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Investment Banking Analyst resume example

Investment banking analyst resumes are read fast and judged hard. Bankers look for deal experience (type, size and your role), modeling and valuation skills, strong academics, and the attention to detail that keeps a pitch book error-free. Keep it to one page, in a plain format, with every number checked twice.

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Why this resume works

  • Every bullet starts with a verb and ends with a result, most with a number.
  • The skills an investment banking analyst job post asks for appear in the Skills section and again inside the bullets.
  • A single, standard layout (Harvard) that applicant tracking systems read top to bottom.
  • Standard headings (Summary, Work Experience, Education, Skills) so the ATS files each part correctly.

William Chen

Investment Banking Analyst

william.chen@email.com • +1 (212) 555-0196 • New York, NY • linkedin.com/in/williamchen

Professional Summary

Second-year investment banking analyst in a mid-market M&A group covering industrial and business services companies. Has worked on 6 live transactions, including 3 closed deals with a combined value of about $900 million, and builds the operating models, valuations and buyer materials for each. Strong in three-statement models, DCF, LBO and accretion/dilution analysis.

Education

University of Michigan, Ross School of Business

Ann Arbor, MI

BBA, Finance, minor in Economics

2020 – 2024

GPA 3.8/4.0. Investment club portfolio manager; case competition finalist.

Work Experience

Kestrel Ridge Advisors

2024 – Present

Investment Banking Analyst, M&A

  • Sell-side sale of a $420 million industrial distribution business to a private equity buyer: built the operating model and LBO returns analysis, and ran the data room for 14 bidders.
  • Buy-side acquisition of a $310 million facilities services company by a strategic buyer: built the accretion/dilution model and synergy cases used in the board presentation.
  • Drafted sections of 3 confidential information memoranda and 20+ pitch books, including comparable company and precedent transaction analyses.
  • Built a sector screening model of 180 private companies that the team now uses for buyer and target lists.

Harrow & Finch Partners

2023 – 2023

Summer Analyst, Investment Banking

  • Built trading comparables for 3 pitches to healthcare services companies.
  • Prepared buyer outreach lists of 120 strategic and financial sponsors for a sell-side process.
  • Received a full-time offer at the end of the summer.

Skills

Finance: Three-statement modeling, DCF, LBO, accretion/dilution, comparable companies, precedent transactions, sum-of-the-parts, CIMs, pitch books, due diligence

Tools: Excel (advanced), PowerPoint, FactSet, Capital IQ, PitchBook, Bloomberg, Intralinks and Datasite data rooms

Certificates

SIE Exam; Series 79 and Series 63, FINRA / NASAA

2024

Languages

Mandarin (Professional)

Example investment banking analyst resume · Harvard template · made-up person

Investment Banking Analyst resume summary examples

Two or three lines at the top: your years of experience, your strongest skills, and the result you are known for.

This example

Second-year investment banking analyst in a mid-market M&A group covering industrial and business services companies. Has worked on 6 live transactions, including 3 closed deals with a combined value of about $900 million, and builds the operating models, valuations and buyer materials for each. Strong in three-statement models, DCF, LBO and accretion/dilution analysis.

Student / summer analyst

Finance student at a top business school with a summer analyst internship in M&A and a 3.8 GPA. Built comparables and buyer lists on live sell-side processes, leads the student investment club's industrials coverage, and is fast and careful in Excel and PowerPoint.

Experienced

Investment banking associate with 5 years across M&A and leveraged finance, covering technology and consumer companies. Has executed 14 transactions worth over $5 billion in total, manages analysts day to day on live deals, and is the main contact for client finance teams through diligence.

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Investment Banking Analyst resume bullet points

Use them as a pattern, not a copy: swap in your own numbers. If you don't have a number, describe the before and after.

  • Built the operating model and LBO analysis for a $420 million sell-side sale to a private equity buyer.

  • Ran the data room and diligence requests for 14 bidders in a competitive auction.

  • Built the accretion/dilution model and synergy cases for a $310 million strategic acquisition.

  • Drafted sections of 3 confidential information memoranda and 20+ pitch books.

  • Built a screening model of 180 private companies now used for buyer and target lists.

  • Prepared comparable company and precedent transaction analyses for 12 client pitches.

  • Prepared buyer outreach lists of 120 strategic and financial sponsors for a sale process.

  • Checked every number in a 90-page CIM against the model before it went to bidders.

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Skills and ATS keywords for an investment banking analyst resume

Skills that often appear in investment banking analyst job posts. Add only the ones you really have, in the same words the post uses, and check every job post for its own.

