Department toolkit
The Finance Student Toolkit
Everything to set up before you start reaching out — in the order a networked field actually works.
Why this order, for finance
Finance hires more on relationships than almost any other business field — a referral or a warm introduction routinely outweighs a cold application, which is why a complete LinkedIn profile and a story that names a track come before anything else here. People forward your name based on what your profile already says about you.
Once a conversation turns into an application, the tools get literal fast: postings move within days, automated screens read for the same modeling and valuation language the posting uses, and tracking who you spoke with keeps a network-driven search from collapsing into a blur of half-remembered names.
- 1Set up LinkedIn like a professionalFinance hires disproportionately through referrals and warm introductions — a complete profile is what makes a stranger comfortable forwarding your name to someone on their team.
- 2Your three-sentence storyNetworking calls open with some version of "tell me about yourself" — a story that names markets or corporate finance up front gives the conversation somewhere to go.
- 3A professional photo and headline, done in an afternoonA clean, composed headshot matters in a field built on client and investor trust — the photo is often the first proof point a contact forms an opinion from.
- 4A one-page resume structure that worksRoles split sharply between markets and corporate-finance tracks — structure the resume so the relevant projects and coursework sit closest to the track you're naming.
- 5How applicant tracking systems actually read your resumeLarge finance employers still run resumes through automated screens before a person sees them — matching the posting's own terms (modeling, valuation, treasury) gets you through.
- 6Set up LinkedIn Jobs and let openings find youFinance postings move fast and disappear — alerts catch a role the same week it opens, before the pool of applicants fills.
- 7Track every application in one simple Notion tableA finance search runs on parallel conversations — a call here, an application there — tracking who you spoke with and when keeps the network usable.
Before you apply — the checklist
- LinkedIn profile complete enough to forward with confidence
- Three-sentence story names your track (markets or corporate finance)
- Headshot reads as composed and trustworthy
- Resume structured around your strongest track-relevant projects
- Resume matched to the language in target postings
- Tracker set up for every conversation and application
- Know where you stand: your free Knock Number