Finance Business Partner CV example

If you’re able to provide strategic advice and implement financial plans to achieve business goals, you could be the perfect partner.

But when it comes to big financial decisions, companies can’t just hire anyone. You need to prove you have the experience and acumen to drive the business forward.

This requires a strong CV, which is why we’ve put together this guide. Check out all our top tips, complete with a finance business partner CV example to inspire your own.

 

 

 

Finance Business Partner CV example

Finance Business Partner CV 1

Finance Business Partner CV 2

 

Use this CV example as a guide to formatting and structuring your Finance Business Partner CV, so that busy recruiters can easily digest your information and determine your suitability for the role.

It also provides some insight into the key skills, experience and qualifications you need to highlight.

 

CV builder

 

Finance Business Partner CV layout and format

Your CV is the first impression you’ll make on anybody who reads it.

A disorganised, cluttered and barely-readable CV could seriously decrease your chances of landing interviews, so it’s essential to make sure yours is slick, professional and easy to navigate.

You can do this by using a clear structure and formatting your content with some savvy formatting techniques – check them out below:

 

How to write a CV

 

Tips for formatting your Finance Business Partner CV

  • Length: Whether you’ve got one year or three decades of experience, your CV should never be more than two sides of A4. Recruiters are busy people who’re often juggling numerous roles and tasks, so they don’t have time to read lengthy applications. If you’re a recent graduate or don’t have much industry experience, one side of A4 is fine.
  • Readability: Make sure your CV is easy to read and looks professional by applying some simple formatting tricks. Bullet points are great for making large paragraphs more digestible, while formatting your headings with bold or coloured text will help the reader to find the information they need, with speed.
  • Design: It’s generally best to stick to a simple CV design, as funky or elaborate designs rarely add any value to your application. A clear, modern font and a subtle colour scheme work perfectly and allow your skills, experience and achievements to speak for themselves.
  • Photos: Headshot photos aren’t required in a CV by most employers, but some creative and artistic industries like to see them. If you decide to include one, make sure you look smart and professional in the picture.

 

Quick tip: Creating a professional CV style can be difficult and time-consuming when using Microsoft Word or Google Docs. To create a winning CV quickly, try our quick-and-easy CV Builder and use one of their eye-catching professional CV templates.

 

CV formatting tips

 

 

CV structure

When writing your CV, break up the content into the following key sections, to ensure it can be easily digested by busy recruiters and hiring managers:

  • Contact details – Always list these at the very top of your CV – you don’t want them to be missed!
  • Profile – An introductory paragraph, intended to grab recruiters attention and summarise your offering.
  • Work experience / career history – Working from your current role and working backwards, list your relevant work experience.
  • Education – Create a snappy summary of your education and qualifications.
  • Interest and hobbies – An optional section to document any hobbies that demonstrate transferable skills.

Now you understand the basic layout of a CV, here’s what you should include in each section of yours.

 

Contact Details

Contact details

 

Make it easy for recruiters to get in touch, by heading your CV with your contact details.

There’s no need for excessive details – just list the basics:

  • Mobile number
  • Email address – Use a professional address with no nicknames.
  • Location – Just write your general location, such as ‘London’ or ‘Cardiff’ – there’s no need to put your full address.
  • LinkedIn profile or portfolio URL

 

Finance Business Partner CV Profile

Your CV profile (or personal statement, if you’re an entry-level applicant) provides a brief overview of your skills, abilities and suitability for a position.

It’s ideal for busy recruiters and hiring managers, who don’t want to waste time reading unsuitable applications.

Think of it as your personal sales pitch. You’ve got just a few lines to sell yourself and prove you’re a great match for the job – make it count!

 

CV profile

 

CV profile writing tips:

  • Make it short and sharp: Aim for a short, snappy paragraph of 3-5 lines. This is just enough room to showcase why you’d make the perfect hire, without going into excessive detail and overwhelming busy recruiters.
  • Tailor it: If recruiters don’t see your suitability within a few seconds, they may close your CV straight away. Your CV profile should closely match the essential requirements listed in the job ad, so make sure to review them before you write it.
  • Don’t add an objective: Leave your career objectives or goals out of your profile. You only have limited space to work with, so they’re best suited to your cover letter.
  • Avoid generic phrases: Clichés like “blue-sky thinker with a go-getter attitude” might sound impressive to you, but they don’t actually tell the recruiter much about you. Concentrate on highlighting hard facts and skills, as recruiters are more likely to take these on board.

 

Example CV profile for Finance Business Partner

Highly motivated Finance Business Partner with 22+ years of management experience providing financial analysis, planning and strategy to retail and pharmaceutical companies. Experienced financial analyst with a master’s degree in business and financial management from LSE. Proven track record of building strong relationships with key stakeholders and driving business growth and operational efficiency through sophisticated financial modelling.

 

What to include in your Finance Business Partner CV profile?

