Entry-Level Financial Analyst Resume—Sample and Writing Tips

Entry-Level Financial Analyst Resume—Sample and Writing Tips

You keep a finger on your employer’s financial pulse and an ear to the ground. Use your entry-level financial analyst resume to show hiring managers the ROI you represent for them.

Dominika Kowalska, CPRW
Dominika Kowalska, CPRW
Certified Professional Resume Writer, Career Expert

Entering the financial world is like stepping onto the trading floor—intense, exhilarating, and full of potential. Yet, many aspiring financial analysts miss the mark with their resumes.

Don’t let your application be one of them. With the right strategy, your entry-level financial analyst resume can become a high-value asset. We’ll show you how to structure it for maximum impact.

In this guide:

  • An entry-level financial analyst resume sample better than most.
  • How to create the perfect entry-level financial analyst job description for resumes.
  • How to write a resume for entry-level financial analyst jobs that stands out.
  • Expert tips and examples to boost your chances of landing an entry-level financial analyst job.

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Need a related resume? Just finishing up with college or looking to change careers? These are just some of our guides:

Entry-Level Financial Analyst Resume Sample

Jeromy Millwood

Financial Analyst

Personal Info

Phone: 305-390-3530

E-mail: jeromy.g.millwood@reslab.com

linkedin.com/in/jeromygmillwood

Summary

Highly motivated entry-level financial analyst with over a year’s experience, skilled in data analysis. Seeking opportunity to help Company ABC increase its margins across the board. At Avondale Systems, compiled over 1 GB of data to generate 20+ financial reports. Collaborated with cross-functional teams to reduce open purchase orders by 13%, saving $1.1 million.

Experience 

Entry-Level Financial Analyst

Avondale Systems, New York City

July 2020–present

  • Partnered with Supply Chain Management to streamline processes and reduce material costs by at least 8%.
  • Assessed risks and opportunities for functional organizations to help increase company margins by over 2%.
  • Collaborated with cross-functional teams to reduce open purchase orders by 13%, saving $1.1 million.
  • Compiled over 1 GB of data to generate 20+ financial reports for review by management.

Bookkeeper

Ransley Group, New York City

Sept 2018–June 2020

  • Processed payments, applied fees and set up payment plans on past due accounts worth $30,000–$110,000 at any one time.
  • Audited and balanced accounts for a 340-bed property worth $43 million.
  • Reduced supply bills by 16% by streamlining the purchasing process and researching price.
  • Maintained records of office supplies and expenses for 40+ employees.

Education 

BComm in Accounting and Finance

Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

2020

  • Pursued a passion for forensic accounting coursework.
  • Maintained a 3.9 GPA.

Certifications

  • Chartered Financial Analyst, CFA Institute, 2020

Languages

  • English – native speaker
  • Swedish – communicative

Key Skills 

  • Data analysis
  • Financial modeling
  • Accounting principles
  • Financial analysis
  • Financial reporting
  • Communication skills

Now, here’s how to write an entry-level financial analyst resume they’ll love:

1. Go With the Best Entry-Level Financial Analyst Resume Format

Would you take seriously a person who handed you a balance sheet scrawled on the back of an envelope, or tried to wow you with graphs with unlabeled axes? It’s the same when it comes to your entry-level financial analyst resume.

Make sure your resume format is clear and organized. Here’s how:

Entry-Level Financial Analyst Resume Format

  • Use the chronological resume layout to let your work experience speak for itself.
  • Choose an appropriate resume font like Arial, Noto, or Calibri in 11–12 pt.
  • Leave all your resume margins at one inch and don’t crowd the page, leaving plenty of white space to help guide the reader’s eyes. 
  • Watch your resume length. If you’re used to submitting resumes with two pages or more, it may be time to say goodbye to bad habits. How many pages should a resume be for an entry-level financial analyst? Simple: one page. Two are only okay if you have 10+ years of relevant experience in a related career path, like accounting. 
  • Include at least these resume sections: Resume heading, Summary, Experience, Education, and Skills. Other sections are optional (more on these later). 

