Resume guide · Updated October 2026
Investment Banker Resume Example and Writing Guide
Short answer
An investment banking resume is one page, with education first for students, then experience written around deals: transaction type, size, sector and your work, such as building the model, drafting the CIM or running the data room. Add a skills line with Excel, PowerPoint and FactSet, FINRA licenses like the SIE and Series 79, and a short interests line.
Investment Banker resume example
Below is a full investment banker resume for Nathan Cho, a fictional investment Banking Analyst, Industrials M&A in New York, NY. Keep the section order, then replace each line with your own work and results.
Nathan Cho
Investment Banking Analyst, Industrials M&A
New York, NY · nathan.cho@example.com · (555) 011-8853 · linkedin.com/in/nathancho
Summary
Second-year investment banking analyst in an industrials group with 6 closed transactions totaling $2.1B across sell-side M&A, buy-side advisory and a leveraged financing. Builds operating, LBO and merger models, drafts CIMs and management presentations, and manages buyer outreach and data rooms. SIE and Series 79 registered.
Experience
Investment Banking Analyst, Industrials, Harborview Partners
Jul 2024 to present
New York, NY
- Sell-side M&A, $640M sale of a specialty packaging manufacturer to a strategic buyer (closed): built the operating model and buyer ability-to-pay analysis, and drafted 40 pages of the CIM.
- Buy-side advisory, $310M acquisition of a fluid controls business by a private equity sponsor (closed): built the LBO model with 3 financing cases and ran trading comps and precedent transactions.
- Managed outreach to 85 potential buyers and the virtual data room for a $220M aerospace components sale, tracking NDAs, IOIs and diligence requests for the deal team.
- Prepared pitch books for 12 sponsor and corporate clients, including valuation football fields and accretion/dilution analysis.
Summer Analyst, Investment Banking, Crestmoor Capital Advisors
Jun 2023 to Aug 2023
Chicago, IL
- Supported a $150M sell-side process for a building products distributor, spreading comps for 18 public companies and updating the teaser.
- Built a DCF with sensitivity tables for a valuation review, checked line by line with the associate.
- Drafted industry overview pages for 3 pitches to middle-market HVAC and plumbing distributors.
Private Equity Intern, Lakeshore Growth Partners
Jun 2022 to Aug 2022
Chicago, IL
- Screened 60 inbound deals against fund criteria and wrote two-page investment memos for 5.
- Built a three-statement model for a $45M healthcare services platform under review.
- Pulled market data from PitchBook and Capital IQ for the deal team's industry maps.
Interests
- Marathon running (finished Chicago 2025)
- Tournament chess
- Korean home cooking
Education
B.S. in Economics, concentration in Finance, Great Lakes University · GPA 3.8/4.0; Investment Banking Club, VP of Education
2024
Certifications
Securities Industry Essentials (SIE), FINRA · Series 79 Investment Banking Representative, FINRA
Skills
Three-statement, DCF, LBO and merger modeling · Trading comps and precedent transactions · Excel · PowerPoint · FactSet · S&P Capital IQ · PitchBook · Bloomberg Terminal · Languages: Korean (fluent)
Investment Banker resume summary examples
3 investment banker summaries, one each for lateral analyst, associate (post-MBA) and career changer from transaction services. Pick the closest and rewrite it with your own title, years and one real result.
Second-year analyst in a middle-market M&A group with 5 closed sell-side deals from $80M to $450M. Builds operating and LBO models, drafts CIMs and manages buyer lists of 60 to 100 parties. Looking to move to a sector group in technology. SIE and Series 79 registered.
Investment banking associate with an MBA and 3 years in healthcare coverage, running day-to-day execution on 4 closed deals totaling $1.4B. Manages analysts on models and CIMs, leads diligence calls with management and is the main contact for buyer counsel.
Transaction advisory senior with 4 years of quality of earnings work on 25 middle-market deals, moving into investment banking. Strong in EBITDA adjustments, net working capital analysis and data room review. Licensed CPA.
