CV tips to kickstart your fintech career
If you’re looking to secure any of the advertised FinTech jobs that you’ve seen, you’re certainly not alone. Research shows that every advertised post attracts around 250 applicants. These are all people hungry for development and progression, wanting to take their careers to the next level.
If you want to stand out from the crowd, you need to make sure that your CV is something special. Anyone working in recruitment will tell you that reading CV after CV is less than fun. You need to make sure that, even if yours is 250th in the pile, the recruiter is going to find themselves. immersed in all that you have to say.
If you’re not sure how to get your CV right because you’re new to job hunting or you’ve been in the same role for a while now, we’re here to help. Read on and you’ll soon be putting together the perfect FinTech CV.
Presentation matters
First things first. No matter how great the words that are written down, these will be largely ignored if your CV looks a mess! Take the time to make it visually appealing. Consider the fonts that you are using, how you’re going to use different sections, and if you’ll include a photo. A rushed, unreadable, CV will reflect badly and see you ignored for most all FinTech jobs.
When it comes to presentation, you also need to ensure that your grammar and spelling are spot on. Mistakes, rightly or wrong, suggest a degree of laziness and a lack of attention to detail - not the impression that you’re looking to give!
Position yourself as a problem solver
If you’re wanting to start your FinTech career, your CV needs to show that you’re a problem solver. When you look at what the FinTech industry is all about, they need employees who can take a look at what can be done better and then develop ways to ensure that this happens.
Regardless of your past roles, you need to word your CV carefully in a way that highlights your problem-solving abilities. Yes, you can, by all means, refer to past success but what you really need to demonstrate is your ability to look towards the future. Anyone working in FinTech recruitment will tell you that forward-thinking is a must.
Show your entrepreneurial flair
Many FinTech jobs that you see advertised will be startup businesses. Even if they’re not literally just launched, the likelihood is that they will be relatively new. That’s why they need people who can demonstrate their entrepreneurial skills. They want someone who can assist with the development of the company and whose actions will lead to meaningful progression.
Depending upon your most recent role, this may be something that is a little tricky to show. You need to look at your past experiences and highlight times when you’ve created a vision or when you’ve been the driving force behind branding, or repositioning, a product or service.
Show that you're agile and flexible
When writing your CV, you don’t just want to be using buzz words for the sake of it. Those in recruitment tire from reading the same things over and over when there is no real substance behind the words. That being said, you do want to be using terms such as ‘flexible’, ‘agile’ and ‘adaptable’. Once you’ve used them, you then need to back them up.
You need to show examples of where these traits have been used in your career so far. Have you worked on fast-paced projects? Have you maybe taken on roles and responsibilities that fall outside your usual duties? Perhaps you can demonstrate when you’ve been proactive and suggest the direction our company should be going in?
Show off your knowledge
Part of job hunting is using your CV to shine and to show where you excel. One area that FinTech companies are desperately seeking expertise in is regulation. While FinTechs are big challenges to traditional banks, they are also governed by many of the same rules and regulations. Getting these wrong can cause major issues.
If you have knowledge in this area, be sure to highlight it. FinTech jobs rely on people who have the expertise to ensure that there is full compliance and that no practices are illegal/unethical.
If this is your first role in FinTech consider how your knowledge and skills transfer and demonstrate this versatility and synergy between them.
Do away with your safety net
Before applying for FinTech jobs, it is worth gaining some extra experiences that you can include on your CV. The problem that many recruiters have is that job hunters are coming from a background where they operate with a huge safety net. There is never any need to step outside of a comfort zone.
To ensure that you can really stand out on your CV, it’s worth looking for opportunities in smaller companies rather than large institutions. By doing this, you’ll be given tasks that you’re not used to and that fall outside of your comfort zone. FinTech companies need people who operate like this so make sure that you show that you’re one of them.
Get networking
It’s always useful to have someone on your side within an industry who will champion your cause. The FinTech industry is no different and by getting your name out there, and creating new connections, you could find someone willing to recommend you and push your CV to the right people.
With the likes of LinkedIn, there is no reason why you can’t amass an army of connections. Just be sure to do it the right way and to keep any connection requests professional.
With the array of professional networking options out there, many of which are free, use these to gain contacts, information and insights in to FinTech companies.
Final thoughts
The FinTech industry has experienced significant growth in recent years, but the reality is that it is only just now getting started. There is so much more to come, and with that, there will be an abundance of opportunities for the right job hunters.
Position yourself now so that you can gain the experiences and skills that you’ll need for a career in FinTech. Once you’ve done this, you can polish your CV and start searching for your dream job.
