Resume Guidelines from a WSO Drop Reviewer

I have reviewed a number of resumes from a recent WSO drop, and while I've received some really wonderful ones that I have passed on (at least one received an offer!), I had far too many that were just terrible, which should not happen given the wealth of advice WSO has to offer on resumes. So, I thought I could hopefully point out some things to do and not to do, but, admittedly, much of this advice will likely be found in previous posts of this nature.

This comes from an investment banking perspective, and also may seem somewhat judgmental -- but, looking at anyone's resume for 10 seconds requires some degree of snap judgment, and is an unfortunate fact of life.

Formatting Advice

  • Always submit your resume as a PDF. If you’re stubborn and want a good reason why, the biggest is that the formatting can get all screwed up in a doc vs. PDF, and also that it allows me to see how you played with font/margins, etc.

  • Don’t have too much blank space on your resume. Thick margins, lots of space in between sections, etc. imply to me that you’re sloppy and/or lazy – the first because you didn’t take enough time to try to fill up the page, and the second because you haven’t earned enough experience yet to fill up the page.

  • On the other hand, don’t have ridiculously skinny margins, and definitely don’t go over one page. Also, make sure that the end of the text on your bullets matches the end of the text in your headers (such as with your dates).

  • Fonts for the most part have been fine, but some play around too much…go for Garamond or Georgia if you want to be a little different, Times is standard (but I personally don’t like it), and Arial is okay. Narrow Arial and Century are definite no’s, and anything worse than that should obviously be a no. I understand there are non-Word-standard fonts people use, too, so just make sure it is legible and (not or) sophisticated. I suppose if you used Helvetica that’d be fine with me, but probably not for other people.

  • In that vein, don’t get happy with italics, underlining, and bold. Don’t bold “key words” in your bullet points…I can decide what is important on my own, tyvm. If you use too much of all three, you are emphasizing way too much and it makes it harder to read.

Content Advice

  • Do not have a statement about your “purpose” or “goals” or anything where you talk about how you’re hard working, intelligent, etc. Your resume should demonstrate those things, without you having to hit someone over the head with it. If you approached a girl at a bar, would you say “I’m really good looking and charismatic” or try to show her by being well groomed and sociable?

  • List an interests section…I get lots of resumes with solid experience, but if I see intriguing interests, it will bump you to the top of the pile. Don’t just say “traveling” or “reading”…frankly that’s true of most intelligent people. If you say “African safaris” or “Utopian sci-fi novels” I really can’t stress enough how much more likely I am to pass along your resume/bring you in for an interview. If we’re going to be working with you all the time, we want you to be a pleasure to be around.

  • Perfect the art of the one-line bullet point. Many people either have one bullet point for three lines/sentences, or have way too little for one bullet point. For example, “Drafted pitching materials” is a lot less effective than “Drafted pitching materials, including comparable companies analysis and sector trends.” Now I know two skills that you have. On the other hand, don’t say “Drafted pitching materials, including comparable companies analysis and sector trends; also formatted to be client-ready and created Excel macros to accelerate formatting.” It will extend easily onto another line, and the second part isn’t even impressive – a monkey could do that.*

  • Don’t put details of your stock portfolio as “experience.” I too had ridiculously high returns in my own portfolio, but that doesn’t mean in any way I’ll be good at banking, and is pretty easy to do (or manipulate). There are better things to put down, such as the following two...

  • Any “get your hands dirty” work will be interesting. So you worked in construction your freshman summer? Put one bullet about it, conditional on having some space to fill up, and certainly to replace anything in your experience like your stock portfolio. If you have solid financial experience, as well, this sort of job will make me think you’re hardworking and have some character.

  • You should also include one bullet for jobs that have a sales component, such as retail, conditional on the same things as in the previous bullet. If you’ve had experience making people think they need something they didn’t think they did before walking in the store/taking your call, it will be very valuable in this business.

