Goldman Sachs CV Example
Updated 15 July 2026
Goldman Sachs receives over 360,000 applications for roughly 2,600 internship spots each year, making it more selective than Harvard. Your CV is the first and highest hurdle: most candidates are eliminated at resume screening, before any interview. This guide shows you how to write a one-page Goldman Sachs CV that passes that screen, grounded in the formatting conventions, keyword expectations, and quantified-impact standards that GS recruiters look for.
Goldman Sachs CV examples
Summer Analyst (Student)
entryEducation-first structure, quantified spring-week and society achievements, and division-specific technical skills for a penultimate-year candidate.
Analyst (Recent Graduate)
midExperience-first structure with project-centric bullets naming specific deals, quantified impact on every line, and a clear progression from internship to full-time role.
Associate (Experienced Hire)
seniorSenior project ownership with named deal leadership, cross-border and multi-product experience, and metrics showing client impact and team mentorship at Associate level.
How to write a goldman sachs CV
The one-page, four-section structure
Goldman Sachs recruiters spend 20 to 30 seconds scanning your CV. A single-column, black-and-white layout with no photos, icons, or colour is the investment-banking standard. Submit as PDF. Use 0.5-inch margins and shrink the font to 10 or 11pt Calibri or Garamond before you ever cut content or reduce margins further.
The canonical structure is four sections in order of time commitment: Education, Professional Experience, Skills, Additional Information. Students and recent graduates put Education first; experienced hires (post-MBA or lateral) move it below Experience. Within each section, list items reverse-chronologically and keep a consistent bullet count (two to four) across roles.
Personal statement
A two- to three-sentence profile at the top is optional but common for experienced hires. Lead with your current status (year of study, current role), name your most relevant experience (spring week, internship, live deals), and state the specific division you are targeting. Never write a generic objective; GS screens for candidates who understand the difference between Investment Banking, Markets, and Engineering.
Experience bullets: project-centric, quantified, and division-specific
Structure banking and finance bullets project-centrically, not task-centrically. Lead with the specific deal or client ("Pharmaceutical company's potential GBP 150M acquisition"), then two to three bullets on what you did and the result. Reserve task-centric bullets ("Responsible for financial modelling") for part-time or non-finance jobs.
Every accomplishment needs a number: dollars involved, time saved, people led, percentage moved. "Cut operational costs by 10%," "Led a five-person research team," "Directed a school-wide event with 2,000+ attendees." GS screens for "sell impact, not involvement", rewrite "Worked on research for a client portfolio" as "Built an investment thesis for a GBP 40M portfolio and pitched an allocation that beat its benchmark by 6% over 12 months."
Tailor your vocabulary to the division. M&A and valuation language for Investment Banking. Equities and macro for Markets. Python and data infrastructure for Engineering. Your CV, HireVue answers, and cover letter should tell one coherent narrative pointing at that division.
Skills: name the tools, not Office proficiency
List Bloomberg, Eikon/Refinitiv, financial modelling, and valuation methods (DCF, comparables, precedent transactions). Include concrete Excel competencies (INDEX-MATCH, pivot tables, VBA macros) rather than "proficient in Microsoft Office." A sample IB bullet: "Valued client using DCF, liquidation analysis, and public-company comparables; PE firm proceeded with further due diligence."
Education: show your GPA, even if mediocre
Successful GS candidates typically hold a 3.5 to 3.6+ GPA, with ultra-competitive divisions seeing 3.7 to 3.8+. Include your GPA on the CV, the IB convention is to show it even if mediocre; omitting it reads worse. If your overall GPA is weak, show your major GPA or recent-semester GPA to signal an upward trajectory. List relevant modules (Corporate Finance, Econometrics, Financial Markets) and any academic prizes.
Additional Information: signal personality and early interest
A genuine interests line is not filler for GS. Given the long hours, recruiters screen for personable interns they can sit next to, and a shared interest (a sport, an unusual hobby) can be the hook that gets you noticed. Include leadership roles (club officer, sports captain, teaching assistant). Only list interests you can defend in interview; recruiters detect padding and exaggeration.
Spring weeks and insight programmes (a one-week Bloomberg or bank spring insight) are worth a dedicated CV line even though short, they signal genuine, early interest in the industry beyond money and prestige. They are the standard early-stage feeder into GS summer internships, so list them and frame them around what you learned about how markets or deals work.
