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Investment Banking Example & Writing Guide

Step into the world of high finance with our definitive guide on crafting a resume for an investment banking role. In this article, we'll delve into the nuances of the job role, outlining the key skills and attributes that top-tier banks are scouting for.

Get ready to bank on our expert advice as we guide you through writing a resume that not only ticks all the right boxes but also invests in your professional future. We'll illustrate key points with sample text, ensuring your resume accrues interest from potential employers!

What Does an Investment Banker Do?

An investment banker plays a pivotal role in the financial sector, primarily focusing on raising capital for companies, governments, and other entities. They are involved in underwriting new debt and equity securities, aiding in mergers and acquisitions, and providing guidance for issuers regarding the issuance and placement of stocks.

For an aspiring investment banker, a resume should be a portfolio of skills showcasing expertise in financial analysis, strategic thinking, and effective communication.

Skills to Highlight on an Investment Banking Resume

Financial modeling and analysis expertise
Proficient in mergers and acquisitions
Strong quantitative and analytical skills
Knowledge of capital markets and securities
Exceptional problem-solving abilities
Proficient in Excel and financial software
Effective communication and presentation skills
Ability to work under pressure
Detail-oriented and highly organized
Relationship-building and networking skills

How to Write an Investment Banking Resume

Your resume should be a well-organized, single-page document that effectively communicates your suitability for the high-stakes world of finance.

Here are the essential resume sections to include:

Contact details
Personal Summary
Work Experience
Education
Projects
Skills

While it's important to include all these sections, the emphasis should vary based on your career stage.

Recent Graduates and Undergraduate Students: Highlight your education and project work to demonstrate potential.
Mid-Career Professionals: Focus more on work experience and showcasing your proven track record in the field.
Senior Professionals: Focus on work experience and the results you have achieved in your career.

The goal is to tailor your resume to showcase your strongest assets in alignment with the demands of an investment banking career.

1. Choose a Resume Format

The format of your resume is critically important, as it not only conveys your professional information but also reflects your organizational skills and attention to detail.

A well-structured, visually appealing resume can significantly boost your chances of catching a recruiter's eye.

There are three main types of resume formats to choose from. Here is a look at each one and who they are suitable for.

Chronological Format: Your resume highlights your work history, starting with the most recent experiences and achievements. This is the most common type of resume and is suitable for most investment banking positions.
Functional Format: This type of resume revolves around your skills. They are suitable for when you want to highlight skills over career progression. Consider this if you are switching careers or are a student without formal work experience.
Combination Format: By combining the focus on your skills and work history, you get the combination format. This can work well for entry-level and seasoned professionals.

Consider using Rezi AI Resume Builder to create a perfectly formatted resume.

2. Start with Your Contact Information and Name

The contact information you include in your resume is the same whether you’re looking for an investment banking internship, your first investment banking job, or a senior position after 20 years of experience.

This means you should include the following:

Full Name
Phone Number
Professional Email Address
LinkedIn Profile URL (optional, but recommended)
City and State (full address is not necessary)

This ensures employers can easily reach you and also provides a glimpse of your professional online presence.

3. Write a Strong Professional Summary

The goal of the summary section in a resume is to provide a succinct, impactful overview of your professional profile, highlighting key skills and experiences relevant to the job role.

It should encapsulate your expertise, career achievements, and how they align with the job requirements.

Resume summaries are usually 3 to 4 sentences long. Many follow a similar formula, such as those listed below:

[Job title] + [experience] + [skills] + [results]
[Descriptive word] + [job title] + [credibility] + [skills] + [value proposition]

While you don’t have to use these exact formulas, doing so will help you write a summary that meets the expectations of hiring managers at investment banks and effectively showcases your skills.

Sample Professional Summary: "Dedicated investment banking professional with 3 years of experience in financial modeling, mergers and acquisitions, and capital markets. Proven track record in delivering robust financial solutions and strategies."

This summary works as it concisely presents relevant experience and expertise, aligning directly with key requirements of an investment banking role, therefore making the candidate immediately appealing to potential employers.

You can also check out our list of 40+ resume summary examples for more inspiration and how these formulas look in practice.

Generate your resume summary with AI

Rezi AI Resume Summary Generator is an easy way to create an optimized summary that stands out to recruiters for each job you apply for. Just tell it the role you’re applying for and the skills you want to highlight, and then the tool will analyze your resume to create a concise and professional summary.

4. List Your Relevant Work Experience

The work experience section of a resume aims to showcase your professional history and achievements, highlighting how your past roles and responsibilities align with the job you're applying for.

