Private Equity Resume Example

This comprehensive guide will give you all the tools you need to craft a private equity resume that positions you strongly against other candidates. The guide will show you practical examples of how to structure your resume to show off your best and most relevant skills and career achievements. It will also show you how to tailor your resume according to the job description and your unique skill set. Read on to learn the tips Jobseeker careers experts recommend as the best for your private equity resume.

Main sections of a private equity analyst resume

A successful private equity resume will typically include each of the sections listed below, with some optional sections. A resume for candidates with little or no work experience may focus less on the work experience section, and bring sections to the fore that emphasize their skills, such as hobbies and interests, volunteer work, education, projects and skills lists.

You will have some choice over your resume layout and structure, but be sure to include these sections as the core of your document:

Resume Header with Contact Details

Your private equity resume header should contain your name and contact details. These include your email address and phone number. If you have a LinkedIn profile, you can also add that, to give employers the chance to learn more about your skills and experience. It's not necessary to include a photo or any other personal information. Be aware of the amount of space your resume header takes up. You don't want your contact details to take space away from the main content of your resume, so keep this section as brief as possible.

Opt for a professional-looking email address based on your name. If your email address could be construed as unprofessional or inappropriate because it contains nicknames or unsuitable language, create a new, more professional email address for your job applications. Always check your contact details to make sure they're up-to-date before you send your resume.

Resume Objective

In your resume summary, write a short paragraph that highlights two or three of your key achievements and skills for private equity analyst roles. You could also call this section 'resume objective' or 'personal profile'. A resume summary covers your career experience to date, while a resume objective focuses more on your ambitions for the future. Furthermore, when writing your profile, focus on two or three key skills and achievements that showcase your suitability for private equity analyst roles.

Alternatively, use this section to emphasize your career objectives and explain how and why this role is a suitable step for you at this stage of your career.

A good resume summary reflects the job description and highlights some of the key skills required for private equity analyst roles, while leaving the reader with an impression of your unique qualities and strengths. The most effective resume summaries also provide evidence to back up the claims made in them. Take a look at some strong examples of how to approach a private equity resume summary in the graphic below.

On the other hand, an unsuccessful resume summary is one that mentions irrelevant skills, qualities and achievements and fails to differentiate you from other candidates. See above for some examples of things to avoid when writing your private equity resume summary.

Hard and Soft Skills

The skills section is one of the main ways to show employers you've got the skills required for private equity analyst roles. Whether your skills include DCF analysis proficiency, communication and collaboration or any other useful skills for the role, you'll want to list them here. Again, refer to the private equity analyst job description for an indication of the types of skills the employer is looking for, and make sure your skills section reflects these.

How to include hard skills on your private equity resume

In your hard skills list, include any specific abilities related to the role you're applying for. These could be technical skills or industry knowledge that showcases your expertise in your chosen profession. Furthermore, an extensive list of hard skills helps to make a compelling case for your private equity analyst job applications, as they show employers your understanding of the private equity analyst role. Aim to include four or five key hard skills. If you have space, explain how and where you've used that skill to create successful outcomes in your career. These skills will demonstrate your credentials and show how you meet the job description.

If you want to make a strong impression with your hard skills list, focus on hard skills that align with your specific industry expertise, and that reflect the job description. For inspiration on the right type of hard skills for a private equity analyst resume, see below.

Adding soft skills to your private equity resume

Soft skills are the personal skills and qualities that make you a good fit for the job. They include transferable skills and strengths that help you settle into the role, adapt to new challenges and build effective working relationships. Indeed, as the nature of work changes, soft skills are growing in importance, so make sure you include them in your resume. You should generally look to include up to five soft or transferable skills that match the job description.

Your soft skills section should make the most of your unique personal qualities and strengths, while also reflecting the requirements laid out in the job description. See below for some examples of useful soft skills for a private equity analyst resume.

Educational Achievements

The education section provides space to list your highest and most recent academic achievements that are relevant to working as a private equity analyst.

To work as a private equity analyst, employers tend to require candidates to have a specialist degree, such as a Bachelor of Science in Finance. If you have this degree, focus on it in your education section, while also mentioning any educational achievements that show your LBO modeling skills or industry-specific research.

List every relevant qualification, including the name and level of the course, the name of the school, college or university, its location and your graduation date. If you have space, include some bullet points outlining any specialist areas of study, awards or high grades, so the employer can learn more about your unique skill set and knowledge.

If you organized or participated in any clubs or societies while at university, or you took part in any voluntary work, you could also mention these here.

Certifications and Training

Under this section, list any relevant certifications or licenses that are relevant to private equity analyst jobs. Add any official certifications or accreditations that increase your level of qualification and suitability for working as a private equity analyst. Therefore, make sure you list the dates of your certifications and licenses so employers can see they're up-to-date and valid.

