Here are the keywords and skills that appear most frequently on recent Finance job postings. In other words, these are the most sought after skills by recruiters and hiring managers. So try to include them on your resume where possible. Go to the Sample Templates ↓ below to see how to include them on your resume.
Remember that every job is different. Instead of including all these keywords on your resume, identify the keywords most relevant to the job you're applying to and include those. Use the free Targeted Resume tool to help with this.
Does your resume contain all the right skills? Paste in your resume in the AI Resume Scan ↓ section below and get an instant score.
Paste your resume below and our AI will identify which keywords are missing from your resume from the list above (and what you need to include). Including the right keywords will help you get past Applicant Tracking Systems (i.e. resume screeners) which may scan your resume for keywords to see if you're a match for the job.
Here are examples of proven resumes in related jobs and industries, approved by experienced hiring managers. Use them as inspiration when you're writing your own resume. You can even download and edit the resume template in Google Docs.
In this position, you will be in charge of ensuring that the financial health of the company is healthy and that the balance sheets balance out. Additional responsibilities may include ensuring that the revenue and expenses are correct and accounted for, creating financial systems to maximize efficiency and productivity, and training junior finance employees. Your resume will need to show a strong finance educational background as well as years of experience as a finance executive. Take a look at this successful resume sample.
Action verbs can be used to effectively shape your experiences and achievements. Because this is a senior position, show recruiters that you have been a leader in your previous positions by using the right action verbs. This applicant effectively uses action verbs like ‘spearheaded’, ‘coordinated’, and ‘orchestrated’ to paint themselves as a leader.
A finance executive who is doing their job well will improve the department’s efficiency, reduce costs, and maximize revenue. Use metrics to show how you have achieved any of the three. E.g. this applicant's initiative increased efficiency by 79% and increased revenue by $190k.
In this position, you will perform all the basic finance executive tasks but will be guided by a manager or a senior finance executive. Tasks you can expect include preparing financial statements, consolidating receivables, and reconciling revenues and expenses. You need to have strong interpersonal and communication skills as well as a strong educational background and finance experience. Take a look at this strong resume sample.
You may not have years of experience as a finance executive, but you most probably have closely related experience in a similar position. Include any closely related experience in fields like accounting, business, etc. The skills you would use in these fields are easily transferable and are therefore worthy of including.
Wow recruiters with impressive certifications like a CFA certification. It shows recruiters that you are highly trained and skilled and that you have the drive to pursue and attain difficult goals.
A Senior Finance Executive role is one of the pinnacle positions in the finance industry. You're expected to be a whiz at making strategic financial decisions and navigating complex investments. The finance industry has seen a shift towards digital technology and data-driven decision making. Thus, an up-to-date resume should highlight not just your financial acumen but also your data solutions and tech savviness. It’s vital to remember that your resume is a sales tool. Instead of fact regurgitation, use it to narrate your career journey, showcasing how you've grown, and the tangible impact you've made.
As a Senior Finance Executive, you need to show that you can set the financial strategy for an entire organization and see it through. Highlight instances where your strategic thinking led to significant financial outcomes for the companies you've worked for.
With the rise of financial technology, it's crucial that you demonstrate your ability to handle the tools of the trade. Highlight your experience with accounting software, data analysis tools, or any machine learning models you’ve used to make financial forecasts.
This resume template is suitable for experienced hires or mid-level hires. The education contains two examples of an education experiences, but only include one (your most recent one) if you're a senior level employee.
It strikes the right balance between white space and content, and doesn't waste space on unnecessary images and icons. Remember, recruiters aren't looking at how creative you are when it comes to your template. Your content is core and should be the focus.
This job seeker uses resume bullet points that uses strong action verbs, and most importantly, contain numbers that demonstrate the significance of their accomplishments.
This template is clean, readable by resume screeners, and is effective at calling out key accomplishments and projects from specific work experiences. This would be useful if you have been at a company for a while, or been in a consulting-type of role, and want to point hiring managers to your most impressive accomplishments.
Action verbs are important on your resume are vital. They evoke strong imagery to your reader, and this resume does an excellent job by using words such as “spearheaded,” “managed,” and “drove.” These words will help you to put your achievements in perspective, in conjunction with measurable results. Use action verbs relating to the skills you want to highlight.
Many of your accomplishments will involve your responsibilities in your employer's high-level projects. Recruiters want to see what you’ve completed in previous roles -- such as the Operations Improvement Project and new iPhone app launch highlighted in this resume. The numbers make your experience real, rather than a vague “oversaw several teams for a project.” What did you do specifically? Be specific.
This two column resume template has been designed and created in Google Docs, and puts an emphasis on a skills section. You can download it in Word, or edit it directly in Google Docs.
The two-column in this Google Docs resume template prioritizes the work experience sections, while maximizing the content into the resume. Not all two column templates are ATS-compatible, but this one is when it is saved as PDF and passed through a resume screener.
Skills sections are a great way to include specific keywords and skills that you have, that haven't been included in other parts of your resume. This helps you get past resume screeners that scan your resume for specific keywords.
The following word cloud highlights the most popular keywords that appear on Finance job descriptions. The bigger the word, the more frequently it shows up on employer's job postings. If you have experience with these keywords, include them on your resume.
Some popular Finance hard skills are Finance, Financial Analysis, Financial Reporting, Business Planning, Corporate Finance, Business Strategy, Accounting and Budgeting.
Depending on the job you apply to, skills like Investment Advisory, General Insurance, Teamwork, Life Insurance and Negotiation can also be good to include on your resume.
If you are writing a Financial Planner resume, try to emphasize skills like Financial Planning, Insurance, Retirement Planning, Investments, Life Insurance, Wealth Management, Risk Management and Financial Services.
Similarly, if you are writing a Financial Accountant resume, emphasize skills like Accounting, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable (AR), Account Reconciliation, Financial Reporting, Financial Accounting, Microsoft Access and Invoicing.
Depending on the specific role you apply to, you may need to emphasize different skill sets. Here are a few examples:
While the keywords above are a good indication of what skills you need on your resume, you should try to find additional keywords that are specific to the job. To do this, use the free Targeted Resume tool. It analyzes the job you are applying to and finds the most important keywords you need on your resume.
It is personalized to your resume, and is the best way to ensure your resume will pass the automated resume filters.
Thank you for the checklist! I realized I was making so many mistakes on my resume that I've now fixed. I'm much more confident in my resume now.
