As a director of finance, articulating your complex strategic planning and financial analysis experience without overwhelming potential employers is a common resume challenge. Our guide provides targeted advice to help you distill your extensive expertise into a compelling, easy-to-digest format that showcases your value and aligns with your career aspirations.
- The most straightforward and effective resume format, ensuring your director of finance resume stands out among numerous candidate profiles;
- The significance of the top one-third of your resume, including the header, summary or objective, and skills section, and its impact on recruiters;
- Frameworks and structures used by real director of finance professionals, offering insights on how to enhance your resume with industry-specific expertise;
- A variety of director of finance resume sections that bolster your profile, showcasing your comprehensive capabilities and distinctiveness.
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Creating the best director of finance resume format: four simple steps
The most appropriate director of finance resume format is defined by precision and a systematic approach. What is more, it should reflect upon how your application will be assessed by recruiters. That is why we've gathered four of the most vital elements to keep in mind when designing your resume:
- It's all about presenting how your experience or skills align with the job. Use the reverse-chronological resume format , if your expertise is relevant to the director of finance role. Otherwise, select the functional skill-based resume format or the hybrid resume format to shift the focus to your skill set.
- Resume header - make sure you've filled out all relevant (and correct) information, like your contact details and link to your portfolio.
- Resume length - unless you've over a decade of applicable expertise in the field, stick with a one-page resume format. If you'd like to present more of your professional experience, go up to two pages.
- Resume file - submit your director of finance resume in a PDF format to ensure all information stays in the same place.
Tailor your resume format to the job market – a Canadian resume, for example, might differ in layout.
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Showcase any ongoing or recent educational efforts to stay updated in your field.
Don't forget to include these six sections on your director of finance resume:
- Header and summary for your contact details and to highlight your alignment with the director of finance 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:
- Demonstrated experience in financial planning and analysis, including forecasting, budgeting, and long-term strategic planning.
- Proficiency in financial reporting, compliance, and preparation of detailed financial statements in accordance with GAAP or IFRS.
- Strong leadership skills with a proven track record of managing finance teams and collaborating with executive management.
- Solid understanding and experience with financial software and advanced Excel skills, including the use of pivot tables, VLOOKUP, and financial modeling.
- Experience with raising capital, investment management, and working with external auditors, tax advisors, and other financial consultants.
The director of finance resume experience section: a roadmap to your expertise
The resume experience section provides you with an opportunity to tell your professional narrative.
Recruiters, reading between the lines of your resume, use the experience section to better understand your unique skill set, accomplishments, and what unique value you bring about.
Discover five quick steps on how to write your experience section:
- Curate only relevant experience items to the role and include the company, description, and dates; all followed by up to six bullets per experience item;
- Each experience item should feature tangible results of your actions - if you can include a number or percent, this will further highlight your aptitude;
- If you've received any managerial or customer feedback, use short excerpts of it as further social proof of your technical or people skills;
- Make sure you're using the appropriate verb tense when listing your responsibilities;
- Within the description for each role, you could summarize your most noteworthy and relevant achievements.
Now, take note of how a real-world director of finance professional received opportunities at industry leaders with these resume experience sections:
- Directed a finance team of 15 professionals in streamlining financial operations for a multinational corporation, slashing report delivery times by 30%.
- Developed and implemented a new risk assessment model that reduced financial risk exposure by 25%, safeguarding the company's assets.
- Led the negotiation and successful acquisition of a $200 million competitor, expanding the company's market share by 18%.
- Overhauled financial systems using ERP solutions, enhancing financial reporting accuracy and enabling the tracking of key performance indicators.
- Executed a company-wide budget reduction strategy, achieving a cost savings of $10 million annually while maintaining essential financial operations.
- Orchestrated the financial planning for launching three new products, resulting in a revenue increase of 20% year-over-year.
- Managed a financial portfolio of over $500 million for a technology firm, consistently hitting investment benchmarks and outperforming market averages.
- Implemented a new financial reporting strategy that provided executives with more detailed insights, aiding in a 15% efficiency increase in decision-making.
- Negotiated complex financial agreements with international suppliers that reduced material costs by 12%, boosting profit margins.
- Spearheaded a corporate restructuring that resulted in a leaner organization, cutting operational costs by 20% without impacting revenue.
- Enhanced the financial forecasting model, which allowed for more accurate long-term planning and a 10% improvement in capital allocation.
