How to Write an Investment Banking CV That Gets You Interviews in 2026?

75–90% of Students Fail at the CV Stage for Investment Banking Roles And Here's How to Avoid It

If you’re applying for spring weeks, summer internships or graduate roles in investment banking, here’s a tough truth:

Roughly 75–90% of students never make it past the CV / online screening stage.

They’re rejected before anyone at the bank ever speaks to them.

Whats the biggest reason for failing to get your CV shortlisted for investment banking roles?

Their CV simply doesn’t look like an investment banking CV.

It doesn’t signal intent, technical ability, or any evidence that the student genuinely understands (or cares about) high finance.

The good news: this is fixable.

In this article, I’ll walk you through 5 practical steps you can take to make your CV look and feel far more “IB-ready” – even if you don’t yet have brand-name internships.

1. Get “Bank-Relevant” Experience (Even Without Internships)

If you don’t yet have a front-office internship at a big bank, that’s fine.

But what you can’t do is submit a CV with:

• Only part-time retail experience,

• A couple of generic university projects, and

• A skills section that says “Excel, PowerPoint, Teamwork”.

You need to show intent.

One of the easiest ways to do this is by using free virtual internship platforms, such as the Forage programmes. For investment banking roles, look at:

• Bank of America – Investment Banking / M&A Virtual Internship

• J.P. Morgan – Investment Banking Virtual Experience

• Citi – Investment Banking Virtual Internship

• Goodbody – Investment Banking / Corporate Advisory Virtual Internship

Treat these seriously. Do the work properly, learn the concepts, and then:

• Add each one to your CV under “Experience” or “Relevant Experience”

• Include 2–3 bullet points on what you actually did and learnt

For example:

Completed a virtual M&A case study, building a simple merger model and assessing accretion/dilution for a proposed transaction.Prepared an investment banking-style client presentation summarising valuation, key deal drivers and risks.

This immediately makes your CV look far more aligned with what real analysts do.

2. Build Technical Skills That Actually Show Up on Your CV

Writing “Excel” or “PowerPoint” under skills is not enough.

Every student applying to banking writes that. It tells the recruiter nothing.

Instead, your CV should show:

• Specific technical skills (e.g. DCF, trading comps, LBO basics, three-statement modelling)

• Concrete outputs (e.g. a valuation you built, a model you constructed, a project you completed)

One way to do this is by taking a structured technical course and turning that into CV content.

For example, if you complete a Financial Modelling & Valuation course (like the free Financial Modelling course from City Investment Training), you can honestly write:

• Built a fully integrated three-statement model and DCF valuation for a listed company.

• Performed trading comparables and precedent transaction analysis to estimate an equity value range.

• Analysed the impact of revenue growth, margins and leverage on valuation and credit metrics.

This does two things:

1. Shows the recruiter that you’ve put in the work to understand the technical side.

2. Gives you solid talking points for interviews when they ask:

   “Tell me about a valuation you’ve done.”

   
   

3. Join Finance / Investment Societies – and Aim for Leadership Roles

Recruiters don’t just look at academics and internships.

They also look for evidence of ownership and leadership.

Roles like:

• President

• Vice President

• Head of Research

• Head of Events / Conferences

• Portfolio Manager / Fund Lead

These titles signal that you can:

• Take responsibility

• Work in teams

• Deliver under pressure

• Coordinate other people

If you’re already in a finance or investment society as a general member, ask yourself:

“How can I step up one level this year?”

Can you:

• Run for a committee role?

• Lead a sub-team on research, events or sponsorships?

• Launch a new project (e.g. a student fund, newsletter, or stock pitch competition)?

These experiences give you strong bullets for your CV and stories for competency interviews.

4. Do Research & Modelling Projects You Can Actually Talk About

One of the best-kept secrets at student level is this:

You don’t need an investment bank to give you a deal to start building a deal sheet.

You can create your own projects and list them under “Projects” or “Transactions & Projects” on your CV.

For example, you can:

• Build a DCF and comparables valuation for a company you know (Apple, LVMH, Shell, etc.)

• Analyse a real M&A transaction or IPO – read the press releases, investor presentations, equity research, and build a simple model around the deal

• Write a 1–2 page stock pitch explaining your investment thesis, valuation, and key risks

Then, on your CV, you can write something like:

Valued [Company X] using DCF and trading comparables; triangulated an equity value range and compared it to market price.Analysed [Acquirer]’s acquisition of [Target]; assessed strategic rationale, synergy assumptions and impact on EPS and leverage.

Now, when an interviewer asks:

“Tell me about a deal you’ve followed”or“Walk me through your favourite stock”

…you have real work behind your answer.

5. Join Your University’s Investment Fund as an Equity Research Analyst

If your university has a student-managed fund or investment society that runs a fund, join it.

Nothing says “I’m serious about finance” like:

“Equity Research Analyst – Student Managed Fund”

In these roles, you’ll typically:

• Build basic financial models (revenue, margins, EPS)

• Write research notes or investment reports

• Pitch stocks in front of a committee or investment board

• Defend your ideas and answer questions

On your CV, this becomes gold for both experience and skills sections, and in interviews it gives you:

• A ready-made answer for “Tell me about a stock you’re following”

• Clear evidence you understand what analysts actually do day-to-day

If your university doesn’t have a fund, you can mirror the same structure with:

• A virtual fund you run with friends

• A personal portfolio you track and present like a professional fund

  
  

Final Thoughts: Make Your CV Look Like It Belongs in Banking

Most students fail at the CV/online screening stage not because they’re not smart enough, but because:

• Their CV looks generic

• It doesn’t show intent

• It doesn’t show technical depth

• It doesn’t look like it belongs in investment banking

You can change that in a matter of months by:

1. Getting bank-relevant virtual experience

2. Building real technical skills and putting the outputs on your CV

3. Taking leadership roles in finance societies

4. Doing self-driven research and modelling projects

5. Joining or creating a student investment fund and treating it seriously

Do these consistently and your CV will look very different from the average applicant’s – and much closer to what real analysts and recruiters want to see.

Want Help Making Your CV “IB-Ready”?

If you’d like support turning your current CV into an investment banking-focused CV and building the technical/projects behind it:

• 👉 Check out the free Financial Modelling course from City Investment Training https://www.cityinvestmenttraining.com/intro-ib-course

• Use it to build your first proper model and valuation

• Then update your Projects and Skills sections so your CV actually reflects real IB-style work

  
  

If you’re serious about breaking into front-office roles, your CV is the first real test.

Make it look like you already belong there.