Putting both CPA and CFA on resume - ONTARIO CANADA

Hi all,

I am writing a resume to apply for Financial Analyst/Accountant positions and I have a question. Just so you know, I have been kind of out of the job field for 3 years running a small family business which I have now closed. Prior to this experience, I have been working as an accountant for 2 years.

I am enrolled in CPA program as well as CFA level 2. Should I put both on my resume or will it seem that I am confused with my career path? The reason why I am doing my CFA exams is because I want to learn finance and I don’t really care for a Charter.

Or, depending on the job positions, I should add/ subtract the CFA candidate/ Enrolled in CPA program wording?

Please share your input.

Tough out there buddy.

Put whatever relates to the job you are applying for. If you’re still studying for level 1 I wouldn’t put it on your resume. It like putting “studying for college mid-terms”. No one cares.

Image result for letterkenny memes figure it out

If I were you, I would put them both on the resume. Be sure to indicate which part(s) of each set of exams you have passed.

At least as important, you need to be able to have a succinct answer ready for any prospective employer who asks you why you want both designations. I have both myself, and the knowledge content required to get each one differs greatly from the other. So be prepared to respond to the ‘why both’ question.

Good luck!!

You say, “I have been working as an accountant”, then you say “I am enrolled in a CPA program.” My question - are you an accountant? Yes or no. If you say yes, then “Why are you enrolled in a CPA program?” If not, then why are you calling yourself an accountant?

What is a CPA program anyway? You mean you’re in college? Meaning, you’re a freshman in college, and are about seven years away from being a CPA? Or you’re “CPA ready” (meaning you’ve finished your education, got permission to take the exam, and currently studying for the exam)?

Why are you doing both? Why not just finish one, then finish the other?

But what about the CFP?

CFP is for the truly elite. You won’t find many of them slumming it around here.

Honestly, CFPs (Or is it CFP certification holders? Or CFP certificants? Or something?), from my understanding, don’t do rĂ©sumĂ©s, Their reputations precede them.

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It is “CFP professional”.

And a CFP professional only needs two words on his/her resume: “CFP professional”. That’s the whole resume.

(edited - this post originally said “CFP Certificant”)

Presumably to distinguish them from all of the CFP amateurs out there.

Shrewd approach.

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Many people over the years have expressed the opinion that the CFP is a no-brainer, lightweight credential. Having encountered a number of CFPs, I believe that’s true. In fact, I heard one CFP-holder say, “If you ever hear of someone flunking this exam, you know that person is an A-1 dunce.”

I hold both the CPA and the CFA designations. Most of the work I do involves valuing non-public companies and advising their owners on such matters as M&A, governance, and preparing to exit. The CPA is one of the world’s great brands (which is why I pursued it), but the CFA is more relevant to the work I do.

In my 45 years as a financial professional, I’ve NEVER heard the CFP referred to as being “for the truly elite.” I think that’s a gross overstatement. Fact: I’ve never heard of anyone who FAILED the CFP tests. In contrast, many people fail different parts of both the CPA and the CFA exams.

“Nobody cares”?? That’s absurd. They da**ed well DO CARE.

If you can get both designations, more doors will open to you, and you’ll have more career options. I have both of them myself. I thought the CFA was the tougher of the two batteries of tests, at least when I took it. I’ve heard that, in recent years, the CFA Institute has made the test much easier, which, if it’s true, is most regrettable. But it might also explain why the number of CFA charterholders has skyrocketed in the last few years.