Resume tips for finance jobs

ahnuld · #1 07-23-2007, 09:59 PM

Lets see if we can come up with some good suggestions for people just getting started in finance. Which traits are best to embellish and which are best to downplay.

- Be very consistent in terms of your skills you are pushing throughout the entire document. Have an idea of the abilities they are looking for and make sure everything on there can be brought back to those skills.

Evan · #2 07-23-2007, 10:12 PM

List experience points that are actions with specific numbers rather than general descriptions. For example, "Created new sales plan that increased sales 40% yoy" rather than, "Responsible for managing plans that grew sales totals."

It's a crap example but I think it gets the point across.

BvlyHls90210 · #3 07-23-2007, 10:22 PM

To be very honest, if you are very dependent on your resume as part of your job search strategy, you are already screwed. I'd concentrate more on networking, resume shouldn't really matter. Of course the stuff on the resume matters, but let's just remember the big picture.

Evan · #4 07-23-2007, 10:50 PM

[ QUOTE ]
To be very honest, if you are very dependent on your resume as part of your job search strategy, you are already screwed. I'd concentrate more on networking, resume shouldn't really matter. Of course the stuff on the resume matters, but let's just remember the big picture.

[/ QUOTE ]
Resumes can be a pretty big deal for people coming out of school or other young people still in the "getting my foot in the door" stage. Once you have some more experience you're naturally going to start relying more on personal connections, but even a college student that networks really well is often going to end up needing his resume to get the ball rolling.

PRE · #5 07-24-2007, 07:38 PM

[ QUOTE ]
To be very honest, if you are very dependent on your resume as part of your job search strategy, you are already screwed. I'd concentrate more on networking, resume shouldn't really matter. Of course the stuff on the resume matters, but let's just remember the big picture.

[/ QUOTE ]

Haha, this is such terrible advice. I don't know where to begin...

emon87 · #6 07-24-2007, 11:24 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
To be very honest, if you are very dependent on your resume as part of your job search strategy, you are already screwed. I'd concentrate more on networking, resume shouldn't really matter. Of course the stuff on the resume matters, but let's just remember the big picture.

[/ QUOTE ]

Haha, this is such terrible advice. I don't know where to begin...

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It's not that is bad advice, it's just that it's targeted at the wrong audience. People reading this thread are just coming out of school/in school. Networking is more applicable to people who have had years of experience.

BvlyHls90210 · #7 07-24-2007, 11:45 PM

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Haha, this is such terrible advice. I don't know where to begin...

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Good argument

DcifrThs · #8 07-24-2007, 11:48 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
To be very honest, if you are very dependent on your resume as part of your job search strategy, you are already screwed. I'd concentrate more on networking, resume shouldn't really matter. Of course the stuff on the resume matters, but let's just remember the big picture.

[/ QUOTE ]

Haha, this is such terrible advice. I don't know where to begin...

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why?

seems to me it's great advice. "business is a contact sport."

but that isn't all. you need to have everything a firm wants, and that means a solid resume, great interviewing skills and a good personality fit.

but you also have to be able to GET your resume into that firm's hands. so it is all important.

like most things in life, i don't think black and white is the way to see it.

Barron

emon87 · #9 07-25-2007, 12:49 AM

Most of the people reading this advice will be applying for positions that are posted online/at their school's career office/wherever.

For positions like this, it seems networking is much less important. Networking comes into play when you're older and looking for positions that might not be as publicly advertised.

At least that is what my dad told me about what happened when his company got bought up and layoffs ensued. Older/higher up people got sent to networking classes and events, lower downs got sent to resume and interviewing workshops and advised to look for a head hunter. So that might not be the case now or whatever, but it makes sense to me.

BvlyHls90210 · #10 07-25-2007, 06:14 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Most of the people reading this advice will be applying for positions that are posted online/at their school's career office/wherever.

For positions like this, it seems networking is much less important. Networking comes into play when you're older and looking for positions that might not be as publicly advertised.

[/ QUOTE ]

I guess it depends what you are shooting for. If you are looking for a finance job that is good at all and offers any shot of good career potential, the networking, internship and other factors are going to be 100X whatever it says on your resume. But if you want some sort of deadend job, sure ignore the networking aspect.