First impressions count
Your resume is going to be the first thing a potential employer sees about you, so it's going to have to be what is called ''optimized.'' That is, it makes you stand out from the crowd and ''pops'' for a potential employer such that it garners you a very good chance of getting you a job interview or preinterview.
Layout
In this case, conventional is best. The resume template you use should be specific to a career in investment banking. You can find lots of models on the Internet, but when it comes to enumerating job skills and specific duties, focus on being specific rather than general with what you've done, and be results oriented.
Be specific and results-oriented when you talk about previous job responsibilities
For example, when you are listing specific responsibilities you've had for previous jobs, don't be ''general,'' such as saying, ''researched and compiled information related to acquisitions.'' Instead, say something like, ''Researched an initial 100 acquisition targets in X industry, and then culled the list down to 10 prospective target companies based upon margins, revenue growth, and EBITDA.''
Prospective employers are going to be looking for results based upon what you did, not just on what you did independent of results. Because financial banking jobs and finance employment often is driven based upon results more than anything else, this is something this is something that's going to need to be paramount in your resume.
Nuts and bolts
It might sound funny, but font matters, too. Times New Roman, for example, is a crisp, legible, ''businesslike'' font to use that is easy to read and looks professional. Choose something more avant-garde like Garamond, and you could end up in the circular file before you're even given a serious glance. Leave those fonts for the creative types. And by the way, ''black type on white background'' resumes are best. That is, black type, white paper. It's easy to read and it's going to make you look business like and professional.
Finally, make sure you spell check and keep your writing crisp and professional. Make sure you have no formatting errors. Bullet lists are fine when it comes to detailing specific job duties, for example, and will make your resume easier to read -- always a plus for prospective employers.
Language
You'll need to be very fluent in the particular job related terminology specific to financial banking jobs. Don't be afraid to use the terminology as needed, but don't ''pad'' your resume such that you look like you're showing off. Use it naturally as you would in any conversation with another professional.
What to include, and what to leave off
Do include necessary organizational and professional details about yourself. However, keep personal information to a minimum; for example, don't include details about your religious faith, marital status, or anything that could be considered ''personal.''
Final notes
Even though your prospective employer is going to want to get to know you personally, leave that particular part of the equation to the job interview itself. Let your resume do its job by getting you that interview to begin with. Simply, your resume should be quite stark and straightforward, with ''just the facts'' as they pertain to your pursuit of financial employment. It should be neat, clean, and well laid out, with no grammatical or formatting errors. Once you've got your resume in the prospective employer's hands, you can take it from there with a personal interview, once you get one.
