So who is to say that in a decade or two, even the bank employees will not be replaced with technology? Well, for one, AI and other evolving technologies always have a scope for error and money is one area where no one would take any chances. So it is more than likely that human intervention will always be part of the process regardless of any automation, apps, technology, AI and what not.
Your competition is not the technology but your own fellow human beings. With easier access to resources, we find better, more creative and more qualified professionals everyday with perfect banking resumes.
In old times, you needed to fulfil basic requirements to get hired, but these days you need basic requirements to simply apply for the job. To get hired, you need to offer something more, something extra, something better!
The Global Commercial Bank Industry is $2.8tr! So imagine the number of employees in the industry!
All this means is that you have to fight hard to land a good job in banking industry as banking professionals. And your banking resume needs to have something extra ordinary to impress the hiring managers.
And for the professional resume that has something extra ordinary, you need to read this article and take advantage of the tips. You might also want to check out our resume examples and templates.
Now, let's get to it!👇
How to write the best banking resume?
The best banking resume requires your knowledge of resumes, banking industry, relevant aspects such as professional etiquettes of writing resumes, ATS and more. In this article we will cover everything that will help you write a perfect resume.
Before start talking in depth about everything, let's go over a basic question.
Which roles need a banking resume? These roles can be related to bank's various departments, finances, loans, investment, cash and so on. Let's see some examples:
- Cash handler
- Cashier
- Bank tellers
- Bank management
- Investment advisor
- Finances analyst
- Personal banker
- Loan officer
and more personnel who deals with lockers, assistance for customers, advisors for various aspects and so on.
Now, how to write a perfect banking resume? Let's see
Format
First of all, you need a format. A banking resume format is professional, error-free and neat for visual appeal as well as readability. There are various formats such as traditional, modern, contemporary, minimalist, creative, visual and so on.
For the banking roles, if you see banking resume examples, you will see how they reflect professionalism, ATS friendly and neat format.
The banking resume format has all the sections with details such as contact info, professional summary, professional experience, education, banking skills, certifications and an extra section in case you have more relevant and important details for your banking resume.
Contact Info
The contact information on your banking resume will have your full name with correct spelling. Below your name, add your contact number where you are easily reachable. Make sure your contact number is accurately written with spaces, parenthesis () and plus sign +.
After the contact number, mention your professional email ID. Your home address is not mandatory unless you are applying to a job in another state or country. make sure your contact information section is in readable font size and easily spotted on your resume, preferably in your banking resume's header.
For example-+(123) 4567890
macarena.medina@example.comOnce you are done to the contact information section, move onto the next section.
Summary
Your professional summary comes after contact information however make sure you write it at last after writing all the sections. This will help you have a bigger picture with clarity which you will need to reflect in your summary.
Your banking resume summary should be short, crisp and noted in bullet points. The first bullet point should cover your total years of professional experience, public/private sector, your area of work.
The next bullet point, should cover your key accomplishment and skills. Try to quantify and use numbers everywhere you can. Quantified details are more believable and impressing. and at last mention your goal of contributing and making difference for the next organization with your skill set and knowledge.
Experience
Next comes your experience section on banking resume. Most banking resume examples will have reverse chronological order of experiences. Meaning begin with your latest work experience and walk back to your first one.
Your experience details will have the role/job title you had along with company name and period of time you worked there for. Once the details are noted, begin describing your work experience.
Work experience description should not be focused on the responsibilities you had, rather it should be on how you faced and overcame the new unexpected challenges, which skills you used to perform well, how you contributed and made difference for your employer with your performance.
Again, try to quantify details as much as you can. Hiring manager will be looking for specific information about you rather than vague and ambiguous assurance of 'yeah, I have all you require in your employee'.
Mention any awards, recognitions and accomplishments you added to your cap. Any extra details that will help you stand out, will make your banking resume extra ordinary.
Education
When you are writing your education section, the details you need to note are the name of the educational institution, the degree and coursework.
Avoid mentioning the graduation year unless you are yet to graduate. If you have been working for more than a year after graduation, the mention of graduation year will bias the hiring manager regarding your experience and skills.
If the coursework is relevant and important, mention it. If you acquired any awards or participated in special programs or significant events, mention those as well.
Skills
The banking professionals' skills are important because without them you will not get hired regardless of how much of experience you have or how prestigious your education institute was(unless of course the job applying to, offers training).
As banking professionals, you will need some soft skills along with hard skills.
