Earning the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) qualification is one way that investment professionals can demonstrate their financial analysis and portfolio management expertise. The CFA Charterholder Program is a long process with numerous steps. Candidates must pass three separate six-hour exams and achieve 48 months of investment-related work experience. Since this process is very dynamic, with candidates spending long amounts of time between levels, it is important to understand how to show this experience on your resume.
Key Takeaways
- The Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) qualification is a big asset for an investment professional and should be highlighted on a resume.
- The CFA Charterholder Program involves passing three six-hour exams and putting in four years of investment-related work.
- List your CFA status under Skills and Certifications or Professional Development, in a section that follows Experience and then Education.
- If you're just beginning, list your qualification level and the scheduled exam date, such as CFA Level I Candidate – Dec. 2023 Exam Date.
- For later levels, list what you've earned, what you're studying for, and the planned exam date, such as Earned CFA Level I; CFA Level II Candidate (Exam Date: Dec. 2023).
Experience and Education
An effective resume concisely outlines your professional experience and education. As a rule, you should put your work experience toward the top of the resume. A strong investment industry resume would highlight quantitative career achievements and specific leadership roles. Education typically follows work experience, with job seekers emphasizing any honors or expertise gained during their undergraduate and graduate university training.
Skills, Certifications, or Professional Development
After listing your work experience and university experience, it is appropriate to outline any professional development activities that you have completed. This section can be titled Skills and Certifications or Professional Development, whichever you prefer.
If you have specialized technical or programming skills in addition to your CFA Level I, then you should use the Skills and Certifications section title and list your technical skills along with any professional certifications. Otherwise, the Professional Development or Certifications section would be a suitable title for your CFA Level I (you should also add that you are a CFA Level II Candidate and when you plan to take the exam).
The letters "CFA" cannot be added after your name until you have passed all three exams and earned CFA Charterholder status.
CFA Level I Candidate
If you are currently studying to take the CFA Level I exam, then you are considered to be a candidate for the CFA Level I. There are several ways that you can indicate this on your resume. One way is to call yourself a CFA Level I candidate. Another is to state that you are preparing for the CFA Level I exam in the Skills/Certifications or Professional Development section of your resume. If you have passed Level I, add that you are a Level II Candidate, and so on.
Exam Date
You may give potential employers additional information about your CFA Level I status by indicating the date on which you intend to take the CFA Level I examination. For example, you may state: "CFA Level I Candidate – Dec. 2023Exam Date." Alternatively, you can state: "Preparing for CFA Level I Exam – Dec. 2023Exam Date."
48 months
How long an investment professional must have worked in their field in order to qualify for a CFA; a candidate must also pass three six-hour exams.
CFA Level II and III
The CFA program is a multi-tiered undertaking, and passing Level I is just the first step in this process. As you move along, it is appropriate to continue to update your resume so that potential employers understand where you are in this process. For example, once you have earned your CFA Level I and are preparing for the Level II exam, you should state, "Earned CFA Level I; CFA Level II Candidate (Exam Date: Dec. 2023)." You may not use the CFA letters after your name until you have passed all three exams and have earned official CFA Charterholder status.
The Big Picture
It is important to think of your resume as a living document, continuously updating it with your most recent professional experience. Your CFA Level I completion is only a piece of this story, with your work accomplishments being another important segment. Updating your resume with both your professional development activities and work achievements is the best way to highlight your unique skills to potential employers.
FAQs
Include your participation in the CFA Program In the education section of your resume. (For example: “CFA® Program participant, CFA Institute.”) You may also list the levels completed. (For example: “Completed Level I in 2020.”)
Does CFA look good on resume? ›
The Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) qualification is a big asset for an investment professional and should be highlighted on a resume. The CFA Charterholder Program involves passing three six-hour exams and putting in four years of investment-related work.
How to put passed CFA level 1 on LinkedIn? ›
To add your CFA Program Candidacy on LinkedIn follow these steps:
- Test Name=Enter Level I, II, or III CFA exam.
- Score=Enter “passed”
- Test Date=Enter the month and year you passed the exam.
