Banking and financial sector professions are indeed rewarding, both in terms of job satisfaction and compensation. This space offers generous advantages, such as job stability and good work-life balance. In addition, this field also brings with it a sense of social responsibility and the opportunity to make a difference in people's lives.

However, working in the banking and finance sector is not all roses. Challenges that come with a role in this space can vary and include long working hours, intense pressure to meet targets and deadlines, and the need to maintain a high level of accuracy and attention to detail at all times.

Apart from that, one of the very first challenge you'll need to overcome is crafting the perfect resume to set you apart from the rest.  

Formulating a banking and financial sector-focused resume can be tricky, as the resume needs to highlight both your professional qualifications as well as your understanding of the banking and finance landscape. It's never easy as you have to juggle between the multiple aspects of your resume, making sure that each one is able to give the resume reader a holistic and well-rounded view of who you are as a professional.

So, if you're here to look for resume inspiration for your banking and finance job application, look no further! Keep reading for resume tips, tricks, and a before-and-after example that will help you get your dream profession. What's more? The Perfect Resume team are banking and financial sector resume writing experts, catering for graduates and students through to senior managers with years of experience.

THE PUZZLE OF ACCOUNTING YOUR BANKING ACHIEVEMENTS

Money matters and so do the resume sections that present your skills, experience, and accomplishments in the banking and financial industry. But highlighting this information on your resume isn't always as simple as it seems. And here's where most job seekers trip up – they don't know how to present their professional achievements in a way that is both informative and engaging for the resume reader, just like our puzzled Credit and Financial Expert, Emman.

Emman has over half a decade of experience thriving and moving up in the banking sector. But when it came to resume writing, he was unsure of how to go about highlighting his achievements and successes in a way that would catch the resume reader's attention. He didn't want to come across as self-promoting, but he also wanted to make sure that his resume conveyed the message that he was an expert in his field.

For these reasons, our banking and financial sector professional turned to resume writing experts from The Perfect Resume for help. And what he found was that the key to success lied in creating a resume that was both strategically formatted and well-written.

THE PROBLEMS WITH THE ORIGINAL BANKING AND ACCOUNTING RESUME

Resumes or CVs are not one-size-fits-all documents. The resume that got you your first banking job might not be the resume that gets you your next one. In fact, as you move up the corporate ladder and take on more responsibilities, your resume will need to evolve too. So, if you're still using the same resume format that you used when applying for your first banking job, it's time for an update.

When Emman came to The Perfect Resume team, his resume was outdated and no longer reflected his current level of experience or expertise. In addition, it was also poorly formatted and lacked the structure needed to effectively highlight his key strengths. Apart from that, here are some of the problems our professional resume writers and career coaches found:

• Education from over 10 year ago

Including 10+ years old information about yourself do more bad than good, as it gives your readers a hint of your age. Sadly, despite the many resume tips and tricks available out there, age discrimination in the workplace is still a thing.

• A resume design that's too lazy

First impressions matter. A resume that's poorly designed with no effort put into its layout conveys the message that you're a lazy candidate who doesn't care about the job application process. As for Emman, his resume was too plain and lacked the visual elements needed to make it stand out from the rest.

• Heavy on the jargons

Jargons might be industry-specific terms that are commonly used in banking and finance, but that doesn't mean that you should use too many of them on your resume. Remember, your resume is not a report or an academic paper. It's a marketing tool meant to sell your professional brand and expertise to potential employers. So, The Perfect Resume team told our aspirant to ditch the jargons and opt for language that everyone can understand.

• Fluffy skills section

The skills section is one of the most important resume sections, as it allows Banking and Financial industry applicants, such as Emman, to highlight their strengths and expertise. But if this section is not well-written, it will do more harm than good. In Emman's original resume, his skills section was short, vague, and lacked concrete examples.

• The use of incorrect language

Personal pronouns, such us "I", "me", and "my", have no place in resume writing; something that Emman missed to remember as he was writing his resume. Apart from that, he also used several action verbs that were not only incorrect but also overused.

THE SOLUTION: THE MAKING OF A JOB-WINNING BANKING & FINANCIAL INDUSTRY RESUME

Banking and Financial industry resumes are not easy to write. It takes a lot of time, effort, and research to create a resume that will help you land your dream job - something that Emman did not have at the moment. So, he decided to seek resume writing assistance from The Perfect resume.

Our resume writing experts have years of experience writing resumes for people in the Banking and Financial industry. And with our resume makeover services, we helped Emman transform his resume or CV into a well-written and strategically formatted document.

Here’s a quick rundown of what The Perfect Resume team did:

• As much as resume content matters, resume design is also an important factor to consider. Resumes with modern designs tend to get more attention from recruiters and hiring managers. So, our team made sure to create a resume for Emman that's not only up-to-date but is also visually appealing. On top of that, we made sure that his revamped resume template is also ATS-friendly. Our team of experts showed his our expert-formulated resume layouts prescribed for accounting professionals. Emman chose a modern, sleek template to help him resume stand out from the rest. 
• One of the very evident issues we found on the original Banking and Financial resume which Emman brought to us was the jargon-heavy content. So, our resume writers did away with the fluff and removed all the industry-specific terms that only serve to clutter up the resume. Instead, they opted for a more straightforward approach and used language that everyone can understand.
• When writing a resume, it's important to remember that you are marketing yourself as a product. With this said, our team made sure to highlight Emman's key selling points in his resume - from his in demand skills to his professional achievements. We also featured his greatest strengths in the resume summary section to give employers a quick overview of what he can do for their company. We replaced some of his dull position description statements with punchy phrases and backed them up with metrics and data. Alas, humdrum job description information, begone!

THE ART OF THE PERFECT BANKING & FINANCIAL RESUMES: A BEFORE AND AFTER COMPARISON

Resumes are not one-size-fits-all documents. The resume format and layout that worked for your friend or colleague might not work for you. It's important to take into consideration your own unique set of skills, experiences, and qualifications. With this in mind, our team made sure to create a resume for our banking and financial industry expert, Emman, that's specifically tailored to his job application needs.

Take a look at the before and after version of Emman's resume:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Here, it is revealed that resume writing is truly an art form. It takes a keen eye for detail and a lot of expertise to create a resume, cover letter, selection criteria, LinkedIn profile, and other job search tools that will stand out from the rest - something that The Perfect Resume team has perfected over the years.

The Perfect Resume team was able to take Emman's existing resume and give it a complete makeover. Today, Emman’s new resume is now a powerful marketing tool that boosted his confidence and chances of bagging more rewarding banking and financial industry positions.

CLIMB A STEP HIGHER ON THE BANKING & FINANCIAL INDUSTRY LADDER WITH THE PERFECT RESUME

If you’re a tenured banker or financial industry professional who is feeling stuck in your career or a fresh graduate who is about to enter the job market, know that resume writing can help you get ahead. What if you don't know where and how to start? Worry not, The Perfect Resume is here to give you a hand in creating a job-winning financial and banking industry resume that will get you closer to your dream career.

As resume writing experts with years of experience in the industry, we know what works and what doesn't when it comes to resume writing - and we are more than ready to share our knowledge with you. Truth be told, our team of professional resume writers and career coaches have extensive experience in both the accounting and human resources industries. So, whether you're looking for a resume format that will pass the 6 seconds test and the Applicant Tracking System or tips on how to answer difficult questions in a job interview, we can definitely help you out.

Get started on your journey towards resume perfection today!  Make sure to click here and select your current banking and financial industry-focused role or the function you are going for. From there, book our resume/CV writing service to get you one step closer to your dream career! Don’t be contented reading other people’s success stories – start writing your own today with The Perfect Resume!