Should I include my A-level results on my Investment Banker CV?

Yes if you're an analyst or associate (typically up to 4-5 years post-grad). UK and European investment banking hiring is unusually credential-led — A-levels, university classification and (for graduates) GCSE Maths and English are standard inclusions through associate level. Format: 'A Levels: A*A*A* (Maths, Further Maths, Economics) — School Name, 2018'. Drop A-levels at VP level and above, where deal experience replaces academic record. The exception is if your A-levels are notably strong (3+ A*s including Maths) and you're at junior associate level — still worth keeping.

How do I list deals on my Investment Banking CV without breaching confidentiality?

Use the public-information rule: if a deal has been announced publicly, you can name the client, transaction value and your role. If a deal hasn't been announced or is confidential, anonymise it: 'Sell-side advisory of £620m EV UK consumer business' or 'Buy-side mandate for FTSE 250 industrials client (£1.1bn EV target)'. Most banking hiring managers prefer specifics where possible because they're fact-checking against the public deal record. The mistake is listing a confidential deal with the client's name — that's a compliance fail and an instant no-hire signal in any reference check.

Should I include CFA progress on my Investment Banker CV?

Yes if you're at analyst or associate level — CFA progress (Level 1, 2 or 3 candidate, with sitting date) is a credibility marker, especially in equity research, asset management, or sector-specialist M&A teams. Format: 'CFA Level 2 passed (August 2025); Level 3 candidate, June 2026 sitting'. Don't put 'studying CFA' or 'CFA progress' — be specific. At VP level and above, CFA matters less than deal track record, but charterholders should still list 'CFA Charterholder' under credentials. If you've passed Level 1 only and stalled, leave it on but don't lead with it.

CV Example · Finance · UK 2026

Investment Banker CV Example UK

Investment banking CVs are formulaic for a reason — the format works, hiring managers expect it, and deviation gets you binned. After 12 years working alongside London banking recruiters and helping candidates move between bulge bracket, mid-market and boutique houses, here's the 2026 reality: your CV needs deal experience listed (transaction value, role, sector, your specific contribution), education at the top, technical skills clearly stated, and zero filler. UK banking hiring managers spend 8 seconds on a first read. The CVs getting interviews are tightly written, deal-led, technically credible, and free of the corporate-speak that's started creeping in from outside the industry. Stick to the conventions and quantify everything.

By Alex · 12-year UK recruiter · Updated April 2026

Example header

Olivia Bennett · Associate · M&A Advisory · London (3 years post-grad)

Personal statement / Professional summary

M&A advisory associate at a top-tier European investment bank with 3 years' experience executing UK and European mid-market deals (£100m-£1.2bn EV) across consumer, healthcare and industrials. Closed 6 sell-side and 2 buy-side mandates worth £3.4bn aggregate transaction value. Strong technical foundation (LBO, DCF, comps, precedent transactions; Excel and PowerPoint at elite-shop standard). First-class economics from LSE; CFA Level 3 candidate (June 2026 sitting). Looking to move to a sector-specialist team or growth-stage advisory boutique with direct client exposure earlier in tenure.

Bullet point examples

Strong bullets follow the same shape: action verb, specific scope, quantified outcome. Use these as patterns, not as copy-paste templates — the numbers must be your own.

Live deal execution (M&A advisory)

Executed sell-side advisory of £620m EV consumer business; led IM drafting, management presentation prep and bidder management across 18-bidder process.
Built operational and financial model (£420m EBITDA forecast over 5 years) reviewed by MD-level deal team; model used in final SPA negotiation.
Coordinated due diligence streams (commercial, financial, tax, legal) across 12-week process to successful close at upper end of guidance.

Buy-side and pitch work

Co-led buy-side pitch on £1.1bn EV healthcare carve-out; pitch resulted in mandate appointment over 4 competing banks.
Built target-screening model identifying 38 acquisition candidates across 3 sub-sectors using PitchBook + Capital IQ + proprietary screen.
Authored sector primer on UK healthcare consolidation distributed firm-wide and used in 4 subsequent mandate pitches.

