The resume that will land you on top financial jobs

You have a lot of accomplishments under your belt, not to mention you are up-to-date when it comes to the tools and systems used in top financial jobs today. You know that you are the best candidate and you are confident that you will have a successful job search. But does the employer know that?  Convince them by creating a resume that will not only place your name on the list, but would actually get you hired.

15-second time limit. Your resume should be able to do its purpose in 15 minutes, tops. Employers spend only about 15 seconds per resume, so make it clear and concise. Place your contact details at the top of the page so that employers would not have a hard time looking for them. Use bullets to summarize your skills. List your work history in chronological order and expound only on the jobs relevant to the position you are applying for.

State your achievements. Instead of simply listing your previous finance jobs, roles and responsibilities, recreate them into more powerful statements that demonstrate how you contributed to your company. So don’t just say you provided insights in the company’s financial performance. Say something like “Devised and executed a more cost-efficient accounting system.”

Simplicity is the key. Using fancy fonts and colorful graphics will make your resume stand out all right – the employer will see it immediately and throw it in the trash. Keep it simple in the layout, the fonts you use, as well as in the language. Do not be too flashy by throwing in jargons and acronyms that are seldom used.

Place important details at the top. As with a newspaper, the most relevant and attractive information should be placed at the top the page. Try to view your resume on the computer screen and see if all the relevant information is displayed without having to scroll down the page. Some people create a summary of their skills and accomplishments at the top of the page.
   
Customize your resume according to the company and position you are applying for. Finance jobs vary from one another. A top position as a finance manager may require you a skill set entirely different from what a financial analysis head should possess. So after you create a “master copy” of your resume that includes all your successes and skills, tweak it and create a revised version for every job position you apply for. Highlight the ones that are of interest to the employer. Base it on the job description and on the qualifications indicated in the job post.   

Ten years. Stick to detailing previous financial jobs that you had within the last ten years, unless it is relevant to the job post you are applying for. In accounting, for instance, experience in a large firm is a huge plus regardless of when you held the position. Take note, however, that you should still list all your previous employment experience, including the date.