How to Write a Resume for an Investment Banking Job

Tap to Read ➤ Rashida Khilawala

Your resume is your first point of interaction with any organization. It gives an insight into the individual. With growing potential for the financial segment, investment banking jobs are on a rise too. Take a look at the factors that go into writing a resume for a job in this sector.

So you want to be an investment banker? Well, then the question would be, is your resume adequately optimized? If not, let's get to work and make it better.

Start with finding a suitable template. Do not experiment with that. The safest bet would be to go with the conventional style. In case you are the kind of person who cannot go with the usual, there are several other templates available. Google it and your answer will be right there.

Once certain about the template, select a font. Your job description demands seriousness on the front. So, a good idea would be to use Times New Roman, Calibri or Georgia as a font. They are legible and simple.

The language you utilize has to be specific with reference to the applied position. Since your job requires you to be very fluent with the specific set of jargon, make sure you use these, but in a nonchalant way. Keep it on a need-to-use basis, anything more and it may seem like you are trying too hard to impress.

The color black should always be used. Do not experiment or try to be creative with the colors. That would be a big mistake. You may be a creative person in spite of your analytical IQ, but till your employers don't realize your appropriate abilities, they don't need to know about it.

Keep your experience comprehensive and brief. Give the name of the organization and your roles and responsibilities. In case you are a fresher, you may mention the same for your internship. In fact, for an internship, you can write the description a little more in detail.

Do not mention your past salary, as you have all the right to keep that information personal until the interview level. Another point to remember would be to not say anything derogatory about your ex-organization, in either your resume or your interview. It is just a matter of ethics and culture.

One easy-to-forget detail is the cover letter. A cover letter has to be attached with the resume. This is the only aspect of your resume that speaks directly to the reader. In this you need to make sure that you are addressing the right person in the right manner.

For example, Mr. Johnson or Mrs. Shetty. It would be embarrassing for you if you wrote Mrs. Johnson or Mr. Shetty instead. It may seem trivial, but it is highly consequential as this is your first interaction with the people who may well be deciding your future in the organization. Also ensure that the cover letter is brief, courteous, and professional.

The resume has to give the organization, professional details about you. It isn't a bad idea to refrain from being very open about your personal self, in-spite of the fact that most organizations don't really care about an applicant's religious faith, certain people do have tendencies to be typecast.

To avoid facing any hassle due to this, refrain from giving your religious faith or referring to it in any way. Another aspect of it would be ethics. Do not try to use the fact that you and the CEO are of the same faith as a tool to get noticed. Jobs are given on the basis of merit, it's good to let it stay that way.

Verbal expression is a more comprehensive way to let a person know you. Always have the faith in yourself that you can get a job on the basis of your merit, not your ability to flatter. Be honest in your resume. If you lie, and it gets caught, the repercussions could be dire and very long-lasting.