Finance Manager Resume: Example & Writing Guide

Stacked portfolio? Check. Management experience? Check. Bending cash flows to your will with so much ease you’re practically telekinetic? Check on that, too.

Finance managers handle big numbers and huge investments, and if that’s you, you know it’s sometimes easy to get lost in the fine print and start glossing over those details.

Without ironing out your finance manager resume, you may as well kiss your dreams of advancing your career goodbye.

This guide will show you:

• A finance manager resume example better than 9 out of 10 other resumes.
• How to write a finance manager resume that will land you more interviews.
• Tips and examples of how to put skills and achievements on a finance manager resume.
• How to describe your experience on a resume for a finance manager to get any job you want.

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Finance Manager Resume Example

Without further ado, this is how you write a finance manager resume properly:

1. Format Your Finance Manager Resume Template

Finance managers oversee the well-being of a company’s financial operations, and are tasked with generating financial reports and projecting quarterly and yearly profits. To succeed, a finance manager resume needs to show just that kind of ability, plus some stress resistance and analytical thinking.

Still, that’s putting the cart before the horse here. Or should it be bull in this case?

Regardless, we’ll get to the what, but first, let’s deal with the how.

Presentation matters, always! Show up to a job interview in dirty rags and your chances will nosedive.

Take a look at this handy checklist and fix your resume format, stat:

• Out of the many choices you can pick to design your resume, the reverse-chronological format can blossom into the most profit for you with its propensity to show what recruiters need to see right away.
• Keep the margins in mind. No, not the profit margins this time, your resume margins! Those should be set to 1” on every side.
• All parts of your resume need to be distinct and logically divided to give your resume solid structure.
• Consider the font choice of your resume. It’s another crucial step for a good presentation, so pick something like Arial or Garamond and set it to 11–12 points.
• As for the ideal resume length for a finance manager, go for one or two pages, with no fluff or fillers—just relevant, impactful, condensed statements that speak to your suitability for this specific job opening.

When all is said and done, save your resume as a PDF to preserve your formatting. 

Read more: What Should My Resume Look Like? Full Guide with Examples

2. Write a Finance Manager Resume Profile

With the basics out of the way, you’ll now want to introduce yourself and captivate your reader at the same time.

To do that, write a resume profile. It’s a quick statement to help the recruiter see why they can safely place their finances in the hands of a talented finance manager, that being yourself.

If predicting cash flows and taking care of the general ledger has been your daily bread for more than 2 years, in a resume summary, write about the key factors and qualities of your work experience you’ve gathered so far. Include persuasive finance achievements and adorn them with real numbers for a bigger punch.

Otherwise, if you don’t have much managerial experience to speak of yet, choose the resume objective. Put more focus on your transferable skills from previous positions and the know-how you have as a finance whiz to deliver great results to the company.

Read more: How to Write a Resume Introduction (with Examples)

3. Describe Your Work Experience on Your Finance Manager Resume

What matters most in the money world?

Numbers, numbers, numbers!

Use them smartly in your work experience section and reap the profits like Michael Burry:

• Following reverse chronology, write about your most recent job first.
• Each position you describe should have your job title, years worked there, and the name and location of the company.
• Also, include several bullet points to list duties and job responsibilities. The minimum is 3, the maximum is 6, adjusting for relevance (older jobs get less).
• In these descriptions, use powerful language to highlight your agency in getting the company’s line to go up. 
• Focus on your professional achievements—recruiters don’t just want to know what you did, but how well you did it. 

As you pick the key duties to mention in your job description, remember to tailor your resume to each job ad. Use the same language as the employer to boost your chances of getting noticed. 

Read more: What is Meant by Relevant Experience on a Resume? 

4. Polish Your Education Section

A tidy resume education section is a must, even for senior roles like yours. Whether you hated or loved your college years, the hiring manager will want to take stock of your education, so get it done right.