  • Investment banking
  • Mergers and acquisitions
  • M&A
  • Financial modeling
  • Valuation
  • DCF
  • LBO
  • Accretion/dilution
  • Comparable companies
  • Precedent transactions
  • Pitch books
  • Confidential information memorandum
  • Due diligence
  • Capital markets
  • Leveraged finance
  • Capital IQ
  • FactSet
  • PitchBook
  • Advanced Excel
  • PowerPoint
Cover letter examples →See which keywords your resume is missing for a real job →

How to write an investment banking analyst resume

  1. 01

    Write each deal as type, size and your role

    "Sell-side sale of a $420 million industrial business to a PE buyer: built the operating model" tells a banker everything in one line. Use "pending" or "announced" for deals not yet closed.

  2. 02

    Keep it to one page

    Banking resumes for analysts and associates are almost always one page. Cut anything that doesn't support deals, modeling, academics or leadership.

  3. 03

    Put your GPA and test scores up

    For analyst roles, academics still matter. List your GPA if it's strong, along with honors and finance-related activities.

  4. 04

    Check every number

    Bankers read resumes the way they read pitch books. A wrong date, a typo or misaligned formatting suggests you'd make the same slip in client work.

Investment Banking Analyst resume, section by section

Header

Name, phone, email, city and LinkedIn on two lines. Banking resumes keep headers tight to save room for deals and education.

Summary

Many banking resumes skip a summary. When you include one, keep it to two or three lines as William does: his group, sector focus, deal count and value, and core modeling skills.

Deal experience

Each deal follows the same pattern: deal type, size, counterparty type, then exactly what he built or ran. That pattern lets a managing director scan his experience in seconds.

Education

For analysts, education carries weight: school, degree, GPA and one line on relevant activities. Recruiters for banking roles often screen on academics first.

Skills and licenses

Modeling and valuation skills, then tools, then licenses. Listing FactSet, Capital IQ and PitchBook signals you can start on live work without training.

Format and length

One page, a classic single-column template, consistent dates on the right and no color. Banking resumes are judged partly on how clean they look.

Entry-level to senior investment banking analyst resume bullet points

Summer analyst (student)

  • Built trading comparables for 3 pitches covering 40 public companies.
  • Updated industry overview pages for weekly sector reports sent to clients.
  • Prepared buyer outreach lists and contact logs for a live sell-side process.
  • Received a full-time return offer at the end of a 10-week internship.

Analyst (1–3 years)

  • Built operating, DCF and LBO models for 6 live transactions across M&A and debt financing.
  • Coordinated diligence lists and Q&A for 14 bidders through a virtual data room.
  • Drafted CIM and management presentation sections with the client's finance team.
  • Prepared fairness opinion analysis materials reviewed by the valuation committee.

Associate (3–6 years)

  • Run day-to-day execution on deals, managing 2 to 3 analysts and checking every model.
  • Act as main contact for client CFOs and their advisers through diligence and negotiation.
  • Executed 14 transactions worth over $5 billion in total across M&A and leveraged finance.
  • Train incoming analysts on modeling standards and pitch book formatting.

Mistakes to avoid on an investment banking analyst resume

  • Naming confidential clients

    Deals that aren't public must stay anonymous. Describe them by type, sector and size; a slip here is a red flag for any bank.

  • Overstating your role

    "Led the sale of a $400 million company" as an analyst won't survive the first interview question. Say exactly what you built or ran.

  • Two pages

    An analyst resume over one page usually signals poor editing. Cut older or unrelated items until it fits.

  • Loose formatting

    Inconsistent dates, fonts or bullet styles look careless to bankers who spend their days fixing exactly that.

Key takeaways

  • Write each deal as type, size, counterparty and your exact role.
  • Keep it to one clean page with academics clearly shown.
  • List modeling skills, data tools and licenses.
  • Never name confidential clients or deals.

Questions about investment banking analyst resumes

Can I list deals that haven't been announced?
Describe them without naming the client: deal type, industry, approximate size and your role, marked as pending. Never include confidential names or terms. If in doubt, ask your compliance team what you can say.
Should I include my GPA after a few years of work?
Analysts and first-year associates usually keep it if it's strong. After several years of deal experience, it matters much less and you can drop it.
What should be on an investment banking resume for students?
Education first, with GPA, then internships in finance, then leadership and activities like investment clubs or case competitions. A short skills line at the bottom covers modeling, tools and languages.
How do I move from Big Four transaction services or corporate finance into banking?
Highlight deal work: diligence, valuation, models you built and the transaction sizes. Use banking language for the deal role you played and show your Excel and modeling skills clearly.
Should I list interests at the bottom?
Many banking resumes do, in one short line. Specific interests, like marathon running or chess, give interviewers an easy conversation starter; generic ones like reading or travel add little.

Sources

Duties, pay, education and job outlook for financial analysts in the US: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook.

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