INDUSTRY STATS
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Financial Consultant positions are at a 4% growth rate, which is slower than average. With that said, there are currently 466,300 jobs in the market right now. The total number of jobs is expected to increase by 19,500 to 485,800 in the period of 2020-30.
What’s more, the median annual wage for the Financial Consultant jobs was $64,770 in May 2020. The lowest 10% earned less than $36,910, and the highest 10% more than $208,000.
Our conclusion? The Financial Consultant job market is wide open for candidates.
Top Financial Consultant sections that make the best resume
- Header
- Professional summary
- Experience (with numbers and results)
- Relevant skills
- Education
- Certifications
How to write a Financial Consultant resume experience section
Financial Consultant Resume’s Job Experience Checklist:
- Use 4-6 bullet points per job title;
- Don’t go further than a decade behind when describing your job history, unless you’re applying for an executive position;
- Combine job responsibilities as well as achievements with numbers in results when you describe your past work;
- Start each sentence with a power verb and avoid overused buzzwords;
- Use either C-A-R or S-T-A-R methodology, when describing your experience.
The work experience samples below come from real Financial Consultant resumes that got people hired at top companies. You can use them as an inspiration to build your own resume:
- Many professional trainings in Bulgaria and abroad.
- Useful knowledge about insurance opportunities, saving and family care.
- Working with international companies with years of valuable experience and practice in financial services.
- Licensed to sell investment and insurance products in Canada
- Experience with financial analysis and completing an financial planning reports
- Built database of 750 prospective customers
- Implemented financial planning strategies to generate new business across various platforms MFDA, IIROC & Insurance.
- Achieved Top Overall Rookie award and sales target award for 2014 for outstanding performance in all overall sales categories.
- Achieved 100+ clients in less than 2 years.
- Preparation of Client Net Worth Statements from their Tax Record.
- Preparation of Reconciliation of the assets owned by the client.
- Preparation of Cash Flow Statements from the income generated and expenses made during client’s career
- During my engagement in Audit and Assurance Department of the firm I have been involved as a team member in large audit teams. As a team member I had the opportunity to work in planning execution and conclusion stages of statutory audits. Validation of financial reporting packages and other special nature engagements.
- Preparation of Client Net Worth Statements from their Tax Record.
- Preparation of Reconciliation of the assets owned by the client.
- Preparation of Cash Flow Statements from the income generated and expenses made during client’s career.
- During my engagement in Audit and Assurance Department of the firm, I have been involved as a team member in large audit teams. As a team member, I had the opportunity to work in planning execution and conclusion stages of statutory audits. Validation of financial reporting packages and other special nature engagements. My responsibilities included engagement management, client relationship management and coordination with professionals of various fields like legal, actuarial and IT experts and decision making on resolution of critical reportable matters.
- Performed stakeholder management and recommended suitable products/solutions in response to identified stakeholders' concerns;
- Developed and managed communication strategy for key stakeholders; carried out risk assessments;
- Identified and implemented improvements in stakeholder database management as well as stakeholder outreach process enhancements adopted throughout the company;
- Influenced business leaders at all levels of the organization using data analysis when making recommendations;
- On-boarded and mentored 5 newly-hired Associate Financial Consultants within the company.
- Closed $60,000 worth of investments in 6 months after i joined
- Analyze the newest updates on foreign exchange market both technically and fundamentally and provide a concise summary of analysis to clients
- Make sales visit and sales call to provide the newest opportunities provided in the market
- Provide On going support for all P2P & Order to Cash Modules
- Conducted Proof of Concepts, Demos, customizations/extensions , testing solutions, generated test scripts and writing documentation.
- Roll Out Global ERP financial projects-,SPAIN,ITALY,HK,SINGAPORE.
- Advised on new business processes and re implementation under R12.2.4 version of business structures.
- Gathering requirements from customers ,design and execution.
- Exceeded expectations of target across the board.
- Was placed in underperforming branches to revive their business.
- Advised on Life, Critical Illness and Income Protection, consistently delivering right customer outcomes, whilst delivering on the Bank's business plan.
- Writing suitability reports on a daily basis, for checking by Quality Assurance department.
- Supported Line Manager in delivering the group's business plan, by attending weekly telephone conferences, monthly team meetings and regular one to ones using this as a forum to share best practice and continuously promoted self development.
- Pre-planned own business plan to ensure targets were met if not exceeded by ensuring a high level of rolling activity in the diary by self generating meetings daily and monitoring colleagues diaries to ensure maximum outcome.
