Investment Banking CV examples

This guide will take you step-by-step through writing an Investment Banking CV that highlights your analytical skills, financial acumen, and your ability to perform under pressure. From structuring your CV to showcasing the qualifications that make you a standout candidate, you’ll have everything you need to impress recruiters and advance your career.

An investment banker’s CV will need to be as precise and professional as the models and presentations they produce. Recruiters will expect a clean, logical structure that highlights your education, experience, and core skills at a glance.

Here’s how to structure your Investment Banking CV:

• Name and contact details – Keep these at the top for easy access. A photo is optional.
• CV profile – Kick things off with a comprehensive summary of your career highlights, financial expertise, and key achievements.
• Core skills – Briefly list your prized technical and analytical abilities, such as financial modeling, risk analysis, and client relationship management.
• Work experience – Present your professional history in reverse chronological order: give more detail to the most recent roles.
• Education – List the qualifications and certificates that make you the right fit.
• Additional info – As an option, you can mention all the professional memberships and extracurriculars or interests that set you apart.

A cluttered or poorly designed CV can overshadow even the most impressive credentials: your application needs to be formatted in a way that lets a recruiter focus on what matters.

Keep it clean and easy to navigate, ensuring recruiters can quickly identify your skills and experience while reinforcing your organisation prowess. Key formatting tips include:

• Bullet points – Break down responsibilities and achievements into digestible details for recruiters.
• Divide sections – Use clear headings to make your CV logical and easy to scan.
• Use a professional font – Choose a font that is clear and readable, avoiding unnecessary embellishments and a difficult layout.
• No more than 2 pages – Provide enough space to highlight your expertise while keeping the recruiter engaged.

Your CV profile is a really important investment pitch – clear, compelling, and designed to win over its audience immediately. It’s where you’ll show recruiters why you’re the perfect candidate, highlighting your experience and proven ability to navigate complex financial landscapes and deliver results.

Tailor your profile to the role, ensuring it reflects the key skills, qualifications, and industry experience the employer is looking for in this specific role.

Here’s what to include in your Investment Banking CV profile:

• Where you’ve worked – Mention notable financial institutions or the specific sector you’re specialised in.
• Your top qualifications – Include credentials like a CFA designation or relevant postgraduate degrees in finance or economics.
• Specialised skills – Mention whether you provide investment management or advice, handle trading, or work in the back office ensuring compliance.
• Transactions you’ve managed – Mention deal sizes, industries, or types of financial transactions, if applicable.
• Stakeholders you’ve worked with – Reference collaboration with clients, senior executives, or regulatory bodies.
• Software you know – Make a note of the most important software that proves you’d be able to handle the role.

With just a column or two of bullet points, the core skills section will outline what precisely it is that makes you the ideal candidate. Research the job specification and information about the role you’re after, and tailor this section well.

Focus on substantive skills rather than generic traits, ensuring each point aligns with the demands of the role.

Your work experience section is where you demonstrate your ability to thrive in the demanding environment of investment banking. Highlight your contributions to major transactions, your role in managing client relationships, and your capacity for delivering results under pressure: these are all things the recruiter wants from their future employee.

List your positions in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent. Focus on the scale and impact of your work, emphasising achievements that align with the specific investment banking role you’re targeting.

• Outline – Briefly describe the organisation, your role, and the type of financial activities you engaged in.
• Responsibilities – Highlight tasks such as financial modelling, transaction management, or client advisory. Use strong action verbs like “negotiated,” “managed,” or “evaluated.”
• Achievements – Quantify your successes, such as closing deals worth specific amounts or increasing client acquisition rates. Numbers and measurable results always make a stronger impression.

The education section is critical for investment banking roles, as it demonstrates your foundational knowledge and long-standing commitment to the field.

For candidates newer to the field, emphasise relevant academic projects, internships, or extracurricular activities that demonstrate your potential. For most candidates, this is a brief but impactful section.

List your qualifications in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent.