Pick a clean template that highlights deal work, modeling, and due diligence. Use a reverse-chronological layout so hiring managers see your recent fund experience first.
Keep your resume to one page if you have under 10 years of relevant private equity experience. Use two pages only when you have deep deal lists and leadership roles to show.
Choose ATS-friendly fonts like Calibri, Arial, Georgia, or Garamond. Use 10–12pt for body text and 14–16pt for section headers to keep a clear visual hierarchy.
Give each section room to breathe. Use consistent spacing between headings, bullets, and entries so the eye moves easily down the page.
Avoid fancy columns, dense graphics, and unusual fonts. Those elements confuse ATS and distract a recruiter from your deal outcomes and IRR metrics.
Use standard headings: Contact, Summary or Objective, Experience, Education, Skills, Certifications, and Select Transactions. Put quantifiable results near the top of each role, like EBITDA growth, exit multiple, or capital deployed.
Highlight technical skills separately, such as LBO modeling, financial statement work, and data room management. Keep bullet points short and result-oriented.
Common mistakes: packing too much text into each bullet, using multi-column layouts, adding logos or icons, and inconsistent date formats. Fix those to make your resume easy to parse for both humans and ATS.