Investment Banker resume objective examples
Use an objective instead of a summary for student and career changer situations: one or two sentences on what you bring and the investment banker job you want.
Junior finance major with a 3.8 GPA and a valuation internship, seeking a summer analyst position in an M&A or industrials group, bringing modeling coursework and a stock pitch competition win.
Corporate development analyst at a software company, seeking an investment banking associate role in a technology group after supporting 3 acquisitions from the buyer side.
Investment Banker resume bullet points
Bullets grouped by M&A and advisory, modeling and valuation, capital markets and financing and pitching and coverage. The numbers are illustrations; put in your own.
M&A and advisory
- Sell-side advisory on the $480M sale of a regional logistics company: built the operating model and ran the data room for 30 bidders.
- Ran buyer outreach for the $90M sale of a dental services group, tracking 45 NDAs and 9 IOIs through second round.
- Drafted the CIM and management presentation for a $1.1B consumer products sale, consolidating comments from 3 senior bankers.
Modeling and valuation
- Built LBO models with 3 debt structures for a $275M take-private, showing sponsor returns at 4 exit multiples.
- Prepared accretion/dilution analysis for a $2B stock-and-cash merger with synergy sensitivities.
- Spread trading comps for 25 public peers and 40 precedent transactions for a valuation review.
Capital markets and financing
- Supported a $350M follow-on equity offering: updated the roadshow presentation and tracked comments from issuer and underwriter counsel.
- Prepared the lender presentation and credit statistics for a $600M term loan refinancing.
- Built a debt capacity analysis across 3 leverage scenarios for a sponsor-backed dividend recap.
Pitching and coverage
- Built 20+ pitch books for sponsor coverage, including situation overviews and valuation football fields.
- Kept a coverage tracker of 150 industrial technology companies for 2 managing directors.
- Wrote a weekly note on specialty chemicals M&A activity for the coverage team.
Skills for an investment banker resume
17 skills employers list in investment banker postings. Include the ones the posting asks for and that your bullets prove.
| Type | Skills |
|---|---|
| Hard skills | Three-statement financial modeling, Discounted cash flow (DCF) analysis, LBO modeling, Merger and accretion/dilution analysis, Trading comparables, Precedent transactions, Pitch book preparation, CIM and teaser drafting, Due diligence and data room management, Financial statement analysis, Credit analysis |
| Soft skills | Attention to detail, Stamina under deadlines, Client communication, Teamwork, Prioritization, Composure |
| Tools and software | Excel, PowerPoint, FactSet, S&P Capital IQ, PitchBook, Bloomberg Terminal, Datasite, Intralinks |
Certifications for an investment banker resume
| Credential | Issued by | When it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) | FINRA | The co-requisite for the Series 79. You can take it before you are hired, so students and career changers can list it. |
| Series 79 Investment Banking Representative | FINRA | Covers debt and equity offerings, M&A, tender offers and restructurings: 75 questions in 2 hours 30 minutes, with a passing score of 73. Usually taken with firm sponsorship after you join. |
| CFA charter or exam levels passed | CFA Institute | More common in research and asset management than banking, but a passed level is worth listing on a lateral or career-change resume. |
What is the standard investment banking resume format?
Banks expect a conservative one-page resume: black text, a serif or plain sans-serif font, consistent date alignment on the right and no photo, color or graphics. Students and analysts put Education first with GPA and relevant coursework, then Experience, then a final section for skills, licenses and interests.
Every bullet should read like a deal line: transaction type, size, sector, status (closed, pending, terminated) and the work you did. Recruiters and bankers read dozens of these, so the template should make your deals easy to find, not look different. A plain Word or Google Docs template is fine.
How do you list deals on an investment banking resume?
Lead each deal bullet with the transaction, then your contribution: "Sell-side M&A, $640M sale of a specialty packaging manufacturer (closed): built the operating model and drafted 40 pages of the CIM." Use a sector description instead of the client name unless the deal is public and announced, and never include material non-public information.
