In this instalment of ideas to build your CV we are considering layouts. There are hundreds of layouts available to adapt online and everyone has a very different idea of what a CV should look like and plenty of advice to pass on.

The layout of your CV is important to ensure that it can be easily read and is clear and simple for recruiters to navigate. Our advice would be to stick to a simple, traditional version using the following section headers:

• Personal Details
• Personal statement – tailor this to each opportunity you apply for and ensure it includes evidence of your skills and achievements
• Education

CV Template – follow this link for PDF version

CV Template

Name:                                                                   Resides:

Nationality:                                                         Email:                                                    Tel:

__________________________________________________________________________________

PERSONAL STATEMENT:

__________________________________________________________________________________

EDUCATION:

Dates                                                                    University name and location

Degree studied and grade

Dates                                                                    School Attended

A Levels studied and grades GCSE’s studied and grades

__________________________________________________________________________________

QUALIFICATIONS:

Qualification and date e.g. ACA 2014 – first time passes

__________________________________________________________________________________

SKILLS AND ACHIEVEMENTS:

In bullet point form and include evidence of skills

__________________________________________________________________________________

CAREER HISTORY AND EXPERIENCE:

Dates                                                                    Name and location of company

Brief description of company

Job Title

Responsibilities included:

In bullet point form

__________________________________________________________________________________

SKILLS AND INTERESTS:

Bullet points

If you are recruiting in the current climate you are very likely to receive a lot of great applications.  Wading through all these CV’s can be tough! Whether you are working with a Recruitment Consultant or reviewing advert responses, deciding who to meet and who to reject can be a difficult decision.

One of the key things to have in place is a strong idea of exactly what criteria you are focussed on:

• What educational level do they need to be?
• What work experience do they need to have?
• How many years’ experience do they need?
• What skills do they need to have?

Try not to judge someone on the presentation of their CV. Drill down on what it tells you about […]

We are very pleased that a number of our clients are currently recruiting for analysts and associates to join their teams on both the sell and buy side.

As well as relevant experience either in M&A or as a fund analyst a few of the roles are specifically looking for applicants with fluent Northern European language skills.

These are excellent career opportunities at boutique M&A houses and an infrastructure fund which offer:

• Global and Europe wide exposure
• Opportunity to specialise in a sector – including infrastructure and consumer products
• Boutique environments which offer you the opportunity to work closely with very senior colleagues, get involved in all the aspects of a transaction and direct client interaction

Other skill sets our clients are interested […]

If you are considering upskilling during lockdown to help you secure your career goals in the future, then the big question is – what skills should I work on?  We surveyed hundreds of financial services firms across the City to ask them that very question and the responses were very interesting:

56% of respondents suggested that the skills that would be useful to develop are financial analysis and financial modelling with merger modelling being the most mentioned specific modelling skill.

The other skills that are highly prized is communication and presentation.  Ways to work on these include:

• Consider developing your knowledge and use of presentation software such as PowerPoint
• Written communication is as important as verbal and in person communication so consider […]