Technical and modelling

Built standalone LBO model for £340m PE-backed take-private including operating model, debt waterfall, returns analysis and sensitivity dashboard.
Maintained sector valuation database (38 listed comparables, 22 precedent transactions) updated weekly and used across 6 active mandates.
Authored DCF and SOTP models for FTSE 250 client used in board-level strategic review.

Client management and team leadership

First point of client contact on 4 active mandates; managed weekly client calls, deliverables tracking and execution timelines.
Mentored 2 analysts through promotion cycle; led modelling training sessions for incoming graduate cohort (n=14).
Coordinated cross-border execution with Frankfurt and New York coverage teams on 2 cross-Atlantic transactions.

Sector and origination

Authored 4 published sector reports on UK consumer M&A trends; one report referenced by Financial Times in deal coverage.
Maintained relationship coverage on 22 mid-market consumer corporates through quarterly outreach and event attendance.
Identified £180m carve-out opportunity for FTSE 100 client; opportunity progressed to mandate stage and won by team.

Skills section — what to list

Mirror the skills exactly as they appear in target job ads. The ATS reads this section literally — synonyms hurt match scores.

M&A execution (sell-side and buy-side)LBO modellingDCF and SOTP valuationTrading and transaction compsPitchBook, Capital IQ, FactSet, BloombergOperating model build (3-statement)Excel (elite shop standard)PowerPoint (deal-grade)IM and CIM draftingDue diligence coordinationPitch book authorshipSector research and primer authorshipCross-border deal executionClient managementCFA / qualified accountant

Investment Banker-specific CV mistakes that get you binned

× Listing deals without transaction value, your role, or sector. 'Worked on M&A transactions' is a binned CV. State the EV, the side (sell/buy), and what you did.
× Adding marketing fluff to a banking CV. Phrases like 'passionate about deal-making' or 'driven team player' look juvenile in an investment-banking format.
× Putting education at the bottom. UK banking CVs lead with university (with classification), then experience. A-levels are listed too if you're at analyst level.
× Omitting GPA, classification or A-level grades pre-VP. Banking is one of the few industries where academic record stays on the CV through analyst and associate years.
× Vague technical claims like 'strong modelling skills'. Specify: LBO with debt waterfall and waterfall, three-statement operating model, sensitivity tables, etc.

Common questions

Should I include my A-level results on my Investment Banker CV?: Yes if you're an analyst or associate (typically up to 4-5 years post-grad). UK and European investment banking hiring is unusually credential-led — A-levels, university classification and (for graduates) GCSE Maths and English are standard inclusions through associate level. Format: 'A Levels: A*A*A* (Maths, Further Maths, Economics) — School Name, 2018'. Drop A-levels at VP level and above, where deal experience replaces academic record. The exception is if your A-levels are notably strong (3+ A*s including Maths) and you're at junior associate level — still worth keeping.
How do I list deals on my Investment Banking CV without breaching confidentiality?: Use the public-information rule: if a deal has been announced publicly, you can name the client, transaction value and your role. If a deal hasn't been announced or is confidential, anonymise it: 'Sell-side advisory of £620m EV UK consumer business' or 'Buy-side mandate for FTSE 250 industrials client (£1.1bn EV target)'. Most banking hiring managers prefer specifics where possible because they're fact-checking against the public deal record. The mistake is listing a confidential deal with the client's name — that's a compliance fail and an instant no-hire signal in any reference check.
Should I include CFA progress on my Investment Banker CV?: Yes if you're at analyst or associate level — CFA progress (Level 1, 2 or 3 candidate, with sitting date) is a credibility marker, especially in equity research, asset management, or sector-specialist M&A teams. Format: 'CFA Level 2 passed (August 2025); Level 3 candidate, June 2026 sitting'. Don't put 'studying CFA' or 'CFA progress' — be specific. At VP level and above, CFA matters less than deal track record, but charterholders should still list 'CFA Charterholder' under credentials. If you've passed Level 1 only and stalled, leave it on but don't lead with it.