To stand out in investment banking, focus on achievements in the following areas:

Financial analysis
Negotiation and deal-making
Client relationships

When writing your bullet points, quantify your accomplishments where possible and emphasize leadership experience and teamwork skills.

Start the bullet point with a description of what you did, and then end with the outcome achieved. Begin the sentence with a verb to highlight the exact action and use numbers or data points so people know the significance of the impact you made.

Here’s an example:

Investment Banking Analyst, XYZ Bank, 2019-2021

Led a team in a $50M merger by coordinating team efforts, guiding negotiations, and ensuring seamless post-merger integration, ultimately increasing client revenue by 20%.
Conducted comprehensive financial analyses for 10 major investment projects.

This section works effectively as it highlights specific, quantifiable achievements, demonstrating the candidate's direct impact and expertise in key areas of investment banking.

Don’t worry if you don’t have much real work experience. You can still include investment banking internships, skills gained from relevant or part-time work, or even exclude the section entirely (if you’re a student) to focus on your education or projects.

Tips for writing the work experience section of your resume

When writing the work experience section of your resume, start with your most recent job and list the experiences you gained that are most relevant to your target role.

When writing bullet points, start with a verb and mention both what you did and the outcome of this action. Include specific data where possible. Writing about your experiences in this way clearly highlights your strengths which helps you stand out from other candidates.

Create your resume with Rezi to optimize the work experience section of your resume. Our AI-powered tool will rewrite your input in a way that is optimized to stand out to hirers.

5. List Your Projects

In the projects section of a resume, include projects that showcase skills and experiences relevant to the job role, particularly those that demonstrate initiative, leadership, and industry-related knowledge.

To stand out in an investment banking role:

Highlight financial analysis or market research responsibilities.
Include projects where you demonstrated leadership or strategic decision-making.
Mention any measurable outcomes or recognition received from your previous experiences.

Sample Project:

University Finance Club President: Led a team of 10 in a university-wide stock market simulation, achieving a 15% portfolio return over 6 months.

This project works well as it demonstrates leadership, a solid understanding of finance, and quantifiable success, all of which are highly relevant and impressive in the context of investment banking.

6. List Your Education

The education section of a resume provides essential information about your academic qualifications. This is especially significant in fields like investment banking, where certain educational backgrounds are highly valued.

For someone in an investment banking role, the education section should include:

Name of University or College
Degree Obtained
Major or Focus Area
Graduation Date (or expected graduation date)
Relevant Courses or Academic Achievements (if applicable)

Also, include your GPA if you graduated in the last 5 years and have a score of over 3.5. After 5 years, your GPA won’t be as relevant anymore, and your work experience will better indicate the depth of your knowledge.

Sample Education Section:

Bachelor of Science in Finance, Magna Cum Laude, ABC University, May 2021

Relevant Coursework: Corporate Finance, Investment Analysis, Econometrics
President, Student Investment Club, 2019-2021

This format effectively highlights the candidate's relevant educational background, prestigious academic achievements, and extracurricular leadership roles, making it a strong fit for an investment banking resume.

7. List Any Relevant Skills

The final section of a resume is often dedicated to ‘Skills,' which aims to highlight your core competencies that prove your suitability for the job role.

For someone in investment banking, this could include:

Advanced proficiency in financial models and Excel
Knowledge of financial software like Bloomberg Terminal
Strong quantitative analysis skills
Technical skills related to the role
Fluency in multiple languages, beneficial for international dealings
Excellent communication and negotiation skills
Relevant certifications that showcase your skills

These skills underscore your broader abilities and industry-specific expertise, adding depth to your professional profile.

Also, consider organizing your skills into categories related to different parts of your role. For example, the skills section of the Rezi investment banking resume template is split into Technical Skills, Soft skills and Areas of Internet.

8. Optimize your resume for ATS keywords

Hiring companies use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to filter and rank resumes based on their alignment with job requirements.

Including the right keywords in your resume can increase the chances of getting past the first stage of the hiring process.

A simple way to add keywords is to go through the job ad and ensure that your resume covers all the required skills and experiences.

A simpler and more comprehensive strategy is to use Rezi Resume Keyword Scanner to analyze the investment banking job description and identify relevant terms to include. It will then scan your resume to point out the keywords that are missing.

3 More Tips for Writing a Resume for Investment Banking

Focus on Quantifiable Achievements

Emphasizing quantifiable achievements in your finance resume can significantly enhance its impact. For roles like investment banking, where results are key, including specific figures and outcomes (like percentages of growth or money saved) makes your contributions concrete and measurable. Use this approach especially in your work experience section to demonstrate your effectiveness and value-add in previous roles.

