Industry
Corporate Finance and Investment CV writing
Finance CVs are judged on the size of the numbers you influenced and the decisions you supported. A list of reports produced tells a finance director almost nothing.
Chanuka Jeewantha
Read our 107 Reviews
Read all reviewsQuick answer
A finance CV should state the scale of the budgets, portfolios or deals you worked on and show which decisions your analysis supported. For FP&A, treasury, corporate finance and investment roles, employers read for modelling depth, commercial judgement and proximity to leadership. Qualifications such as CFA, CIMA or ACCA matter, but evidence of influence matters more.
Overview
This page covers finance outside banks and outside the audit and tax profession: FP&A, corporate finance, treasury, investment and business partnering within companies, funds and advisory firms. Employers want to see the scale of budgets or deals you worked on, the models you built, and how close you sat to the decisions made on them.
What employers screen for
What a Corporate Finance and Investment CV has to show.
- Budget, revenue or deal size you worked on, stated early
- Modelling depth: forecasting, valuation and scenario analysis
- Decisions supported and your proximity to leadership
- ERP and planning tools used, such as SAP, Oracle or Anaplan
- Qualifications the role expects, such as CFA, CIMA or ACCA
- Commercial judgement, not only numerical accuracy
Positioning
How to position the CV.
Frame yourself by the decisions your numbers informed. State the size of the business or portfolio, the models you owned and who used them, and the outcomes: a cost programme, an acquisition, a refinancing, a pricing change. Finance leaders hire people who can challenge the business, so show where your analysis changed a plan.
Competencies worth evidencing
- Financial modelling and valuation
- Budgeting and forecasting
- Variance analysis and performance reporting
- Business partnering
- Cash and liquidity management
- Capital allocation and investment appraisal
- Due diligence and deal support
- Board and executive reporting
Career paths
Where the roles lead.
- 01
FP&A: financial analyst to FP&A manager to head of FP&A
- 02
Business partnering: finance business partner to commercial finance lead
- 03
Corporate finance and M&A: analyst to associate to director
- 04
Treasury: treasury analyst to group treasurer
- 05
Investment: analyst to portfolio manager or investment director
Mistakes
What weakens a Corporate Finance and Investment CV.
- Leading with month-end reporting when strategic work exists
- No budget, revenue or deal sizes, so scale is invisible
- Model complexity described without the decision it served
- Blending banking, accounting and corporate finance experience into one vague summary
- Unclear qualification status, such as part-qualified with no level stated
FAQ
Corporate Finance and Investment CV questions
How do I write an FP&A CV?
Lead with the scope you supported, such as business unit revenue, cost base or number of cost centres, then show the forecasting and budgeting cycles you owned. The strongest FP&A bullets link analysis to action: a variance you explained that changed a spending decision, or a forecast model that became the planning standard. Name your planning and ERP tools clearly.
Should I put CFA or CIMA progress on my CV if I haven't finished?
Yes, show it clearly with the level passed and the expected completion date, for example CFA Level II candidate or CIMA Management level passed. Employers read part-qualified status as commitment, but vague wording such as studying CFA raises questions. Place it near the top if the role lists the qualification as required or preferred.
How is a corporate finance CV different from a banking CV?
A corporate finance CV focuses on decisions inside a business or on deals: budgets, investment cases, valuations and transactions. A banking CV focuses on products, client books and regulatory frameworks. Movement between the two is common, so if you are crossing over, translate your experience into the other side's language rather than assuming it transfers on its own.
What numbers should a finance CV include?
Include the numbers that show scale and influence: revenue or budget managed, deal or portfolio size, forecast accuracy improvements, cost savings identified and the size of the business you supported. Round figures are fine, and the currency should always be stated. If a number is confidential, give a range or a relative change rather than leaving scale out entirely.
Have your Corporate Finance and Investment CV written.
Choose your package, your experience level and how fast you need it. The price is shown before you commit.
