Five simple CV tweaks to make investment ops professionals more desirable to recruiters

Investment operations firms are hiring again, and people working in this sector have voluminous job opportunities within large firms in both Glasgow and Edinburgh.

However, to assume that the sector is back to the job-hopping days of 2007, when skills were short and pay rises were frequent, would be wrong. Employers are still being fastidious in the recruitment process and only willing to sign off on hires for the very best people.

With employers placing these demands on recruitment agents, how can you ensure that your CV really stands out?

1) Make sure it has the right buzzwords

This is more of a hygiene factor than something that will necessarily give you an edge - recruiters want to see particular skill-sets and buzzwords that demonstrate you have a good grasp of the industry.

Net asset valuation (NAV) is obviously an essential for fund accountants, as is SORP (Statement of Recommended Practice), but sometimes it's as simple as a demonstrating knowledge of a particular product area or job role.

"Corporate actions and commodities are the buzz words at the moment within Scottish investment operations," says Claire Gillespie, manager at Michael Page Finance in Glasgow. "There is a massive skill gap at the managerial level within this area and so it is a huge focus."

2) Focus on achievements, not duties

It is, of course, tempting in your within the experience section of you CV simply to list exactly what your role involved, with the hope this will match the job spec of the recruiter. Sadly, by doing this, your CV will be lost within the hundreds of applications recruiters receive for each vacancy.

"If you're in a team of 20 people, why would we just want to see a job description?," asks Mike Leeman, manager - finance recruitment at Bright Purple in Scotland. "Be specific about your achievements; what was volume of trades did you deal with? How have you interacted with the front office or other geographic locations of the business? Yes, this takes up space, but it's better than a personal statement or information about your hobbies."

3) Research and tap into current areas of demand

There are two elements to this; firstly, as many of the roles are operational functions of investment banks, it's worth keeping up with which product areas are doing well and likely to be invested in front office divisions. Not so long ago, derivatives experience was valued north of the border, and as we mentioned above, commodities knowledge is highly sought after.

If you can identify which skills are currently in high demand, and tailor your CV accordingly, you're likely to find more success.

It's not just about product areas, however. Financial services organisations are rolling out huge business transformation projects. By proactively getting involved and demonstrating this on your CV, you could quickly become more desirable.

"If you have managed to implement process improvements that have revolutionised a method of working this is seen as a key achievement," says Gillespie.

4) Highlight you interaction with other business areas

Yes, many of the jobs in investment operations can be relatively monotonous, but let's not forget that as an operational function, you're the key point of contact for many different business areas across a variety of geographies.

"Highlighting that you're a key stakeholder in the business is a desirable thing on any CV," muses one hiring manager at a major investment bank in Glasgow. "It can lead to internal mobility opportunities and looks good when you're looking externally for a new position."

5) Don't always keep it chronological

When constructing a CV it does have to be easy to read and logical, but as we've mentioned previously, recruiters are deluged with applications, so an alternative approach is encouraged.

"A delivery focused CV will have much more impact with a potential employer than one that is purely chronological," says Gillespie. "Put an emphasis on strategies and incentives that you have created and managed to deliver to the business rather than those that you have followed through on someone else's behalf."