1. Header & Contact Information
- Include your full name, contact information (phone number and professional email address), and optionally, your LinkedIn profile link.
- Make sure the header is clear and easy to locate at the top of the page.
2. Academic Achievements
- Start with your academic qualifications and grades, as they are crucial for banking roles.
- List your degree, university, and class of degree (e.g., First, 2.1) for UK applicants or GPA for U.S. applicants.
- Mention any relevant academic awards, scholarships, or prizes to enhance your credentials.
3. Professional Experience
- Use a reverse-chronological format to list your work experience, starting with the most recent role.
- For each position, use the S.T.A.R. technique to highlight your achievements:
- Situation: Describe the context or challenge you faced.
- Task: Explain the specific task or goal you needed to accomplish.
- Action: Detail the actions you took to address the situation or task.
- Result: Quantify the impact of your actions and the positive outcomes achieved.
- Emphasize any experience related to finance, analytics, problem-solving, or client engagement.
4. Skills and Keywords
- Carefully review job specifications and adverts for the banking roles you are targeting.
- Identify relevant keywords and phrases and incorporate them throughout your CV.
- Use ChatGPT or other tools to discover contextually relevant keywords and phrases for your desired roles.
- Mention as many skills as possible that align with the job requirements, especially those that occur in clusters.
5. Extra-Curricular Activities & Personality
- Include relevant extra-curricular activities that demonstrate leadership, teamwork, and communication skills.
- Showcase any positions of responsibility you held in finance societies or other organizations.
- Highlight any interesting and unique experiences that make you stand out.
- Demonstrate your ability to work well with others and show your charming personality.
6. Tailor Your CV for Each Application
- Customize your CV for each bank and role you apply to, emphasizing the skills and values they seek.
- Research the bank’s core principles and values from their website to align your CV accordingly.
- Showcase how your past experiences have equipped you with the necessary skills for the role.
7. Format and Length
- Use bullet points and a clean, concise format to make the CV easy to read.
- Aim for one page in the U.S. and up to two pages in the UK (if necessary).
- Avoid using strange fonts or non-standard formatting to maintain a professional appearance.
8. Proofreading
- Thoroughly proofread your CV to eliminate any errors or typos.
- Ask a friend or professional mentor to review your CV for feedback and suggestions.
By following these simple guidelines you can increase chances of standing out.
Remember, a well-crafted banking CV should not only showcase your academic and professional achievements but also reflect your personality, problem-solving abilities, and compatibility with the banking role you are pursuing. By following these guidelines and tailoring your CV to each application, you can increase your chances of standing out and landing your desired banking job.
