- Leaders aspiring to a career in private equity must understand their resume is equivalent to the executive summary of a prospectus for a $100+ mm solution.
- Best case, flawed resumes create headwinds heading into an interview. Worst case, they derail an executive's candidacy entirely.
- Candidates for a PE-backed CEO or CFO role face fierce competition, and many applicants overlook the value of a well-formulated resume.
Utilize a Clean, Professional Format
Before a private equity firm reads a single word of your resume, they will judge you by its format.
If the most relevant information is difficult to quickly find and digest, you have failed. The sponsor will have doubts about your ability to organize and communicate information within seconds of opening your resume.
The ideal private equity resume features ample white space and a format that clearly illustrates your professional story. Readers must be able to quickly identify previous experience, context, scope, responsibilities and relevant performance metrics.
While the right format will not win you the job, the wrong one will impair your chances or eliminate you from consideration. Falcon recommends candidates adhere to several best practices in the general formatting of a resume.
Avoid headshots. Headshots are considered a vestige of a European CV. The inclusion of any picture on your resume, regardless of quality, will likely come across as unprofessional.
You can have an “Executive Summary” or “About Me” section, but they are inconsequential at best. These sections often turn into a hodge-podge of clichés, as seemingly every candidate presents themselves as a “strong leader” with a “proven track record” and “...