Make sure to save your resume in PDF format, unless specifically requested otherwise. PDF is the best option for preserving your layout, but some resume parsing software used by companies can’t handle PDFs, so be prepared to submit a .docx when asked. In case you'll needed it, here's a curated list of the best free resume templates for Word

2. Start With an Attention-Grabbing Entry-Level Financial Analyst Resume Objective or Summary

The best way to start a resume for entry-level financial analyst jobs? Make it immediately clear that their search has come to an end.

Have a year or more of experience in financial analysis? Start with a resume summary.

Use:

  1. One adjective (efficient, dedicated, highly motivated)
  2. Job title (Entry-Level Financial Analyst, Financial Analyst)
  3. Years of experience (1+, 2+)
  4. How you’ll help (identify under-exploited profit-taking opportunities)
  5. Two or three relevant achievements (compiled over 1 GB of data to generate 20+ financial reports, streamlined processes to reduce material costs by at least 8%)

These entry-level financial analyst resume summary examples show how:

Entry-Level Financial Analyst Resume Summary—Examples

Good Example

Highly motivated entry-level financial analyst with over a year’s experience, skilled in data analysis. Seeking opportunity to help Company ABC increase its margins across the board. At Avondale Systems, compiled over 1 GB of data to generate 20+ financial reports. Collaborated with cross-functional teams to reduce open purchase orders by 13%, saving $1.1 million.

Bad Example

Entry-level financial analyst with 1 year’s experience. Seeking professional development opportunities with a company that looks after its employees. At Avondale Systems, compiled data to generate financial reports and collaborated with cross-functional teams to reduce open purchase orders.

The first example presents relevant, quantified data. It’s also focused on what the candidate can do for their potential employer—not the other way around.

Great, but “entry level” often means no financial analysis experience. And a resume for freshers requires a different approach. No problem—In that case, write a resume objective instead. It’ll let you put the focus on relevant achievements from related experience. Like so: 

Entry-Level Financial Analyst Resume Objective—Examples

Good Example

Highly motivated bookkeeper and recent BComm (Accounting and Finance) graduate with 2+ years’ experience, skilled in data analysis. Seeking opportunity to help Company ABC increase its margins in the role of financial analyst. At Ransley Group, maintained records of expenses for 40+ employees and reduced supply bills by 16%.

Bad Example

No experience working as a financial analyst, but keen to finally put college degree to good use. Looking to join a fun-loving team and a company that can offer plenty of learning opportunities as well as decent benefits.

Once again, the first entry-level financial analyst resume example brings home the bacon: It’s quantified and focused on bringing value to the employer, not a laundry list of wants.

Feeling stuck? Write your resume profile last. It’s much easier once you have your work history and skills sections done.

3. Create the Perfect Entry-Level Financial Analyst Job Description and Skills Sections

Writing an entry-level financial analyst resume takes some effort. What’s the expected ROI here?

An invitation to a job interview.

What’s the best way to secure that ROI? By showing you’ve already handled much of what they’re going to throw at you. Do this by making your work experience section a showcase of achievements.

How to write a job description for entry-level financial analysts:

  1. Revisit the job ad.
  2. Zero in on the entry-level financial analyst skills and duties in it.
  3. Think of times you’ve used skills like those to knock similar duties out of the park.
  4. Write resume bullet points that describe and quantify those times.

These entry-level financial analyst resume work experience examples show how:

Entry-Level Financial Analyst Job Description for a Resume

Good Example

Entry-Level Financial Analyst

Avondale Systems, New York City

July 2020–present

  • Partnered with Supply Chain Management to streamline processes and reduce material costs by at least 8%.
  • Assessed risks and opportunities for functional organizations to help increase company margins by over 2%.
  • Collaborated with cross-functional teams to reduce open purchase orders by 13%, saving $1.1 million.
  • Compiled over 1 GB of data to generate 20+ financial reports for review by management.
Bad Example

Entry-Level Financial Analyst

Avondale Systems

2020–present

  • Partnered with Supply Chain Management to streamline processes and reduce material costs.
  • Assessed risks and opportunities for functional organizations to help increase company margins.
  • Collaborated with cross-functional teams to reduce open purchase orders.
  • Compiled data to generate financial reports for review by management.

Same candidate, very different impressions. The first example effectively turns duties into professional achievements by quantifying the value that went to the employer. The second, isn't not terrible, but as the good example shows, it can be made so much better and more impactful. 

Don’t close the job ad yet.

