The Ideal Resume Template for University Students

-


Crafting Your Investment Banking Resume

The key to a successful investment banking resume is to make a strong impression within 30 seconds. Bankers are busy and often sleep-deprived, so your resume needs to be concise, clear, and compelling. Here are the essential elements to include:

Header

  • Center the Header: Your name should be in a larger font than the rest.
  • Contact Information: Place your address, phone number, and email address below your name.
  • Avoid Unnecessary Elements: No graphics, emojis, or modeling photos.

Education

  • School Details: Include your school, major, and graduation date.
  • Grades: List your GPA and standardized test scores (GPA and SAT for the U.S.; Degree classification and A-levels for the U.K.).

Work & Leadership Experience

  • Major Entries: Aim for 2-4 major work/leadership experiences, blending internships and activities.
  • Focus on Results: Use a project-centric or task-centric structure and describe the specifics and outcomes of your work.

Skills, Activities & Interests

  • Skills: Include language proficiencies, programming languages, and certifications.
  • Interests: List hobbies and interests such as sports, art/music, and other non-finance activities.

Resume Tips for Experienced Professionals

Many principles for university students apply to experienced professionals, but with some key differences:

Order and Focus

  • Work Experience First: Place Work Experience at the top, followed by Education, and then Skills/Activities/Interests.
  • Highlight Full-Time Experience: Focus on your full-time investment banking experience and reduce emphasis on student groups or early internships.

Transaction Page

  • For Senior Roles: If you've worked on numerous deals (10-20+), consider a second page for key transactions. This is suitable for VPs, Senior VPs, and MDs.

Emphasize Leadership and Client Experience

  • Client Work and Leadership: Highlight your ability to lead teams and execute projects over technical skills.

Common Resume Mistakes to Avoid

Despite available resources, many resumes fall into the same traps. Here are the top offenders:

Mistakes

  • More Than One Page: Stick to one page unless you're in Australia or a VP-level banker with a transaction page.
  • Tiny Margins and Fonts: Avoid making your resume an "eye chart." Use readable margins and font sizes.
  • Creative Additions: Steer clear of photos, emojis, colors, and videos.
  • Omitting Vital Information: Don’t leave out crucial details like your GPA.
  • Padding with Irrelevant Activities: Focus on 3-4 key points rather than listing every club or activity.

Your resume's purpose is to present your experience effectively and get you an interview. Balance your time between perfecting your resume and preparing for networking and interviews.

Professional Resume and Cover Letter Editing Services

Our free templates are effective for various firms, from regional boutiques to bulge-bracket banks. However, for personalized assistance, our Premium Resume Services offer:

What You Get

  • Detailed Editing: Line-by-line resume/CV editing.
  • Experience Tailoring: Transforming any background into relevant banking experience.
  • Optimal Structure: Guidance on where to place each section of your resume.
  • Effective Entries: Using a 3-point structure for Work Experience.
  • Non-Finance Spin: Making non-finance experience sound relevant.
  • Avoiding Fatal Mistakes: Ensuring no simple oversight leads to rejection.

We limit the number of clients we work with each month to ensure quality and personalized attention.

Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Always tailor your resume to the specific job and company you are applying to.

Comments

Post a Comment

Best Blogs

IB Interview Questions: M&A : Level 1 M&A Questions

-
Image
1. Why do companies merge? While are many reasons that companies merge the underlying driver of most M&A deals to expedite growth and/or generate cost savings to create value for the owners of the business. When people say that M&A is an ‘art’ and a ‘science’, what does that mean? The science refers to the mechanical valuation methods (Comps, DCF, etc.), but the art is in making a judgment call on valuation based on the outputs of the various valuation methodologies. 2. Who can pay more when buying a company: a Financial buyer or Strategic buyer? Why? Strategic (i.e. corporate) buyers can typically pay more than Financial (i.e. Private Equity) buyers because strategic buyers typically have overlapping operations that can be removed post-merger to generate cost savings (i.e. Synergies). 3. When are sponsors and corporate buyers on equal footing? When a Financial buyer already owns a competing asset, they can generate synergies (which justifies a higher price) and thus are on mor...
Read more

Getting into Investment Banking: A Comprehensive Guide

-
Image
Introduction Breaking into investment banking (IB) is no small feat, whether you're pre-MBA or post-MBA, from a target or non-target school. While high GPAs and test scores are standard, they are often not enough to stand out. Here’s a strategic approach to help you embark on a successful investment banking career. 1. Network Extensively When your application lands at an investment bank, it’s usually reviewed by a small team of bankers responsible for recruiting from specific schools. Given the competitive nature of this field, networking is crucial. Why Networking Matters: Decision-making bankers are more likely to advocate for you if they know you. Especially vital for non-target school students. Engage with alumni and other connections at your target firms. How to Network: Start reaching out to analysts and associates a few months before core recruiting starts. Look for non-target alumni if you're from a non-target school; they often help each other out. Demonstrate Interest...
Read more