Financial Due Diligence Resume Guide

Learn how to write the perfect resume for your transaction advisory / financial due diligence interviews.

Table of contents

  • What to consider when writing a financial due diligence resume
  • Associate vs senior associate financial due diligence resume
  • Financial due diligence resume examples

What to consider when writing a financial due diligence resume

When writing a resume for a financial due diligence job, it is important to highlight your relevant experience, skills, and qualifications. Here are some tips to help you create a strong resume for a financial due diligence job:

  1. Start with a strong summary or objective statement: This section should give a brief overview of your professional background and highlight your relevant experience and skills.

  2. List your relevant experience: Include your previous jobs, internships, or volunteer work that are related to financial due diligence. Be sure to highlight your accomplishments and the specific tasks you performed that are relevant to the job you are applying for.

  3. Highlight your education: List your educational background, including any degrees or certifications that are relevant to the financial due diligence field.

  4. Showcase your skills: In addition to listing your experience, be sure to highlight your skills that are relevant to the job. For example, you may want to highlight your attention to detail, analytical skills, and ability to work under pressure.

  5. Use keywords: Many employers use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to filter resumes, so it’s important to use keywords that are relevant to the job you are applying for. Look at the job posting and use similar language in your resume.

  6. Keep it concise: Your resume should be one or two pages long, so be sure to only include relevant information and keep it concise.

  7. Proofread: Before submitting your resume, make sure to proofread it carefully to avoid any spelling or grammatical errors.

Associate vs senior associate financial due diligence resume

When applying for an associate position versus a senior associate position, there are a few key differences you should consider when updating your resume. Here are some tips:

  1. Emphasize different levels of experience: When applying for a senior associate position, you should highlight more advanced experience and skills that you have gained since your associate position. This might include more complex financial modeling, leading client engagements, or managing junior team members.

  2. Highlight leadership skills: As a senior associate, you will likely be responsible for managing teams and leading projects. Highlight your leadership skills and experience, including any experience managing or mentoring junior team members.

  3. Focus on your accomplishments: Both associate and senior associate positions will involve analyzing financial data, but as a senior associate, you should focus more on the impact of your work. Highlight accomplishments that demonstrate your ability to provide strategic insights or make meaningful contributions to client projects.

  4. Emphasize your technical skills: As you move up the ranks, you will be expected to have more advanced technical skills. Highlight any specialized training or certifications you have obtained since your associate position.

  5. Consider the job requirements: Make sure to carefully review the job description for the senior associate position and tailor your resume accordingly. Look for specific skills or qualifications that are required for the role and make sure to highlight your relevant experience and expertise.

Financial due diligence resume examples

The below represents resume bullets gathered from over 10 financial due diligence resumes. We have highlighted the key bullet points that are most relevant to FDD jobs and what transaction advisory or financial due diligence interviewers like to see. If you perform any of these tasks in your current job, be sure to include them in your resume.

Consulting / Audit Experience:
  • Analyze financial and operational data to provide insights into client and/or audit team
  • Perform detail and substantive testing of the company’s revenue, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and cost of goods sold.
  • Maintain and develop positive productive and professional relationships with clients
  • Ability to analyze financial statements and forecasts
  • Deep understanding of the three financial statements and how they work together
  • Ability to aggregate, manipulate, and analyze large sets of financial data
  • Ability to identify historical and projected financial and operating trends
  • Ability to develop estimates of net working capital needs
  • Assess potential liabilities and risks impacting the business
  • Write detailed reports to present findings to various stakeholders
  • Lead meetings with internal audit / consulting team to discuss critical information and findings
Internal Accounting Experience:
  • Prepared monthly consolidated and individual financial statements
  • Recorded cash transactions and maintained cash balances
  • Prepared intercompany and elimination journal entries
  • Supervised the processing of transfers between bank accounts
  • Prepared bi-weekly payroll entries for salaried employees
  • Reconciled accounts receivable to the general ledger
  • Prepared worksheets of asset and liability accounts for outside CPA firm
Financial Planning and Analysis Experience:
  • Assess financial and operating trends to inform business decisions
  • Built detailed cash flow analysis to understand the company’s cash needs and projections
  • Developed dynamic budget projections with various operations scenarios to inform key business decisions 
  • Held meetings with CFO and director of finance to discuss business trends and goals 
  • Prepared accurate, timely, and insightful monthly variance reporting
  • Articulate findings to senior management
  • Summarize monthly financial performance into deliverables to senior management 

Interviewing for FDD Jobs?

Practice makes perfect. The best way to prepare for an FDD interview is to practice. First, you will need to nail down your understanding of the process and goals of financial due diligence. Next, you will need to learn how to analyze a business with an eye toward identifying red flags and potential quality of earnings adjustments. Finally, you will need to work on your ability to present your findings in a clear, concise, and confident manner. 

Leverage our free resources or our financial due diligence interview guide to help you prepare for all of these items

Full interview guide

Learn how to master the interview process for for roles at big 4 and other elite FDD firms.

Learn more

Free resources

Leverage our free resources to help you prepare for the FDD interview process.

Learn more