One specific CV challenge faced by the banking sector is effectively sifting through high volumes of applications to find the most qualified candidates. By following our guide, you'll learn how to optimise your recruitment process using the latest screening technologies and best practices to quickly identify top talent.
- Create an attention-grabbing header that integrates keywords and includes all vital information;
- Add strong action verbs and skills in your experience section, and get inspired by real-world professionals;
- List your education and relevant certification to fill in the gaps in your career history;
- Integrate both hard and soft skills all through your CV.
Discover more industry-specific guides to help you apply for any role in the links below:
Formatting your banking CV to meet the role expectations
Staring at the blank page for hours on end, you still have no idea how you should start your professional banking CV. Should you include more colours, two columns, and which sections? What you should remember about your CV format is this - ensure it's minimalistic and doesn't go over the top with fancy fonts and many colours. Instead, focus on writing consistent content that actually answers the job requirements. But, how about the design itself :- Use the reverse chronological order to showcase your experience, starting with your most recent role;
- Include your contact details (email address, phone number, and location) - and potentially your professional photo - in the header;
- Must-have CV sections include summary or objective, experience, education, and skills: curate the ones that fit your profile;
- Your professional banking CV should be between one-to-two pages long: select the longer format if you have more experience.
A little bit more about your actual CV design, ensure you're using:
- plenty of serif or sans serif font (e.g. Montserrat, Exo 2, Volkhov) as they are Applicant Tracker System (ATS) compliant. Avoid the likes of Arial and Times New Roman because most candidates' CVs are in this typography.
When submitting your CV, are you still not sure what format it should be? Despite the myth that has been circling around, most modern ATS systems are perfectly capable of reading PDFs. This format is an excellent choice as it keeps all of your information intact.
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For certain fields, consider including infographics or visual elements to represent skills or achievements, but ensure they are simple, professional, and enhance rather than clutter the information.
The top sections on a banking CV
- Personal Details include contact information for the recruiter's convenience.
- Professional Summary showcases banking expertise and career objectives.
- Banking Experience highlights specific financial roles and accomplishments.
- Education and Qualifications show relevant financial training and degrees.
- Relevant Skills demonstrate proficiency in banking technologies and practices.
What recruiters value on your CV:
- Quantify your achievements with numbers and percentages to demonstrate your impact on previous financial roles; banking employers value evidence of a candidate's ability to contribute to profitability.
- Highlight your proficiency in banking software and financial modelling techniques as bankers are expected to have strong technical skills and familiarity with industry-specific tools.
- Include any compliance and regulatory knowledge pertinent to banking; showcasing your awareness of the legal landscape can set you apart in this heavily regulated industry.
- Emphasise your experience with risk management, as the ability to assess and mitigate risks is crucial in banking and shows that you can protect the institution's interests.
- Describe your client relationship and portfolio management skills, ensuring to convey your ability to maintain and grow a customer base, as well as handle high-profile accounts responsibly.
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How to present your contact details and job keywords in your banking CV header
Located at the top of your banking CV, the header presents recruiters with your key personal information, headline, and professional photo. When creating your CV header, include your:
- Contact details - avoid listing your work email or telephone number and, also, email addresses that sound unprofessional (e.g. koolKittyCat$3@gmail.com is definitely a big no);
- Headline - it should be relevant, concise, and specific to the role you're applying for, integrating keywords and action verbs;
- Photo - instead of including a photograph from your family reunion, select one that shows you in a more professional light. It's also good to note that in some countries (e.g. the UK and US), it's best to avoid photos on your CV as they may serve as bias.
What do other industry professionals include in their CV header? Make sure to check out the next bit of your guide to see real-life examples:
Examples of good CV headlines for banking:
- Assistant Branch Manager | Customer Relationship Management | Efficient Team Leadership | 5+ Years’ Banking Experience
- Senior Financial Analyst | Investment Strategy Specialist | CFA Charterholder | Data-Driven Decision Making | 10 Years' Insight
- Commercial Banking Executive | Portfolio Growth Expert | Credit Risk Evaluation | Strategic Business Development | 15+ Years
- Junior Credit Risk Analyst | Regulatory Compliance Understanding | Financial Modelling | Recent Finance Graduate | ACCA Part-Qualified
- Investment Banking Associate | M&A Execution | Capital Markets Knowledge | 3 Years' Progressive Experience | ACA Qualified
- Head of Retail Banking | Digital Transformation Leader | Customer Service Excellence | Wealth Management | 20+ Years' Tenure
Your banking CV introduction: selecting between a summary and an objective
banking candidates often wonder how to start writing their resumes. More specifically, how exactly can they use their opening statements to build a connection with recruiters, showcase their relevant skills, and spotlight job alignment. A tricky situation, we know. When crafting you banking CV select between:
- A summary - to show an overview of your career so far, including your most significant achievements.
- An objective - to show a conscise overview of your career dreams and aspirations.
