What not to write in a personal statement in a CV for finance jobs?

Your CV for finance jobs (or any other sector) has a tough job. It will probably be in the hands of the recruiter for a very small amount of time so every
word counts. Your CV has to sell you, making you sound interesting, fit for the organisation and capable of making a difference.

Let’s focus on what can give yourself the best chance of it actually being read and not to throw this moment away, being too long, laid out incorrectly, unproperly formatted and so on.

First of all, let’s see what not to write in a CV for finance jobs.

What not to write in a personal statement in a CV for finance jobs

You may think that some well-known phrases could let you sound like a ‘real business person’ and that you know what you’re talking about. But here’s why you should probably avoid the following 5 expressions if you want that finance career.

“I’m Flexible”. Employers know it: this expression may actually make sense if you were applying for a job where you were going to be changing what you did every two days, but you’re applying for the financial industry. If you want to show how able you are to adapt to changing situations, specify in your employment examples how you adapted to a particular situation, specifically and concretely.
“I am a perfectionist and pay attention to detail.” In a recent survey, employers named this as the most frequent answer they receive to the question: “what weaknesses do you have?” So, it’s not really going to give any real insight about you that will let you stand out of the crowd. Anyway, if you really can’t avoid adding it to your CV, show how you paid attention to detail and got some sort of result out of it in a previous employment, so it will be at least relevant. Also consider that if you add this expression, any spelling or grammar mistake in your CV would be even deadlier…!
“I’m a dedicated worker and I always give my all.” You’d be stating the obvious. If you’re applying for a job, the employer will be expecting that you will be diligent and respectful. Employers also know that no-one works at 100% capacity, 100% of the time. Show how you performed consistently and capably in your previous occupations and which results this gave to the firms you were working for.
“I’m passionate about [Role/Sector you’re applying for].” If you weren’t interested in the field, there wouldn’t be any point applying: show your desire to be a part of a particular industry, by showing for example how you set up a Risk Management Society at University, or did a host of work experience at actuarial firms – these concrete examples will stick in an employer’s memory and could let your CV stand out of all the other dozens.
“I’m good with numbers.” This expression is kind of banal: if you’re not good with numbers, the likelihood that you may have opted for finance jobs is not actually quite high. Instead of letting your employer lose time reading an obvious expression, let him gain real knowledge of how you’ve applied your numeracy skills in your other positions.

Some other big DON’Ts in CV for finance jobs (and other sectors, too!)

Irrelevant personal information. Unless your personal information is relevant to the job you’re applying for, do not include it on your CV.
Burying important information. Remember, your CV will have little time to impress. So when compiling your CV, make all benefits you’ll bring to the organisation and the role easy to find, easy to understand and compelling.
Spelling errors, typos and poor grammar. Use a spell checker, definitely.
Unexplained gaps in employment. Explain them always.
Lying or misleading information. Recruiters always look for inflated qualifications, salaries, Job titles and Achievements and employers are conducting increasingly vigorous background checks on candidates.
Excessive length. Your CV shouldn’t run to more than 2 pages of A4. Be concise and, if you are an older job seeker, focus on your recent experience and achievements. Avoid any irrelevant work experience. If you must refer to a job(s) from a while back, then you could create a separate ‘Previous Employment’ document and refer to it in your cover letter. This rule applies to qualifications too.
Bad formatting. Format your CV so that it is easy to read on a screen, even if stripped bare of its formatting (as it usually happens with web forms).
Meaningless introductions. Craft a short, simple and benefits-focused headline about yourself. Write a headline that tells what the CV is about but teases just enough in order to encourage to read on.
Salary information. A CV is intended to showcase your professional experience and skills. The desired salary expectation comes later in the interview process.
Reasons you left a company or position. Listing why you left is irrelevant on your CV. It’s not the time or place to bring up transitions from one company to the next. Use your interview to address this.
Why you want the job. That’s what the cover letter and interviews are for! Your skills and qualifications should be able to do that for you — and if they don’t, then your CV is either in bad shape, or this isn’t the right job for you.
Opinions. Recruiters want facts only. They’ll decide if you are “an excellent communicator” or “highly organized and motivated” after they meet you.