Banking Resume Example
A career as a banker typically involves managing client accounts and providing financial advice. To succeed in your applications for banker roles, you'll need a resume that reflects your relevant skills and experience. In this article, we'll showcase resume tips and examples that can help you create a professional banking resume that catches the eye of hiring managers.
After reading this guide, you'll know what it takes to create a resume that really stands out from other banker applicants. You'll learn how to show employers you've got the relevant qualities, skills and experience for the job, all presented in a format that employers prefer to see. The article also includes tips for formatting your resume that allows you to bank on your experience and strengths. Read on to access expert insights from Jobseeker that will help you create a winning banking resume.
Key sections for a banking resume
A successful banking resume will typically include each of the sections listed below, with some optional sections. For junior candidates with little work experience, other sections of the resume take on more prominence and might be placed before the work experience section. These could include education, skills, projects, hobbies and volunteer work.
How you choose to present your resume is up to you. There are plenty of options for a professional resume layout and format, but every application should include the following:
Resume Header
Your banking resume header should contain your name and contact details. These include your email address and phone number. If you have a LinkedIn profile, you can also add that, to give employers the chance to learn more about your skills and experience. It's not necessary to include a photo or any other personal information. Keep your header clear and concise, with only the most necessary information included. Opt for a stylish, professional design that creates a strong first impression.
Make sure your email address appears as professional as possible, and doesn't include anything like nicknames, inappropriate language or personal information. If it does, set up a new email account with an address based on your name or initials, and use that for your job applications. Always double-check your contact details are up-to-date before sending your resume.
Russell Jones
russell.jones@example.com
(111) 222 33 444 55
10 Downing Street, London, CA
linkedin․com/in/russell–jones123
Resume Summary
Following your resume header, write a resume summary to introduce yourself and showcase some of your key skills and achievements. Alternative names for this section are 'resume objective' and 'personal profile'. While a resume summary focuses on your career experience, a resume objective covers your ambitions and career plans. However, make sure you keep your resume summary short and snappy, and focused on the skills and experience listed in the job description.
Alternatively, use this section to emphasize your career objectives and explain how and why this role is a suitable step for you at this stage of your career.
The best resume summaries reflect the job description and focus on qualities that are relevant to working as a banker, while highlighting elements of your personality that make you an ideal candidate. They also quantify the information provided with evidence. See below for some great examples of what to include in your banking resume summary.
Results-driven financial professional with a Bachelor of Science in Finance and extensive experience as a Financial Services Professional. Proven expertise in financial analysis, portfolio management, investment strategies, and client relationship management. Adept at identifying opportunities for growth and optimizing financial performance. Strong analytical skills with a commitment to delivering exceptional service and achieving strategic financial goals
Financial professional with some experience in finance and working with financial services. Worked in areas involving numbers, managing portfolios, and talking to clients. Have looked for ways to improve things and make financial processes better. Good with numbers and focused on providing service and meeting financial targets
On the other hand, a resume summary can be ineffective if it lacks specific information about how your skills align with the job description, or fails to paint a picture of your unique qualities and talents. See above for some examples of things to avoid when writing your banking resume summary.
Skills
Adding a list of your key skills provides a quick reference for the reader of what you can bring to a banker role. Skills such as financial statement analysis or communication skills are particularly useful for banker jobs. Again, refer to the banker job description for an indication of the types of skills the employer is looking for, and make sure your skills section reflects these.
Highlighting your hard skills
For your hard skills list, include any technical abilities or specific industry knowledge that's essential to working as a banker. These could be skills gained through work experience or qualifications. Furthermore, your list of hard skills provides a strong indication to the reader of your expertise in banker roles, and how well you'll fit into the position. If possible, add four or five hard skills that reflect the requirements of the job description. These will boost your chances of success in your applications.
Your resume hard skills list should reflect your unique and specific industry expertise and experience, while also fulfilling the requirements listed in the job description. See the examples below for an idea of what an effective banking resume hard skills list looks like.
- Financial statement analysis
- Credit risk assessment
- Excel proficiency
Showcasing your best soft skills
In your list of soft skills, add any personal strengths, qualities or transferable skills that make you a good fit for the job. Soft skills are often less specific to different industries, but that doesn't make them any less important. In fact, you can develop soft skills throughout your career, and they tend to be suitable for various roles and professions. You should generally look to include up to five soft or transferable skills that match the job description.
An effective banking resume soft skills section should be targeted to include skills that reflect your personality and unique characteristics, while also matching the job description. The graphic below includes some examples of good resume soft skills.
- Communication skills
- Attention to detail
- Problem-solving abilities
Education
Under education, add details of any degrees or professional qualifications relevant to banker roles.
A banker role tends to require candidates to have a university or college degree, so make sure you list yours in your resume. A Bachelor of Science in Finance degree or similar is the most suitable for this job, but you could also include any other relevant qualifications that show your excel proficiency or data analysis tools.