📌The soft skills may include:
- Interpersonal skills
- Communication skills
- MS Office
- Customer service
- Problem solving skills
- Finance knowledge
📌And some of the hard skills may include:
- Accounting
- Cash handling
- Bank procedures
- Loan processing
- Investment consultation
apart from the listed skills above, there may be many more skills that your resume should have according to the particular job title and organization you are applying to. You need to read the job description very carefully to make sure you cover them all.
In addition, you can do some research on the role, the organization, the industry, your responsibilities and note down relevant key skills to include in your resume along with your soft skills.
Certifications
Some banking roles may require certain certifications. For example, a professional who plans finances can be a certified financial planner.
These certifications are mandatory and when not mandatory, they are a good addition to your qualification as an extra ordinary banking professional.
Mention all your certifications with appropriate details in this section on your banking resume.
Extra
During your education or work experience, if you attended any significant events, participated in special programs, completed any online courses, that are relevant to the role you are applying to or to who you are as a professional and how you will perform well with these accomplishments, mention these details in an extra section with a suitable title.
If you are bi-lingual or multi lingual, you can also mention the languages and your proficiency in them. Your hobbies and interests that you think are relevant, should also be mentioned on your banking resume.
The Extra Ordinary Banking Resumes
We have covered all that a banking resume should have. Now let's discuss how to make your banking resume extra ordinary with these cherry-on-top tips!
Keywords
You may have heard that hiring managers these days use software to process job applications. It's true. Whether a start up or a corporate giant, every organization's hiring manager uses Applicant Tracking System (ATS).
This ATS receives all the resumes and then filters them with the parameters of keywords. Keywords that are relevant to the role you are applying to. So if your resume doesn't have the keywords, it is likely to end up in the rejected resumes pile.
To ensure you cover all the keywords, you should do some research on the role, industry and organization. Most importantly, the job description. Make sure you pick up every relevant keywords from the job description.
Proofreading
Once you are done writing your banking resume, proof read it twice. Make sure there are no spelling errors, grammatical mistakes or details' inaccuracy.
Any mistake can make your hiring manager think that you are careless and do not pay attention to detail which can be dangerous in the roles that is centered around money.
Once you have proofread your banking resume, you can use resources on the internet to review your banking resume with regard to ATS and more.
Tailor the resume for reach application
A possibly tiring but truly useful tip is to tailor a resume for each role that you plan to apply for. This will help with the keywords and details. They will be more specific and less generic which is the most effective way to create an extra ordinary banking resume.
Various banking resume examples will show you how resumes tailored for specific roles differs from each other. A good professional resume is targeted to specific organization and role very carefully. And such resumes are the ones that help you land your dream job and impress the hiring managers.
Avoid jargon
When you are writing a banking resume, make sure you avoid the jargon that is not bank area related. Simplify the language and writing. Avoid long sentences and write in short bullet points with crisp, to-the-point information.
For example, instead of using words such as utilization, simply write -use. A good banking resume example will have simple yet impressively laid out information of the employee profile.
Cover letter
Once you are done with your banking resume, you need a cover letter. Cover letter is your chance to address the hiring managers directly and convince them why they should hire you.
The cover letter has your contact information, the address to the hiring manager and the body of the letter.
Cover letter looks like a traditional letter. In your cover letter, you can include keywords. Most importantly, your cover letter is your sales pitch. You can use it to present how well accomplished you are, what you bring to the table and why you should be hired.
Cover letter examples often have relevant skills and key aspects of your past banking jobs. A job winning banking resume is always accompanied by a good cover letter.
Conclusion
We have covered how to write a banking resume, what all does an extra ordinary banking resume has and everything in between. When you are writing your banking resume, you may want to do the research of job description, job title, organization and industry first before you begin writing.
If you read this article carefully without skipping any parts, you are ready to write your banking resume. You can use this article as your checklist for the banking resume.
However, never use the examples or templates as is, always personalize the outline and details according to the job title and your profile details. You should also check out our resume examples.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Do I need a cover letter?
Cover letters are not always mandatory however a cover letter is always a good addition to your job application and it helps you stand out and impress the hiring manager.
Do I need a particular certification for a banking job?
Not all roles need particular certifications but you should check the job descriptions and contact the recruiter to ensure the role you are applying to needs a certification or not.
Should I include designs and graphics in my banking resume?
Banking is a fairly professional industry and your resume should reflect the professionalism as well. It would be best to avoid any visual elements. However, if you find it fitting for your resume, you may use infographics to describe your details.
