Investment Banker Resume Example

Banking is a part of our everyday life, and there are plenty of people and ideas out there looking for someone to invest in their dreams and make them a reality. This is where investment bankers come in.

Investment bankers are financial advisors and analysts that guide businesses and individuals in decisions about expending their money for profit.

To become an investment banker, you do need a minimum of a Bachelor's Degree, with one attained, you're well on your way to working with some of the best banking companies -- if you just put in the time and do the work.

According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, investment banker and financial analyst positions are at a 5% growth rate, which is faster than average. On top of that, there are currently 487,800 jobs in the market, making it an even more competitive field.

In this article, we are going to help you land an investment banking job by creating an impressive resume. You already have the skills and experience. Now, it's time to put them to paper.

Here are the 7 steps we will be covering:

1. Formatting your resume
2. Writing a resume summary
3. Describing your work experience
4. Listing your skills
5. Listing your certifications
6. Including your education
7. Adding your languages

1. Format your resume like a professional

Finance and banking individuals have very professional jobs. Therefore, if you're applying for the position of an investment banker, it's important for your resume to look as professional as you are.

To truly impress hiring managers, it is crucial to correctly format your resume.

There are three ways to choose from to correctly format your resume:

1. Reverse-chronological, which emphasizes your previous work experience
2. Functional, which highlights your key skills
3. Hybrid, which combines the previous formats

As an investment banker, showcasing that you have prior experience will really help your resume get noticed. Therefore, it's ideal that you use the reverse-chronological format in your resume, or the hybrid format if you have the skill sets as well.

If you're new to the field and have more skills to offer than actual experience, considering selecting to format your resume in a functional way.

It's also important to include these certain details in your resume:

• Contact information
• Resume summary
• Experience
• Education
• Skills
• Certifications

Tip: Make sure to look over the posted job description and implement some keywords listed on the job you are applying for when creating your resume.

Take a look at our guide on how to format your resume if you want to learn more.

2. Write an impressive resume summary

Did you know resumes are only looked at for approximately 6-7 seconds? Especially in such a competitive field, including a resume summary at the top of your resume may be what takes your resume and chances of getting hired to the next level.

A resume summary is a 1-2 sentence blurb that summarizes everything your resume consists of. Including this really shows hiring managers that you respect their time.

Tip: Sometimes, it's easier to write your resume summary after you have already written your resume. That way, it's easier to pick and choose what you want to include.

Here are some things to mention in your resume summary:

• Years of experience
• Relevant qualifications
• Career achievements

Here's an example of what your resume summary can look like:

IB and CFA certified investment banker with 4+ years of experience preparing valuations for venture-funded startups and M&A candidates. Knowledgeable of sell-side and buy-side deals.‍
‍
Need more help writing a professional resume summary? Our guide on writing resume summaries has tons of examples.

3. Describe your work experience

To be hired as an investment banker, you need to show hiring managers that you have experience with analyzing financial models and managing transactions. Therefore, what you put under work experience is essential.

When listing your work experience, it is important to go in reverse-chronological order so hiring managers know what was your most recent job experience and what you learned or mastered in that job. It's also important to highlight the specifics you did on the job and do so using good verbs.

Tip: When adding your work experience to your resume, you should always include the company you worked for, your job title, your time there, and the location along with the description of what you did.

As an investment banker, here are some job description examples you can include in your resume:

• Financial modeling and analysis across a wide range of industries
• Drafted descriptive memoranda for sale and financing assignments
• Created materials for advisory assignments, including fairness and valuation opinion presentations
• Identified, evaluated, and contacted potential targets or acquirers
• Organized and coordinated due diligence sessions with transaction counterparties
• Prepared presentations and pitch material for the solicitation of new business
• Wrote research reports on select industries and sectors
• Financial modeling experience/skills, company valuation, and financial performance analysis
• Analyzed data using mathematical models and statistical techniques
• Prepared reports, tables, and charts that presented research results and analyses/inferences
• Worked alongside senior bankers to provide clients with M&A and financing services
• Modeled complex M&A and financing scenarios
• Undertook relevant research and wrote reports of findings
• Created and analyzed financial models, helped manage transaction processes, and assisted in structuring transactions
• Developed financial models and performed customized company valuation analysis, actively being involved in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) transactions and fixed income and equity issuances
• Organized and prepared presentations, which explain industry trends, assessing clients’ situations to provide the necessary financial advice and recommended strategies to meet client goals
• Coordinated teams of tax advisors, auditors, attorneys, real estate valuers, and bankers for various transactions and actively participated in the negotiations of legal documentation, preparations of internal committee presentations, and funding
  

Tip: It's okay to use jargon when describing your work experience. In fact, it lets hiring managers know you understand and know the field's language.

Want more tips and tricks on how to write your work experience description? Check out our guide on describing your work experience.

4. List your key skills

As an investment banker, there are many key skills that will benefit your resume and help you land the job. In fact, listing impressive and relevant skills give hiring managers more reasons to hire you because, based on your resume, they know you have the qualities they may be looking for.

Here are some examples of key skills you can include in your resume:

• Transactional Experience
• Quantitative Analysis
• Qualitative Analysis
• Valuation
• Communication
• Organization
• Time Management
• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service

Tip: Be sure to include other key skills that are relevant to the job.

Having trouble identifying your skills? We have a guide with 100+ key skills you can include in your resume.

5. Include your certifications

You don't necessarily need to be certified to be an investment banker, but having certifications may help you succeed, and adding them to your resume definitely helps you showcase your expertise and land you the job.

Tip: Be sure to include certifications in your resume summary, too.

Here are some certifications you can get and include in your resume as an investment banker:

• Financial Modeling Certification
• CFA Certification
• IBC (Investment Banking Certification)

Tip: Feel free to include what year you were certified, too.

If you're looking for more information on how to include certifications to include in your resume or want to know how to correctly list them, check out our guide.

6. Include your education on your resume

To become an investment banker, you do need to have a minimum of a Bachelor's Degree. Let hiring managers know your education by including it in your resume.

With that said, here is how you should be listing your education in your resume:

Fordham University

New York, NY

2012 — 2016

Bachelor of Science in Accounting
GPA: 3.7/4.0‍

Tip: Some companies may want to see your grade point average (GPA). So, be sure to include that as well, especially if it is above average.

Need more helping listing your education? We have a guide that will help you list your education in 2021 with examples and tips.

7. List languages on your resume

As an investment banker, you meet a variety of people, some of whom may speak different languages. Adding a language section to your resume may be what you need to take your resume to the next level and get the job.

Being multilingual is essential as an investment because knowing more than one language also helps to improve your verbal communication and makes you more precise and logical in your problem-solving.  

Here are some languages you can include on your resume if you know them:

• English
• Spanish
• French
• Italian
• German
• Russian
• Chinese
• Japanese
• Romanian

Tip: Next to the languages you know on your resume, add if you're fluent, intermediate or a beginner in the language to show hiring managers just how well you know the specific language.

Need more help writing the perfect resume? We have a guide that can help you do just that.

Key Takeaways

Investment banking may be a competitive field, but by following our guide, you're sure to succeed, especially since now your resume highlights your strengths, skills and experiences.

However, we do want to provide you with a quick summary of everything we've covered:

1. Format your resume
2. Write a resume summary
3. Describe your work experience
4. List your key skills
5. Include licenses
6. Include your education
7. List languages on your resume

Now, get out there and land the job. You got this!