegant way to cover a very recent promotion to VP on page 1 of the experienced hire template, while still showing the depth of experience gained at senior associate level.
I also want to keep 2 other roles for previous employers on my first page, therefore this page would be getting quite cluttered if I tried to put all 4 roles onto one page.
The two options i’ve come up with are 1) show only the VP title under my current employer, and footnote the time of appointment and previous role for the employer (I would also move the time period by each title to align with the employer not the title); or 2) keep the format of having a set of bullets under each role, discussing the responsibilities my new role only briefly.
The first option looks much more tidy, but wondering if you thought this approach was risky? I am technically disclosing everything, but could be accussed of presenting things in a slightly misleading way.
Would really appreciate your thoughts.
I would use 2 or it might seem misleading
Hello Brian,
First, I think this is a great website!!
And on to my question.
I’m searching for opportunities in IB, although I’m currently working in a non-finance industry post-MBA. The problem is that the only experience I have close to IB is my 3 month full-time summer internship and 4 month part-time with a small boutique in NYC during my MBA.
So should I focus on presenting this experience in my resume even though it was only internship? Will the bankers even consider this as experience?
Thanks!
Yes still focus on that experience even though it consisted of internships.
Hi,
I am an MBA student with Finance major at one of the 2-tier universities in US. I have a bachelors degree in Computer Science and 1-2 yrs of experience in IT and Finance. but the bitter truth is that i lack the required IT skills. I am about to complete my graduation now and worried about the job opportunities. Although i have dual knowledge of IT and Finance, i am unable to creatively prepare my resume due to lack of experience. hence i have decide to include the projects that i worked on during my MBA course which includes many Financial skills required to find an entry level job position. I have also include my research assistant experience gained on-campus and 3 months of Internship experience on my resume.
Have i made the right thing by including the graduate projects and work experience mentioned above? what other changes should i make in my resume?
Thanks,
DJ.
Sure that sounds good. I would focus on IT if you want to go for IT jobs but finance/business for finance/business jobs… so I think you’re on the right track.
M&I,
I would like to thank you for saving me countless hours of boredom here at work. Absolutely love the site.
My question to you all is this:
I graduated from college in December with a finance degree and an accounting degree, both with mediocre GPAs. The first round of interviews I got were for consulting and accounting jobs (were mediocre wanna-be bankers such as myself go to die.) The mistake I made was taking the first job offered to me which has turned out to be a complete bust. It’s not that the work is completely a waste of time I am keeping my excel skills sharp and learning some good real world life lessons in the world of finance (I suppose?) My contract with this hell hold of a company goes for 1 year however I am pretty dead set on getting out of here in 6 months. So, if I ” resign” in 6 months and leave how should it be treated on my resume?
The projects I am working on will add a value to my resume and I have learned valuable life lessons about taking a job for the money instead of fit. Should I leave it off my resume or just put down what valuable things I did and tell them that I resigned due to not being a good fit? (Or not say anything at all unless it is brought up)
Cheers
-MK
Um definitely still leave it on your resume, otherwise you will be lying / making it seem like you did nothing for 6 months. Just write what you did and don’t even address why you resigned on your resume, if it comes up say you weren’t a good fit.
M&I,
Thanks for the valuable info on the website. I am an MBA in Finance with graduation degree in engineering. i am working in retail banking for almost 3 years and want to move into private or investment banking now. Can you please suggest how to move ahead with my progression and what are the special skills required for it?
Thanks
SK
If you already have an MBA all you can do is network aggressively (look under Recruiting at the top of the page) and focus on very small firms. It will be tough with 3 years experience in retail banking and an MBA already – probably easier to get into PWM rather than IB.
Hey,
Love the site. Quick question. I’m still within my first year of professional work experience after undergrad and recently made the mental decision to start looking to go into capital markets / ibanking. I’m currently working for a big 5 consulting company – consulting on new product development in the banking industry in NY. Although my experiences are more focused on IT management and very little on finance / banking – what would be the best over message to send in a resume going to a hedge fund / ibank / boutique firm?
Thanks so much,
There are some tips on consulting –> finance here: http://www.mergersandinquisitions.com/consulting-to-finance/
Hi Brian,
Just wanted let you know how much I appreciate your resources.
Some of my questions may some what overlap from the above, but would still appreciate your insight as I haven’t found anything specific to accountants yet.
Background:
I’ve interned and am working full time at a big4 accounting firm (for about 2 years) and just recently qualified as a CPA. I’m in the audit practice and most of my experience comes from being exposed to the audit side of the transaction activities – e.g. M&A’s, Goodwill Valuations, DCF’s, Due Diligence, etc. I’m also heavily responsible for managing staff and client relationships. On the side I am also a part time instructor for senior level accounting courses. I come from a “non target” university.
