Putting together a CV for a banking job

You’re looking for the next big move and are considering banking jobs London, Manchester or Birmingham-based.

Your CV needs to show and sell your abilities. It needs to get you to interview stage so make sure you:

• don’t go over two sides of paper


• use quality, plain paper


• keep to a minimum text size of 11 points


• use bullet points as they break information into punchy, easy to read facts


• make sure your CV looks professional with plenty of ‘white space’ so readers can quickly understand your skill base


• start with your most recent job first as that’s the most important


• avoid gaps in work or education


• use unjustified text which is easier to read than justified text


• keep paragraphs to five or six lines


• use short sentences. Key points are easier for readers to pick out and shorter sentences can give greater impact.


Try and aim for an average sentence length of between 15 and 20 words


• sell yourself using more words carrying significant responsibility such as ‘managed’ and ‘implemented’


• define your key achievements in jobs, going beyond your core job responsibilities


• avoid changes in tense, using past tense in most cases helps reinforce the achievements you’ve made in organisations


• don’t state your salary unless requested


• make sure you spell check your CV before you send it. This helps send out a message that you possess attention to detail, key in financial work.


Best of luck with your bank job search. There’s lot of banking jobs but don’t fall at the first hurdle because your CV isn’t up to scratch!