Keep Formatting Professional and Readable

Professional and clean formatting is essential for making a good first impression. Investment banking is a traditional and detail-oriented field, so a resume with a clear, professional layout is crucial. Use a standard font, ensure there is enough white space for readability, and avoid overuse of colors or graphics. This will help you make the perfect resume that appears polished and easy to navigate.

Tailor Your Resume for Each Application

Customizing your resume for each job application is vital. Research the company and the specific role to understand what they value most, and then highlight the experiences and skills in your resume that best align with these requirements. Tailoring your resume shows that you are not only a great fit for the role but also that you have put thought and effort into your application.

Investment Banking Resume Template Example

Here’s a complete example resume you can use as inspiration for your own. The resume was created and optimized using Rezi. Click here to create a free account and build your resume today.

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Rezi is an awesome AI-based resume builder that includes templates to help you design a resume that is sure to check the boxes when it comes to applicant tracking systems. This is a great jumping off point to kickstart a new resume.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Why would I use an AI resume maker?

An AI resume maker helps you build a resume perfectly fit for the job you want. Top-notch AI resume builders are designed to speak the language hiring managers are looking for, increasing your chances of standing out in the crowd. It aligns your skills and experience with the job description effectively.

What’s the best way to use an AI resume builder?

To get the most out of an AI resume builder, either start from scratch or upload your current resume. Fill in as much detail as possible about your career and skills, and upload the job description you’re targeting. This personalization allows the AI to build a unique and tailored resume that’s bound to catch potential employers' attention.

Aren’t all resumes written with AI super similar?

AI-generated resumes can seem similar if you're not giving personalized inputs or if you're using basic prompts. Provide specific details about your work experience and target the job you’re eyeing. Use specialized AI tools instead of general chatbots to avoid robotic-sounding resumes and to ensure individual creativity.

Will employers know I used AI to write a resume?

Employers might think you used AI, but that’s rarely an issue. What they really care about is getting a well-written resume that showcases your skills and experiences accurately. A top-notch resume tailored to their needs will speak volumes more than worrying about AI involvement.

What is the best AI resume builder?

The best AI resume builder isn’t one-size-fits-all, it depends on your needs. In 2024, the most popular is Rezi.

Can I use AI to optimize an existing resume?

Yes, using AI to optimize your current resume is highly effective. You just need to upload your resume, share details about your career goals and the job you want, and let the AI refine everything to elevate your resume's impact and ATS compatibility.

How does Rezi tailor my resume to specific job descriptions?

Rezi uses a tool called the AI Keyword Targeting. This feature scans the job description to identify crucial keywords and naturally incorporates them into your resume, giving it the right focus without keyword stuffing.

What is the role of ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) in the AI resume-building process?

ATS systems are software that many employers use to screen resumes. AI resume builders, like Rezi, are created to help you bypass these systems by ensuring your resume is ATS-friendly. ATS compatibility is a priority at Rezi to make sure your resume gets noticed by human eyes.

Can Rezi help with cover letters too?

Yes, it certainly can! Rezi creates highly personalized cover letters that match both your resume and the job description, boosting your application.

How can I ensure my AI-generated resume passes ATS scanning?

Stick with reputable AI resume builders, use clean and simple formatting, and ensure the right keywords are included. These steps help your resume glide through ATS scanning smoothly.

What should I do if my AI-generated resume feels too generic?

Ensure you provide enough personalized information about yourself to the AI tool. If it's still not right, explore a different AI tool until you get the customized feel you want.

Does Rezi offer industry-specific templates?

Rezi provides four base templates that can be extensively tailored. While some may work better for certain industries, these simple and timeless designs are created to fit a broad range of job positions.

Can I update my resume in Rezi as my career progresses?

Absolutely! With an active subscription, you can maintain multiple versions of your resume, including expanding on a "master" version to keep it up to date as your career evolves.

How secure is my personal information when using Rezi?

Your data is highly secure. We use encrypted connections, our platform has undergone professional security testing, and we adhere to strict data privacy regulations to protect your information.

What kinds of analytics or feedback does Rezi provide on my resume?

Rezi uses the "Rezi Score" system, assessing your resume against 23 criteria with actionable feedback. This includes formatting, keyword usage, phrasing, and alignment with best practices, ensuring your resume is in top shape.

Does Rezi provide support for users unfamiliar with resume-building technology?

Yes, we offer 24/7 support and human feedback on resumes, providing assistance to those new to resume-building tech.

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Investment Banking Resume Examples & Writing Guide

Our most Recommended resume templates

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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat.

Rezi is an awesome AI-based resume builder that includes templates to help you design a resume that is sure to check the boxes when it comes to applicant tracking systems. This is a great jumping off point to kickstart a new resume.