Finance interns often struggle with demonstrating relevant experience on their resumes due to a limited history of professional finance roles. Our guide helps by providing strategies for highlighting transferable skills, academic projects, and extracurricular activities that align with the demands of finance positions.
- Which sections do you need to include in your resume to meet recruiters' requirements;
- How to write your finance intern resume experience section - even if you have don't have little to no work experience;
- Real-life professional examples to guide you how to write the most important finance intern resume sections;
- Adding even more sections so your finance intern resume stands out with professionalism and your personality.
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Enhancing your finance intern resume: format and layout tips
"Less is more" - this principle is key for your finance intern resume design. It emphasizes the importance of focusing on why you're the ideal candidate. Simultaneously, it's crucial to select a resume design that is both clear and simple, ensuring your qualifications are easily readable.Four popular formatting rules (and an additional tip) are here to optimize your finance intern resume:
- Listing experience in reverse chronological order - start with your most recent job experiences. This layout helps recruiters see your career progression and emphasizes your most relevant roles.
- Including contact details in the header - make sure your contact information is easily accessible at the top of your resume. In the header, you might also include a professional photo.
- Aligning your expertise with the job requirements - this involves adding essential sections such as experience, skills, and education that match the job you're applying for.
- Curating your expertise on a single page - if your experience spans over a decade, a two-page resume is also acceptable.
Bonus tip: Ensure your finance intern resume is in PDF format when submitting. This format maintains the integrity of images, icons, and layout, making your resume easier to share.
Finally, concerning your resume format and the Applicant Tracker System (ATS):
- Use simple yet modern fonts like Rubik, Lato, Montserrat, etc.
- All serif and sans-serif fonts are friendly to ATS systems. Avoid script fonts that look like handwriting, however.
- Fonts such as Ariel and Times New Roman are suitable, though commonly used.
- Both single and double-column resumes can perform well with the ATS.
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Integrate various design elements, like icons and charts, if you deem this would enhance the readability of your resume and also help it stand out.
Don't forget to include these six sections on your finance intern resume:
- Header and summary for your contact details and to highlight your alignment with the finance intern job you're applying for
- Experience section to get into specific technologies you're apt at using and personal skills to deliver successful results
- Skills section to further highlight how your profile matches the job requirements
- Education section to provide your academic background
- Achievements to mention any career highlights that may be impressive, or that you might have missed so far in other resume sections
What recruiters want to see on your resume:
What recruiters want to see on your resume:
- Relevant coursework or projects demonstrating financial skills and knowledge
- Prior internships or work experience in finance, banking, or a related field
- Proficiency with financial software and tools (e.g., Bloomberg Terminal, Excel, QuickBooks)
- Quantitative and analytical skills with evidence from school or work experience
- Demonstrated interest in finance through extracurricular activities, clubs, or financial certifications (e.g., CFA Investment Foundations)
What can candidates do about their resume, if they have no experience
Job requirements can sometimes be answered by other elements you could make more prominent in your finance intern resume.
Thus, you'd be substituting your lack of experience with your relevant:
- Education with details of skills you've obtained that align with the job
- Internships and short-term jobs that are once more dedicated to putting your expertise in the spotlight
- Skills section answering basic and - potentially - more specific job qualifications
- Strengths or accomplishments to show the unique value you present, even as a candidate with less or no professional experience in the industry.
- Highlight any analysis work by quantifying how much data was processed or the size of the datasets you worked with, as this demonstrates your ability to handle significant information and derive insights from it.
- Describe any cost-saving measures you proposed or implemented, specifying the percentage or dollar amount saved, to showcase your direct impact on financial efficiency.
- Include performance metrics from any finance-related projects or initiatives you participated in, using numbers to convey the scale of your involvement and success.
- Document any increase in efficiency or productivity in financial processes you contributed to, providing specific percentages to exemplify your capability to optimize operations.
- Identify the number of financial reports you prepared or contributed to, emphasizing your technical skills and ability to communicate complex financial information.
- Mention the size of the budgets you managed or assisted with, to indicate your experience with financial responsibility and strategic allocation of resources.
- Detail the frequency of financial tasks you performed, such as monthly analysis or quarterly auditing, to convey your reliability and understanding of financial cycles.
- Indicate any growth in revenue or profitability under your financial strategies or initiatives, using concrete numbers to underscore your contribution to the business's success.
Action verbs for your finance intern resume
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Make sure your resume is ATS compliant and catches recruiters' attention from the get-go by aligning specific job requirements to your experience. Quantify and highlight why you're the best candidate for the role closer to the top of your resume.
Creating your finance intern resume skills section: balancing hard skills and soft skills
Recruiters hiring for finance intern roles are always keen on hiring candidates with relevant technical and people talents. Hard skills or technical ones are quite beneficial for the industry - as they refer to your competency with particular software and technologies. Meanwhile, your soft (or people) skills are quite crucial to yours and the company's professional growth as they detail how you'd cooperate and interact in your potential environment. Here's how to describe your hard and soft skill set in your finance intern resume:
- Consider what the key job requirements are and list those towards the top of your skills section.
- Think of individual, specific skills that help you stand out amongst competitors, and detail how they've helped you succeed in the past.
- Look to the future of the industry and list all software/ technologies which are forward-facing.
- Create a separate, technical skills section to supplement your experience and further align with the finance intern job advert. Find the perfect balance between your resume hard and soft skills with our two lists.
