How to Write a Finance Internship Resume with No Work Experience ?

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Landing a finance internship often feels like a catch-22: you need relevant experience to gain relevant experience. If you're aiming for an investment banking internship, previous internships, even at smaller firms, are often expected. The same applies to sales & trading internships. As the recruitment process becomes more competitive, obtaining pre-internships early is crucial. But what if you're in your first or second year of university and lack substantial work experience? This guide will show you how to craft a finance internship resume that highlights your strengths and makes you a competitive candidate.


The "Finance Internship Resume No Work Experience" Strategy: Does It Work?

If you have no real work experience, you need to present your activities, clubs, projects, and volunteer work as valuable experience. This approach is especially useful for:

  • Early university students applying for finance internships at smaller or local firms.
  • Recent graduates who need to find a job or off-cycle internship quickly.

However, this strategy has limitations. For third-year summer internships leading to full-time offers at large banks, candidates often have multiple prior internships. In such cases, spinning non-work experience will not suffice.

Finance Internship Resume Makeover: Before and After

Example Resumes

Problems with the "Before" Version:

  1. Blank Space: The resume has significant blank space at the bottom.
  2. Improper Allocation: The most important entries lack detail.
  3. Too Many Activities: Listing too many activities with minimal details.
  4. Lack of Relevant Skills: No evidence of accounting, finance, or other relevant skills.

Solutions in the "After" Version:

  1. Fill the Space: Adjust margins and expand relevant experiences.
  2. Prioritize Important Entries: Focus on the most relevant experiences like student investment funds and stock pitch competitions.
  3. Show Required Competencies: Provide evidence of skills and link to work on GitHub for credibility.
  4. Relevance and Space Management: Remove less relevant experiences like high school tutoring.

Enhancement Ideas for Your Resume

If your current experience doesn't seem substantial, consider these ideas in order of most to least viable:

  1. Student Clubs and Activities: Highlight relevant activities, even if not directly finance-related.
  2. Competitions and Events: Include stock pitches, case competitions, and spring weeks.
  3. Sports and Hobbies: Emphasize leadership roles or logistical management.
  4. Volunteer Work: Focus on finance-related volunteer activities.
  5. Side Projects or Freelance Gigs: Mention software or tools developed for market analysis.
  6. Class Projects: Turn relevant class projects into work experience.
  7. Certifications or Online Courses: Explain how you applied what you learned in real projects.
  8. Day Trading/Personal Account: This can be included but with caution.

How to Apply These Strategies

When heavily spinning your experience, consider the following points:

  • Be Cautious with Results: Avoid exaggerated claims and focus on the process.
  • Back Up Everything: Be prepared to discuss any experience listed in detail.
  • Understand the Limits: This strategy won’t make you competitive with top candidates but can help you get a foot in the door at smaller firms.

Disclaimer: This strategy is most effective for early university students or recent graduates without substantial work experience. It is not intended to compete with candidates who have multiple internships at smaller firms.

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