When applying for investment banking internships, having the right skills highlighted on your resume can make a big difference. As a highly competitive industry seeking top talent, investment banks look for both strong technical finance skills as well as soft skills like communication, teamwork and problem solving. Key technical skills include financial modeling, valuation, accounting, Excel, PowerPoint and strong numerical ability. Just as important are soft skills that showcase your work ethic, leadership potential, and ability to manage high pressure. With the right balance of technical and soft skills presented, your investment banking intern resume has a higher chance of standing out.
Advanced Excel and financial modeling are essential investment banking resume technical skills
Investment banking internship positions demand strong financial and quantitative skills. Advanced Excel skills like building complex models, using lookup functions and pivot tables, and analyzing large datasets are table stakes. Even more important is financial modeling – the ability to forecast a company’s financial performance by developing an integrated three-statement model from scratch. Other key technical skills include accounting and metrics like DCF, NPV valuation and M&A analysis, along with mastery of software like PowerPoint, Capital IQ and Bloomberg Terminal.
Highlight leadership, teamwork and communication as top soft skills for investment banking success
While technical skills are mandatory, an investment banking analyst needs just as strong soft skills and emotional intelligence to manage high pressure deadlines, shifting priorities and working with diverse teams. Top soft skills to emphasize include leadership such as running a club or managing a team, teamwork shown through group projects and extracurriculars, communication and public speaking skills used for presentations or student organizations, and cultural competency when collaborating with global team members and clients.
Showcase strong work ethic, detail orientation and problem solving as investment banking soft skills
In the fast paced investment banking environment, soft skills enable you to produce high quality work product even under tight deadlines and changing priorities. Conveying strong work ethic is crucial – highlight experiences showing diligence, rigor and determination like balancing demanding coursework loads or early morning swim team practices. Detail orientation and precision also matter greatly in preventing errors that could cost clients millions. Finally, spotlight analytical thinking and creative problem solving used to unpack complex issues or design innovative solutions.
With fierce competition for top investment banking internships, a compelling resume means showcasing the ideal blend of technical finance skills and soft skills aligned with the role. Lead with your strongest finance skills while also conveying the relationship building, resilience under pressure and conscientiousness needed to excel.