- Lead by example by successfully engaging the Bank Managers and branch colleagues to work in partnership by taking part in morning huddles, individually coaching and supporting staff members and going the extra mile to provide service excellence to the branch customers.
- Worked in close collaboration with my Commercial, Mortgage and Wealth Partners to meet customer needs and deliver an exceptional customer experience and expand product knowledge in these areas to be better placed to make referrals.
- Promoted the Brand, so the customer has every reason to recommend the Group to family, colleagues and friends.
- Consistently kept up to date with product and process changes to provide the best possible customer experience and deliver against plan.
- Strictly adhered to risk requirements by keeping up to date with and following the FCA rules and principles.
- (CRM) Responsible for business client acquisitions and relationship management
- Acquisition of small, mid, large business clients during 2 year period
- Specialized in Corporate Structure Planning, Financial Planning, Forecasting and Executive Compensation
- Multiple month Production Leader
- Financial forecasting via FFS, Profile Forecaster, Asset Maps, Ad-Hoc Analysis
- Provided investment advice, retirement planning, trust and estate planning services to HNW individuals and corporate clients
- Designed tax reduction strategies for high tax bracket clients
- Assisted senior consultants with researching industry publications and client websites to locate new sales opportunities to identify new prospects resulting in three new business plans
- Provided investment advice, retirement planning, trust and estate planning services to HNW individuals and corporate clients
- Designed tax reduction strategies for high tax bracket clients
- Assisted senior Financial Consultants with researching industry publications and client websites to locate new sales opportunities to identify new prospects resulting in three new business plans
- Provided investment advice, retirement planning, trust and estate planning and gifting options to reduce estate taxes to HNW individuals and corporate clients
- Identified and established target niche client segments and established a strong reputation within those markets, as well as the designations to support the practice's specialization
- Partnered with sales teams at key points in the sales cycle to achieve sales and retention goals
- Provided investment advice, retirement planning, trust and estate planning and gifting options to reduce estate taxes to HNW individuals and corporate clients
- Designed tax reduction strategies for high tax bracket clients
- Assisted senior consultants with researching industry publications and client websites to locate new sales opportunities to identify new prospects resulting in three new business plans
- Customer - Cleo Communications
- Help construct efficient cash flow analysis processes for accountants
- Yielding a high accuracy 2 -month cash forecast
- Train finance department on how to create accurate revenue forecasting models
- Customer - Hoke Inc.
- Implement Insightly CRM to consolidate data from multiple sources
- Streamlining financial operations from quote to cash
- Significantly improving accuracy of sales forecasts
- Placed trades on the major exchanges (Stocks/ETFs, Options, Mutual Funds) after interpreting market conditions and communicating the client’s buying power
- Uncover client’s issues and needs to further develop the business relationship and uncover new assets
- Weekly meetings dedicated to learning the Financial Consultant role and successful financial planning
- Team SME on client engagement and Service Plus
PRO TIP
In writing your Financial Consultant resume, you will no doubt want to list your previous duties - as you should. But steer clear of just listing your duties, instead of your achievements. Make your resume stand out by communicating what you have done, and not merely what the job needed you to do.
Action Verbs for your Financial Consultant Resume
Recommended reads:
Financial Consultant Resume Skills’ Tips & Tricks to Impress Recruiters
Resume Skills Section Checklist:
- Ensure your hard skills section (including technologies) are exactly matching the job description.
- Don’t simply list your soft skills. Apply the “show, don’t tell” principle - let your job achievements speak for themselves.
- Find a way to showcase your skills beyond the skills section.
- Your resume’s skill section is important to ATS systems - so don’t skip it.
Top Skills for your Financial Consultant resume
- Excel
- VBA
- Matlab
- SAP
- BI
- Mathcad
- Business Objects
- ETL
- PL/SQL
- Communication
- Negotiation
- Critical thinking
- Problem solving
- Collaboration
- Flexibitly
- Resilience
- Dedication
- Empathy
PRO TIP
Don’t feel obliged to spend a separate section for your soft skills - you can weave them throughout your job experience or career summary. But, don’t just write empty words - back them with examples.
