A resume is now the most important document that a CIMA graduate should possess in a competitive job market. Whether you are just beginning or are experienced, resume building is crucial. So, here are the seven best ways to build a popular CIMA resume that will make you stand out from the crowd.
1. Begin with a Strong Professional Summary
Your professional summary comes as the first thing an employer will read about you, so ensure you make it count. This section gives you an opportunity to come in with a big first impression. It should capture briefly your key career highlights, core competencies, and the aspirations of your career. A professional summary, in other words, is an area where a good summary captures the hiring manager’s attention immediately and sets the tone for the rest of the resume.
A strong professional summary should be:
- Concise: Aim for 35 sentences.
- Specific: Underline key accomplishments and skills that are pertinent to the job you are applying for.
- Personalized: Tailor it to reflect your unique qualifications and career goals.
Example:
“Result-oriented, CIMA-certified finance professional with over five years of experience creating financial analysis and planning strategies that sear the pursuit of overall business interests. Proven record in enhancing financial performance toward optimum business growth. Seeking to put into practice the skills and experiences gained toward an enthusiastic entity in South Africa.”
When creating your professional summary, think of what only you can do. Try to imagine what combination of skills, experiences, and qualities can be put together to differentiate you from others who can do the same job. Use it to build a story that aligns with the job you’re looking for and adds value.
2. Mention Relevant Skills and Certifications
Nowadays, every employer in the job market looks for people with the most specific skills and qualifications depending upon the job position they want to fill in their company. To CIMA graduates, the qualification is in the CIMA certificate. List it together with all the other qualifications that you have in the document. This column should be customizable to the specific job you are applying for, detailing what skills you have most relevant to that position.
Start to group your skills under some general categories. You can break the skills section down by technical skills, soft skills, and certifications.
Example Skills:
Technical Skills:
- Financial Analysis
- Strategic Planning
- Budgeting or Forecasting
- Risk Management
- Performance Management
Soft Skills:
- Leadership
- Communication
- Problem-solving
- Team Collaboration
Certifications:
- Chartered Institute of Management Accountant, UK
- Certified Public Accountant, NY, USA
- Advanced Excel for Financial Modeling
In the list above, listing your certification requires you to mention the issuing body and the year of certification. This will bring out the context in which you received the certification as well as your interest in continuous professional development.
3. Professional Experience
This section, which is the work history summary, is where you operationalize your background prettily. Discuss your achievements and duties that resonate the aspects of being capable in management accounting and strategic planning. Make this section have a lot of bullets to ensure it is easy to read and keeps your audience’s attention and focus on where you have done well.
Start each of the bulleted statements out with a very strong action verb and quantify achievements wherever possible so your resume reads more dynamically.
Example:
Financial Analyst, XYZ Corporation, Johannesburg, South Africa
January 2018 – Present
- Conducted in-depth financial research for the purpose of making business decisions.
- Designed and managed tactical/strategic plans aimed at achieving optimal financial performance.
- Administered budgeting and forecasting processes for increased profits.
- Conducted financial modeling with cross-functional teams to introduce initiatives for business growth.
- Improved financial reporting accuracy by 20% through the implementation of a new accounting system.
- I identified and terminated inefficiencies, which reduced operating costs by 10%.
For each bullet point, there should be a clearly defined accomplishment or responsibility that points toward your skill and what you bring to the table. Include metrics and results to show impact — this is not just about what you did but about the value you added to former employers.
4. Show Off Your Education
Include educational information, including CIMA certification. If you can back up that certification by way of studying for it at a reputable institution—In my case, IMAS (Institute of Management Accounting and Strategy)—then the credibility of your résumé steps up a gear. For those who are in the lower grades of employment, then this information can be very helpful in considering people for interviews.
Degrees, certifications, and pertinent coursework in this area should be listed, along with the name of the institution, location, and graduation date.
Example:
Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA)
Institute of Management Accounting and Strategy, South Africa
Also, if you have graduated with honors or completed any project work or theses related to your degree being pursued, do include them. This will make you unique from all other candidates and bring out a story of your academic success.
5. Action Verbs and Quantifiable Achievements
With the use of action verbs and quantifiable achievements in your résumé, it contributes to transforming it into something compelling and dynamic. Action verbs clearly show a better and more succinct way of presenting your responsibilities and achievements; quantifiable achievements can show measurable results or tangible outcomes of your work.
Example:
- Increased the accuracy of financial reporting by 20% after the implementation of a new accounting system.
- Identified and corrected inefficiency to reduce operating costs by 10%.
- Managed a team of ten analysts in developing a new budgeting process that increased accuracy by 25%.
When you describe your achievements, you will always need to paint the picture with numbers, percentages, or other a concrete way of measuring the magnitude of what you accomplished. This will prove the achievement, making it simpler for the potential employer to see the value you have brought to their organization.
6. Make Your Resume Targeted
It’s so important to customize your resume for each job application. They’re using things like Applicant Tracking Systems—resume screening workhorses—which search for keywords and phrases that relate to the job in question. But then, if you complement your resume with such keywords, that’s a more probable chance of you getting through to the actual human hiring manager.
If there is a mention in a job posting of related expertise in risk management being a requirement, it is important to call such experience to the attention of the reader. Use terminologies close to those used in the job description to make the résumé compatible with the job offering.
Example:
Job Description Requirement:
“Seeking a financial analyst with expertise in risk management or strategic planning.”
Resume Customization:
- Conducted risk assessments and developed mitigation strategies to minimize financial risks.
- Played a key role in strategic planning initiatives to align financial goals with business objectives.
When you target your resume for a specific job position, you prove that you possess the exact skills and experiences that hiring managers look for. Therefore, you will be on the shortlist for receiving an invitation to interview.
7. Add Indications of Professional Development and Memberships
Evidence commitment to continuous learning and professional growth through any additional pieces of training, workshops, or other professional affiliations, including being a member of institutions, such as CIMA, or involvement in other events related to the area of practice.
Example:
- Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, MEMBER
- Advanced Financial Modelling Workshop, 2023
- South African Accounting Conference, 2022
Including professional development or affiliations in your resume proves that you keep abreast with what is current in your field and that you really are committed to professional excellence. It also shows that you are very proactive about career growth, seizing every opportunity to enhance your set of skills and knowledge that comes your way.
Conclusion
In order to develop an impactful CIMA resume for South Africa, one would require focusing on detail and a professional showcase of your unique qualifications and experience. Carry these seven best practices in mind: you will have a grand resume that works magic for you in the realization of your career goals.
At the Institute of Management Accounting and Strategy (IMAS), we believe your CV says it all. We prepare our students for the next step. Whether you want to start your CIMA journey or continue your career, our comprehensive courses with expert guidance will maximize your potential. For more information about our courses in CIMA, visit the Diploma in CIMA page.