  • If your gpa is below a 3.5, find a way to break it out and make it look better, whether putting "Major GPA," "Post 1st Year," and so on. Also, if you went to a school lower than, let's say, top 20, you really need to have powerful extracurriculars and internships, or need to double/triple major with a near perfect GPA. It may be an unfair assumption, but if we see someone who went to a mediocre school with less than a 3.9, we figure they either are lazy or unintelligent.

This is certainly not an exhaustive list, but merely a list of the main problems I saw with resumes I reviewed that came from WSO. I highly recommend sending your resume to alums/friends in the industry and having them rip it apart before you start sending it to internship/analyst resume drops.

Feel free to ask questions or tell me how egregiously wrong I am in the comments.

*I have been surprised at how non-bankers struggle with formatting, though.

Mod Note (Andy): #TBT Throwback Thursday - this was originally posted on 05/26/12.

 
anaismalcolm:

It may be an unfair assumption, but if we see someone who went to a mediocre school with less than a 3.9, we figure they either are lazy or unintelligent.

might be the most ridiculous thing I've read on this site so far.

"Life all comes down to a few moments. This is one of them." - Bud Fox
 
noke2012:
anaismalcolm:

It may be an unfair assumption, but if we see someone who went to a mediocre school with less than a 3.9, we figure they either are lazy or unintelligent.

might be the most ridiculous thing I've read on this site so far.

Edit: On second thought, nvmd. Since this was a post of you actually taking your time to help ppl out I won't express my actual feelings on this statement.

GBS
 
noke2012:
anaismalcolm:

It may be an unfair assumption, but if we see someone who went to a mediocre school with less than a 3.9, we figure they either are lazy or unintelligent.

might be the most ridiculous thing I've read on this site so far.

have you ever seen 2 girls 1 cup anaismalcolm? bc i'm about to do that shit to you right now with comments like that LOLZ i'll show you who's lazy and unintelligent you fuckin whore.

 
<span class=keyword_link><a href=http://tinyurl.com/3zap9yh rel=nofollow>John Rolfe</a></span>:
noke2012:
anaismalcolm:

It may be an unfair assumption, but if we see someone who went to a mediocre school with less than a 3.9, we figure they either are lazy or unintelligent.

might be the most ridiculous thing I've read on this site so far.

have you ever seen 2 girls 1 cup anaismalcolm? bc i'm about to do that shit to you right now with comments like that LOLZ i'll show you who's lazy and unintelligent you fuckin whore.

Come at me, brah
 
syoon91:
Great Post! Sorry to be so nosy but were you receiving reader's resumes to be handed off to potential internships? If so is it too late to send you one?
It was for FT Analyst recruiting, unfortunately :(
blueslord2910:
How could you add a bullet for your "get your hand dirty job"??? On the experience, I have each of my internship into a section. Should I add another section for the "get your hand dirty" job?
If your internships are relevant, those take priority. There were quite a few resumes that had lots of blank space, and in those instances, a "dirty jobs" bullet would be ideal.
 

I disagree about margins. I always tell people to widen their margins a bit. Typically up to .7 Wide margins = more concise, easier to read bullets = less eye scanning left to right = less up and down eye scanning = most of your resume won't get read.

I also disagree about spacing. I always space my CV a lot but not for a lack of content. Rather I realize my CV will not actually get read thoroughly, so spacing things out makes it easier on the eyes. Plus, less content = more concise content. My spaces are usually 15pt Times.

 
couchy:
I disagree about margins. I always tell people to widen their margins a bit. Typically up to .7 Wide margins = more concise, easier to read bullets = less eye scanning left to right = less up and down eye scanning = most of your resume won't get read.

I also disagree about spacing. I always space my CV a lot but not for a lack of content. Rather I realize my CV will not actually get read thoroughly, so spacing things out makes it easier on the eyes. Plus, less content = more concise content. My spaces are usually 15pt Times.