  • Experience overview: To give employers an idea of your capabilities, show them your track record by giving an overview of the types of companies you have worked for in the past and the roles you have carried out for previous employers – but keep it high level and save the details for your experience section.
  • Targeted skills: Ensure that your profile highlights your key skills that are most relevant to your Finance Business Partner, and tailor them to match the specific job you are applying for. To do this, refer to the job description to closely align your skills with their requirements.
  • Key qualifications: If you have any qualifications which are highly relevant to Finance Business Partner jobs, then highlight them in your profile so that employers do not miss them.

 

Quick tip: If you are finding it difficult to write an attention-grabbing CV profile, choose from hundreds of pre-written profiles across all industries, and add one to your CV with one click in our quick-and-easy CV Builder. All profiles are written by recruitment experts and easily tailored to suit your unique skillset.

 

Core skills section

In addition to your CV profile, your core skills section provides an easily digestible snapshot of your skills – perfect for grabbing the attention of busy hiring managers.

As Finance Business Partner jobs might receive a huge pile of applications, this is a great way to stand out and show off your suitability for the role.

It should be made up of 2-3 columns of bullet points and be made up of skills that are highly relevant to the jobs you are targeting.

 

Core skills section CV

 

Important skills for your Finance Business Partner CV

Financial analysis – Interpreting financial data, analysing trends, and providing insights to senior management to support decision making.

Forecasting and budgeting – Forecasting future financial results based on historical trends and market data, and in creating and managing budgets.

Business acumen – Maintaining a strong understanding of business operations and how financial performance impacts business outcomes.

Stakeholder communication – Utilising excellent communication skills to articulate complex financial information to non-financial stakeholders in a clear and concise manner.

Financial modelling – Building complex financial models to help with forecasting, decision making and analysis.

Stakeholder management – Developing and maintaining relationships with stakeholders, including senior management, business partners, suppliers, and customers.

Data analysis – Utilising Excel and other financial software tools to extract, manipulate and analyse large data sets.

Risk management – Utilising knowledge of risk management concepts, including identifying, assessing, and mitigating financial risks.

Strategic planning – Developing financial strategies to support the overall business strategy.

Leadership – Leading and managing a team, motivating team members, and ensuring that the team’s objectives align with the organisation’s goals.

 

Quick tip: Our quick-and-easy CV Builder has thousands of in-demand skills for all industries and professions, that can be added to your CV in seconds – This will save you time and ensure you get noticed by recruiters.

 

CV builder

 

Work experience section

Now it’s time to get stuck into your work experience, which should make up the bulk of your CV.

Begin with your current (or most recent) job, and work your way backwards.

If you’ve got too much experience to fit onto two pages, prioritise space for your most recent and relevant roles.

 
Work experience
 

Structuring each job

Lengthy, unbroken chunks of text is a recruiters worst nightmare, but your work experience section can easily end up looking like that if you are not careful.

To avoid this, use my tried-and-tested 3-step structure, as illustrated below:

 
Role descriptions
 

Outline

Firstly, give the reader some context by creating a punchy summary of the job as a whole.

You should mention what the purpose or goal of your role was, what team you were part of and who you reported to.

 

Key responsibilities

Using easy-to-read bullet points, note down your day-to-day responsibilities in the role.

Make sure to showcase how you used your hard sector skills and knowledge.

 

Key achievements

Lastly, add impact by highlight 1-3 key achievements that you made within the role.

Struggling to think of an achievement? If it had a positive impact on your company, it counts.

For example, you might increased company profits, improved processes, or something simpler, such as going above and beyond to solve a customer’s problem.

 

Sample job description for Finance Business Partner CV

Outline

Work for a leading pharmaceutical company based in London with an annual turnover of £30 million, managing the finances of the company’s clinical development business unit and providing financial support and guidance to the senior management team.

Key Responsibilities

  • Lead the financial planning and analysis process for the clinical development business unit
  • Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to develop and implement the annual budget
  • Monitor and report on financial performance and provide analysis of variances
  • Develop and maintain financial models to support business planning and forecasting

 

Quick tip: Create impressive job descriptions easily in our quick-and-easy CV Builder by adding pre-written job phrases for every industry and career stage.

 

 

Education and qualifications

In your education section, make any degrees, qualifications or training which are relevant to Finance Business Partner roles a focal point.

As well as mentioning the name of the organisation, qualification titles and dates of study, you should showcase any particularly relevant modules, assignments or projects.

 

Hobbies and interests

Although this is an optional section, it can be useful if your hobbies and interests will add further depth to your CV.

Interests which are related to the sector you are applying to, or which show transferable skills like leadership or teamwork, can worth listing.

On the other hand, generic hobbies like “going out with friends” won’t add any value to your application, so are best left off your CV.

 

CV builder

Once you’ve written your Finance Business Partner CV, you should proofread it several times to ensure that there are no typos or grammatical errors.

With a tailored punchy profile that showcases your relevant experience and skills, paired with well-structured role descriptions, you’ll be able to impress employers and land interviews.

Good luck with your next job application!