- Cultivated relationships with key financial institutions, ensuring favorable loan terms and lines of credit to support company expansion projects.
- Developed and managed a financial turnaround plan that took the company from a $2 million loss to a $1 million profit within two years.
- Optimized tax strategies in conjunction with legal teams to yield a 10% reduction in the effective tax rate, saving the company millions in expenses.
- Initiated a technology upgrade for financial systems that increased data processing speed and accuracy, thereby enhancing overall financial management.
- Lead a team responsible for managing and forecasting the budget of a $1 billion technology division, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives.
- Drove the financial due diligence process for three major M&A transactions, which contributed to the company's diversification and a 20% revenue growth.
- Championed an initiative to automate financial reporting, increasing report generation speed by 40% and reducing human error.
- Implemented a scalable financial infrastructure to support the company's rapid growth, tripling revenue from $50 million to $150 million within four years.
- Established a comprehensive risk management framework that mitigated financial volatility during critical growth stages of the company.
- Acted as the primary company liaison for investor relations, successfully securing $30 million in Series B funding to accelerate product development.
- Revitalized the company’s financial health by cutting non-essential spending and increasing cash flow, resulting in a 35% improvement in net profit margins.
- Led the financial integration of two acquired entities into the parent company’s structure, ensuring a smooth transition and maintaining fiscal stability.
- Partnered with sales and marketing to create pricing models that increased competitive edge and maximized profitability across key product lines.
Quantifying impact on your resume
- Highlight the total budget managed to demonstrate your capability in handling large financial operations.
- Indicate the size of the teams you've led to show leadership and management skills.
- Detail the percentage reduction in expenses achieved through cost-control strategies to reflect efficiency and financial prudence.
- Specify any increases in revenue with exact percentages to exhibit your contribution to business growth.
- Present any reductions in financial closing times to show improvements in processes and operational efficiency.
- Illustrate the amount of capital raised for investments to indicate your effectiveness in securing funding.
- Mention the number of financial reports and analyses delivered to showcase thoroughness and due diligence.
- Document any improvements in audit results or compliance scores to verify your commitment to standards and governance.
Action verbs for your director of finance resume
What if my director of finance experience doesn't match the requirements?
You've just graduated from college and may have no real world job experience . What should you include within your resume then?
Instead of making up information or adding irrelevant past jobs (e.g. your on-campus work during freshman year), you can:
- Shift the focus from your professional experience to your community impact with your volunteer work. This would showcase numerous soft skills you've built over time (e.g. interpersonal communication);
- Highlight the projects you've completed, as part of your coursework, or, on your own. Thus, you will align your technical background with recruiters' requirements;
- Consider spotlighting your transferrable skills. Or, what lessons and talents your current professional and personal experience has taught you and how they could benefit your potential employers;
- Even if you've had a few months of internship experience, that is relevant for the role, make sure to include this. Recruiters do care about the years of experience you happen to have, but, at the end of the day, your profile would also be assessed based on role alignment.
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PRO TIP
Highlight any significant extracurricular activities that demonstrate valuable skills or leadership.
Director of finance skills and achievements section: must-have hard and soft skills
A key principle for your director of finance resume is to prominently feature your hard skills, or the technologies you excel in, within the skills section. Aim to list several hard skills that are in line with the job's requirements.
When it comes to soft skills, like interpersonal communication abilities and talents, they're trickier to quantify.
Claiming to be a good communicator is one thing, but how can you substantiate this claim?
Consider creating a dedicated "Strengths" or "Achievements" section. Here, you can describe how specific soft skills (such as leadership, negotiation, problem-solving) have led to concrete achievements.
Your director of finance resume should reflect a balanced combination of both hard and soft skills, just as job requirements often do.
Top skills for your director of finance resume:
Financial Analysis
Budgeting and Forecasting
Financial Reporting
Tax Compliance
Cash Flow Management
ERP Systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle)
Data Analysis Tools (e.g., Excel, Tableau)
Risk Management
Investment Analysis
Regulatory Compliance
Leadership
Strategic Thinking
Communication
Problem-Solving
Decision-Making
Team Management
Negotiation
Adaptability
Time Management
Interpersonal Skills
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Bold the names of educational institutions and certifying bodies for emphasis.
Your academic background: should you include your education and certifications on your director of finance resume?
