Perfect Investment Banking Resume – #1 Secret You Need To Know
The #1 secret to creating a perfect investment banking resume is 80-20 thinking.
That being the ability to 1) know what to include and what to leave out, and 2) write about your past achievements with Hemingway-esque efficiency. ie intelligence + disciplined writing.
Before exploring the how, it’s important to reflect on the why.
In investment banking we have the “15 seconds to bin rule”. Meaning, an investment banking resume will get about 15 seconds of attention until the banker decides whether to yay or nay it.
We’ve explained why bankers suffer such ADD before, so I won’t go into it again.
Within this reality I hope you can see that your resume has to, nay must, sell the young analyst within just seconds.
It has to scream “yeah this kid looks worth interviewing”.
Having seen the resumes of many an aspiring banker I can tell you almost no one knows this harsh reality, or if they do, no one seemingly understands what it really means for them – i.e. how it impacts resume writing and presentation.
But now you know the equation tired + moody + “couple pounds” you should be able to write a banker friendly resume.
All it takes to make a banker smile at 2.13am and green light you an interview is to craft a resume that is readable within seconds; and this comes down to you abiding by the IIB’s investment banking resume format guidelines.
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Why the “15 seconds to bin” rule is actually great for you and how to beat it
We love the rule because since most students don’t follow it, when you do you will stand out for all the right reasons. Plus you’ll make the analyst’s job to green light you so painless.
What should you do in order to pass the test?
In order to sell an analyst in just 15 seconds your resume has to be an 80-20 version of your original 6 page life story.
That means writing a freaking investment banking resume objective (the biggest douche bag thing you can do on Earth!) or talking about swimming medals won in grade school is a no go.
We exaggerate for effect.
But seriously your investment banking resume length can’t be more than one page long – and you have to achieve that with normal margins, proper spacing and a readable size font.
This may sound easy but selectively eliminating past successes and not resorting to squashed size 6 font never is.
All the advice on how to achieve this 1 page killer resume can be found in the Inside Investment Banking System, but the main point to heed now is…
Less is more.
Throw out the BS riddled career center guide book that says “stuff your 1 page resume to the max”. Instead 1) select only your most powerful achievements/experiences, 2) write about them in a succinct results-centric way and 3) harness the power of white space, beautiful typography and smart formatting.
Think Apple style, not Microsoft.
PS Check out our feature length tutorial on how to write an investment banking internship resume for loads of insider tips on creating a killer banking resume.
Tags: Banking, Investment, Know, Need, Perfect, resume, Secret