I should have clarified; some margins were north of 1 inch, which is extreme. I think .5-.7 is the ideal range. And again, agreed with spacing, but these were more like two 15 pt Times spaces rather than one.

 
Best Response

I'd add some other tips.

1) Your CV needs a thesis and you need to structure your CV to reflect it. Example: On my CV, I really want to sell the internship I had - I worked times at a great fund. That internship is the largest section of my CV, greatly overwhelming my other work exp and education section. By doing that, my hope is the reader will remember me as Couchy: kid with really good internship experience at a top fund, ( but non-target and bad gpa ). see next point to see how i handle the part in parentheses.

2) Bold and italics need to be used to emphasize and potentially de-emphasize the major points to your "thesis". Example: My GPA is not great - so I include it at the end of my degree title, both in italics. Long sections of bold / italics are less pleasing to the eye and so a readers eye might just skip my GPA to jump straight to the more sexy, better formatted internship section.

3) Most important content always go as far top-left as possible. Unless the beginning is very very interesting, most content towards the bottom-right won't get read. Think of when you read a FB profile. If you're like me, you skip most of the content.

. . . .

The basic idea with these tips is that formatting is not just for looking good. It should help guide the reader to what is most important.

 

Question about the personal trading "experience": is it OK to put it if you trade FX/commodity futures/options/other volatility products, and have a semblance of a hedging or risk management strategy? I understand why a generic stock portfolio may be mundane and unimpressive on a resume. However, it seems to me that trading in more unusual and ostensibly 'difficult' markets (75% of retail FX traders lose money) with at least a semblance of sophistication could potentially be different. But, then again, maybe not.

 
SlyGuy:
Question about the personal trading "experience": is it OK to put it if you trade FX/commodity futures/options/other volatility products, and have a semblance of a hedging or risk management strategy? I understand why a generic stock portfolio may be mundane and unimpressive on a resume. However, it seems to me that trading in more unusual and ostensibly 'difficult' markets (75% of retail FX traders lose money) with at least a semblance of sophistication could potentially be different. But, then again, maybe not.
If it is a more complex portfolio, I agree, but some were just "Achieved 48% returns on personal portfolio by picking key equity stocks." That's not okay.
RagnarDanneskjold:
What do you do? If you don't mind me asking. Your profile says "Prospective Monkey."
Investment Banking Analyst...forgot to change that in my profile, oops!
holla_back:

3.9+ seems to be pushing it a bit. Do you really see this many people with high GPAs?

I don't see how it's possible for so many people to be in the top 10-15% of every single class throughout every single class in their college careers. Is grade inflation really that common these days?

I said mediocre school. If you don't have a 3.9+ from a non-target state school, that's not good enough, when you have plenty of 3.5+ from targets.

Edit upon further reflection: I totally get that there's rampant inflation in Ivy league / top tier schools; I went to a top-10 LAC and compared with my friends at Ivy's, I had much tougher academics. However, if I am choosing resumes to be passed along to the upper ranks for review, I know what they are looking for...and that is unfortunately prestige. There is an assumption, that seems to be throughout the industry, that having that "name" is branding that you can interact with others who come from that background and, what's more, you have the brains to succeed on the job. If you don't have that name backing you, the snap judgment is either that you are an "outsider" of sorts that won't fit in, or you didn't have the stones to make it into a better school. In a perfect world, we'd be able to magically know who is smartest and most qualified and who isn't, but instead we have to go on one measly page that barely tells us anything. Given that, and given the volume of resumes we receive, we filter; so, if we receive 50 3.5+'s from top-20 schools, a 3.5 from a state school/community college/non top-tier just won't wow us, unless there is something else that is incredible on there. It sucks that your choices when you are an idiot teenager (re: which college to go to) spill over into when you are looking for a job, but that's just how the cookie crumbles.

 
anaismalcolm:
  • If your gpa is below a 3.5, find a way to break it out and make it look better, whether putting "Major GPA," "Post 1st Year," and so on. Also, if you went to a school lower than, let's say, top 20, you really need to have powerful extracurriculars and internships, or need to double/triple major with a near perfect GPA. It may be an unfair assumption, but if we see someone who went to a mediocre school with less than a 3.9, we figure they either are lazy or unintelligent.