Recommended reads:
Financial Consultant Resume Header: Tips, Red Flags, and Best Practices
CHECKLIST For Your Financial Consultant Resume Header
- Your name and surname in a legible and larger resume font
- The job title you’re applying for or your current job title as a subheading to your name
- Link to your portfolio or online profile, such as LinkedIn
- Address (City and State for the US; just your city for rest of the world)
- Email address
- Headshot (required or welcomed in the EU; not required and sometimes frowned upon in the US)
Stick to popular email providers such as Gmail or Outlook. And use these professional formats to create your username:
- first.last@gmail.com
- last.first@gmail.com
- firstlast@gmail.com
- f.last@gmail.com
- first.l@gmail.com
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
Include a link to your portfolio in your Financial Consultant resume header. Most companies will require that you include one in your resume, and even if they don’t, it’s an excellent opportunity to directly show them your proudest projects.
Financial Consultant Resume Summary Best Practices
Checklist: What to include in your Financial Consultant resume summary:
- Years of experience;
- Highlight top 3 skills and proficiencies;
- One big professional accomplishment you’re most proud of, that you can tie with the aforementioned skills;
- Use short, direct sentences - but no more than three - to keep the HRs interested.
Resume Summary Formula:
PRO TIP
You’re not going to get hired simply because of a good summary or objective. However, your recruiter can bump you up in front of similarly experienced candidates who didn’t demonstrate such passion and drive.
Recommended reads:
Listing Your Education, Certifications and Courses
Resume Education Section Checklist:
- Ensure your hard skills section (including technologies) are exactly matching the job description.
- Don’t simply list your soft skills. Apply the “show, don’t tell” principle - let your job achievements speak for themselves.
- Find a way to showcase your skills beyond the skills section.
- Your resume’s skill section is important to ATS systems - so don’t skip it.
Top Certifications for your Financial Consultant resume
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
If you hold a certain major and a minor, your majors should be mentioned first.
Financial Consultant Resume: Additional Writing & Formatting Tips
There are three basic resume formats you can choose from:
- Reverse-chronological resume format;
- Functional resume format;
- Hybrid (or Combination) resume format;
The most optimal format for your particular case will depend on your years of experience, as well as whether you’re switching industries or not.
Reverse chronological resumes are best suited for experienced individuals who are sticking to their industry. The experience section takes a central place, and its bullets contain your responsibilities and achievements, coupled with numbers and results.
Functional resumes are used by less experienced jobseekers or career changers. Note that it’s not a format that recruiters prefer, as most are used to the classic chronological alignment. Instead of a list of job titles, functional resumes focus on your skills, and through what experiences you gained them.
Hybrid resumes are great for both experienced and entry-level candidates, as well as career changers. They combine the best of both worlds - most often in a double column format, where one side of the content is focused on your experience, whereas the other - on your skills, strengths, and proudest moments.
Financial Consultant Resume Summary best practices
Here are more resume tips regarding your layout and style:
- Clear and legible 12p resume font size;
- Use 10’’ resume margins - that’s default for a great resume design;
- Use a one-page template resume length if you’ve got less than 10 years of experience; otherwise, opt for a two-page resume;
- Save your resume as PDF before sending it to the recruiter.
To take it a step further, check out how your resume can stand out without leaning too much on the creative side.
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
Test your draft Financial Consultant resume by sending it out to peers and mentors in your circles. Ask them to review it as if they are hiring you for a project and implement the feedback afterwards.
Other sections to include in your resume
Depending on the type of company (corporation or start-up; innovative or traditional), job seniority level and your location, you may want to include more sections to your Financial Consultant resume:
Financial Consultant Resume: How to Make Yours More Creative & Stand Out
When you send your resume to a potential employer, chances are it's the fiftieth one they've seen that day. That's why you need to make your Financial Consultant resume stand out for the right reasons. That means showing your personality, not just your professional experience. Employers are far more likely to remember a candidate who seems like a genuine person and not a robot. Do this by including your passions (which is also a great place to demonstrate skills on a resume), share your favorite books, or even what your usual day looks like.
What Makes a Great Financial Consultant Resume: Key Takeaways
- Choose a resume layout that sends the right message across and fits your current career situation;
- Create a resume header that shows your desired job title, and easy to find contact numbers;
- Be specific about your experience, accomplishments and future goals in your summary;
- Feature detailed metrics and specific examples that show the impact you made in your previous roles when describing your experience;
- List soft skills backed by examples;
- Add all of your technical skills and certifications that you have and match the job description;
- Show off a dash of personality in your resume that will demonstrate your culture fit and the right mix of hard and soft skills.