You’ll need it to write a resume skills section. Like with so many other aspects of a resume, less is more here, so don’t list every single professional skill you can think of. Instead, take a more targeted approach.

Try to include only skills that you have and that are mentioned or alluded to in the job ad. Aim for around 10 key skills—more than that, and you’ll start losing credibility. These lists will help you with the wording:

Skills for an Entry-Level Financial Analyst Resume

Hard skills

  • Data analysis
  • Financial modeling
  • Accounting principles
  • Financial analysis
  • Financial reporting
  • Ad hoc analysis
  • Project management
  • LibreOffice
  • Microsoft Office
  • Asset management

Soft skills

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4. Turn Meh Education Into a Reason to Hire You

Becoming a financial analyst isn’t easy. You’d be hard-pressed to get in without a bachelor’s degree, and getting a certification is certainly unlikely without one. So do your education justice.

First, list your degrees (with majors), schools, and graduation years. If you were an experienced financial analyst, you could just leave it at that—recruiters would care a lot more about your work history than college extracurriculars from years ago. 

As an entry-level candidate, however, you should use your education for all it’s worth.

Add bullet points that speak to key skills:

  • Relevant coursework
  • Your GPA, if it was 3.5 or above
  • Extracurricular activities that show your skills (for example, playing a team sport can help to prove your collaboration and teamwork abilities)
  • Academic achievements, such as making the Dean’s list, receiving a scholarship, or graduating with honors

This entry-level financial analyst resume education example shows how:

Entry-Level Financial Analyst Resume Sample Education Section

Good Example

BComm in Accounting and Finance

Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

2020

  • Achieved a 3.9 GPA, making the Dean’s list every semester. 
  • Relevant coursework: Investment Analysis, Derivative Securities, Financial Modeling, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics.
  • Treasurer of the Ryerson Economics Club for 2 years. 

Even your education section can be used to show off your skills! 

Expert hint: No work experience whatsoever, or just a couple of internships and summer jobs? Swap the order of your education and work experience sections, listing education right below the header, where it’s sure to get noticed. 

5. Load Your Entry-Level Financial Analyst Resume With Added Sections

Here’s an inside resume tipYou’ll only get so far with just work experience, education, and skills sections in your resume. To go all the way, add one or two extra sections:

These two entry-level financial analyst resume examples show yes vs no:

Entry-Level Financial Analyst Resume—Extra Sections

Good Example

Certifications

  • Chartered Financial Analyst, CFA Institute, 2020

Languages

  • English – native speaker
  • Swedish – communicative
Bad Example

Certifications

  • CFA

Hobbies and Interests

  • Managing virtual cricket teams
  • Arranging synthetic flowers
  • Jogging on the spot

It’s not that there’s anything wrong with mentioning hobbies and interests in your resume, far from it. But they—like everything you choose to include—have to be relevant to the job ad at hand.

One last hurdle! Writing a cover letter that’s at least as good as your resume. A cover letter is necessary if you want to maximize your chances of getting the job. Especially since you’re an entry-level candidate. It gives you a chance to show your motivation and your enthusiasm, and those are some of your best assets at this stage

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Key Points

For an entry-level financial analyst resume that gets interviews:

  • Use the entry-level financial analyst resume template up top. It’s as organized as a statement of financial position.
  • Put entry-level financial analyst achievements in your resume profile, work experience, and education sections to show hiring managers you’re up to the task.
  • Choose the right entry-level financial analyst skills to include in your resume. The job ad will dispel the mystery of what “the right skills” are.
  • Write an entry-level financial analyst cover letter. It’s your opportunity to put your passion on display as you make your case.

Still not sure how to write an entry-level financial analyst resume with no experience or very little experience? Leave a comment down below. We’ll be happy to reply!

About ResumeLab’s Editorial Process

At ResumeLab, quality is at the crux of our values, supporting our commitment to delivering top-notch career resources. The editorial team of career experts carefully reviews every article in accordance with editorial guidelines, ensuring the high quality and reliability of our content. We actively conduct original research, shedding light on the job market's intricacies and earning recognition from numerous influential news outlets. Our dedication to delivering expert career advice attracts millions of readers to our blog each year.

Dominika Kowalska, CPRW

Dominika is a job expert with a focus on career development and onboarding processes. At ResumeLab, she co-manages our team of career experts.

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