The investment accounting field is competitive, and landing a dream job in it can be difficult. However, if you want to increase your chances of success, it’s all about promoting yourself effectively.
While experience matters, resumes are often the first impression an employer gets of you as an applicant, so it’s important to leave an impression that makes the hiring manager think: “This person looks like they’d be perfect for my team.”
Here are some tips on how to create a resume that will help you land your dream job as an investment accountant.
Create A Targeted Resume
To create a resume that will land you an investment accountant job, you’ll need to make sure your resume is specific.
This means that it has relevant keywords from the job description in it, and it highlights your experience with those words. It also means that there should be little difference between resumes for different jobs.
To accomplish this, there are several options:
- Use a targeted resume template.
- Use a resume builder tool such as ResumeHero or ResumeGenius!
- Use a service like Resume Writing Lab or TopResume (around $50-100 for premium packages).
Focus On Your Accomplishments
As an investment account, you are tasked with helping the company achieve its goals. You should focus on this aspect when drafting your resume and cover letter.
Achieving the desired results can be done in many ways. You can work on improving internal processes or systems, saving money for the company, boosting revenue, and so on.
Keep in mind that different companies have different needs and values so what works for one firm may not work for another one.
When writing about your accomplishments, make sure you include specific details (how and when) to show how you achieved them as well as why they are important to your employer’s business model or strategy
Focus On Results And Outcomes, Not Just Duties And Responsibilities
The best way to differentiate yourself from other candidates is by focusing on the results of your work. When you have a clear understanding of what’s expected of you, it’s easier to showcase how well you met those expectations.
For example, if you were tasked with increasing sales, try explaining why and how this happened in response to an interview question about what your biggest accomplishment was at a previous job.
If there are numbers that back up your answer such as increased revenue or decreased turnover feel free to include them!
Clearly Show Career Progression And Growth
You’re not going to get a job as an investment account if you don’t have any relevant experience, so you need to show that you have what it takes. A good way to do this is by showing career progression and growth.
If it’s been a few years since you started working in finance, focus on how the job has changed over time in areas where you’ve been able to make an impact and improve processes for the better, for example.
If your employer has had an annual review process or another performance-based system in place throughout your career, highlight how it’s helped with internal communication and collaboration between team members.
These things demonstrate that not only are you capable of working effectively with others but also that there are clear opportunities for them (and themselves!) at work too!
Show Evidence Of Leadership And Initiative
In addition to showing that you are proficient at your job, it is important to show your leadership skills, initiative, and ability to work in a team.
You can do this by highlighting any achievements you have made over the past few years, highlighting any awards or recognition received during that time, or showcasing any projects that were completed successfully thanks to your leadership abilities.
If there are no formal ways of showing these skills in your current role, then consider including examples of how you have helped others achieve success at work or school (e.g., mentoring someone who was struggling with their studies).
You should also highlight any examples where you have shown initiative within the company/organization/business.
A good way of doing this is by showcasing specific times when things did not go according to plan but then overcame those problems by working harder than usual until they were solved (or at least minimized).
Incorporate Strategic Keywords In Your Resume
You can use keywords to help your resume stand out from the crowd. Keywords are words that describe your skills and experience, and recruiters use them to search for candidates with the right qualifications.
They’re also used by recruiters to filter out candidates who don’t match the job requirements (a practice known as “keyword screening”). If you include all of these keywords in your resume, you may just find yourself invited for an interview!
Avoid “Creative” Format Tricks
You’re about to send your resume for the position of investment accountant. You’ve put a lot of time and energy into creating an eye-catching document, but you’re beginning to worry that you may have gone a little too far.
Don’t get caught up in the details! Your job search is not the time to get creative with your formatting or presentation.
You want your resume to be as simple, clean, and straightforward as possible so that it can catch the attention of hiring managers who are busy reviewing dozens if not hundreds of other resumes every day.
Avoid using fancy fonts like Comic Sans or Papyrus; they’ll make your resume look unprofessional and distracting at best, while at worst they could come across as unprofessional on their own merits (think handwritten text).
Avoid colorful graphics and images; these items can take away from what should be the focus: you!
Be sure not to use more than one color throughout all sections of your resume unless otherwise directed by a specific company’s submission guidelines. And don’t forget: white paper is always best!
Use White Space To Your Advantage
If you’re like most people, your resume is probably packed with words, graphics, and numbers everything from bullet points to charts to graphs. This often leads to a document that looks as if it’s been printed on a dot matrix printer circa 1987.
The problem with this approach is simple: White space is important for readability and visual hierarchy. Studies have shown that white space can make the text easier to scan and understand.[1]
Here are a few ways you can use white space to your advantage:
Leave blank spaces between sections in your resume. This will separate each section from the next one, making it easier for the reader’s eye to focus on each section individually without being distracted by other information in adjacent sections.[2]
Use margins around headings so they stand out from their body text.[3]
Use Active Rather Than Passive Verbs Where Possible
Active verbs are direct and powerful, while passive verbs are indirect and weak. In other words, active verbs show that you are taking an action while passive verbs show that something is being done to you.
Active verbs tend to be stronger and more direct than passive ones in English. For example:
The CEO was fired by the board of directors (active)
vs. The board of directors fired the CEO (passive)
In general, active sentences are stronger than their passive counterparts because they make it clear who or what caused the result described in the sentence.
It’s easier for your reader to understand who or what did something by using active rather than passive sentences wherever possible.
Stick To The Facts
Keep it simple. Your resume should be easy to read and understand. Avoid using jargon and buzzwords, which only make you look like you don’t know what you’re talking about.
Use clear, concise language in a standard font and font size (12pt Times New Roman).
Use action verbs at the beginning of each bullet point. If possible, use an active verb that relates to your achievements (for example: “Increased revenue by 35%”).
Don’t just say “handled daily tasks” if what you mean is “grew revenue by 35%.” You want to show off your accomplishments not just list them!
But always be sure not to brag or exaggerate on this section; stick with the facts as much as possible so they’re easy for hiring managers to verify with their records later on down the road once they’ve hired you!
If there’s white space around certain words like verbs or nouns then make sure those words are capitalized because these are some of the most important parts about any sentence in English grammar (unless it’s just one word).”
Eliminate Redundancies; Use Only One Word To Express An Idea
It’s important to be clear, but it’s also important to avoid redundancy. Redundancies are when you use more words than necessary to express an idea.
The following example demonstrates this concept: “The client was very happy with our performance.” Using one word instead of two can save space and make your writing clearer: “The client was happy with our performance.”
At first glance, it may seem as though redundancy is a good thing, after all, it means you’re being thorough in your descriptions. However, this isn’t necessarily true! Overly long descriptions are often a sign of poor writing skills and an inability to express ideas succinctly.
Redundancy can be avoided by using synonyms or paraphrasing. For example: “Our team has excellent communication skills” could be rewritten as “We communicate well.”
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a job in investment accounting, it’s important to remember that your resume should be tailored for the role. As such, it should highlight your skills and experience that match the job description as closely as possible.
You also want to avoid using creative formatting tricks or gimmicks like italics or underlining because these will only distract hiring managers from what matters most your qualifications!
The best way to make sure your resume gets noticed? Focus on communicating clearly and concisely what sets you apart from other candidates while highlighting all of those accomplishments that show off how well-rounded an employee you are.
