Resume template · Updated October 2026
Finance resume template
Short answer
Henrietta matches what most finance employers expect: a conventional, colourless business page, with experience straight after the summary and education close behind it. The fictional sample is a senior FP&A analyst at a medical device maker who started in bank finance, with a rebuilt forecast, a pricing decision, a faster monthly pack and a CFA Level I pass written the way CFA Institute permits.
Download the finance sample
Lauren is a fictional senior financial analyst. Replace every detail with your own before you send it.
The files are made in your browser by Resumity's own exporters, from this sample. The builder opens it as your own resume: click any line to replace it. Free plan, no watermark.
Why Henrietta suits a finance resume
Henrietta is the classic business layout of the seven: left-aligned name, black and grey only, experience directly under the summary and education right after it. Banks, corporate finance teams and asset managers still read for convention and degree, and this page gives them both without a single design choice to distract from the numbers.
Second choice: Meridian. Meridian is equally plain but prints labelled skill rows above experience, useful for finance systems roles where Excel, the ERP and planning tools lead.
What goes in each section, in Henrietta's order
Henrietta 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.
- Professional Summary. Give the scale you report on (a division's revenue, a portfolio, a loan book) and who reads your numbers. Finance readers place your level by scale and audience, so "monthly pack for the CFO" does more than any adjective.
- Work Experience. Open each bullet with the decision or control, then the number: forecast error narrowed, a margin leak found, a reporting cycle shortened, a capital request challenged. Every corner of finance, from banking to corporate FP&A to asset management, prizes accuracy, so include one bullet on reconciliation or controls.
- Education. Henrietta prints education right after experience, which suits a field where many employers still screen on degree. Put an MBA or finance master's first; add GPA or honours only while they are recent and strong.
- Skills. The grid drops group labels, so open with modelling and analysis methods, then systems: Excel with Power Query, the planning tool, the ERP, the BI tool. Name the ERP and planning software precisely, because moving people between them is slow and expensive.
- Certifications. Use the wording the awarding body allows. CFA Institute says to write "Passed Level I of the CFA Program", or "CFA Program candidate" only while registered for an exam, and never to put letters after your name before you hold the charter.
The sample resume as text
The same content as the files above, so you can copy a line or compare it with your own.
Lauren Fischer
Senior Financial Analyst, FP&A
Milwaukee, WI | lauren.fischer@example.com | (414) 555-0152 | linkedin.com/in/sample-lauren-fischer
Senior financial analyst in FP&A at a medical device manufacturer, owning the rolling forecast and monthly variance pack for a $310M product division. Started in bank finance, so reconciles every figure to the ledger before it reaches the CFO.
Experience
Senior Financial Analyst, FP&A, Lakeport Medical Devices, Milwaukee, WI (09/2022 to Present)
- Rebuilt the division forecast as a driver-based model (units, price, mix, freight) in Excel and Adaptive Planning; full-year forecast error narrowed from about 6% to under 2%.
- Built the price-volume-mix bridge that showed a discount program eroding margin on two catheter lines; sales leadership removed the deepest discount tier the next quarter.
- Cut the monthly variance pack from eight working days after close to four by linking it to the ledger with Power Query.
- Model capital requests above $250,000 with NPV and payback analysis; reviewed 14 requests with operations last year.
- Document the forecast review controls tested in the annual SOX walkthrough.
Financial Analyst, Retail Banking Finance, Badger State Bank, Madison, WI (06/2019 to 08/2022)
- Prepared monthly profitability reports for 45 branches, covering deposit spread and fee income.
- Built the deposit pricing scenarios included in the asset-liability committee pack.
- Reconciled budget to general ledger every month and cleared breaks with the accounting team.
Education
BBA, Finance, Kettle Moraine University (05/2019)
Certifications
- Passed Level I of the CFA Program, CFA Institute (2024)
Skills
Driver-based forecasting, Variance analysis, Financial modelling, Price-volume-mix analysis, Capital budgeting (NPV, IRR), Excel (Power Query, Power Pivot), Workday Adaptive Planning, SAP S/4HANA, Power BI, Presenting to the CFO, Partnering with sales and operations
How to make the sample yours
Name your finance lane in the headline
FP&A, treasury, corporate development, credit, investment banking and asset management all use the title "financial analyst". "Senior Financial Analyst, FP&A" is read very differently from "Financial Analyst, Leveraged Finance", so say which.
Show the model, not just the spreadsheet
Give the drivers, the scenarios and the decision the model supported. "Built a model" without its inputs or its user tells a finance manager nothing.
Add securities exams for broker-dealer roles
FINRA says securities professionals must pass its qualification exams before working in those areas. Its Securities Industry Essentials exam is open to anyone 18 or older without a sponsoring firm and a pass stays valid for four years, so list it when applying to broker-dealers.
Keep one controls bullet
SOX walkthroughs, reconciliations to the ledger, review sign-offs or audit support. Analysts outside accounting are still expected to keep every number defensible.
Cross between financial services and corporate finance
From a bank or asset manager into a company, translate client or portfolio work into business partnering and forecasting. From a company into financial services, lead with modelling depth, valuation and any exposure to credit or markets.
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.
- financial analysis
- FP&A
- forecasting
- budgeting
- variance analysis
- financial modelling
- Excel
- NPV and IRR
- month-end close
- ERP
- SOX controls
- business partnering
- KPI reporting
- scenario analysis
Mistakes to avoid
- "CFA Level II" or "CFA (expected)" next to your name. CFA Institute permits neither.
- Bullets that only say "prepared reports" or "assisted with the budget", with no scale or outcome.
- A graphic, colourful layout for a bank or corporate finance application, where convention is expected.
- Rounding results into vagueness ("improved efficiency significantly"). Give the before and after.
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 | 5 of 5 | 8 of 8 |
| pdftotext (Xpdf) 4.00 | All found | 5 of 5 | 8 of 8 |
| pypdf 6.13.0 | All found | 5 of 5 | 8 of 8 |
Frequently asked questions
What should a finance resume include if I have no finance job yet?
Accounting, corporate finance and valuation coursework, any model you have built (a case competition, a student investment fund, a valuation of a listed company), specific Excel skills, and the SIE if you are aiming at securities roles.
Should I put my GPA on a finance resume?
In your first few years, if it is strong, yes; many banks and graduate programmes screen on it. After three or four years of work, drop it unless the employer asks.
How do I show Excel skills on a finance resume?
Name the features you rely on (Power Query, pivot tables, XLOOKUP or INDEX/MATCH, data tables for scenarios) and put a model's purpose in a bullet. "Advanced Excel" on its own appears on nearly every finance application.
Can I list a CFA level I have passed?
Yes, in CFA Institute's wording: "Passed Level I of the CFA Program", with the year. Use "CFA Program candidate" only while you are registered for an upcoming exam.
Is one page enough for a finance resume?
Usually, until roughly ten years of experience or several senior roles with distinct responsibilities. Early in a career, banks and most finance employers expect a tight single page.
Will applicant tracking systems read this Henrietta PDF?
The sample PDF read back with its contact details, all 5 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.
- FINRA: Qualification Exams (securities professionals must pass qualifying exams before engaging in those areas of the business)
- FINRA: Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) Exam (open to anyone 18 or older; firm association not required; results valid for four years)
- CFA Institute: Share your achievement ("CFA Program candidate" only when registered; otherwise "Passed Level I of the CFA Program"; no levels or expected dates after the name)
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