3.9+ seems to be pushing it a bit. Do you really see this many people with high GPAs?

I don't see how it's possible for so many people to be in the top 10-15% of every single class throughout every single class in their college careers. Is grade inflation really that common these days?

 
holla_back:
anaismalcolm:
  • If your gpa is below a 3.5, find a way to break it out and make it look better, whether putting "Major GPA," "Post 1st Year," and so on. Also, if you went to a school lower than, let's say, top 20, you really need to have powerful extracurriculars and internships, or need to double/triple major with a near perfect GPA. It may be an unfair assumption, but if we see someone who went to a mediocre school with less than a 3.9, we figure they either are lazy or unintelligent.

3.9+ seems to be pushing it a bit. Do you really see this many people with high GPAs?

I don't see how it's possible for so many people to be in the top 10-15% of every single class throughout every single class in their college careers. Is grade inflation really that common these days?

3.9 would put you in the top ~1%. Ppl don't get it. A 3.9 means out of ~41 classes, like 3 weren't A's..... they were A-'s. Believe me, I'd know. I graduated 3.7 and in the top 10% (under your theory I would have been like top 30%). As far as "Is grade inflation really that common these days?", the answer is yes, but only at the top schools. Which is why I was gonna comment before but decided not to. Not only is it harder for "non-targets" to do well, but even when they do, its immediately discounted. Add onto that fukin random ass schools giving out A+'s and you really start to see how absurd of a game this really is. Its literally too asinine to even piss me off anymore, lol

GBS
 
GoldmanBallSachs:
3.9 would put you in the top ~1%. Ppl don't get it. A 3.9 means out of ~41 classes, like 3 weren't A's..... they were A-'s. Believe me, I'd know. I graduated 3.7 and in the top 10% (under your theory I would have been like top 30%). As far as "Is grade inflation really that common these days?", the answer is yes, but only at the top schools. Which is why I was gonna comment before but decided not to. Not only is it harder for "non-targets" to do well, but even when they do, its immediately discounted. Add onto that fukin random ass schools giving out A+'s and you really start to see how absurd of a game this really is. Its literally too asinine to even piss me off anymore, lol

Yeah, the whole grade thing just blows my mind. My college graduating class of ~350 people had like fifteen who finished up with GPAs above 3.5. Applying to business school this fall should be painful. Oh well.

 

I respect your acknowledgement of the "target vs. non-target" argument's absurdity. I've always found it funny how a 3.5 from a rampantly grade inflated target, is better than a 3.9 from a non-inflated non-target when the majority of the time, the exact same courses are taught with the exact same textbooks, curriculums, etc. It's literally refreshing to be reminded that those on the "hiring side" at least recognize how asinine it is. Thanks again for the post

GBS
 

Some of the preference for target schools may be an irrational desire for prestige within the industry, but you also have to recognize that it is that way for a logical reason. If you go to a Ivy/Chicago/MIT/Stanford/etc, you are competing on a curve against some of the smartest and hardest working people in the country/world. Even if the distribution at XYZ state school is less inflated than at Harvard, your Harvard math major is competing against a much tougher body of students. Average GPA at Harvard is just under 3.5, maybe the average at the state school is 3.2, but I think the difference in quality of students is a lot greater than the difference of the mean student being 3.5 vs 3.2. And based on my experience at a target vs my friends at non-targets, the classes and content are nowhere near the same.

