Looking for a job is not an easy task. It takes time to write up the perfect resume, prep for interviews and pursue the career you want. As a finance professional, your resume must stand out as one that shows how you will help the company’s bottom line and how you can help the business either save money or make more money.
Don’t fret, you’ve come to the right place for advice if you’re looking for some tips to make your resume stand out.
Numbers are your best friend, which means as you include your skills and successes, you need to also show your accomplishments. Additionally, your certifications and degrees will be helpful in impressing your future hiring manager, so make sure to highlight them in your resume.
7 Resume Tips for Finance Professionals
You’ve come to the right place – here’s our advice on helpful tips to spruce up your resume and stand out from the pile of applications.
Tip #1: Focus on your accomplishments
As you list out your experience, make sure you highlight your accomplishments under each employer. Your accomplishments should be quantifiable as the hiring manager is not only looking to see how you succeeded in your previous role, but the numbers related to how you added value. For example, if you’ve helped a company save money, your accomplishment should say something like: “Saved the company over 15% in expenses” or “Increased cash flow by 30% by reducing accounts receivables from 30 days to 15 days.”
Tip #2: Incorporate job description keywords
You should make sure to read and re-read the job description thoroughly so you can prepare your resume accordingly. Make sure to include the keywords in the description so your resume gets picked up. Using keywords such as ‘expense analysis’ or ‘sales forecast,’ especially if they are mentioned in the job description, are some important phrases that will help you show the hiring manager that you have the right skills for the role.
Tip #3: Include soft skills
More and more hiring managers are looking for applicants that possess important soft skills such as communication, time management, and problem-solving (to name a few). Soft skills are crucial for effective collaboration, being able to meet deadlines and focusing on solutions during challenging projects. For example, if you are a good communicator, you will be able to effectively share your ideas and present projects to the team.
Tip #4: Stay professional
Always keep your tone professional. While it’s good to be creative, you are trying to showcase your professionalism and how you are in a work environment. Avoid adding any pictures or using quirky fonts. Your resume should be sharp, clean and neat without too much color or other distracting graphics included.
Tip #5: Be specific
Completed any additional certifications? List them. If you have learned news skills or software training, add those in. Make sure to list out all the important skills and courses that are relevant to the role as they will be helpful in your application. As you include this important information, you must be specific and to the point so that the person reviewing your resume understands how this information is relevant to your qualifications for the role.
Tip #6: Research templates
When you’re not sure where to start, take some time to research examples of different resume templates that are similar to the role you are looking for. Remember not to plagiarize or copy anything word for word, but instead, use your research as inspiration to help you go in the right direction as you build your resume.
Tip #7: Proofread. Proofread. Proofread!
The last thing you want is to have typos on your resume. Hiring managers do not like to see simple errors because it shows that you were sloppy and maybe not that interested in the role. Take the time to re-read your work carefully to catch any last-minute errors. It could also be a good idea to have another set of eyes on it to catch anything that you might have missed because you were staring at your document for too long.
Stay confident and make sure you tailor your resume to match each job description. It could be a great idea to have your resume looked over by other finance professionals for proofreading or editing advice. Be resilient and keep focusing on applying for the roles you want! Good luck!
To find out how Ledgent can help on your accounting and finance career journey, contact one of our recruiting experts today!