Since you’re applying for a managerial role, it should be safe to assume you have at least a few years’ experience in your field. In such a case, you can just stick to the basics: list the degree you obtained, the name of the institution, and your years of attendance.

Listing other details, like your GPA, is only a good idea if you graduated relatively recently.

Read more: How to Put Your Degree on a Resume

Creating a resume with our builder is incredibly simple. Follow our step-by-step guide and use content from Certified Professional Resume Writers to have a resume ready in minutes.

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When you’re done, our online resume builder will score your resume and our resume checker will tell you exactly how to make it better.

5. Secure Their Attention by Tailoring Your Finance Manager Skills Section

Aside from your work experience and your education, what the recruiter wants to know first and foremost is the set of skills you bring to the table.

If they’re going to bring you into their sandbox, they have to know you can build them a nice castle. After all, financial managers pretty much make the big bucks from the get-go, according to the BLS.

Take a look at this example list of top finance skills:

Finance Manager Resume Skills

• Interpersonal Skills
• Accounting
• Stock Market Familiarity
• Supervising Staff
• Multi-Currency Reporting
• Mentoring
• Data Visualization
• Economics
• Financial Modeling
• Leadership Skills
• Optimizing Day-to-Day Operations
• Tracking & Analyzing Data
• Cash Flow Statements
• Directing Investments
• Projecting Profits
• Budgeting
• Risk Assessment & Management
• Drafting Financial Reports
• Long-Term Financial Strategy
• Managing Credit
• Accuracy
• Knowledge of Legal and Regulatory Requirements
• Problem-Solving
• Time Management
• Negotiating
• Communication Skills
• Computer Skills
• Financial Analysis
• Collaboration Skills

But hold on there—

A skills section shouldn’t be longer than your 401K investment plan.

Instead, you can let your value skyrocket in the employer’s eyes by targeting your resume's skills section.

If you open up the job ad, under “Requirements” (or “Expectations”, or something along those lines), the company pretty clearly states what they’re looking for in an ideal employee.

Now, you may not necessarily have all of these qualities, but surely at least some of your technical skills, hard skills, and soft skills fit that bill nicely.

Pick 5–10 of those skills that you have and that are mentioned in the job ad. This way, you’re presenting yourself as the ideal candidate for the role, plus you make your resume more ATS-friendly. 

Read more: Key Resume Skills: Guide & Examples

6. Increase Profits with Extra Sections on a Finance Manager Resume

The financial sector is one of the most globally distrusted industries, unfortunate as that is.

To make your application more cohesive and believable, use extra resume sections. They help to show your personality and prove you’re genuinely passionate about your profession. 

Here are some ideas of what to add to a financial manager resume:

• Personal and passion projects
• Freelance work
• Conferences, particularly as speaker
• Scientific publications
• Other achievements
• Certifications and licenses
• Volunteer work

You can also consider putting your hobbies and interests on your resume, although that’s tricky—especially for managerial and other senior roles. Only include things that directly speak to your career development or key skills. 

Read more: What to Put on a Resume: Full Guide

7. Write a Finance Manager Cover Letter

What’s the point of a cover letter?

To waste your time?

Not at all.

In fact, a significant number of recruiters consider them a must-have addition for any candidate.

But you need to make it good.

Let’s break down how to write a good cover letter:

• Pick the rightcover letter format to make it look professional.
• Write an engaging cover letter introduction, stating the position you’re applying for and hooking the reader with an impressive achievement of yours. 
• Reference a value or fact about the company that you have in common.
• End the cover letter making a call to action and promising to deliver on a valuable goal.

Keep an eye on the length of your cover letter: 3–4 paragraphs on one page will definitely suffice. 

Read more: Manager Cover Letter: How to Write, Examples & Tips

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

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Now that’s a stellar financial manager resume!

Got anything to add to this financial manager resume guide? We’d welcome all questions and ideas in our comments section below. If you want to chat, we’ll be waiting for you in the comments!

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