Finance CV examples

A low quality CV is like a financial report with missing data – frustrating to read and unlikely to get the results you want. Recruiters need to see your key qualifications, experience, and skills at a glance, so a clear and professional application is essential.

This guide will walk you through formatting your CV, showcasing your financial strengths, and demonstrating your ability to make informed, strategic decisions. By the end, your CV will be fully audited and ready for approval.

Just like a financial statement, writing a CV should be well-organised and easy to understand. Hiring managers need to quickly assess your suitability, so keep it structured and professional: if they have to dig through pages of irrelevant details, they’ll move on faster than investors after a bad earnings report

Here’s the structure you should follow:

• Name and contact details – Make sure your personal details are easy to find to make it easier to send you the inevitable job offers.
• Profile – Immediately draw in the recruiter with a brief summary of your skills and experience.
• Core skills – Quickly list your biggest strengths, like financial forecasting and risk management.
• Work experience – Walk through your employment history in reverse chronological order.
• Education – List the qualifications and certificates that make you the right fit
• Additional info – You can optionally list any relevant hobbies, technical proficiencies, or awards which help to convey your suitability.

In finance, presentation matters – if your reports are clear and well-structured, your CV should be too. If your CV layout is cluttered or difficult to read, recruiters may assume your financial reports would be the same – so avoid simple formatting mistakes.

Here’s some helpful tips to keep your CV format as good as it can be:

• Bullet points – Help the recruiter skim your CV quickly and pick up the important bits with ease.
• Divide sections – Logically organise the information and make it easy to navigate.
• Use a clear and readable font – Just make sure it’s a clear and easy font to read for a polished and professional look.
• No more than 2 pages – 2 pages is the perfect length to cover the essentials without getting boring.

Your CV profile is your chance to introduce yourself as a finance professional who delivers results. Think of it as your executive summary – concise, impactful, and giving recruiters a reason to keep reading.

Try to include:

• Finance specialisation – Are you skilled in corporate finance, investment analysis, risk management, or financial planning?
• Industry experience – Have you worked in banking, accounting, fintech, or a corporate finance role?
• Technical expertise – Whether it’s financial modelling, auditing, or regulatory compliance, highlight your strengths.
• Your impact – Have you optimised budgets, reduced financial risk, or improved forecasting accuracy?
• Software proficiency – If you’re experienced with SAP, QuickBooks, or other financial tools, mention them here.

Time for your key performance indicators (KPIs) – what makes you a standout candidate? A well-crafted core skills section allows hiring managers to quickly assess whether you have the expertise they need. 

Finance is a broad field, so tailor your CV skills to the specific role you’re applying for. If the job is in investment analysis, focus on risk assessment and portfolio management. If it’s an accounting role, highlight regulatory compliance and financial reporting.

Finance is all about numbers, but hiring managers want more than just figures – they want proof of how you’ve made a financial impact. Your work experience should highlight not just what you did, but how it benefited the business.

Start with your most recent role and work backwards, keeping each entry structured with bullet points. If you’re new to finance, focus on internships, voluntary work, or transferable skills from related roles.

• Outline – Introduce the company, your role, and the financial functions you were responsible for.
• Responsibilities – List your key tasks, such as financial analysis, reporting, and compliance. Use action words like “analysed”, “managed”, and “developed”.
• Achievements – Showcase measurable successes. Saying you ‘handled budgets’ is fine, but saying you ‘optimised cost efficiencies by 15%’ is better – always back up your claims with numbers.

In finance, qualifications certainly carry weight, so make sure your education section is clear and well-structured. But your experience is still the priority for recruiters, so keep this bit brief. If you hold a degree in Finance, Accounting, or Economics, list it prominently, along with any key certifications.

If you’ve completed professional training in financial analysis, taxation, or compliance, include those details here to strengthen your application.