How to Write a Banking CV

CVs for investment banking, private equity, asset management and fintech don't play by the same rules as a general CV. A hiring manager spends only a few seconds scanning a CV — fail that first pass and you never even get the interview. This guide shows you how to write a Hong Kong finance CV that makes it obvious, at a glance, that you know what you're doing.

1. How a banking CV differs from a general CV

A general CV says what you did; a banking CV says what results you delivered and at what scale. Finance is a highly quantitative industry, and recruiters want to see the numbers immediately: deal size, assets under management (AUM), returns, number of clients covered, team size. Three key differences:

• Quantify everything: put a number in every line where you can. Instead of "assisted on M&A deals", write "supported a US$200M cross-border M&A deal, responsible for the financial model and due diligence".
• Get the technical terms right: DCF, LBO, comps, financial modelling, Bloomberg, Python/VBA, risk management (VaR) and the like — spelling them out correctly signals that you actually know the work.
• Keep the formatting immaculate: finance prizes detail and rigour. A CV with typos, messy formatting or mismatched fonts tells them you're careless. Single column, standard fonts, one page ideally (two is fine for senior candidates).

2. Structure: the order hiring managers want to see

1. Personal details + a one-line positioning: name, contact, LinkedIn. Add a line of professional summary that states your focus (e.g. "Three years of IBD experience, focused on TMT M&A").
2. Work experience (the heart of it): reverse chronological order. Use 3–5 bullets per role, in the form "verb + what you did + quantified result". Play up the deals, project scale and role you took on.
3. Education: university, major, GPA (if strong), exchange or scholarships. Fresh graduates and junior candidates can put this first.
4. Skills and qualifications: financial modelling, programming (Python/SQL/VBA), languages, CFA/FRM/ACCA and so on (if you're still sitting exams you can write "Level II candidate").
5. Others: relevant internships, case competitions, an investment portfolio or personal research — especially valuable for junior candidates.

3. The 6 fatal mistakes on a finance CV

• Duties only, no results: "responsible for X" everywhere leaves recruiters unable to see your value.
• Vague or exaggerated numbers: only write what's true and what you remember — interviews will probe the details.
• Piling on technical terms you can't explain: writing "LBO" but failing to explain it works against you.
• One CV for every role: IBD, S&T, PE and risk all demand different things — your keywords must target the specific role.
• Fancy formatting: charts, columns, company logos — an ATS can't read them, and a human reader finds them unprofessional.
• Neglecting LinkedIn: networking matters enormously in finance; your CV and LinkedIn must be consistent and complete.

4. Hong Kong finance job-search specifics

• Foreign vs Chinese institutions: foreign investment banks (BB/EB) favour English CVs and value international experience and English; some Chinese institutions accept Chinese and prize Mandarin and mainland connections. Read your target before deciding language and emphasis.
• Language is an asset: being able to handle both Chinese and English (and even Mandarin) is a clear advantage in Hong Kong, especially for roles serving Greater China clients.
• Licences and compliance: some front-office roles require SFC licences (e.g. Type 1 and Type 4). Stating your licensing status on the CV helps.
• Networking + referrals: many finance roles come through referrals. Keep a CV ready so you can hand it to a contact or headhunter at any moment.