Questions:
With the basis that I will be “spinning” my resume as much as possible to suit investment banking purposes:
1) Should I be using the full-time template and hone in specifically on the transaction activity audits
2) Should I focus on my “deal” pitches on winning new clients and managing staff?
3) Should exceptional performance awards from the firm be avoided?
4) Where should my designation be ranked in the Resume? My GPA is what is considered “average” but my performance on the professional exams were first decile. Should I put the professional exam rankings? And is GPA# mandatory, can I just put the “bucket” – e.g. summa/magna cum laude?
5) Though not entirely transaction services oriented, but would you suggest mentioning service presentations, dealing with Boards and Senior management on complex accounting issues?
6) Props to Breakintowallstreet for the excellent technical videos. Should I be mentioning that I am knowledgeable in modelling and where should I put it? I would likley integrate some aspect of it in my experience above.
7) Should I include my current part time lecturing at the university?
Ultimately, the aim I’m trying to get to is to be relevant to analyst/associate responsibilities (e.g. modelling, pitchbooks, management discussions) but not sure of the weighting
1. Yes.
2. Try to have 1-2 on winning clients and 1-2 on deals, managing staff is not as important.
3. Maybe spend 1 line on it.
4. Just list it in your summary bullets for the work experience entry, your GPA you can leave off if you’ve been working full-time for 2 years unless they ask about it in which case list it in Education at the bottom
5. I would not focus on it unless you made your firm a significant amount of money by doing that or something similarly impressive.
6. If you look at the FAQ on BIWS there are a few examples of how to list this under the “Financial Modeling Programs” category.
7. Sure but don’t focus on it maybe just 1-2 lines
Thanks, much appreciated
Under the experienced template, you have sections via project and client. Can I blend them?
For private clients, is it advisable I put the industry and a significant metric?
e.g:
Privately Owned Real Estate Investment and Management Companies (Assets of $6B)
Yes that’s fine
HI,
Great site,
I am MBA in finance and had 2 years exp in corporate action processing which is IB exp before MBA but after my Bachelors and 2+ years exp in claims administration during my MBA studies
At the moment i m stuck in CV template, can you kindly recommed me about which template to be used for sound response for employers
Quick response will be highly appreciated,
Regards,
Prats
Use the MBA template
Thanks for the template. I am from the UK, I have my 1st degree in law, i am a qualified solicitor and just about to finish my master in coporate law and finance. I have always loved to work in the bank though read law, i now want to move into IB with no work experience in banking, as an analyst, do you think i have a chance and do you think networking is the best way? I will appreciate your help thanks.
Yes, networking is necessary pretty much everywhere. You can still get in but you really want an internship or other work experience first.
Dear M & I,
Thanks for all your help all your stories are very interesting and quite amusing. Here is my dilemma I currently go to Texas A&M College Station and I am currently working in Stamford, CT for the summer working for AXA advisors doing PWM and learning financial planning. For next year I want to do a program called dream careers which gives you a guaranteed internship and housing etc. etc. Anyways my dilemma is that you can choose to either go do an internship in hong kong or new york. And these would be investment banking internships to note. The hong kong one would probably be with like societe general and the new york one is interesting because it does a week long investment banking class which teaches you investment banking stuff and gives you a Financial Analyst Trainee Certificate at the end of it then you work an internship with like a boutique investment bank. So my question is what would be more valuable to get me into the NY program with the week long program to get the certificate and do an internship or go to hong kong and get the international experience. Keep in mind im already networking in NY right now. this is the website to see what i mean if your confused http://www.nycinternships.com/ibanking/investment-banking/ Thanks for your help
P.S. which of these options would help me look better for a bulge bracket firm like goldman, jp etc.?
Same as above if you want to work in NY or US do the NY one
Do NY if you want to work in NY
thanks a lot m&i I appreciate your response. Just to clarify working in one location wont give me a better resume buffer to get into a bulge bracket firm correct?
correct
Dear M&I,
Thank you for your website. It contains lots of very good information regarding the industry.
I need your thoughts here, please. I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics, and about 7 years of work experience in market risk management/financial engineering/quantitative finance in top Investment Banks here in Canada – TD Securities, RBC Capital Markets, CIBC World Markets and Scotia Capital. I currently work for the global leader in financial engineering software where I am responsible for expanding the modeling capabilities of their flagship platform to support exotic derivatives and other instruments.
At this time, I am making the move to PE/VC. I am already enrolled in an Ivy League MBA program (EMBA – thus, I do not have to quit my job). My hope is the MBA will facilitate my career change.
Please, I have 3 questions for you:
1) If my goal is to get into a PE/VC firm with a focus in Emerging Markets, what possible routes can I take? I am African and my ultimate goal is to head a PE/VC firm back home in Nigeria or start my own. I am also open to relocating back home within the next 2-3 years. I currently live in Toronto, Canada. But I am prepared to seek employment in the US, if necessary.
