CFA® Resume Preparation Guidelines

CFA resume preparation should focus on highlighting your relevant skills and experience, as well as your progress in the CFA program. It is important to include the CFA designation, indicate the level you have achieved, and use CFA trademarks correctly. Sharing your CFA resume on social media and adding links to relevant profiles can help you enhance your professional brand.

How to Put Your CFA Designation on Your Resume

The CFA Institute (CFAI) encourages financial professionals to display their CFA designation or program status on their resumes; however, it must be done in a way that abides by the CFAI’s established guidelines. This includes indicating proper trademarks and following specific rules depending on your status.

Guidelines for Trademarks

The two trademarks you need to be aware of when preparing your CFA resume are CFA® and Chartered Financial Analyst. These “CFA Marks” are recognized throughout the financial industry and will distinguish you from other financial analysts. The general rules for CFA trademarks are as follows:

  • The first, most prominent use of either of these marks should include the trademark symbol (®).
  • The trademark symbol (®) does not need to be used when directly following a name (e.g., John Doe, CFA, and Jane Doe, Chartered Financial Analyst).
  • Do not use these marks generically as nouns (e.g., John Doe is “a CFA charterholder,” not “a CFA,” and Jane Doe holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation).
  • Do not include these marks in your email address or company name.

Generally, you are using these marks correctly if you can omit them from a sentence and the sentence still makes sense. For more examples and to download the CFAI’s official Certification Mark, visit the CFAI’s website.

Rules for Active CFA Charterholders in Good Standing

  • Properly display your designation after your name (e.g., John Doe, CFA)
  • In the education or certifications section of your resume, include “CFA® charterholder, CFA Institute”
  • You may include the issue date of your charter

Rules for Lapsed CFA Charterholders

  • In the certifications section of your resume, include the dates you were a charterholder (e.g., CFA® charterholder, 2010 - 2020)

Rules for Candidates in the CFA Program

  • In the education section of your resume, include your participation in the CFA program (e.g., CFA® Program participant, CFA Institute)
  • You may list your completed levels (e.g., Completed Level II in 2022)
  • The term “candidate” is reserved for those who are actively registered for a particular exam
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What Are CFA Digital Badges?

CFA digital badges are essentially digital certificates used to recognize candidates and charterholders. They’re distributed by the CFAI through a company called Basno. While there are a number of badges denoting CFA milestones, research challenge participation, and similar professional achievements, the three most prominent are earned upon completing Level I, Level II, and the full CFA program.

CFA digital badges
CFA digital badges

Step-By-Step Process to Claim Your CFA Digital Badges

CFA badges are distributed digitally on a regular basis by Basno. When you’ve earned a badge, you will receive an email from cfainstitute.org@basno.com on behalf of the CFA Institute. You can then:

  1. “Claim your badge” in the Basno email
  2. Register online with Basno
  3. Share your CFA badge via social media

How to Share CFA Achievements on Social Media

When sharing your CFA designation and program status on social media, there are rules to be aware of in addition to the CFAI’s trademark guidelines. Failure to abide by these requirements may put you in violation of the CFAI’s Articles and Bylaws.

CFA Resume Examples

To help you write your CFA resume, we’ve outlined some examples that pertain to typical resume sections. We encourage you to use these samples as a starting point and showcase your achievements in the CFA program.

Example: Education Section

Education:

  • CFA® Program participant – Passed Level 1 (CFA Institute)
  • The University of Texas | Austin, TX
    • August 2000-May 2006
    • Masters of Business Administration in Finance

Example: Skills Section

Skills:

  • Critical thinking
  • Financial analysis
  • Time management
  • CFA® Program participant - Passed level 1 (CFA Institute - 2004)

Example: Certifications Section

Certifications:

  • CFA® Program participant - Passed Level 1 (CFA Institute)
  • Project Management Professional
  • Financial Modeling & Valuation Analyst (FMVA) certification
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Frequently Asked Questions

If you fail your CFA exam, you can still include it on your resume, but you should be prepared to explain why you were unable to pass the exam. It may be helpful to mention what you learned from the experience, and to highlight any other relevant skills or qualifications that you have. It’s important to be honest about your exam performance, but you should also try to frame it in a positive light and show that you are still a strong candidate for the job.
Yes, you can include your CFA Level 1 exam on your resume. In fact, it can be a great way to show employers that you are committed to your career and that you are willing to take on challenging coursework in order to improve your skills and knowledge. In general, it’s a good idea to include any relevant certifications or professional designations on your resume, as they can help to demonstrate your expertise and give employers a sense of your qualifications.
Yes, the CFAI allows charterholders to write the CFA designation in a smaller font size than their name. However, the CFA designation should be the same font size and weight as any other listed designations.
Separating the charterholder’s name from the designation with a comma is preferred by the CFAI. With that said, they do accept a “comma-free” style. If you hold multiple designations, the CFAI requests that you separate them with a comma or list them on separate lines.
The CFAI does not require the CFA designation to be listed in a specific order with other designations. That decision is up to the charterholder. The only requirements are that the CFA designation be the same font size and weight as other designations, and the same font size or smaller as your name.

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