For each entry in this section, add the name and level of your qualification, the institution you studied at, its location and your dates of study. You can also add some bullet points outlining any high grades, awards you won or specialist subjects you studied. Adding this information will show the employer your dedication to learning and your areas of specialist knowledge.
Additionally, mentioning any leadership roles or any societies and clubs you participated in while studying shows proactivity and initiative.
Bachelor of Science in Finance, 2017 - 2020
University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL
Relevant Certifications and Licenses
In your certifications section, list any professional certifications or licenses that are relevant to working as a banker. Add any official certifications or accreditations that increase your level of qualification and suitability for working as a banker. Therefore, make sure you list the dates of your certifications and licenses so employers can see they're up-to-date and valid.
Review the list below for some suitable certifications for a banking resume:
- CFA Charterholder, 2022
- FRM Certification, 2022
- CPA License, 2022
Work Experience
Next, list your relevant employment history and any key achievements that show you're suitable for a banker position. For each entry, list the job title, the name of the employer, its location and the dates you worked there. Add each job in reverse-chronological order, starting with your current or most recent role.
Under each job entry, add several bullet points highlighting your responsibilities and achievements. Consult the job description for a list of the key requirements for the role and make sure your work experience section showcases how you meet these requirements.
A good work experience section pulls the reader in with clear examples of where you've put the skills necessary for the job into good use in your career to date. This typically includes evidence of how your skills and activities contributed to positive outcomes for the organization. See below for some good examples of what to include in your resume work experience section.
Financial Services Professional, January 2022 - Present
Sterling Horizon Financial Services, Philadelphia
- Increased portfolio value by 25% annually through strategic investment planning and risk management
- Successfully managed $50M in client assets, achieving a 98% client retention rate
- Spearheaded a compliance overhaul, reducing regulatory violations by 40% and saving $200K in potential fines
Financial Services Professional, January 2022 - Present
Sterling Horizon Financial Services, Philadelphia
- Improved financial outcomes through effective strategies and teamwork
- Managed client relationships to enhance satisfaction and loyalty
- Led initiatives to optimize operational efficiency and compliance
In the graphic above you can see a great example of what to avoid when writing your resume work experience section. Ineffective work experience sections tend to focus too much on everyday responsibilities over skills and achievements. If you use vague descriptions of activities and fail to back up your achievements with evidence, you're likely to fail to make an impact on the reader.
Hear from experts:
If you have limited formal experience, highlight other achievements, like completing training programs, certifications, or successful personal projects. (1) Present this information in a clear and concise format with easy-to-read sections and plenty of white space. (2)
Optional Information
If you need to provide further evidence of your suitability for the job, optional sections can be useful for a banker resume. Choose any optional sections that showcase essential or desirable skills or experience for banker jobs.
Personal Hobbies and Interests
Hobbies and interests can be a useful way of showing your skills and experience beyond your work and education. Your hobbies and interests are useful for a banker resume if you want to show a different side to your personality, or to stand out among other candidates. They can also be valuable if you're a junior candidate without much relevant work experience. Just make sure any hobbies and interests you include in your resume add genuine insight into your personality, in ways other sections of the resume can't.
Volunteer Experience
Adding voluntary roles can be a useful way of showing relevant experience and skills for banker roles beyond your main employment history. List your volunteer job title, the organization you volunteered for, its location and the dates of your involvement, alongside a brief explanation of your responsibilities in the role.
References
Although it's rare to include references on a banking resume, some employers may ask for it. Don't add references unless they're specifically mentioned by the employer in the job advert. Include a maximum of three professional references, being sure to check with your referees before including them in your resume.
Please contact me for a list of references.
Best action words for your banking resume
Start each bullet point in your work experience section with a strong verb to show actions you took. Choose from the list of words below to increase the impact of your work experience section.
- Analyze
- Evaluate
- Manage
- Negotiate
- Advise
- Strategize
- Forecast
- Develop
- Monitor
- Implement
For help creating an eye-catching resume design to catch the attention of hiring managers, see Jobseeker's professional resume layouts. You can also use our clear, effective cover letter templates to complete your application.
Sample resume for banker positions
Now we've covered the main sections to include in your banking resume, let's take a look at how it all comes together in the example below:
10 Downing Street, London, CA
•
russell.jones@example.com
•
(111) 222 33 444 55
•
linkedin․com/in/russell–jones123
Results-driven banker with a Bachelor of Science in Finance and extensive experience as a Financial Services Advisor. Proven expertise in providing strategic financial guidance, managing client portfolios, and driving revenue growth. Strong analytical skills, exceptional client relationship management, and a comprehensive understanding of financial markets and investment products. Dedicated to delivering tailored financial solutions and achieving client satisfaction.
Financial Services Advisor
2020
-2022
Pinnacle Wealth Advisors (Buffalo)
- Increased client portfolio by 35% within one year through strategic financial planning and personalized investment advice
- Successfully managed $50M in assets, achieving a 15% average annual return, outperforming market benchmarks
- Developed and implemented risk management strategies, reducing client exposure to volatile markets by 20%
Financial statement analysis
Credit risk assessment
Excel proficiency
Communication skills
Attention to detail
Problem-solving abilities
CFA Charterholder
FRM Certification
English - Fluent
Spanish - B2
Key tips for a banking resume
- Quantify your career achievements by including evidence of your impact throughout your resume.
