9 Skills for Your Financial Modelling Resume (With Example)

Updated 17 January 2023

Financial modelling jobs can include positions such as financial controller, data analyst, modelling analyst and corporate advisor. When applying for one of these roles, it may be beneficial to include relevant skills on your resume that illustrate your ability to perform modelling-related tasks. Learning which hard and soft skills are best to include on your resume can help you impress potential employers and increase your chances of securing your desired job. In this article, we review nine skills that you can use on your financial modelling resume and provide a resume example to help guide you when writing your own.

9 skills you can use on a financial modelling resume

Here are some skills you can include when writing your financial modelling resume:

1. Accounting

Whether you're starting your career or you're an experienced expert, it's important to show on your resume that you have strong knowledge of finance and accounting principles. Financial modelling is the ability to use accounting information and financial documents to help businesses make informed decisions about strategic planning, project cost calculations, resource allocation and other finance-related interests. This can involve knowledge of concepts such as capital allocation, monetary unit principle, cash flow and revenue.

You can display your accounting knowledge on your resume by providing examples in the experience section that show your ability to perform related skills. For example, you might write exhibited strong knowledge of accounting principles when analysing financial documents for clients.

2. Forecasting

Although forecasting differs slightly from financial modelling, possessing these skills can be beneficial to companies. For example, having this knowledge can enable you to calculate sales projections, identify future asset value and make other informed predictions that may improve your financial modelling. Your forecasting skills may benefit an organisation by reducing its reliance on cross-departmental collaboration.

You can include your forecasting ability in your skills and experience sections. Under your skills section, you can list specific forecasting skills, such as variance analysis and financial and operational reporting. When listing your experience, aim for a sentence or two that describes how you executed the task in a former role. For example, your resume could include created models for forecasting asset management, including loans, payments and interest.

3. Spreadsheet management

An important part of financial modelling is using spreadsheet software to predict an organisation's future financial performance. Therefore, listing your knowledge of spreadsheet management can help you demonstrate to prospective employers that you're adept at operating software tools and making accurate modelling calculations.

Besides data entry, you might benefit from displaying your skills with functions, pivot tables, macros and other complex calculations. It's also a good idea to list any relevant spreadsheet programs, formulas or plug-ins you're proficient in. You can mention these under your skills section. You may also include these in your experience section and describe how you used certain tools in previous roles and what you achieved. For example, you could add to your resume created financial models in spreadsheets using advanced tools like macros and lookup features.

4. Auditing

Though some companies may have separate roles for auditors, including this skill on your resume demonstrates you know what to include on a model for compliance. Including your experience auditing financial documents or financial models as part of your experience section can show your expertise in this area. It can also show your attention to detail, which is another skill you might want to include on your resume.

For example, to display your auditing experience on your resume, you might write performed audits on all models, including technical assumptions and accurate calculations.

5. Problem solving

Problem solving is a soft skill that allows you to analyse a situation, identify the source of the problem and determine an effective solution. This is especially important in financial modelling, as you can be responsible for helping organisations make logical conclusions based on historical and predictive data. For example, you might experience scenarios where a cash balance has become negative, and a model is showing signs of incorrect assumptions or placement errors of circular references. Because unexpected problems can arise, companies may search your resume to determine how efficient you are at solving modelling issues.

You can address your problem-solving skills on your resume by providing one or two examples of instances where you have used this skill. For example, you might write applied problem-solving skills to analyse data and deliver investment and merger solutions.

6. Modelling types

There are various modelling types, such as the merger model, the discounted cash flow model and the budget model. When you're applying for a financial modelling position, it's important to read the job description carefully, as it may mention a specific modelling type that the company prioritises. If you have experience with the company's preferred model, it can benefit you to outline how you applied it in a prior role.

For example, the job you're interested in might require candidates to have experience with a three-statement model. You could address this in your experience section by writing built and maintained three-statement models to support investments and capital structuring.

7. Data analysis

Data analysis can be a major responsibility in a financial modelling job. Having strong knowledge in this area can allow you to collect and analyse data from multiple financial documents to provide an organisation with accurate recommendations and solutions to improve business performance.

When listing your data analysis skills, you might include specific tools you've used, such as spreadsheet tools or financial software. Consider including a sentence or two in your experience section, elaborating on how you performed data analysis tasks. For example, you may write performed return on investment data analysis using the three-model analysis method to increase ROI by 10%.

8. Sensitivity analysis

Sensitivity analysis is the ability to understand how certain variable factors might affect the invariable aspects of a business. Like a what-if analysis, this can involve reviewing data within hypothetical scenarios and determining how they might affect specific areas of a business. This is important to show on your resume, as you might be responsible for recommending solutions to different organisations based on factors that might affect outcomes. Some positions may require you to have experience creating a sensitivity analysis model, while others might want you to know the basics of this concept.

To describe your sensitivity analysis experience on your resume, you might write created sensitivity analysis models to determine the effects of share prices on valuation.

9. Presentation

Many jobs in financial modelling require you to present the results of your model as a formal presentation to senior management and other key stakeholders. Because financial models involve complex information, having the ability to break down intricate details and explain them in a clear and intelligible manner is a valuable skill. Therefore, it's beneficial to highlight your oral presentation skills.

You can do this by listing your knowledge of data visualisation tools or presentation software programs in the skills section of your resume. It's also a good idea to expand on this skill further by providing an example of a successful presentation you delivered in a previous position. This can involve describing how you delivered the information, who your audience was and what tools you used. For example, you might state on your resume presented statistical analysis findings for investment opportunities to senior leadership using graphic tools and slide decks.

Financial modelling resume example

Here's a resume example that uses some skills outlined above. You can use this as a guide when writing a resume for a financial modelling position:

Cody Simpson

Perth, Western Australia | Cody.Simpson@email.com | 045-665-1100

Professional Summary

Driven financial modelling expert with seven years of experience seeking a position as a financial controller. Experienced in managing budget and cash flow reports, complex model development and leading large teams of data analysts.

Experience

Modelling analyst
Jason & Johnson Accounting
Perth, Western Australia
April 2018–Current

apply problem-solving skills to analyse data
deliver investment and merger solutions
create financial models in spreadsheets using advanced tools like macros and lookup features
regularly present statistical analysis findings for investment opportunities to senior leadership using graphic tools and slide decks
use big-data analytical tools and visualisation programs to organise and present models clearly

Education

Master of Finance and Banking
Shenton University
Perth, Western Australia
November 2014

Bachelor of Commerce
Shenton University
Perth, Western Australia
November 2012

Skills