CV/Resume feedback

So I'm a recent graduate in the UK, finished last year. I did my undergrad degree from a pretty middle of the road university (think state school) but it's well known. After that I did an MSc at a target school in London. I didn't have a lot of experience then so I didn't bother with the analyst programs, but I did secure two internships, one with a PE firm and another with a bulge bracket. This is in Europe so, it was an internship outside the summer cycle, from September onwards. I couldn't secure an offer and I was in a pretty terrible situation because I'd missed all the deadlines. In any case, I decided to go on a gap year, which if you're not familiar, is part ski-bum and part work. It's pretty common in the UK, most people do it before going to university or before they go for a postgrad degree. I wanted to help out my dad with his business so that was the main reason

Anyway, I decided I'd try for the analyst programs in the following year, but I've been a bit surprised. I have gotten interviews and final rounds with a number of companies but these have mainly been with boutiques and the corp finance divisions of the Big 4 accountants. I only got one call-back from a bulge bracket for an interview. I've been dinged by some of the bigger boutiques like Jefferies and Greenhill.

So I'm wondering what I've done wrong.

http://www.razume.com/documents/23540

 
Best Response

I've always been told that each item should begin with a past-tense "action" word; i.e. under your bulge internship, second bullet, I might rephrase "Researched extensively..." as opposed to what you've put. More generally, I might try to emphasize leadership and initiative. For instance on the same line item, instead of saying that you "researched" something, which strikes me as reactive, maybe try "Performed comps analysis of US & UK cinema...", or even "Performed comps research..." Full disclosure, I've never hired anybody in my life, but given how much emphasis banks place on initiative in their employees, that's how I try to put things. You could try going through your res for ways in which you could cast yourself in a more positive light (at least in this respect).

Otherwise, at least for the US, you might have too much under "Interests and Achievements." And as a nuance, I'd rephrase it "Achievements and Interests;" maybe you'll catch the reader's eye. I also really like the template/layout you used.

"There are three ways to make a living in this business: be first, be smarter, or cheat."
 

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