Laterals and associates with many transactions can add a short deal sheet: a separate page listing each deal with type, size, sector, status and role. Keep the resume itself to one page and bring the deal sheet to interviews or attach it when asked.
How do you write an investment banking resume with no finance experience?
Students should show interest and skill through what they have actually done: finance club roles, stock pitch competitions, modeling courses, a valuation or accounting internship, and leadership in any activity. Write each one with numbers, such as members led, funds managed in a student investment fund or the size of the company you valued.
Career changers from Big 4 transaction services, corporate development, valuation, consulting or commercial banking should translate their work into deal language. Quality of earnings work, buy-side integration and credit underwriting all map to tasks a deal team needs on day one.
Which licenses do investment bankers list?
The BLS notes that FINRA is the main licensing organization for the securities industry. Investment banking representatives register by passing both the SIE and the Series 79, which covers offerings, M&A, tender offers and restructurings.
Most analysts sit for the Series 79 after joining, with firm sponsorship. If you passed the SIE on your own, list it; it shows initiative and saves the bank a step. List a license only once you have passed it, and write "registered" only if a firm currently holds your registration.
ATS keywords for an investment banker resume
Terms that show up in investment banker job postings. Mirror the exact wording of the posting you apply to, but only for work you have done.
- Investment Banking
- M&A
- mergers and acquisitions
- financial modeling
- DCF
- LBO
- valuation
- trading comps
- precedent transactions
- pitch books
- CIM
- due diligence
- capital markets
- accretion/dilution
- Excel
- PowerPoint
- FactSet
- Capital IQ
- Series 79
- SIE
Mistakes to avoid on an investment banker resume
- Going past one page. Analysts and associates almost always submit one page. Move older or less relevant roles into a single line.
- Bullets with no deal size, type or status. "Worked on M&A transactions" says nothing. Give the sector, size and what you built.
- Naming confidential clients. Use descriptions like "specialty chemicals manufacturer" unless the deal was announced publicly.
- Overstating your role. An analyst who "led" a $1B sale will be asked about it. Say "built," "drafted" or "managed" for the parts you owned.
- Typos and misaligned dates. Bankers read your resume as a sample of your work product. One error can end the process.
Frequently asked questions
What should an investment banking resume include?
Education with GPA, experience written as deal bullets with type, size, sector and your contribution, a skills line with modeling and software, any FINRA licenses and a brief interests line. Students add finance clubs and competitions.
Should an investment banking resume be one page?
Yes, for analysts and associates. Senior bankers sometimes use two pages, but most add a separate deal sheet instead.
What is the best investment banking resume template?
A plain one-page layout with education first for students, right-aligned dates, black text and no graphics. The template should make your deals easy to scan, not draw attention to itself.
How do you list confidential deals on a resume?
Describe the target by sector and size instead of name, for example "$220M sale of an aerospace components supplier (pending)," and leave out any non-public details.
Do I need the Series 79 before applying to investment banking?
No. Most banks sponsor analysts for the Series 79 after they join. The SIE can be taken earlier on your own, and listing it shows commitment.
Should I include a summary on an investment banking resume?
Students usually skip it. Laterals, associates and career changers can use two lines to frame their deal count, sector focus and target group.
What skills should be on an investment banking resume?
Three-statement, DCF, LBO and merger modeling, comps and precedent transactions, pitch book and CIM drafting, plus Excel, PowerPoint, FactSet, Capital IQ and PitchBook. Add languages if you are fluent.
Related guides
Sources, checked 27 October 2026
We opened every page below on that date. Pay, rules and requirements change, so check the source before you rely on a detail.
- FINRA: Series 79: Investment Banking Representative Exam (exam scope, SIE co-requisite, question count, time and passing score)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook: Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents (what investment bankers do; FINRA as the main licensing organization)