2) How can I learn modeling/other required skills on my own? Any courses or materials that you can recommend?
3) How can I sell my profile (work experience + education) to a prospective PE/VC employer?
Thank you very much in advance for your response.
1) You do not have much of a chance of getting into PE/VC unless you worked in something more closely related like IB first, so at this point your best bet is to network directly with firms back home and hope that since it’s an emerging market and you have the background it will be easier there.
2) Yes, see the courses on this site on the right side.
3) You have the finance knowledge from previous experience + learned even more in the MBA program and you’re from the region originally – so you know all the local customs and ways of doing business + have the experience of working in a top finance market and a solid education.
Thank you very much!
Last question – Where can I find a list of PE/VC firms with significant interest in Africa?
Try to find someone who has Capital IQ access – otherwise you’d have to search around online and hope you find something.
Hi,
For the job I am current working on, should I use past tense to describe the responsibilities or should I use present tense?
Thanks!
Use past for everything
Hi, you have a nice informative website.
i am a commerce graduate with 10 years of experience in financial services and contact centres handling small teams.
i have now passed mba (banking and finance) from uni of wales and would like to start working in a bank in UK from entry level positions. how can i get a break quickly, any tips you have for me to succeed? many thanks.
anish.
http://www.mergersandinquisitions.com/investment-banking-networking-london/
I reaaly wish I had found this site earlier!
Hi, these are phenomenal templates, but I have kind of a weird situation with which I need some advice. I am currently a financial analyst at a fortune 500, but it does not really have anything to do with IB. It is sort of a hybrid between corp. finance and accounting. I graduated this last spring and I have only been with the company for about 3 months, and I just now decided I want to switch to IB. I have interned at the same fortune 500 before and a have held an internship at a commercial real estate firm where I performed valuations and presentations. My background is in finance and economics for undergrad. A position just opened up at a boutique I-Bank I’m interested in and I am wondering whether or not I should even list the position I currently hold in the resume I submit (since it is such a short time period), or if I should just exclude it and apply as a recent graduate. Thanks.
Yes you still need to include it even if it’s just a line.
Hi,
Would you this template for internal transfers? (ie ECM in one country to say Banking in the other)? Thanks
Yes. Focus on the transactions you have been involved in and the skills you have gained in such transactions which pertains to banking in that particular country you want to move to. In the case of internal transfers, while your resume matters, you should focus more on networking and impressing the group you are trying to switch to.
Great site! I am a 2nd year grad student at a “top 50″ b-school with 5 years of experience in retail banking and 2 years in PWM. I did not land an internship this past summer yet I am very interested in working at a bulge bracket in NYC.
What are my odds? Am I being realistic or should I pursue a second tier/boutique firm?
You should pursue a second tier/boutique; do continue looking for jobs with BB but cast your net wide. Not sure what area you want to work for, I’d also focus on asset management / PWM because of your previous experience.
Hello guys,
I’m applying for S&T positions (couldn’t find a S&T template!)
and just wanted to ask how should I put my day-trading exp on my resume?
I had 2 previous jobs and in between day-traded for a year.
I felt that it might look weird if I had a gap on my resume, so now trying to figure what I should put on.
Here’s my story. I first started off as a FX trader for a year at a top commercial bank in Asia of which 70%+ revenue comes from FX.
I did pretty well but decided to trade my own capital as at the bank I was only allowed to take the slightest if any risk.
I moved to equities and started day-trading for a year and was killing it until my father got cancer, where I had to pull out my capital for his surgeries.
Without capital I couldn’t daytrade no longer and returned to a salary-job.
Q1. Should I or should I not include my 1-year trading gig?
I think I have a story and my P&L was pretty great.
Q2. What sort of details should I include?
Thanks,
CJ
1. Yes.
2. Details of your portfolio size, returns, strategies, stock picks. Details of why you returned to salary-job – brief one liner will do. Details of your salary-job.
Hi,
doing bachelor in chemical engineering. I have done internship with engineering firm but I realised that chemical engineering is not something I would like to pursue in the long term. Would like to make a switch in finance. Pursuing CFA level 1 this year. I would like to ask if it is recommendable if I pursue master of finance straight after college? or should I search job in the finance-related field? and what kind of jobs should I be looking for? thank you for the advice.
I think you should look for a job in finance if you can. You should look for finance roles that interest you.
http://www.mergersandinquisitions.com/investment-banking-masters-programs/
hi, im trying to apply for banking job… probably personal banker rather than teller… at the end i want to go to manager level but im having hard time writing the resume with no experience. would you be able to help me out?
Think you should just follow the template we provided. Other than that network & try to get more experience
Hey I have a question. I have an offer to work as an analyst in consumer banking at Citi. Ideally I’d like to go back and get my MBA and work in their investment banking division. Any advice?
If you don’t have other job offers and you can deal with that job, take it and see where the job leads you!