Adding relevant education and certifications to your director of finance resume is beneficial, whether you're an experienced candidate or just starting in the field.
Featuring your higher education degree that aligns with the role demonstrates your commitment to the industry. On your director of finance resume, include the start and graduation dates, followed by the name of the institution that awarded your degree.
Regarding certifications, it's wise to list those most relevant to the role or that have contributed to your array of crucial technical or personal traits. Be sure to include the name of the certificate and the awarding institution.
If uncertain about which certifications to feature prominently on your director of finance resume, refer to our compiled list of the most in-demand ones for guidance.
The top 5 certifications for your director of finance resume:
- Certified Public Accountant (CPA) - American Institute of CPAs
- Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) - CFA Institute
- Certified Management Accountant (CMA) - Institute of Management Accountants
- Certified Financial Services Auditor (CFSA) - The Institute of Internal Auditors
- Financial Risk Manager (FRM) - Global Association of Risk Professionals
PRO TIP
List your educational qualifications and certifications in reverse chronological order.
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The ideal director of finance candidate resume summary or objective
You may have heard that your resume top one-third plays an important part in your application.
It basically needs to show strong alignment with the job advert, your unique skill set, and your expertise.
Both the resume summary and resume objective could be used to ensure you've shown why you're the best candidate for the role.
Use the:
- Resume objective to pinpoint your current successes, that are applicable to the field, and your vision for your career. Remember to state how you see yourself growing within this new career opportunity.
- Resume summary as an instrument to pinpoint what is most applicable and noteworthy form your professional profile. Keep your summary to be no more than five sentences long.
At the end of the day, the resume summary or objective is your golden opportunity to shine a light on your personality as a professional and the unique value of what it's like to work with you.
Get inspired with these director of finance resume examples:
Resume summaries for a director of finance job
- Seasoned finance director with over 15 years of experience, adept in capital budgeting and strategic planning. Key player in increasing profitability by 25% for a multinational corporation through rigorous cost-control policies and financial modeling. Proficient in GAAP, financial reporting, and leveraging financial data to make informed decisions.
- Dynamic leader with a robust 12-year track record in investment banking, now transitioning to corporate finance. Skilled in portfolio management and financial analysis, orchestrated a successful $50 million equity fund raise. Keen on applying rigorous financial discipline and investment insights to drive growth and efficiency in a new setting.
- Former healthcare administrator with a decade of overseeing multi-million-dollar budgets, now pivoting towards a finance directorship. Excelled in cutting operational costs by 18% without comprising service quality. Brings a unique perspective on cost-saving initiatives and revenue enhancement strategies.
- Accomplished IT project manager with 7 years of experience in budget oversight and cross-departmental collaboration, seeking to transfer skills to finance management. Known for implementing a cost-saving project management system that decreased project costs by 20%. Dedicated to optimizing financial performance through technology-driven solutions.
- Aspiring finance director driven to develop a comprehensive understanding of financial strategic planning and analysis. Eager to apply a fresh analytical mindset and quantitative skills honed through a rigorous MBA program. Committed to contributing to financial stability and growth through data-driven decision-making and fiscal responsibility.
- Motivated individual with a strong foundation in applied mathematics, looking to embark on a career in finance management. Aiming to leverage statistical analysis proficiency and a keen eye for detail to support sound financial decision-making and performance monitoring. Intent on developing expertise in financial forecasting and budget management through hands-on experience.
Extra sections to include in your director of finance resume
What should you do if you happen to have some space left on your resume, and want to highlight other aspects of your profile that you deem are relevant to the role? Add to your director of finance resume some of these personal and professional sections:
- Passions/Interests - to detail how you spend both your personal and professional time, invested in various hobbies;
- Awards - to present those niche accolades that make your experience unique;
- Publications - an excellent choice for professionals, who have just graduated from university or are used to a more academic setting;
- Volunteering - your footprint within your local (or national/international) community.
Key takeaways
- The logic of your resume presentation should follow your career highlights and alignment with the role;
- Curate information within different sections (e.g. summary, experience, etc.) that helps highlight your strengths;
- Exclude from your resume irrelevant experience items - that way you'd ensure it stays no longer than two pages and is easy to read;
- Dedicate space within the summary, experience, and/or achievements to highlight precisely why you're the best candidate for the role via your previous success;
- Both your technical and people capabilities should also play a crucial role in building up your director of finance application. Prove your skill set in various resume sections.