Personal statement examples
Investment Banking Analyst with two years of M&A and capital-markets experience at a mid-tier advisory firm. Executed five live transactions totalling USD 800M+ in enterprise value across healthcare and industrials sectors. Seeking an Analyst role at Goldman Sachs to work on larger, cross-border deals and deepen expertise in complex valuation and structuring.
Hardworking and motivated finance professional with a passion for investment banking. Strong analytical skills and a proven track record of success. Looking for an opportunity at a leading global bank to leverage my skills and grow my career in a fast-paced environment.
Writing your experience
The project-centric bullet formula
Investment-banking CVs are project-centric, not task-centric. Each bullet should follow this pattern:
[Client or deal context] + [What you did] + [Quantified result]
Lead with the specific transaction or client ("Specialty-chemicals manufacturer's USD 320M sale"), then explain your role ("building a CIM and managing a competitive auction"), then state the outcome ("delivered a 28% premium to initial indicative offers").
Reserve task-centric bullets ("Responsible for financial modelling," "Assisted with due diligence") for part-time, non-finance, or very junior roles where you cannot name a specific project.
Before and after examples
| Weak (task-centric, no numbers) | Strong (project-centric, quantified) |
|---|---|
| Worked on financial models for M&A transactions | Modelled a healthcare-services company's USD 180M acquisition using DCF and precedent-transaction analysis, supporting the buy-side client through due diligence and achieving a 15% IRR at exit |
| Assisted with due diligence and data-room management | Led financial due diligence for a USD 95M carve-out transaction, coordinating with legal and tax advisors and identifying USD 4M in working-capital adjustments that improved deal terms for the client |
| Conducted research for equity portfolio | Researched European consumer-goods equities for a GBP 40,000 student-run portfolio, pitching a long position in a FTSE 250 stock that outperformed the index by 8% over six months |
Action verbs for investment banking
Use verbs that convey ownership and impact: executed, led, managed, coordinated, built, modelled, advised, originated, negotiated, identified, delivered, presented, closed. Avoid passive or vague verbs like "helped with," "was involved in," "supported," or "participated in" unless you genuinely had a junior or supporting role.
Spring weeks and short programmes
Even a one-week spring insight deserves a dedicated experience line if it was at a bank or involved live deal exposure. Frame the bullet around what you learned about how markets or deals work, not just "attended sessions." Example: "Completed one-week immersion in M&A and ECM divisions, shadowing analysts on live deal work and attending client pitches for a GBP 200M technology sector acquisition."
Key skills & ATS keywords
Hard skills
Soft skills
ATS keywords
Education & certifications
Education section: GPA, modules, and prizes
List your degree, institution, dates, and GPA. The investment-banking convention is to always include your GPA, even if it is mediocre; omitting it signals that you are hiding something. If your overall GPA is below 3.5, consider showing your major GPA or your most recent semester GPA to demonstrate an upward trajectory.
Successful Goldman Sachs candidates typically hold a 3.5 to 3.6+ GPA, with ultra-competitive divisions (M&A, TMT, Healthcare) seeing 3.7 to 3.8+. There is no published minimum, but the higher your GPA, the stronger your application.
Include two to four relevant modules (Corporate Finance, Financial Markets, Econometrics, Mergers & Acquisitions) and any academic prizes or scholarships. Do not list coursework you cannot defend in interview; recruiters will quiz you on courses you name.
Certifications that matter
Goldman Sachs values certifications that demonstrate technical competence and commitment to finance:
- CFA Programme (Level I, II, or Charterholder): the gold standard for investment professionals. List your current level and exam date if you are a candidate.
- Bloomberg Market Concepts (BMC): a free online course that shows familiarity with the Bloomberg Terminal. Worth completing before you apply.
- FINRA licences (Series 79, Series 63, Series 7): required for US-based banking roles. If you already hold them, list them; if not, GS will sponsor you post-offer.
- FCA approvals (UK): CF30 or other controlled-function approvals for UK-based roles.
Do not list generic online courses (Coursera, Udemy) unless they resulted in a concrete, demonstrable skill (a GitHub portfolio, a published model). Self-directed work is the real differentiator: modelling companies for fun, writing market commentary, or building tools beats one more generic club membership.
