When applying to finance internships and jobs, it’s incredibly important to have your resume and cover letter polished. A great cover letter can set you apart in certain cases, but your resume is far more important. It’s the hiring manager’s first impression of you and it’s often referenced (if not centered around) during the interview process. Here is the top resume tip to help you get noticed:
The “Breadcrumb Trail” Technique
Go through your resume and find areas where you can incorporate specific numbers (dollars ($), percentages (%), etc.) to show how you made an impact. This could be in reference to a part-time job in high school, a past internship, a capstone college course, or a club you’re involved in or leading. People in finance like to see numbers so it’s important to show quantifiable metrics throughout your resume. Here are a few simple examples of what I’m talking about:
- Increased Finance Society attendance by 67% SoS (semester-over-semester)
- Decreased store expenses by $755 MoM (month-over-month)
- Achieved 113% quota attainment over a twelve-month period by diversifying lead sources
- Increased annual sales by 297% from $79k in 2016 to $314k in 2017
Don’t over do it, but make sure to have a few metrics mixed into your resume. The key is to integrate them into topics you want to talk about and elaborate on. Specific numbers (especially odd numbers) naturally attract attention. Some interviewers may be genuinely curious, while some will try to call you on your BS and have you explain how you got that specific number/metric. Being able to articulately explain each number in detail will blow your interviewer away!
These tips not only help you get noticed, but they can allow you to better control interviews. You can easily anticipate questions ahead of time and have thoughtful, robust answers on deck.
Check out the Resume + Cover Letter Bundle I created to take your internship/job search to the next level!