Looking for some financial resume writing tips?
Indulge yourself in these professional resume tips for finance!

Career opportunities for finance professionals are abundant and can be found in any business sector. Whether you are looking for a CFO or controller position, financial analyst or planner, portfolio management or investment counselor, the requisites for doing the financial resume writing are the same.

When beginning your financial resume writing, focus on skills, areas of expertise, certifications, and specific accomplishments. The resume must convey what you can do for the companies you are targeting. This can be accomplished by illustrating how you contributed to previous employers' or clients' fiscal health.

Identify Your Goal

Before you write your financial resume, you need to have a clear job target. Do some preliminary research -- review job postings, see what types of positions are available and which companies are hiring, and get a good feel for the desired qualifications. This research will help you determine which skills and experience you should emphasize on your resume.

Summarize Your Key Qualifications

When doing your financial resume writing, it is crucial that your strengths and key qualifications are summarized within the top half of the first page of the resume. This can be accomplished with Professional Profile and Areas of Expertise sections. Here is an example of an opening paragraph for an individual seeking a CFO position:

Chief financial officer with 15 years of corporate accounting and management experience. Hands-on manager with expertise in accounting systems development, fiscal management, and financial reporting. Proven record of developing and implementing financial and operational controls that improve P&L scenario and competitively position firm.

In reading this brief paragraph of the financial resume, a prospective employer or recruiter will immediately grasp the scope of this candidate's professional experience. Follow your profile section with an Areas of Expertise, a listing of keywords that are pertinent to your career choice. In the case of the above candidate, the section might include the following terms:

Financial and Strategic Planning

P&L Management

Auditing and Compliance

Operating and Working Capital

Budget Development and Management

Merger and Acquisition Negotiations

Cash Flow Management and Modeling

Business Valuations The Areas of Expertise in your financial resume writing should highlight your specific skills and knowledge base. You should also include your industry certifications and licenses, such as CPA, CFA, and Series 7, 63, and/or 64.

Emphasize Your Accomplishments

The rest of the financial resume delves into your professional background. Under each employer, present a brief paragraph describing your basic job responsibilities, followed by a bulleted list of accomplishments. Show quantifiable results of your work - this is one of the most important points about writing your financial resume!

Example:

Instrumental in revenue and income growth of 76% over a 15-month period, through both organic growth and acquisitions.

Increased cash flow by $15 million by consolidating credit analysis function, reducing outstanding receivables from 48 to 15 days, and minimizing risk from marginal customers.

Keywords

The following keywords may provoke some thought as to additional qualifications and job experience you can include in doing your financial resume writing:

staff accountant, financial planner, cost accountant, portfolio manager, finance manager, financial reporting analyst, international controller, financial analyst, VP of finance, CFO, chief financial officer, treasurer, assistant controller, bookkeeper, accounts payable clerk, accounts receivable clerk, collections specialist, mutual fund analyst, credit analyst, payroll clerk, payroll manager, financial assistant, director of investor relations, procurement specialist, purchasing manager

fixed asset accounting, business process reengineering, risk management, value added analysis, SAP, GAAP, financial projections, general ledger, trial balance, financial statements, expense analysis, tax reporting, tax planning, payroll, benefits administration, portfolio management, cross functional team leadership, financial and strategic planning, P&L management, auditing and compliance, operating and working capital, budget management, mergers and acquisitions, cash flow management, business valuations, data warehouse reporting, audits and compliance, A/P, A/R, regulatory accounting, CPA, CFA, MBA, MS Excel, bank reconciliations, Crystal reports, Hyperion, spreadsheets