Banking Resume Fixes For Analysts
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 a line-by-line critique of my one-page finance resume? I'm a final-year undergrad in Singapore and I'm targeting bulge-bracket investment banking analyst roles in London on a UK graduate visa. I want you to spot weak finance keywords, tell me where I'm not quantifying deal exposure enough, and rewrite any bullets that sound vague or underpowered for analyst recruiting.
Absolutely. Paste the resume text and I will review it like an IB recruiter would. I will focus on three things: 1. finance keyword strength 2. deal and transaction quantification 3. bullet tightness and relevance for London analyst recruiting. Since you are targeting bulge-bracket banking, I will also flag anything that sounds too generic, too academic, or not outcome-driven enough.
Here is the first half. Education: National University of Singapore, BBA Finance, expected 2026, CAP 4.2. Relevant experience: Investment Club Analyst, screened equities and made pitch decks. Internship at a local corporate finance boutique, helped with valuation models and prepared materials for clients. The bullets feel weak to me but I do not know how to sharpen them.
Good instinct. Right now these lines are too broad and do not read as banking-ready. Line by line: Education is fine, but CAP should be paired with honors if strong, and any finance modules, exchange, or relevant scholarships should be named. Investment Club Analyst is vague. Better if you show scope, method, and output, for example: screened 30 Singapore-listed names using trading multiples and DCF, then built 3 investment memos for weekly committee review. For the boutique internship, 'helped with valuation models' is weak. Say what you modeled, for whom, and the purpose: built comparable company and precedent transaction analyses for a S$XXm sell-side mandate, supporting pitch materials and management presentation. The key is to turn participation into contribution.
That makes sense. I also have this bullet for a project: 'Worked with a team to analyze a potential acquisition in the consumer sector and presented findings to professors.' And another from student leadership: 'Managed finance club events and increased participation.' Can you rewrite both so they sound more like they belong in an IB resume?
Yes. Both need sharper finance language and measurable scope. For the acquisition project, try: 'Modeled accretion and dilution and assessed strategic rationale for a consumer-sector acquisition, presenting valuation and synergy recommendations to a panel of professors.' If you can add deal size, company names, or the number of comps used, even better. For the leadership bullet, unless it is directly finance-related, keep it short or move it lower: 'Coordinated 5 speaker events and increased attendance by 35 percent through targeted outreach and campus partnerships.' That sounds more concrete. For IB recruiting, leadership should show execution, scale, and initiative, not just activity.
I also wrote: 'Built financial models and supported deal teams during internship.' It feels especially weak. What would a stronger version look like if I want to imply real exposure without exaggerating?
That bullet is too generic and could describe almost any internship. A stronger version should specify the model type, deal stage, and what your work influenced. Examples: 'Built DCF, trading comps, and sensitivity analyses for live M&A pitches, helping refine valuation ranges for client discussions.' Or, if it was more execution-focused: 'Prepared financial models and information packs for live transaction pitches, supporting senior bankers across two sell-side mandates.' If you want to imply real exposure without overclaiming, use phrases like 'supported live mandates,' 'assisted in pitch materials,' or 'contributed to valuation analysis.' Avoid 'deal teams' unless you actually worked on live deals.
Can you give me a quick list of the biggest resume issues I should fix before applying to London analyst roles, especially from a finance keyword and formatting perspective?
Yes. Top issues to fix: 1. Add stronger finance keywords such as valuation, DCF, trading comps, precedent transactions, accretion and dilution, financial modeling, pitch book, and live mandate where true. 2. Replace vague verbs like helped, worked on, and supported with built, analyzed, modeled, and prepared. 3. Quantify everything possible, such as number of companies screened, deal size, event scale, attendance growth, or number of models created. 4. Make bullets outcome-oriented, not task-oriented. 5. Keep formatting tight: one page, consistent tense, clean margins, no crowded sections. 6. Prioritize banking-relevant experience above club work unless leadership is especially strong. 7. If your UK graduate visa is relevant, keep it simple in the application form rather than the resume unless the role asks for work authorization details. If you want, send the full resume and I can rewrite each bullet in banker style.