What should an investment banker put on their resume?

Investment banking resumes have an unusually high density of required data points: (1) Model types — LBO, DCF, comparable company analysis, accretion/dilution — named explicitly; (2) Deal values — individual transaction size and aggregate deal volume; (3) School and GPA — top-tier firms ATS-filter on school prestige and GPA cutoffs (typically 3.7+); (4) Certifications — CFA progress, FMVA. Missing model type acronyms or deal values in your experience bullets is the #1 reason qualified IB candidates fail ATS screening. Scan your resume with our free tool.

How do I write an investment banking resume with no experience?

Build a financial model for a public company acquisition and document it exactly as you would a live deal. Include the target's enterprise value, the model types used (DCF, LBO), and the conclusion (e.g., 'valuation implies 15% upside at 9x EV/EBITDA entry multiple'). Pair this with a Capital IQ or Bloomberg student license, a completed FMVA or Wall Street Prep course, and progress toward CFA. IB recruiting is heavily relationship-driven — target alumni networks, BIWS competitions, and informational interviews aggressively.

What are the best ATS keywords for an investment banking resume in 2026?

Top keyword categories: Model Types (LBO, DCF, comparable company analysis, precedent transactions, merger/accretion-dilution, 3-statement model), Deal Types (M&A, leveraged finance, DCM, ECM, IPO, take-private, carve-out), Platforms (Capital IQ, FactSet, Bloomberg Terminal, PitchBook, Refinitiv), Deliverables (pitchbook, CIM, management presentation, bank book, fairness opinion), Certifications (CFA, FMVA, Series 79). Upload your resume to see your exact score.

How long should an investment banking resume be?

Exactly one page. Investment banking is one of the few industries where a two-page resume signals poor prioritization. Managing directors and analysts who screen 1,000+ applications per cycle scan the top half of page one for GPA, school, and model types. Every word must be present for a reason. If you have 6 years of IB experience and need two pages, prioritize your most recent and largest transactions on page one.

Should I include deal values on my investment banking resume?

Yes — deal values are expected, not optional, on IB resumes. They communicate deal complexity, the seniority of your role on the deal team, and the types of clients you have worked with. Follow this structure for each deal bullet: [Role] + [Model Type] + [Deal Type] + [Sector] + [Deal Value]. If the deal is publicly announced, you can name the parties. If it is confidential, describe it as 'a $XXM take-private in the industrials sector' without disclosing client names.

Does GPA matter on an investment banking resume?

For bulge bracket and elite boutique recruiting, yes. Most top firms have ATS-configured GPA cutoffs between 3.5 and 3.8, with the unwritten threshold at 3.7+ for on-campus recruiting. If your GPA is above the threshold, include it prominently. If it is below 3.5, omit it and compensate with relevant certifications, deal experience, and modeling credentials. Your GMAT or GRE score (for MBA programs) can substitute for GPA in associate-level applications.

What is the difference between an investment banking resume and CV?

In the US, investment bankers use a 1-page resume. In the UK and Europe, an IB CV may be 2 pages and include a more complete educational history and extracurricular leadership record. Both are filtered by ATS using the same model type acronyms and deal value data points. For London and European bank applications, the CV format convention is accepted but the content requirements — LBO, DCF, deal values, school prestige — are identical to US standards.

97% of tech companies use ATS

Investment Banker Resume Example (2026)

Most investment banker resumes score below 45% on ATS systems. See exactly why yours might be failing. 78% never reach a recruiter.

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What Managing Directors and Recruiting Teams Filter for in Investment Banking Resumes

Investment banking is one of the most ATS-intensive hiring pipelines in finance. Bulge bracket and elite boutique firms use ATS to filter for GPA thresholds (typically 3.7+ at target schools), specific modeling terminology (LBO, DCF, comparable company analysis, accretion/dilution), and deal transaction values. Candidates who write 'analyzed potential deals' instead of 'executed LBO model for a $450M buyout' are eliminated before an analyst-level recruiting team ever reads the application. The transaction value is not a brag — it is an expected data point that communicates deal complexity and your level of responsibility within the deal team.

