The CV Template That Got Me Into Goldman (Line-by-Line Breakdown)

Hey 👋!

If you’re applying for spring weeks, internships, or grad schemes… your CV is either helping you or hurting you. There’s no middle ground.

And most CVs? Sloppy formatting, vague bullets, zero evidence you’re ready for front office divisions let alone industries with lower expectations.

So today, I wanted to explain how you can fix it – If you prefer video format you can watch the video here.

Below is the exact CV structure I’ve used, reviewed 1,000+ times, and seen work at firms like Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, Evercore, Citi, PIMCO, BlackRock, and more.

We’ll go section-by-section, with tactical examples you can copy and paste. You can access the template here.

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1. CV Format: You Get 6 Seconds

Before they even read your bullets, recruiters and employees scan your layout.

Your CV needs to pass the 6-second test.

Messy spacing? Tiny font? Clip art?

Honestly, you’re done before they even get to “Education”.

Here's the format that works:

1. One page only

2. 10.5–11 pt font (Times New Roman (preferred), Garamond, or Arial)

3. 0.5–1 inch margins (top, bottom, left, right)

4. No photos, icons, colours, or design fluff (this is finance not marketing)

5. Proper spacing between sections (change font size to 6 for empty lines)

Looks boring? Good. Substance beats style. In this game, clarity = credibility.

2. Education: Front and Centre

If you're still in university, this goes first.

• Add scholarships/unique achievements within the education section as an italicised bullet point like this

Modules aren’t always needed, particularly if you’ve got enough elsewhere to talk about. Only add them if you’re struggling to fill in the space, or if you’re doing a non-finance degree and you’ve taken some relevant finance modules to show initiative.

Include your GCSEs and A-Levels so long as you’re in university. Some people omit these and it looks like they’re hiding poor grades. You can always make up for poor grades by showing initiative in your relevant experiences, projects (do a 30-Day Division Specific Challenge in Finance Fast Track and add it to the top of your CV as a relevant project experience), extracurriculars, etc.

3. Work & Leadership Experience: Merge It All

Most students split this into “Work Experience” and “Leadership Experience” or “Extracurricular Activities & Positions of Responsibility“. That’s fine, but don’t be afraid to merge the 2 sections into 1.

If you’re struggling with work experience, it’ll save you from wasting space and splitting your impact.

Combine them into one section. Remember, banks don’t care where you learned the skill — they care that you have it.

Structure every entry like this:

J.P. Morgan Insight Programme — Spring Intern, Apr 2024
Selected from 2,000+ applicants for 3-day programme. Built trading simulations, shadowed fixed income team, and networked with 10+ front-office professionals.

Warwick Finance Society — Vice President, Sep 2023 – Present
Scaled membership from 300 to 600+, secured £8,000 in sponsorship, and led 5-person team delivering events with Barclays, BAML, and Macquarie.

Each experience’s bullets or descriptions should speak the language of the finance professional/s reading it. Use their lingo, quantify where you can, add results. It’s these simple things done well and repeatedly that get you interviews.

Focus on impact, not tasks. Use active verbs + metrics.

After every bullet point on your CV think: “So what? What changed because you were there?”

4. CV Bullet Points: The 3-Part Formula

The basics of a solid bullet point. Each bullet point needs 3 things:

[Action] + [What you did] + [Impact/Result]

Can you improve these 3 examples?

1. Built a 3-statement model to value an LBO transaction worth £250m

2. Led outreach to 50+ alumni, securing 4 guest speakers and 2 firm visits

3. Analysed quarterly earnings reports and pitched 3 long/short equity trades

Keep them:

1. 1–2 lines max

2. No fluff, no filler

3. Start with strong action verbs: Built, Led, Analysed, Created, Researched, Delivered

Avoid these lazy verbs: Responsible for, Helped with, Was part of...

5. Skills, Activities & Interests: Hidden Differentiator

This section can be a secret weapon. Don’t waste it with generic stuff like “Reading” or “Travelling”.

Those are fine, but the more you can express your uniqueness or any extremely random yet interesting/unique hobbies or interests, the better as they’ll create curiosity in most readers.

Instead:

Skills:
Advanced Excel (VLOOKUP, Pivot Tables), PowerPoint, Bloomberg, Python (Beginner), Fluent in Spanish

Activities:
30-Day FFT S&T Challenge, Investment Banking Case Study Simulation, Weekly Stock Pitch Club

Interests:
Arsenal F.C., Chess (Lichess Rating: 1650+), Japanese cooking, Backpacked across 5 countries solo

This is where you show you're a human being with depth and outside interests — not a robot chasing a GS offer.

What to Cut Immediately

What A Good CV Actually Looks Like

When I coach Finance Fast Track members, I make them run through this 36 point checklist before sending their CVs out:

• Is it one page only?

• Does every bullet show either a skill or an impact?

• Are 80% of your verbs action-driven?

• Can a stranger read this and understand your value?

• Would a banker respect what’s on this paper?

If you can’t say yes to these — don’t send it yet.

📩 Want Me to Review Your CV?

If you’re not sure if your CV is strong enough to land interviews at GS, MS, JPM, etc…

I’ll review it.

Just join Finance Fast Track (you get CV & cover letter feedback included, and as many iterations as you need until it’s perfect and ready for applications). Once we reach 200 members the price will double. Bag a bargain and join today.

That’s all for today. Hope you found this post useful.

Best,

Afzal
Founder, Finance Fast Track
Author, Breaking Into Banking