How to Upgrade your CV for your next Qualified Finance Role with 5 Steps
Your CV is your first impression for a new employer. It is your opportunity to be represented without being in the room and it is vital that it stands out. The time and effort put into your CV can be the making or breaking of the next step in your career for any finance role.
First and foremost, always read the job description and tailor your CV to each application. This will positively impact your chances of being called for interview.
A strong CV for a finance role is well structured, easy to read, avoids company jargon, utilises white space and is as transparent as possible. Here are some tips to consider when updating your CV for your next position.
Formatting
Employers tend to skim read several CVs at once which can make it difficult to make your CV stand out from the crowd. However, changing the format of your CV too dramatically can impact your chances of being shortlisted. Your CV should always contain the standard sections. An employer may not take the time to decipher your CV if your formatting is drastically different and decide not to read it.
An important skill you highlight when using a clear and organised format is your ability to communicate information in a clear and concise manner. The ability to communicate in this way is essential for an accounting role.
Impact with your summary
Often summaries are used as a way of highlighting your future goals and ambitions to an employer. However, writing a strong professional summary can be more beneficial to your CV for senior finance roles. Using bullet points to describe your most impressive skills, qualifications and career accomplishments can instantly indicate your ability and strengths and make you stand out as a strong candidate to an employer/recruiter.
Concise and Confidence
Most employers (dependant on the number of applications) won’t have the time to read your entire CV word for word. By using a font that is easy to read, confident language and structured bullet points, you can really make your CV stand out when skimmed rather than truly read.
Confident language can also make you as a candidate stand out. It is vital for both your CV and your interview. Strong verbs such as analysed, managed, delivered or reported are some examples of strong confident language. Starting your bullet points with strong verbs can bring an added feeling of confidence to your CV.
Never stop learning
Listing your education is important including your degree, university attended etc. but also listing your continued professional development is key to garnering the attention of employers. Qualified Accounting & Finance roles are ever changing and your continued professional development by way of courses and other training can add significant value to your CV.
Soft Skills
Soft skills are becoming more important on a CV than ever before. They can now be considered one of the qualities that attribute to turning a strong candidate on paper to a strong contender for the job. These skills can include communication, teamwork, creativity, autonomy, leadership and emotional intelligence. Most importantly you should demonstrate your soft skills within your job roles and using phrases like “partnered with the X function to deliver X results”.
These are just some of the things that can take a good financial role CV to a great one. If you are looking for a new role in the area of finance, feel free to contact us here to arrange a conversation around your CV, experience and current available roles.
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