The recruiting process for investment banking is uniquely front-loaded: summer analyst and summer associate programs are recruited 18-24 months before the start date, and the ATS filter for these roles is even more aggressive because of volume. For candidates targeting top-tier firms, the resume must demonstrate: (1) technical modeling proficiency with named deal types (M&A, IPO, LBO, debt capital markets), (2) relevant internship progression showing increasing deal size and responsibility, and (3) credentials that signal intellectual rigor (GPA, school prestige, CFA study progress, modeling certifications). A three-bullet internship entry that lists deal values and model types outperforms a five-bullet entry that describes tasks.

The most underrated differentiator in investment banking resumes is sector specificity. Banks hire analysts and associates into coverage groups — TMT, healthcare, industrials, real estate, financial institutions group. A resume that demonstrates genuine sector knowledge through specific deal comparables, industry metrics (EBITDA multiples, sector revenue multiples), and relevant internship experience gets routed to the right group. A generalist resume that could apply to any group is less compelling than a targeted one that shows you understand why a TMT deal trades at a different multiple than a healthcare deal. Show sector sophistication — it signals you are ready to contribute to live coverage.

What ATS systems actually see

Toggle between a typical investment banker resume and an optimized version. Notice what changes.

Generic descriptions and soft skills make this resume hard to scan and easy to ignore.

✗ 'Microsoft Excel' and 'Analytical Thinking' match nothing in IB ATS. LBO, DCF, accretion/dilution, and FactSet are the keywords that matter.

✗ 'Created pitchbooks' has no volume, no audience, and no win rate. The mandate conversion is the metric that matters in IB.

✗ 'Assisted with financial analysis' describes every summer analyst's experience. Show the model type, the deal value, and the audience.

✗ 'Helped prepare for client presentations' shows no ownership or recognition. Were you a top performer? Say so.

✗ 'Updated financial models' is a support task. Show the model type, the deal value, and the scenario depth.

✗ Hobbies waste space on an investment banking resume. Use it for deal league table rankings, certifications, or published financial research.

Christopher Park

Finance Professional

New York, NY · christopher.park@email.com · linkedin.com/in/christopherpark

Professional Summary

Finance professional with strong analytical skills and a passion for investment banking. Hard worker with experience in financial analysis and a desire to contribute to a dynamic team in a fast-paced environment.

Core Skills

Financial AnalysisMicrosoft ExcelTeam PlayerAnalytical ThinkingHard WorkerGood Communicator

Professional Experience

Goldman Sachs

Jul 2022 - Present

Analyst

Worked on financial models and deal analysis for M&A transactions.
Created pitchbooks and presentations for client meetings.
Helped with due diligence for acquisitions and merger transactions.

JP Morgan Chase

Jun 2021 - Aug 2021

Summer Analyst

Assisted with financial analysis and modeling for the team.
Made comparables analysis and worked with the team on a pitchbook.
Helped the team prepare for client presentations.

Moelis & Company

Jun 2020 - Aug 2020

Finance Intern

Worked on research and data collection for the deal team.
Updated financial models and spreadsheets.
Helped with market research and presentation preparation.

Education

University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)

Finance degree

2018 - 2022

Certifications & Awards

CFA studying
financial modeling training
Employee of the Month (2022)

Languages

English (Native) • Korean (Fluent)

Interests & Hobbies

Following markets
Running
Chess club
Reading finance books

✗ 'Passion for investment banking' matches nothing in ATS. No deal values, no model types, no school named. Immediately filtered out.

✗ 'Worked on financial models' is the vaguest possible IB bullet. Name every model type, every deal type, and the aggregate deal value.

✗ 'Helped with due diligence' shows no ownership. Show the operating model built, the scenario count, and the structural finding.

✗ 'Made comparables analysis' has no volume, no sector, and no transaction value context.

✗ 'Worked on research and data collection' gives no tool, no scope, and no deal application.

✗ 'Helped with market research' has no deal context and no quality signal. Did the work reach the client?

✗ Vague duties like "Responsible for", soft skills like "Hard Worker", and buzzwords like "synergistic" — no keywords for recruiters to find. This resume gets buried.

Wondering if YOUR resume has these same problems?