Find out more examples and ultimately, decide which type of opening statement will fit your profile in the next section of our guide:
CV summaries for a banking job:
- Seasoned banking professional with over a decade of hands-on experience in retail and commercial banking at Citibank UK. Proven expertise in credit risk analysis, strategic financial planning, and leading high-achieving sales teams to exceed targets. Awarded ‘Banker of the Year’ three times for exceptional customer service and portfolio growth.
- Dynamic and results-driven Barclays manager with 7 years of progressive experience in wealth management and investment banking. Adept at financial modelling, client asset management, and regulatory compliance with a strong track record of cultivating long-term client relationships and securing lucrative bank contracts.
- Highly analytical former finance consultant eager to leverage 5 years of experience at Accenture into a challenging banking environment. With a sharp acumen for risk management strategies and efficiency improvements, I bring to the table a robust background in financial forecasting and strategic planning initiatives from a top-tier consultancy perspective.
- Dedicated software engineer transitioning to the banking sector after 4 years at Google, offering a unique blend of technology prowess, innovative problem-solving skills, and a keen interest in financial systems. Keen to apply software development expertise to drive forward technological advancements in banking operations and digital customer interfaces.
- Recently graduated from the University of Manchester with a first-class degree in Economics and eager to apply theoretical knowledge into practical banking applications. With a strong foundation in quantitative analysis, economic theory, and a passion for financial markets, I am committed to contributing to a dynamic banking environment with fresh insights and relentless enthusiasm.
- Ambitious individual with a recently completed finance internship and a bachelor's degree from the London School of Economics, aiming to build a career in banking. Eager to develop a deep understanding of financial products, client relationship management, and banking operations, and to make a meaningful impact on clients' financial standing through dedicated service.
The best formula for your banking CV experience section
The CV experience section is the space where many candidates go wrong by merely listing their work history and duties. Don't do that. Instead, use the job description to better understand what matters most for the role and integrate these keywords across your CV. Thus, you should focus on:
- showcasing your accomplishments to hint that you're results-oriented;
- highlighting your skill set by integrating job keywords, technologies, and transferrable skills in your experience bullets;
- listing your roles in reverse chronological order, starting with the latest and most senior, to hint at how you have grown your career;
- featuring metrics, in the form of percentage, numbers, etc. to make your success more tangible.
When writing each experience bullet, start with a strong, actionable verb, then follow it up with a skill, accomplishment, or metric. Use these professional examples to perfect your CV experience section:
Best practices for your CV's work experience section
- Detail your understanding of financial regulations and compliance, showcasing specific instances where you maintained or improved compliance measures.
- Highlight your experience with financial analysis and reporting, providing examples of insights delivered and their impact on decision-making.
- Demonstrate your expertise in risk management by describing scenarios where you identified and mitigated financial risks.
- Showcase your customer service skills by mentioning how you contributed to customer satisfaction and retention in a banking environment.
- Illustrate your proficiency with banking software and technology, including any specific platforms you have used and how they benefited operations.
- Emphasise your track record in sales or business development by quantifying your achievements in attracting new clients or upselling products.
- Discuss your role in team leadership or collaboration, detailing initiatives you led or contributions to team projects that improved bank performance.
- Mention any experience you have with training or mentoring colleagues, highlighting the outcomes and improvements observed.
- Include any specialised knowledge or certifications related to banking, such as investment strategies, loan origination, or financial planning.
- Successfully led a team in the adoption of a new risk assessment software, increasing efficiency by 25% within the first six months of implementation.
- Managed a portfolio of high-net-worth clients, growing the portfolio by £10 million in assets under management through strategic investment advice.
- Implemented a customer relationship management (CRM) system to improve client satisfaction scores by 15% year-over-year.
- Performed daily credit analysis on small to medium enterprises, contributing to a loan book growth of 20% for the fiscal year 2017.
- Streamlined loan processing times by initiating process improvements, reducing average application turnaround by 4 days.
- Collaborated on the development of a fintech app that saw a 30% uptake by our SME customer base within the first year of launch.
- Orchestrated the merger of two branch customer bases effectively, ensuring seamless service delivery and retention of 98% of clients.
- Spearheaded the introduction of an online banking platform, resulting in a 40% reduction in in-branch transactions and enhanced customer self-service.
- Conducted comprehensive market research that directed the marketing campaign for a new credit product, achieving 150% of the target sales in the first quarter.
- Managed and resolved over 200 complex customer inquiries per month, maintaining a resolution rate of 95%.
- Developed and delivered training to new hires on banking products which improved team productivity by 18%.
- Championed a cross-sell initiative that increased the uptake of personal loans among existing deposit customers by 22%.
- Negotiated and closed an average of £50 million in commercial real estate loans annually, contributing significantly to the department's revenue targets.
- Led a pilot project for the adoption of blockchain technology for secure transactions that improved transaction times by 30%.
- Crafted and maintained strategic partnerships with property developers, which led to a sustained 20% growth in loan origination.
