CV for Investment Bank UK

Haha agreed about the Bright Network shit

I would say that given you have nothing else, put the Insight Days at BlackRock/Barclays + the Credit Suisse investor challenge under relevant experience.

With the retail job stuff list write 1 line “worked XX hours per week as a customer assistant, in addition to full-time study”

Some of the sentences like “networked with like-minded individuals” make me physically cringe

Expand on your interests in brackets, e.g. Golf (handicap of 11)

I would say apply everywhere, but don’t expect anything good. Try and get a relevant internship e.g. Credit Risk at Lloyd’s Bank, then try for BB Credit Risk SA again in your final year

Maybe go for springs instead

Dude seriously? You left your email (and therefore name) embedded as a hyperlink at the top...

I’m not familiar with the WSO template previously mentioned but if your CV were to land on my desk, here’s what I’d think.

1) University related stuff needs bulking out. How did you develop your interest in finance? did you taking any financial maths courses? anything that links to finance at all? Put the Bright network internship here but use as few words as possible; it’s cringe but is worth mentioning - ideally use as ammo for why you picked certain modules in your 3rd years

2) Scrap the relevant vs non-relevant work exp, should be one section imo. As a student the only relevant one would be an internship and that would be at the top following a standard reverse chronological format anyway.

3) The wording for your retail experience uses too many buzz words. What did you actually do? stack shelves and answer questions or did you work on the tills? what did that actually mean for you? working independently? did you train new staff? were you responsible for cashing up at EOD? there should be an element of bluntness here, because fundamentally if you try and spruce it up too much it’s going to sound like a bunch of bullshit

4) Use less semicolon’s

5) The maths society section is great stuff, anything more like that? I want to know you can work with people, can you motivate them, can you empathise etc

6) If you take away anything from this, please get rid of the “networking with like minded people” type rubbish. Did you have industry visitors giving talks? did you discuss a particular trading idea that would have worked? (an idea that didn’t work but you understand why is a good thing to remember for an interview too). Your finance section later on can be integrated here if applicable

7) I’d personally rename the “computer skills” to “technical skills”. Assuming true, don’t forget the complete Microsoft package aka Word etc. Also, and this is something I personally never understood, make sure you can justify why you’re advanced. Are you advanced relative to career level or actually advanced? Huge difference between being comfortable with basic if statements/pivot tables and someone completely proficient in VBA for example. Any python or Matlab?

8) Sports - good. Won anything? My first interview was with a guy who loved golf. I lived in an area well known for golf but literally never played, but that didn’t stop us from spending most of the interview talking about the local courses - almost all areas of banking is a people business, whether it’s client facing or just the fact you spend lots of time sat next to the same people, can you be social?

Hope that helps. For context, I work in S&T so may be slightly in favour of more bluntness than a typical CV may be. Make sure to get rid of the white pages.

Also, change the links to not be hyperlinked to your email as mentioned - your identity is on show.

Good luck.