Keywords ATS Systems Scan For

These are the exact terms recruiters and ATS systems filter by for investment banker roles. Missing even 2-3 can drop your score below the threshold.

LBO Modeling

DCF Valuation

Comparable Company Analysis

Precedent Transaction Analysis

Merger / Accretion-Dilution Analysis

M&A Advisory

Leveraged Finance

Debt Capital Markets

Equity Capital Markets

Pitchbook Development

Capital IQ / FactSet

Bloomberg Terminal

PitchBook / Refinitiv

Due Diligence

Sector Coverage (TMT / Healthcare / Industrials)

How many of these are on your resume?

Examples by Experience Level

Select your level. See the exact verbs, bullets, and metrics that ATS systems reward at each stage.

Action Verbs

LedBuiltCo-authoredExecutedManagedDevelopedStructuredPresentedAnalyzedCoordinated

Metrics to Include

Deal Value ($)
Mandates Won (#)
Advisory Fee Value ($)
Due Diligence Findings ($)
Model Scenarios (#)
Pitchbooks Authored (#)
Transaction Types

Example Resume Bullets

Ship independently

Led financial due diligence on 2 acquisition targets, building 5-year operating models with 12-scenario sensitivity analysis and identifying a $45M working capital gap that influenced deal structure.

Co-authored 15 pitchbooks for CEO/CFO audiences, contributing to 3 mandates won with an estimated $240M in aggregate advisory fees.

Managed day-to-day execution of a $780M industrials take-private including LBO model, bank book preparation, and management presentation coordination across 8 weeks.

Are your bullets this specific?

Phrases That Get Investment Bankers Rejected

Listing languages isn't enough. Context matters. "JavaScript" is good; "Built REST APIs with Node.js" is hired.

Worked on financial models and analysis for deal teams.

The most common IB anti-pattern. No model types named, no deal values, no sector. ATS sees zero differentiating keywords.

Built LBO, DCF, and comparable company models for 4 buy-side M&A transactions in industrials totaling $2.1B in enterprise value, including a $780M take-private that closed in Q3 2023.

Assisted with due diligence and deal preparation.

'Assisted with' is passive and vague. Show the operating model built, the scenario count, and the structural finding that influenced the deal.

Led financial due diligence on 2 acquisition targets, building 5-year operating models with 12 revenue scenarios and identifying a $45M working capital gap that influenced final deal structure.

Created pitchbooks and presentations for the team.

No volume, no audience level, and no mandate conversion rate. The pitch-to-mandate conversion is the IB metric that matters.

Co-authored 15 pitchbooks for CEO/CFO audiences across manufacturing and defense, contributing to 3 mandates won with an estimated $240M in aggregate advisory fees.

Passionate about investment banking and financial markets.

Passion is not a modeling skill. ATS filters for LBO, DCF, M&A, and deal values — not passion statements.

IB analyst with 3 years executing LBO and DCF models for transactions ranging from $95M to $780M; CFA Level II candidate with 3.9 GPA from Wharton.

Researched companies and industries for the deal team.

No tool named, no output produced, and no deal application shown. Name Capital IQ or PitchBook and connect the research to a live deal.

Conducted industry research using Capital IQ and PitchBook to build a 40-company comparable universe in aerospace & defense that became the basis for 2 active deal pitches.

Strong Excel and financial modeling skills.

'Strong Excel skills' means nothing in IB without naming the model types. Every IB candidate claims Excel proficiency — show the LBO model, the merger model, and the transaction value.

Advanced Excel modeler with experience building LBO, DCF, 3-statement, and accretion/dilution models for transactions ranging from $60M growth equity to $2.1B M&A buy-side mandates.

Recognize any of these on your resume?

Certifications That Boost Your ATS Score

Include the full name AND the acronym. ATS systems may scan for either.

Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)

Financial Modeling & Valuation Analyst (FMVA)

Series 7 / Series 63 (FINRA)

Series 79 (Investment Banking Representative)

Certified Public Accountant (CPA)

Wall Street Prep / Breaking Into Wall Street Financial Modeling

Frequently Asked Questions

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Investment Banking Resume Keywords (2026): 60+ M&A & Valuation Skills