Optimising Your CV for Transaction Services

Your CV is the first filter in a TS hiring process. Recruiters at Big 4 firms and advisory boutiques read hundreds of applications for a small number of roles. A well-structured, technically credible CV gets you to interview. A generic one does not. Here is how to build one that works.

The Basics: Format and Length

Keep it to one page if you have fewer than five years of experience; two pages is acceptable for more senior profiles. Use a clean, professional format — no graphics, no unusual fonts, no colour schemes. The reader should reach the content without effort.

TS recruiters are financial professionals. Dense, well-organised text is fine. Excessive white space suggests a thin experience base.

How to Frame Your Experience

Lead With Impact, Not Duties

Every bullet point should describe what you did and why it mattered — not just what your job title implied. Compare:

Weak: "Assisted in the preparation of audit workpapers."

Strong: "Prepared detailed analytical review procedures across revenue, cost, and balance sheet lines for a manufacturing client with €85m revenue, identifying three material variances that required management explanation."

The second version signals analytical thinking, quantitative comfort, and relevance to FDD.

Quantify Where Possible

Numbers create credibility and context. Include:

• Revenue or deal size where relevant
• Number of engagements or clients
• Timeline achievements ("completed within a two-week data room window")
• Any specific financial figures you worked with

Highlight Relevant Technical Content

TS recruiters look for evidence that you have worked with the concepts they care about. Wherever honest, use language that maps to FDD:

• "Normalised EBITDA for non-recurring items" (rather than "reviewed income statement")
• "Analysed working capital movements and identified seasonality" (rather than "reviewed balance sheet")
• "Presented financial findings to senior management" (rather than "participated in client meetings")

Education and Qualifications

Place education prominently if you are early-career. Include:

• Degree, university, and result
• Relevant modules or dissertations (financial analysis, accounting, valuation)
• Progress towards or completion of ACA, ACCA, CFA, or equivalent

If you are part-qualified, note the stage clearly — TS firms hire part-qualified candidates and will often support completion of the qualification.

Skills Section

Keep this focused and honest. For TS, the most relevant technical skills to list are:

• Advanced Excel (and specify: pivot tables, VLOOKUP, financial modelling)
• Financial modelling or data analysis tools if genuinely proficient
• Languages, if relevant to the firm's international activity

Avoid padding with generic skills like "Microsoft Office" or "teamwork."

Covering Letter

Most TS applications request a covering letter. Use it to:

1. State specifically which role you are applying for and why this firm in particular
2. Connect your background to what TS involves — use technical vocabulary accurately
3. Mention one or two specific things about the team (deals, sector focus, culture) that genuinely interest you

Generic covering letters are easily identified and do nothing to differentiate you.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Unexplained gaps. Brief a sentence in the letter or in an interview, but do not leave a recruiter puzzled.
• Jargon without substance. Saying "experience with M&A transactions" when the experience was tangential is quickly exposed.
• Missing quantification. Every role should have at least one number.
• Weak closing section. Interests and activities are optional — only include them if they add something genuine and relevant.

The strongest TS CV is one backed by genuine technical knowledge. Our programme's 8+ case studies and 150+ EBITDA adjustment examples give you the substance to back up every line you write. Full access for €119.99.