Take a look at some example certifications for a private equity resume below:

Employment History

Next, list your relevant employment history and any key achievements that show you're suitable for a private equity analyst position. Mention only the most appropriate and relevant jobs you've had in reverse-chronological order, starting with your most recent and working backwards. Add your job title, the name of the employer, the location of the role and your dates of employment.

Under each job entry, add several bullet points highlighting your responsibilities and achievements. Consult the job description for a list of the key requirements for the role and make sure your work experience section showcases how you meet these requirements.

The best resume work experience sections focus only on the most relevant previous jobs, and link each bullet point back to a skill or experience listed in the job description. It's also critical to provide evidence that shows the value you added to each role in a quantifiable way, such as project outcomes, key performance indicators or feedback from customers, colleagues or managers. See below for some good examples of what to include in your resume work experience section.

In the graphic above, you'll see some examples of less effective resume work experience sections. Ineffective work experience sections tend to focus too much on everyday responsibilities over skills and achievements. If you use vague descriptions of activities and fail to back up your achievements with evidence, you're likely to fail to make an impact on the reader.

Optional Resume Sections

To provide further information on your suitability for the role, you could add some optional sections to a private equity analyst resume. Choose optional sections from the list below, if they help to showcase your relevant skills and experience.

Personal Interests

Including your hobbies and interests can be a valuable way of showing your key skills and qualities. Your hobbies and interests are useful for a private equity analyst resume if you want to show a different side to your personality, or to stand out among other candidates. They can also be valuable if you're a junior candidate without much relevant work experience. Don't include hobbies and interests in your resume unless they showcase a specific interest or aspect of your personality. You'll want them to add something to your application that you can't add elsewhere.

Voluntary Work

Adding voluntary roles can be a useful way of showing relevant experience and skills for private equity analyst roles beyond your main employment history. List your volunteer job title, the organization you volunteered for, its location and the dates of your involvement, alongside a brief explanation of your responsibilities in the role.

References

Standard private equity analyst resumes don't tend to include references, but you might find them requested occasionally. Check the job advert to see if you'll need to add references to your resume. Be sure to prepare your referees in advance, so they've agreed to provide a reference and are ready to be contacted.

Best action words for your private equity resume

Add strong verbs to your work experience section to show the hiring manager the impact you made in your previous roles. Choose from the list of words below to increase the impact of your work experience section.

For help creating an eye-catching resume design to catch the attention of hiring managers, see Jobseeker's professional resume layouts. You can also use our clear, effective cover letter templates to complete your application.

Sample resume for private equity analyst positions

Now that you know everything that needs to go into your private equity resume, let's review an example resume that you can use as a guide when creating your own:

How to make your resume ATS compliant

Applicant tracking systems (ATS) help recruiters and employers to streamline their hiring process. They can store and process data, including applications and applicant data, quickly and efficiently. One of the jobs ATS applications are increasingly responsible for is initial candidate screening. The systems can quickly scan and rank resumes based on how closely they match the job description. When you're writing your private equity resume, there are several things you can do to make sure your resume stands the best chance of passing the ATS stage.

Follow these simple rules when writing your resume, to make sure it's ATS compliant:

• Choose a resume structure that matches the traditional, reverse-chronological layout or alternatively, the functional resume structure. This should make your resume more readable for ATS applications.
• Use of job description keywords throughout your resume will help it rank higher in the ATS scanning stage, as it will more closely match the requirements laid out in the job description.
• Use clear headings that break your resume up into readable, scannable sections that match the standard content employers expect from a resume.
• Adopt a resume design that uses clear, professional design principles and leaves white space for your content to breathe. Use the most readable fonts and incorporate subtle design elements to enhance the readability of your document.
• Adopt simple, professional language to keep your resume as concise as possible. This tends to make your document more readable, and easier for ATS software to scan.

Takeaways for a winning private equity resume

If you want to catch the eye of employers and recruiters, you need a professional resume that showcases your best skills and career achievements. Use a suitable resume format and tailor your resume for every application you submit.

Jobseeker has a wealth of resume tools, including resume templates and examples, to help you create a winning job application. Sign up today to get started. Whether you're a junior or senior candidate, a professional cover letter can help to grab the attention of the employer. Jobseeker's cover letter examples were created by careers experts to provide useful tips and ideas for your cover letter.

Sources:

(1) Writing a Resume, California Department of Human Resources: https://www.calhr.ca.gov/employees/Pages/resume-tips.aspx

(2) Resumes, Cover Letters and Job Applications, New York State Department of Labor: https://dol.ny.gov/resumes-cover-letters-and-job-applications