- Mention your key educational achievements, such as degrees and professional qualifications, along with grades such as your GPA, if they're high.
- Write a compelling resume summary or objective to introduce yourself and your key banker skills.
- Action verbs can help show the actions you've taken and the impact you've made in banker jobs (e.g. 'forecast', 'develop', 'monitor').
- Choose a resume format that's clear, professional and makes your resume as readable as possible. Pay particular attention to the font, line spacing, heading and margins to make your document as easy-to-read as possible for employers.
- Don't use passive language - change phrases like 'the project was delivered' to sentences using strong active verbs.
- Don't use jargon or acronyms that can make your banking resume more difficult to read.
- Don't forget to keep your header up-to-date with every application, to make sure you don't include old contact information.
- Don't mention hobbies or interests unless they help you prove a skill required for the role, that you haven't included elsewhere.
- Don't include personal details beyond your name, location and contact details. Adding your age, gender, nationality or a photo can create unwanted hiring bias.
Making an ATS-friendly resume
Applicant tracking systems (ATS) are increasingly taking responsibility for the management and processing of job applications, helping hiring practices to become more efficient. This can include screening resumes by scanning and ranking each application according to how closely it matches the job description. If you follow a few simple tips when writing your banking resume, you'll give yourself a better chance of ranking highly in the ATS screening and progressing to the next stage.
Here a some simple tips to follow for an ATS-friendly resume:
- Choose a resume structure that matches the traditional, reverse-chronological layout or alternatively, the functional resume structure. This should make your resume more readable for ATS applications.
- Use keywords throughout your resume that reflect the job description, so ATS resume scanners can recognize a strong connection between your skills, and those in the job description.
- Include clear headings that make it easy to identify each section of your resume. This will help any ATS software navigate your resume during the scanning process.
- Use design elements that help make your resume more readable. These might include white space, clear, professional fonts and subtle color accents to help certain elements stand out.
- Keep your resume as concise as possible, to make it easier to read, and for ATS software to scan.
For advice and guidance on creating the perfect resume, read our expert career blog and check out our detailed resume examples.
Frequently Asked Questions for a banking resume
After writing your banking resume, you'll want to write an accompanying cover letter that helps your application stand out.
In some situations, a full, professional cover letter may not be necessary. Check the job advert and decide whether to write a formal cover letter, or if a brief email is more suitable.
A traditional cover letter should follow formal letter-writing conventions and structure, including a header, the recipient's address and professional greetings and sign-offs. For the main body of the letter, open with a short paragraph introducing yourself and explaining your reasons for applying for the banker role. Follow that with an explanation of your skills and experience and how they're relevant to the position. Close by expressing your gratitude and enthusiasm, and leaving a call to action that encourages the employer to open a dialogue with you.
If you want to impress employers with a professional cover letter, use Jobseeker's simple and beautiful cover letter templates.
As an experienced banker, you'll want your resume to showcase all of your relevant experience and achievements. You may wish to include a longer-than-average work experience section in your banking resume, to emphasize your career experience to date and showcase relevant achievements in work. In your banking resume, think about any optional sections you could add to help prove your standing and reputation in your industry. Sections such as awards, achievements and projects can build a picture of your career successes to date.
If you want to create a strong first impression in your banker application, a resume headline can help. A well-constructed resume headline can help your resume rank highly with ATS screening tools by referencing some of the key information from the job description. Write a few words to set the tone for your resume, including the job title, your experience or track record and one or two key skills that make you stand out.
Below you can see a resume headline example:
- Aspiring Finance Professional Seeking Growth
- Experienced Financial Services Professional
- Experienced Senior Banking Executive
The top resume format for your applications will vary according to a couple of factors. First, how much professional experience you have. Second, what type of job you're applying for and its seniority level. For roles where you're lacking experience, such as graduate jobs or career changes, you could use a functional or skills-based resume format. This places your skills and education above your work experience. For more senior roles where you have plenty of relevant experience, use a reverse chronological format. This resume structure places work experience at the heart of the document, using it as a showcase for your skills and achievements.
Key points for your banking resume
The best resumes focus on your skills and the value you've added to previous roles, rather than focusing on your duties and responsibilities. Use a suitable resume format and tailor your resume for every application you submit.
Using the professional resume templates and resources of Jobseeker can help you create a great-looking resume that stands out from other applicants. Sign up today and follow the simple steps to get started. Whatever job you're applying for, a professional cover letter can make all the difference to your chances. Use Jobseeker's HR-approved tools and cover letter examples to inspire your applications.
Sources:
(1) Writing a Resume, California Department of Human Resources: https://www.calhr.ca.gov/employees/Pages/resume-tips.aspx
(2) Resume Tips, Duke University: https://careerhub.students.duke.edu/resources/resume-tips/
