Trending Content - Resume Advice Forum
Career Resources
WSO Free Modeling Series - Now Open Through
September 30, 2026
9 Free Financial Modeling Lessons
Get instant access to lessons taught by experienced private equity pros and bulge bracket investment bankers including financial statement modeling, DCF, M&A, LBO, Comps and Excel Modeling.
+Bonus: Get 27 financial modeling templates in swipe file
+Bonus: Get 27 financial modeling templates in swipe file
High Finance Applications
Guaranteed
Get at least one offer GUARANTEED
- 1:1 support
- 92% success rate
- 2,000+ mentor network
- Unlimited Live bootcamps
- AI for resume + LinkedIn
- Networking automation tools
- HireVue simulation tool
- Full course library
- Private Slack community
- 20hrs of mocks
- + much more...
quantify more for your bullet points and apply to boutiques as well.
"CFA I candidate" is not a certification. You don't get a certificate for it. You don't get certified until you pass Level 3 plus the professional experience qualifications.
You haven't even passed the exam.
Thanks for the heads up, but adding "CFA I Candidate" shows that I have a passion for finance and that I'm on the route to potentially obtaining the qualifications. Headhunters have told me that adding the "CFA I Candidate " on my resume is more rewarding than damaging. Would you disagree?
I agree; it does show a commitment to increasing your knowledge base (I got a lot of questions about L2 candidate on my resume when I was interviewing). SSits is spot on though (had to read 20 pages of curriculum on just how to refer to CFA member,candidate...), If a charterholder gets your resume, they may want to verify you've actually registered for the next exam date (i.e. it's a violation of the CFAI code and standards to write that on your resume if you're not registered) - seen some people get dinged for this before..just a heads up, don't know if you've registered yet or not.
I think you should include it, but not in a way which that indicates that is factually inaccurate (ie it's not a qualification) and implies that you don't understand the distinction, notwithstanding the great efforts the CFA Institute goes to in explaining in CFA I the nature of the title, appropriate use etc.
If I was reading that, I'd think "Applicant either doesn't pay attention to detail or just doesn't get it. Both those things are vital for junior bankers. Ding." Possibly because I'm an anally retentive attention to detail sort of guy.
Put it on, but not as a "certification". Put it under something like other finance-related activities.
Distinctio iusto tempore rem doloremque. Consequatur ipsam rerum consequatur provident sunt impedit voluptatibus. Fugiat sequi impedit officia qui aut aut pariatur. Iste voluptate ipsum quia libero et. Dolore quisquam earum accusantium et consectetur consequatur excepturi saepe. Ipsum sed magnam placeat qui suscipit.
Id magnam necessitatibus nihil ea quia eligendi voluptatem. Unde inventore deserunt quaerat cumque.
Consequatur molestiae eius ratione qui et quo fugiat. Quis nemo ut et aliquam vero.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...