- Description=Enter the level you have completed. For example “Passed Level II of the CFA Program.”
- Press save.
To pass your CFA exam, you have to meet the minimum passing score (MPS) set individually for each ended exam. The MPS may vary from year to year, but our best guess is that it probably never exceeds 70 percent. Neither the MPS nor individual candidate score information is ever released to the public.
How do you say you passed CFA Level 1? ›
Listing CFA Level One in the skills and certifications section
- Write "Chartered Financial Analyst." If you're registered for the test but haven't completed it yet, include the words "Candidate" next to this.
- Write "Passed Level 1" next to it with a hyphen.
Based on these numbers, if you've passed Level I, the job roles most likely available to you are intern, accountant or assistant accounting manager, investment administrator, fund analyst, investment product analyst, and junior equity research analyst (which is often the first step toward getting into asset management ...
Is CFA still prestigious? ›
The CFA charter is widely respected, globally-recognized, and a difficult undertaking to accomplish.
Is passing CFA a big deal? ›
If you're aiming to work in roles such as financial analysts, portfolio managers, or investment bankers, the CFA designation can be a valuable asset. However, if you want to pursue careers in other areas of finance, an alternative certification or qualification may be more relevant.
Is CFA still respected? ›
According to the CFA Institute, this credential "is the professional standard of choice for more than 31,000 investment firms worldwide."1 It can be especially helpful if you don't have an undergraduate degree in finance, economics, or accounting, and your goal is a job or career in the finance industry.
Should I put a CFA level 1 candidate on LinkedIn? ›
LinkedIn profiles have a new section labeled Certifications, which is specifically designed to display professional certifications and credentials. This is the most appropriate place to display your status as a CFA Institute member or indicate your status as a candidate.
Here's what you should know about pass rates on the CFA: Average pass rates tend to fluctuate. Level 1 pass rates have hovered around 37% Level 2 pass rates have been around 45%
Does CFA level 1 expire? ›
Unlike the Series 7, the CFA certification does not expire.
How do you put CFA on a resume? ›
Finally, only for those who have been awarded the CFA charter, you can show that you're a CFA charterholder on resume by placing the marks “CFA” or “Chartered Financial Analyst” after your name in the header of your CV/resume. For example: Jon Snow, CFA. Jon Snow, Chartered Financial Analyst.
Is CFA harder than CPA? ›
CFA vs CPA Exam difficulty
Both are challenging and require gaining skills and knowledge in complex topics. However, the CPA Exam generally requires less studying - around 80 to 120 hours per section compared to 300 hours per section of the CFA Exam, and the CPA Exam also has a higher pass rate.
How hard is the CFA Level 1 actually? ›
CFA exams are not easy, and Level 1 is just the start. Commonly cited as one of the world's hardest exams, CFA Level 1's difficulty is comparable to a diploma level and gets harder from then on. But I didn't know that it's never-seen-before-and-by-the-way-you-could-definitely-fail tough.
Should I put CFA Level 1 candidate on LinkedIn? ›
LinkedIn profiles have a new section labeled Certifications, which is specifically designed to display professional certifications and credentials. This is the most appropriate place to display your status as a CFA Institute member or indicate your status as a candidate.
How do you put CFA challenge on resume? ›
⇨ In the Organization field, o if you volunteered at the local level, use the official name of your local challenge: for example, “CFA Institute Research Challenge hosted by CFA Bahrain” or “CFA Institute Research Challenge in India.” o if you volunteered at the regional or global level, use “CFA Institute.”
Can I write CFA Level 1 and 2 together? ›
No, you can not take the CFA Level I and Level II Exam together. As you pursue your CFA designation you have to pass the Level I exam to become eligible to take the Level II exam. You are only allowed to take the exam two times per calendar year and you can only take one exam every six months.
What is Level 1 of the CFA program? ›
The CFA® Program curriculum for the Level I exam is focused on the knowledge and comprehension of investment tools and asset classes, as well as portfolio management and ethical and professional standards. The exam covers the 10 topic areas noted in the chart below.
