ATS Resume Fixes For Finance Roles

Reviewed by Fallon Han· Updated 2026-06-01 06:06:45.974

This conversation was generated using Cook'd AI's career assistant and reviewed by Fallon Han from our editorial team for accuracy.

Can you do an ATS-style review of my resume and tell me where it looks too generic for a boutique valuation and advisory role? I'm a fresh graduate from a non-target university in India, and I want to know what finance keywords I am missing and how to reword the summary so it fits valuation teams better.

Yes. For a valuation and advisory role, the main ATS gaps I usually see in fresh graduate resumes are: weak finance terminology, vague summary lines, and experience bullets that sound academic instead of deal-focused. What to fix first: 1. Summary: make it specific to valuation, financial modeling, and analytical work. 2. Skills: add role-relevant terms like valuation, DCF, comparable companies, precedent transactions, financial analysis, Excel, PowerPoint, research, due diligence, and report drafting. 3. Bullets: replace generic verbs like helped, worked on, and learned with quantified action verbs like analyzed, built, modeled, compared, and summarized. 4. Structure: put education, skills, and finance projects in a way that ATS can scan quickly. If you share the current summary, I can rewrite it line by line.

My current summary says: 'Recent commerce graduate with strong communication skills, eager to learn, and looking for an opportunity in finance where I can contribute and grow.' It feels too broad. How would you rewrite it for a valuation role?

That summary is clear, but it is too generic for ATS and for a valuation team. Problems in the current version: - 'strong communication skills' is overused and not role-specific - 'eager to learn' adds little value - 'opportunity in finance' is too broad - there is no mention of valuation, analysis, modeling, or research Stronger rewrite: 'Commerce graduate from a non-target university with hands-on exposure to financial analysis, Excel-based modeling, and research-driven problem solving. Interested in valuation and advisory roles, with a focus on business analysis, comparable company research, and preparation of client-ready presentations.' If you want it even sharper for boutique firms, I can make it sound more technical and concise.

Please make it sharper. I have done one finance project on valuing a listed company using DCF and comparables, but I am not sure how to mention it without sounding fake.

Use the project as evidence, but keep the wording precise and honest. Sharper summary option: 'Final-year commerce graduate with project experience in DCF and comparable company valuation for a listed business. Skilled in financial research, Excel-based analysis, and structuring findings into concise presentations. Targeting valuation and advisory roles where analytical rigor and attention to detail are essential.' Why this works: - It includes valuation keywords ATS can detect - It shows a concrete project - It avoids exaggeration - It matches what boutique valuation teams want: research, analysis, and presentation To make it even stronger, add a project bullet such as: - Conducted DCF and trading comparables valuation for a listed company using revenue growth, margin assumptions, and discount rate analysis in Excel. That line is much more credible than saying you 'did valuation work.'

What about the skills section? Right now I only have Excel, PowerPoint, and Teamwork. Which finance keywords should I add so it looks relevant but still truthful?

You should expand the skills section with terms that match valuation and advisory work, but only include what you can defend in an interview. Good skills keywords for your profile: - Financial analysis - Valuation basics - DCF modeling - Comparable company analysis - Market research - Industry research - Excel - PowerPoint - Data interpretation - Financial statement analysis - Presentation building - Report drafting If you have used any of these in projects, include them. A cleaner skills section could look like this: Technical Skills: Excel, PowerPoint, Financial Analysis, DCF Valuation, Comparable Company Analysis, Financial Statement Analysis, Market Research Soft Skills: Communication, Attention to Detail, Team Collaboration, Problem Solving Keep the list focused. Too many random finance terms can hurt credibility if the resume feels inflated.

Can you also tell me if my resume structure matters for ATS? I currently have Education first, then Projects, then Skills, then Internships. I do not have full-time experience.

Yes, structure matters a lot for ATS and for boutique finance recruiters who skim quickly. For a fresh graduate with no full-time experience, a strong order is: 1. Summary 2. Education 3. Skills 4. Finance Projects 5. Internships or Relevant Experience 6. Certifications if any 7. Additional information if useful Why this works: - Summary gives immediate role fit - Education is important for a fresh graduate - Skills helps ATS keyword matching - Projects should come before weak internships if the projects are more finance-relevant Since you are targeting valuation and advisory, your projects should be easy to spot. Make sure each project has: - Goal - Method used - Tools used - Outcome or insight Example project bullet format: - Built a valuation model for a listed company using DCF and comparable multiples in Excel, and summarized key assumptions and sensitivity insights for presentation. That structure looks much more finance-focused than a generic student resume.