 

Schools that are fighting tooth and nail for their rankings (targets) aren't gonna allow a few slackers get in their way of getting the best stats possible for their school......enter our friend "grade inflation". Non-targets, while caring about their stats, are not nearly neurotic enough to institute good ol' grade inflation to up their rating. Pretty much every class I took at my non-target, my teacher would have gladly given all F's if thats wat he thought ppl deserved. Im sure a move like that would go over swimmingly with the Harvard asshats. On the one hand you have inflation, on the other you have "harder" classes. Putting aside the fact that I think the inflation is a stronger factor than the "difficulty" gap, I believe those should net out to zero for an apples to apples comparison

GBS
 
GoldmanBallSachs:
Schools that are fighting tooth and nail for their rankings (targets) aren't gonna allow a few slackers get in their way of getting the best stats possible for their school......enter our friend "grade inflation". Non-targets, while caring about their stats, are not nearly neurotic enough to institute good ol' grade inflation to up their rating. Pretty much every class I took at my non-target, my teacher would have gladly given all F's if thats wat he thought ppl deserved. Im sure a move like that would go over swimmingly with the Harvard asshats. On the one hand you have inflation, on the other you have "harder" classes. Putting aside the fact that I think the inflation is a stronger factor than the "difficulty" gap, I believe those should net out to zero for an apples to apples comparison

^ The stupid is strong in this one.

Try giving an F in an English class to a student who's written for national publications or another who's published a novel. Or try giving an F to the two students in an intermediate Physics class who represented the United States, and won Gold and Bronze medals, at the International Physics Olympiad--perhaps the two best young Physics minds in the US today. Or try competing in a class where even the slackers are always on top of their work and seek extra credit or where the vast majority of your peers have never ever seen a grade lower than an A on their transcripts.

To compare a non-target GPA to a target one is fucking moronic.

Before Illini comes in to lecture, I think state schools are awesome--I would very gladly attend Berkeley or Virginia if I could afford them (unfortunately they don't give scholarships/financial aid to internationals). But there is a difference between a non-target and a public-Ivy.

+1 to the OP. Great post.

 
GoldmanBallSachs:
Schools that are fighting tooth and nail for their rankings (targets) aren't gonna allow a few slackers get in their way of getting the best stats possible for their school......enter our friend "grade inflation". Non-targets, while caring about their stats, are not nearly neurotic enough to institute good ol' grade inflation to up their rating. Pretty much every class I took at my non-target, my teacher would have gladly given all F's if thats wat he thought ppl deserved. Im sure a move like that would go over swimmingly with the Harvard asshats. On the one hand you have inflation, on the other you have "harder" classes. Putting aside the fact that I think the inflation is a stronger factor than the "difficulty" gap, I believe those should net out to zero for an apples to apples comparison

Theres so many different factors to consider here that it just becomes confusing, but focus on a specific scenario: taking say a Calculus II course at a non-target state school and a top 10 school. Suppose the target curves to a B+ and the state school either doesn't curve or curves to a B- or something. I think you would agree that the top 10% or so of students at the state sschool would get A's. I would argue, however, that the average student at the ivy would be within this top 10% if he attended the state school. But we know from our supposed curve that the average Ivy kid gets a B+.

Obviously this is a theoretical example, but I do not think my assumptions are unrealistic at all. The quality of the student body at targets is significantly higher than at your average state school.

 

Yes but to add to that, the top 2% at some of the better nontarget would blow away the average target. These are probably the smart kids who were bored in high school, who had personal problems, or who maybe even got into a target but couldn't follow up.

Extelleron:
GoldmanBallSachs:
Schools that are fighting tooth and nail for their rankings (targets) aren't gonna allow a few slackers get in their way of getting the best stats possible for their school......enter our friend "grade inflation". Non-targets, while caring about their stats, are not nearly neurotic enough to institute good ol' grade inflation to up their rating. Pretty much every class I took at my non-target, my teacher would have gladly given all F's if thats wat he thought ppl deserved. Im sure a move like that would go over swimmingly with the Harvard asshats. On the one hand you have inflation, on the other you have "harder" classes. Putting aside the fact that I think the inflation is a stronger factor than the "difficulty" gap, I believe those should net out to zero for an apples to apples comparison

Theres so many different factors to consider here that it just becomes confusing, but focus on a specific scenario: taking say a Calculus II course at a non-target state school and a top 10 school. Suppose the target curves to a B+ and the state school either doesn't curve or curves to a B- or something. I think you would agree that the top 10% or so of students at the state sschool would get A's. I would argue, however, that the average student at the ivy would be within this top 10% if he attended the state school. But we know from our supposed curve that the average Ivy kid gets a B+.