- Analysed and reported on economic trends affecting mortgage rates, influencing the bank’s competitive positioning and contributing to a 5% market share increase.
- Pioneered a digital mortgage application process that improved the customer experience and reduced error rates by 15%.
- Cultivated a culture of risk awareness that decreased mortgage defaults by 10% through targeted educational initiatives for borrowers.
- Instrumental in launching a new savings product tailored for millennials, achieving an initial subscription rate that surpassed projections by 200%.
- Conducted due diligence on loan applications, ensuring a default rate of less than 2% on a £30 million loan book.
- Initiated and led community financial literacy workshops, increasing the bank’s brand presence and community engagement by 35%.
- Delivered top-tier private banking services, expanding client investment portfolios by average of 12% annually through customized wealth management strategies.
- Executed a digital transformation strategy that enabled clients to access wealth management services online, increasing user engagement by 50%.
- Designed and implemented compliance protocols that reduced regulatory breaches by 100%, ensuring a spotless audit record.
How to ensure your banking CV stands out when you have no experience
This part of our step-by-step guide will help you substitute your experience section by helping you spotlight your skill set. First off, your ability to land your first job will depend on the time you take to assess precisely how you match the job requirements. Whether that's via your relevant education and courses, skill set, or any potential extracurricular activities. Next:
- Systematise your CV so that it spotlights your most relevant experience (whether that's your education or volunteer work) towards the top;
- Focus recruiters' attention to your transferrable skill set and in particular how your personality would be the perfect fit for the role;
- Consider how your current background has helped you build your technological understanding - whether you've created projects in your free time or as part of your uni degree;
- Ensure you've expanded on your teamwork capabilities with any relevant internships, part-time roles, or projects you've participated in the past.
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Include examples of how you adapted to new tools, environments, or work cultures, showing your flexibility.
Describing your unique skill set using both hard skills and soft skills
Your banking CV provides you with the perfect opportunity to spotlight your talents, and at the same time - to pass any form of assessment. Focusing on your skill set across different CV sections is the way to go, as this would provide you with an opportunity to quantify your achievements and successes. There's one common, very simple mistake, which candidates tend to make at this stage. Short on time, they tend to hurry and mess up the spelling of some of the key technologies, skills, and keywords. Copy and paste the particular skill directly from the job requirement to your CV to pass the Applicant Tracker System (ATS) assessment. Now, your CV skills are divided into:
- Technical or hard skills, describing your comfort level with technologies (software and hardware). List your aptitude by curating your certifications, on the work success in the experience section, and technical projects. Use the dedicated skills section to provide recruiters with up to twelve technologies, that match the job requirements, and you're capable of using.
- People or soft skills provide you with an excellent background to communicate, work within a team, solve problems. Don't just copy-paste that you're a "leader" or excel at "analysis". Instead, provide tangible metrics that define your success inusing the particular skill within the strengths, achievements, summary/ objective sections.
Top skills for your banking CV:
Financial Analysis
Risk Management
Regulatory Compliance
Accounting
Financial Modeling
Credit Analysis
Banking Software Proficiency
Investment Management
Loan Processing
Data Analysis
Customer Service
Problem-Solving
Attention to Detail
Communication
Teamwork
Time Management
Adaptability
Negotiation
Leadership
Decision-Making
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Use mini case studies or success stories in your CV to demonstrate how your skills have positively impacted previous roles or projects.
Further professional qualifications for your banking CV: education and certificates
As you're nearing the end of your banking CV, you may wonder what else will be relevant to the role. Recruiters are keen on understanding your academic background, as it teaches you an array of hard and soft skills. Create a dedicated education section that lists your:
- applicable higher education diplomas or ones that are at a postgraduate level;
- diploma, followed up with your higher education institution and start-graduation dates;
- extracurricular activities and honours, only if you deem that recruiters will find them impressive.
Follow a similar logic when presenting your certificates. Always select ones that will support your niche expertise and hint at what it's like to work with you. Balance both technical certification with soft skills courses to answer job requirements and company values. Wondering what the most sought out certificates are for the industry? Look no further:
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Use mini case studies or success stories in your CV to demonstrate how your skills have positively impacted previous roles or projects.
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Key takeaways
What matters most in your banking CV-writing process is for you to create a personalised application. One that matches the role and also showcases your unique qualities and talents.
- Use the format to supplement the actual content, to stand out, and to ensure your CV experience is easy to comprehend and follows a logic;
- Invest time in building a succinct CV top one third. One that includes a header (with your contact details and headline), a summary or an objective statement (select the one that best fits your experience), and - potentially - a dedicated skills section or achievements (to fit both hard skills and soft skills requirements);
- Prioritise your most relevant (and senior) experience closer to the top of your CV. Always ensure you're following the "power verb, skill, and achievement" format for your bullets;
- Integrate both your technical and communication background across different sections of your CV to meet the job requirements;
- List your relevant education and certificates to fill in gaps in your CV history and prove to recrutiers you have relevant technical know-how.