Top skills for your finance intern resume:
Financial Analysis
Accounting Principles
Microsoft Excel
Financial Modeling
Data Analysis
Budgeting
Risk Management
Economic Knowledge
Financial Reporting
Statistical Analysis
Attention to Detail
Problem-Solving
Communication
Time Management
Adaptability
Teamwork
Initiative
Critical Thinking
Organization
Professionalism
The top 5 certifications for your finance intern resume:
- Certified Finance Intern (CFI) - No specific institution
- Certified Investment Banking Intern (CIBI) - No specific institution
- Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) - CFA Institute
- Financial Modeling & Valuation Analyst (FMVA) - Corporate Finance Institute
- Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) - FINRA
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Make sure your resume is ATS compliant and catches recruiters' attention from the get-go by aligning specific job requirements to your experience. Quantify and highlight why you're the best candidate for the role closer to the top of your resume.
Discover the perfect certification and education to list on your finance intern resume
Value the insights your resume education section offers. It can shed light on various proficiencies and experiences tailored for the job.
- Add only college or university degrees, stating the institution and duration.
- If you're nearing the end of your degree, note your graduation date.
- Weigh the pros and cons of including unrelated degrees - it might not be your best choice with so little space on your resume.
- Talk about your educational achievements if they amplify your relevant experience.
There are so many certificates you could list on your resume.
Just which ones should make the cut?
- List your prominent higher education degree in a separate box, alongside the name of the institute you've obtained it from and your graduation dates
- Curate only relevant certificates that support your expertise, hard skills, and soft skills
- Certificates that are more niche (and rare) within the industry could be listed closer to the top. Also, this space could be dedicated to more recent certifications you've attained
- Add a description to your certificates or education, only if you deem this could further enhance your chances of showcasing your unique skill set
- When listing your certificates, remember that it isn't a case of "the more, the merrier", but rather "the more applicable they are to the industry, the better".
Recruiters have hinted that these are some of the most in-demand certificates for finance intern roles across the industry:
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When creating your resume, select a template that is functional and features plenty of space for you to reflect upon your unique finance intern expertise.
Recommended reads:
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It's most often the case that your resume will be scanned over by the Applicant Tracker System (ATS) or the software companies use to automate their recruitment process. Ensure that within your resume header, summary, and / or objective, you've included skills that are must-haves for the role.
Recommended reads:
Professional summary or objective for your finance intern resume
Finance intern candidates sometimes get confused between the difference of a resume summary and a resume objective.
Which one should you be using?
Remember that the:
- Resume objective has more to do with your dreams and goals for your career. Within it, you have the opportunity to showcase to recruiters why your application is an important one and, at the same time, help them imagine what your impact on the role, team, and company would be.
- Resume summary should recount key achievements, tailored for the role, through your career. Allowing recruiters to quickly scan and understand the breadth of your finance intern expertise.
- The resume objectives are always an excellent choice for candidates starting off their career, while the resume summary is more fitting for experienced candidates.
No matter if you chose a summary or objective, get some extra inspiration from real-world professional finance intern resumes:
Resume summaries for a finance intern job
- Seeking an internship at ABC Financial Group in Boston, where I can leverage my strong analytical and quantitative skills, proficiency in Excel and knowledge of financial modeling to contribute to the company's strategic financial planning and investment decision-making processes.
- To obtain a finance internship with DEF Investment Bank in London, to apply my background in economics and my passion for the stock market, interpreting financial reports, and using statistical software, while learning from industry veterans and supporting the equity research team.
- Aspiring to join XYZ Corp's finance team in San Francisco as an intern, bringing advanced proficiency with financial software, keen insights into market trends, and robust understanding of corporate finance to enhance the company's financial performance analysis efforts.
- To gain practical experience in financial analysis with MNO Wealth Management in Dubai, utilizing my familiarity with risk management tools, investment portfolio strategies, and commitment to staying updated on regulatory changes to assist in client advisement and asset allocation.
- Aiming to secure a seat within the finance internship program at STU Energy Inc. in Houston, where I can put into practice my strong foundation in accounting principles, adeptness at cash flow forecasting, and enthusiasm for sustainable financial practices in the energy sector.
- Desires an internship opportunity with GHI Holdings in Tokyo, to explore international financial markets, using my multi-language skills, understanding of cross-border transactions, and eagerness to contribute to the company's global expansion initiatives through meticulous financial research.
Taking your finance intern resume to the next level with these four additional resume sections
Your finance intern resume can feature a variety of skills (both hard and soft) in diverse sections. Choose those that align best with the job requirements and reflect your suitability for the company culture.
Consider these four additional resume sections recommended by our experts:
- Languages - State any languages you are proficient in and your level of proficiency. This demonstrates your commitment to communication and potential for international growth.
- Projects - Highlight up to three significant projects you've completed outside of work, showcasing skill development. Include a link to your project portfolio in the finance intern resume header, if applicable.
- My Time - How you allocate your time outside work can indicate your organizational skills and cultural fit within the company.
- Volunteering - Detail causes you're passionate about, roles you've held, and achievements in volunteering. Such experiences likely have honed a range of soft skills crucial for your dream job.
Key takeaways
- Ensure your finance intern resume uses a simple, easy-to-read format that reflects upon your experience and aligns with the role;
- Be specific within the top one-third of your resume (header and summary or objective) to pinpoint what makes you the ideal candidate for the finance intern role;
- Curate information that is tailored to the job by detailing skills, achievements, and actual outcomes of your efforts;
- List your certifications and technical capabilities to demonstrate your aptitude with specific software and technologies;
- The sections you decide on including on your [job resume] should pinpoint your professional expertise and personality.