Obviously this is a theoretical example, but I do not think my assumptions are unrealistic at all. The quality of the student body at targets is significantly higher than at your average state school.

 

lol @ my completely unintentional thread jack here. sry OP, this will be my last post I swear.

Anyway, the whole topic tweaks me out (and is one of my hot buttons if you couldn't tell) cuz I busted my ass for 4 years thinking thats what you had to do to get a decent job, etc. I discovered WSO 2nd semester senior year, and with it, the pretentiousness and closed-mindedness of the street. I quickly learned that it wasn't how hard you worked, but WHERE you did so... unfortunately the realization came too late. Im 250% sure I would have done as well at a "target". If nothing else, because the kids I went to high school with all went on to targets and I did as well as them in h.s. To be honest, I don't really regret my decision though cuz the reason I didn't was because I needed a break from exactly those kind of people. I may not have the "prestige" right now, but at the end of the day if I had to spend 4 more years with a bunch of kids fluent in klingon, who were allergic to the sun and the only "weight room" they knew of is the one they sit in before the doctor's office... I would have went AWOL. Besides, for all those people that realize the pretentiousness of the street too late like me, you can still get all your ducks in a row at the MBA level anyway (where it's WAYYYYYY easier to be "smart" and "normal" than at the UG level).

GBS
 
GoldmanBallSachs:
lI may not have the "prestige" right now, but at the end of the day if I had to spend 4 more years with a bunch of kids fluent in klingon, who were allergic to the sun and the only "weight room" they knew of is the one they sit in before the doctor's office... I would have went AWOL.

You perception of top-tier college populations is very, very skewed.

 

I have a 3.3. Definitely hasn't been beneficial to my job search. At all. But the low GPA is due to me not giving a FLYING FUCK (and in my opinion rightfully so) my freshman and sophomore year in all the bullshit general studies classes. In retrospect, yes I wish I had gone to class and put in even the minimum effort required to get decent grades. But I aced all my upper-level finance classes, and while I may not be the 2400 SAT type, you can suck my cock if you're gonna call me unintelligent because of my GPA.

"Some things are believed because they are demonstrably true. But many other things are believed simply because they have been asserted repeatedly—and repetition has been accepted as a substitute for evidence." - Thomas Sowell
 

Rerum quos veritatis esse quasi ipsam odio quia unde. Cum et deleniti dolor ullam. Alias ex vel perferendis voluptate sed. Illo quas quaerat iste amet accusantium. Exercitationem odio et repudiandae debitis amet. Labore tempora quidem non consequatur id vero. Numquam neque incidunt nemo qui qui alias.

Ab atque ab quidem facere. Quia reprehenderit impedit asperiores porro enim et. Sunt nulla incidunt ut alias consequatur exercitationem totam.

 

Dicta quod quo qui quae minus. Eos nesciunt similique et omnis sit ipsa aut. Quod omnis autem enim fuga quod harum.

Praesentium voluptatibus sunt ut voluptatem quisquam reiciendis. Asperiores sequi facere aut architecto fugit sunt. Minus veniam adipisci odit adipisci.

Enim ratione consequatur corporis harum neque aut eius. Dolor quae ullam nulla aut rerum iusto quo ratione. Debitis nobis eos et sit et facere ex pariatur. Voluptas et expedita tempora in dolores amet voluptatibus. Totam quis praesentium ullam qui quas nam.

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