If the job advertisement says it wants Excel/Power Point/Word, then you should put Excel/Power Point/Word. Otherwise, probably not - especially if you have more advanced computer skills to write about.
My secret to getting noticed is to pay a black guy to drop it off at an HR desk. Since they are probably so self concious of CFA affirmative action, I almost always get a response. The first face to face meeting is a little awkward though…
If you have proficiency with important finance or programming software, I’d generally add “Microsoft Office Suite” as well. This is especially key for people trying to get into front-office finance from another industry, as facility with Word, PowerPoint and Excel are critical. People want to know that you know basic shortcuts and that you’re not going to be using your mouse copiously while navigating through spreadsheets or presentation decks. Personally, I don’t have a section on my resume that lists my computer skills, because I don’t have expertise with any programming software and it’s implied by the jobs that I’ve held that I’m skilled with the Microsoft Office platform. However, I recommend to most of my clients from non-finance backgrounds to list out their computer experiences. Even if they *only* know Microsoft Office Suite and Bloomberg or something, you can easily put your language skills on the same line in the interest of space.
Analyze_This Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > My secret to getting noticed is to pay a black guy > to drop it off at an HR desk. Since they are > probably so self concious of CFA affirmative > action, I almost always get a response. The first > face to face meeting is a little awkward though… always nice to have some yuppie humour… do you do the same when stopped by the police or hailing a cab?
I’m going to propose something here that flies in the face on convention 1. List CFA designation under “Certifications and Designations” along with the year; 2. Only list the CFA Society if it’s not in your hometown OR if you are on relevant committees–which will be listed towards the bottom of the resume.
^^^ Oh yeah, and skip writing CFA Institute under organizations. It’s redundant.
I put CFA info in a section called “Other Qualifications” at the bottom of my resume. I also put licenses – Series 7, 63, 86, 87 – in that section.