Resume template · Updated October 2026
Investment analyst resume template
Short answer
Catalyst suits an investment analyst with a few years of coverage: it opens on work experience with no summary, so your sector, the names you cover and the calls you made come first. The fictional sample covers industrial and transport stocks for a small- and mid-cap fund after two years in sell-side research, and lists CFA Program progress in the wording CFA Institute permits.
Download the investment analyst sample
Arjun is a fictional investment analyst. Replace every detail with your own before you send it.
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Why Catalyst suits an investment analyst resume
Catalyst prints no summary and starts with work experience under teal headings on full-width rules. An investment analyst is judged on coverage and on recommendations a portfolio manager acted on, so putting the current seat at the top, with a headline naming the sector, lets the investment record speak first.
Second choice: Henrietta. Henrietta keeps a summary and prints education right after experience; better early on, when your school and grades still carry weight.
What goes in each section, in Catalyst's order
Catalyst prints its sections in a fixed order, the same in the PDF and the Word file. Here is that order for this sample, and what to put in each section.
- Work Experience. Start each role with coverage: sector, number of companies, fund type and size. Then one or two recommendations with your reasoning and what the portfolio manager did, your modelling and research work, and one tool or data source you built.
- Skills. Technical holds valuation and research methods (three-statement models, DCF, comparables, industry research, earnings analysis). Tools holds market data platforms and any coding you use for research.
- Education. Degree, school and year. Investment employers often look at the school and grades early in a career, so add honours or a GPA line while you are within a few years of graduating.
- CFA Program. A short CFA Program list prints last. Use only wording CFA Institute allows: "Passed Level II of the CFA Program", or "CFA Program candidate" while you are registered for an exam.
The sample resume as text
The same content as the files above, so you can copy a line or compare it with your own.
Arjun Mehta
Investment Analyst, Industrials and Transports
Boston, MA | arjun.mehta@example.com | (617) 555-0193 | linkedin.com/in/sample-arjun-mehta
Experience
Investment Analyst, Granite Arch Asset Management, Boston, MA (07/2022 to Present)
- Cover 28 industrial and transport companies for a $3.2B US small- and mid-cap equity fund, with three-statement models, DCF and multiples valuations for each.
- Recommended a position in a rail-car lessor after lease-rate and scrappage research; the portfolio manager built a 2% position that beat the fund's benchmark over the next 12 months.
- Recommended exiting a trucking holding after weekly freight data showed falling volumes; the fund sold before the company cut guidance.
- Write earnings previews and post-results notes within 24 hours and attend about 40 management meetings a year.
- Built a Python script that pulls freight and industrial production data into a weekly sector dashboard used by the team.
Equity Research Associate, Harborline Securities, New York, NY (06/2020 to 06/2022)
- Supported the senior analyst covering 15 machinery companies; updated models within hours of each earnings release.
- Drafted the industry and valuation sections of two initiation reports.
- Maintained comparable company tables and industry data in FactSet.
CFA Program
- CFA Program candidate, registered for the Level III exam.
- Passed Level II of the CFA Program, 2025.
- Passed Level I of the CFA Program, 2023.
Education
BS, Finance, Old Colony University (05/2020). Magna cum laude; student investment fund analyst
Skills
Three-statement modelling, DCF valuation, Comparable company analysis, Industry research, Earnings analysis, FactSet, Bloomberg, Capital IQ, Excel, Python (pandas), Investment memos, Management meetings
How to make the sample yours
Lead with coverage
Sector, number of names, market cap range and the fund or mandate you support. It sets your level in one line.
Explain one call, with the reasoning
What you saw (channel checks, freight data, a balance sheet issue), what you recommended and what happened. A thesis shows judgement better than a list of models.
Check performance figures with compliance
Many firms restrict sharing fund or position returns. Describe outcomes relative to a benchmark or qualitatively if exact returns are not allowed.
Use the headline for your sector
Catalyst has no summary, so write "Investment Analyst, Industrials and Transports" or your own sector under your name.
Show a research tool you built
A Python script pulling industry data, a screening model, a database of management meeting notes. It shows you add process, not only opinions.
Keywords to keep where they are true
Terms this kind of resume is usually searched for. Use the posting's exact wording, and only for work you have done.
- investment analysis
- equity research
- financial modelling
- DCF valuation
- comparable company analysis
- industry research
- earnings analysis
- investment thesis
- portfolio management support
- FactSet
- Bloomberg
- Capital IQ
- Python
- CFA Program
Mistakes to avoid
- Writing "CFA Level II" or "CFA (expected)" after your name; CFA Institute does not permit either.
- Listing every stock you ever looked at; give coverage counts and two or three explained calls.
- Sharing fund returns or current positions your firm treats as confidential.
- Model descriptions with no decision attached ("built DCF models for coverage universe").
How the sample PDF reads in text extractors
We exported this sample with Resumity's PDF exporter in Chrome on 2026-10-29 and read the file back with three open-source text extractors. This shows whether software that turns a PDF into text can recover it; it is not a test of any commercial applicant tracking system. How we test templates.
| Extractor | Name, email, phone | Headings | Bullets intact |
|---|---|---|---|
| pdf.js 4.10.38 | All found | 4 of 4 | 8 of 8 |
| pdftotext (Xpdf) 4.00 | All found | 4 of 4 | 8 of 8 |
| pypdf 6.13.0 | All found | 4 of 4 | 8 of 8 |
Frequently asked questions
How should I list CFA Program progress on an investment resume?
In words, never as letters after your name. CFA Institute allows "CFA Program candidate" only while you are registered for an upcoming exam or awaiting results, and "Passed Level II of the CFA Program" otherwise. It does not allow phrases such as "charter pending" or "CFA (expected 2027)".
Can I include stock picks and returns on my resume?
Describe your reasoning and what the portfolio manager did. Exact returns on positions or funds may be restricted by your firm, so check with compliance and describe performance relative to a benchmark or qualitatively if needed.
How does a buy-side resume differ from a sell-side resume?
Sell-side resumes stress published research, client calls and rankings; buy-side resumes stress recommendations, conviction and what the portfolio did. If you are moving from sell side to buy side, show the calls you would have made, not only the reports you wrote.
Should I attach a stock pitch or writing sample?
Not unless asked, but have one ready. Many buy-side interviews include a pitch or a case, and a recent, well-argued write-up on a company outside your current coverage avoids confidentiality issues.
What does the CFA charter require besides the exams?
CFA Institute lists three exams, at least 4,000 hours of relevant work experience completed over no fewer than 36 months, and regular membership. Until all of that is met, describe your progress rather than claiming the charter.
Will applicant tracking systems read this Catalyst PDF?
The sample PDF read back with its contact details, all 4 section headings and all 8 bullets intact in three open-source text extractors (pdf.js, pdftotext and pypdf). Commercial systems such as Workday, Greenhouse or Taleo were not tested, and each employer configures its own.
Guides and templates for this resume
Sources, checked 29 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.
- CFA Institute: How to Share Your Achievements (no CFA after the name unless a charterholder; passed levels are not designations; approved and prohibited wording)
- CFA Institute: CFA Program (three exams; 4,000 hours of relevant work experience in no fewer than 36 months; regular membership)
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