CV Template for Finance: 6 UK Finance CVs by Career Level

By Mustafa Tarabya, founder of CVBooster · Published 2026-10-07 · Updated 2026-10-07

11 min read

A CV template for finance has five blocks in a fixed order: contact line, a three line profile naming your finance area and qualification status, experience written as numbers you moved or decisions you supported, qualifications with exam progress, and a short systems line. The constraint is that finance readers check figures, so every number on the page has to survive a question in the interview. The National Careers Service says a CV "is a summary of your skills, achievements and experience that you use to apply for jobs." Below is the blank finance CV template, then six complete UK examples by level, checked in October 2026. Written by Mustafa Tarabya, who hired for his own company, read every application himself and now writes CVBooster's guides.

Every finance CV I have read promised "strong analytical skills". Then it described the analysis as "producing reports". A finance manager reads that line the way an auditor reads a receipt with no amount on it.

The finance CV template, block by block

Copy this structure into a plain document, one column, a clear font, and fill each block before you touch the design. Two pages is the ceiling for experienced candidates; graduates and analysts should fit one.

• Contact line: name, town, mobile, email, LinkedIn. The National Careers Service is clear that you "should not include your age, your date of birth, whether you're married or your nationality."
• Profile (three lines): your finance area (credit, FP&A meaning financial planning and analysis, deals, business partnering), years, sector, qualification status, and the job you want next.
• Experience: employer, title, dates, then three to five bullets. Each bullet names a figure: a portfolio size, a forecast accuracy, a deal value range, a cost saved, a close shortened.
• Qualifications: CFA, ACCA, CIMA, ACA or FRM with the exact level or papers passed, then degree and A levels if you are within five years of graduating.
• Systems: Excel at the level you can defend, then the planning, ERP or data tools named in the advert.

The first example uses that template for the most common entry route: a final year student applying to a finance graduate scheme.

Tailor my CV to this job

What a finance hiring manager checks in the first ten lines

Before reading the bullets, a finance manager looks for three things: which part of finance you work in, how far through a qualification you are, and the scale of what you handle. Put all three in the profile, because "finance professional" tells the reader none of them.

Scale is where finance CVs are won. The Prospects profile for financial managers notes that "Financial manager roles can vary enormously," and that in smaller organisations "a financial manager may be responsible for the collection and preparation of accounts." A reader can only place you if you give the size: turnover band, number of entities, portfolio value, budget owned, headcount supported.

Write qualification status exactly. "CFA Level II candidate", "CIMA Management Level", "ACCA, 10 of 13 exams passed" and "FRM Part I passed" each mean something specific to the person shortlisting. "Studying towards a professional qualification" means nothing.

If your background is accounts rather than analysis, the accountancy CV examples cover the ledger, close and audit route from accounts assistant to financial controller. This page covers the analysis and decision side of finance.

Five more finance CV examples, by level

Each CV below is complete. The people, companies and figures are invented; keep the structure and replace every number with one you can explain.

The Prospects profile for financial risk analysts lists "examinations leading to financial risk manager (FRM) certification" among the qualifications in this area, which is why the exam stage sits in the first line of that profile.

The FP&A analyst above writes "reduced the average forecast miss" without a figure because the exact number belongs to the employer. That is acceptable in a CV, but be ready to give the before and after in the interview.

Banking CVs are the one place where a deal list goes on the page, because the Prospects investment banker profile describes the work as using "financial models to predict possible outcomes and risks" on live transactions. Describe deals without client names unless they are public.

How to fill the template when the advert is vague

Most finance adverts list duties and a qualification, then stop. The National Careers Service advice is to "tailor your CV to the job you’re applying for", and in finance that means matching three words from the advert in your profile: the area (FP&A, credit, treasury, deals), the qualification it asks for, and the main system.

• Swap the profile first. The same person can send a business partner CV and an FP&A CV in one afternoon; only the profile and bullet order change.
• Keep one figure per bullet. Two numbers in one line make the reader stop and check which matters.
• Put systems in the advert's words. If it says "Adaptive Planning", do not write "planning software".
• Run it through an ATS check. Many larger finance employers screen through an applicant tracking system, and our ATS CV templates parse cleanly.

If you are still at school or university with no finance work at all, start from the CV examples with no experience, then add a finance profile line once you have an internship. When the CV is ready, the job application email templates cover the short note that goes with it.

Mistakes that sink a finance CV

• Duties instead of numbers. "Responsible for month end reporting" describes the job advert, not you.
• Figures you cannot explain. If a saving came from a team project, say what your part was.
• Confidential detail. Client names, unannounced deals and exact margins stay off the page.
• A vague qualification line. Give the level or papers passed, never "part qualified" alone.
• Design over content. Columns, icons and skill bars break parsing and add nothing a finance reader values.

Tailor my CV to this job

Frequently asked questions

What is the best CV template for finance jobs?

A single column CV with five blocks: contact line, a three line profile naming your finance area and qualification, experience bullets that each carry one figure, qualifications with exam progress, and systems. Avoid graphics and tables in the main text, because applicant tracking systems and busy finance managers both read it top to bottom.

How long should a finance CV be in the UK?

One page for students, graduates and analysts with up to about three years of experience, and two pages for experienced candidates. Investment banking CVs stay at one page even at associate level, with a deal list replacing longer descriptions. Cut older roles to one line before you shrink the font.

Should I put CFA or ACCA progress on my finance CV?

Yes, in the profile and the qualifications block, written exactly: "CFA Level II candidate" or "ACCA, 10 of 13 exams passed". Hiring managers shortlist on qualification stage, and a precise line shows you are moving. Leave out exams you have not booked; "considering CFA" adds nothing.

What should a finance CV for a student include?

Your degree with expected classification, relevant modules or a dissertation with a finance angle, any internship or spring week, and a position of responsibility involving money, such as society treasurer. Add Excel at the level you can prove in a test. The graduate scheme example above shows the order.

Is a finance CV different from an accountancy CV?

Partly. An accountancy CV leads with the ledger, close and audit work and the AAT, ACCA or ACA route. A finance CV for analyst, credit, FP&A or deal roles leads with analysis, models and decisions supported. Many people move between the two, so keep both versions and switch the profile.

Related articles

• Accountancy CV Example: 6 UK Accounts CVs by Career Level
• Accounting Interview Questions and Answers: 7 Full Examples
• Activity Resume Example: 6 Samples for College Applications
• Administration CV Example: 6 Admin CVs from Entry to Senior

More articles

• CV vs Resume: Which One Do You Actually Send?
• CV for a Dancer: 6 UK Dance CV Examples, Student to Pro
• Dean's List on Resume: Where It Goes and 6 Examples

Looking for a worked example for your job title? Browse the resume examples by job title.

Get your free ATS score · All articles