Non-target candidates: clear a higher bar
Goldman Sachs recruits heavily from target schools (US: Harvard, Wharton, Yale, Columbia, Princeton, Stanford, NYU Stern, MIT, Chicago, Michigan Ross, UVA McIntire; UK: Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, Imperial; Asia: IITs, IIMs, HKU, NUS). A non-target background does not lock you out, but the CV has to clear a higher bar and be backed by independent networking.
Non-target candidates should over-index on quantified impact, self-directed finance projects, and relevant internships. If you do not have a spring week or bulge-bracket internship, build your own projects: model a public company, write equity research notes, or contribute to a student investment fund. These signal genuine interest and technical ability.
Common mistakes to avoid
Listing tasks instead of project-centric achievements ("Responsible for financial modelling" or "Assisted with due diligence")
Lead with the deal or client, then state what you did and the quantified result: "Modelled a healthcare-services company's USD 180M acquisition using DCF and precedent-transaction analysis, supporting the buy-side client through due diligence and achieving a 15% IRR at exit."
Omitting your GPA or listing it inconsistently (e.g. showing major GPA without labelling it as such)
Always include your GPA. If your overall GPA is weak, show your major GPA or recent-semester GPA and label it clearly: "Major GPA: 3.7/4.0" or "Final-year GPA: 3.8/4.0." Omitting it entirely signals you are hiding something.
Using generic, division-agnostic language ("Passionate about finance," "Strong analytical skills," "Team player")
Tailor your vocabulary to the specific division. For Investment Banking, use M&A, valuation, DCF, precedent transactions. For Markets, use equities, macro, trading strategies. For Engineering, use Python, data infrastructure, system design. Your CV should make it obvious which division you are targeting.
Padding the CV with minor or short-timeframe accomplishments (a stack of one-week online courses, generic club memberships with no leadership role)
Quality over quantity. Two deeply quantified, high-impact bullets beat five generic ones. GS has seen thousands of nearly identical finance CVs; self-directed work (modelling companies for fun, writing market commentary, building tools) is the real differentiator.
Listing skills or languages you cannot defend in interview ("Fluent in Python" when you have only completed a Coursera course, or "Advanced Excel" with no VBA or complex-formula experience)
Only list skills and languages you can defend under questioning. Interviewers will test claimed fluency and quiz you on technical competencies. If you list Python, be ready to walk through a script you have written. If you list a language, be ready to conduct part of the interview in it.
Including a photo, date of birth, or personal details beyond contact information
UK and US CVs carry no photo, no date of birth, and no marital status. Include only your name, location (city), email, phone number, and LinkedIn URL. Anything else wastes space and signals unfamiliarity with professional norms.
Junior vs senior: what changes
| Aspect | Junior | Senior |
|---|---|---|
| Personal statement | Penultimate-year student with spring-week experience, seeking a Summer Analyst role to contribute to M&A execution | Five years of M&A experience, led 15+ transactions totalling USD 4.2B, seeking Associate role to advise on larger strategic deals and contribute to origination |
| Experience bullets | Shadowed analysts on live deal work, built a DCF model for a hypothetical merger, networked with bankers to understand workflows | Led sell-side execution of a GBP 620M disposal, managed a cross-border team of six, negotiated terms that delivered a 1.2x book-value premium |
| Deal size and complexity | Spring-week case study or student investment-society project (GBP 40,000 portfolio, hypothetical LBO model) | Live mandates in the hundreds of millions, cross-border transactions, carve-outs, and simultaneous debt refinancing |
| Team leadership | Led a team of three analysts on a student-society project, presented findings to the executive committee | Managed a team of three analysts on a GBP 290M public-to-private transaction, mentored four junior analysts with two receiving early promotion |
| Skills section | Financial modelling (DCF, LBO), Excel (INDEX-MATCH, pivot tables), Bloomberg Terminal, Python (pandas, data cleaning) | M&A execution and deal leadership, capital markets (IPOs, follow-ons), advanced Excel (VBA automation, dynamic dashboards), client origination, junior banker mentorship |
| Certifications | CFA Level I Candidate, Bloomberg Market Concepts (BMC) certification | CFA Charterholder, FINRA Series 79 and 63, FCA-approved person (CF30) |