Finance and banking CV example: licences that match the desk
A finance or banking CV names the licence each role needs, like an SPK Level 1 to 3 licence in Türkiye or FINRA registration in the US, then shows the clients, portfolios, transactions or analyses you handled, with numbers.1
Written 13 October 2026. CitedCV. How we write our guides
Look up your target desk in the duty table
In Türkiye the licence a capital markets job needs is not a matter of taste. Article 25 of the Capital Markets Board’s licensing communiqué points to a table of titles and duties, and SPL (Sermaye Piyasası Lisanslama Sicil ve Eğitim Kuruluşu), the body that runs the exams and keeps the register, publishes it. Anyone working in a listed title, or an equivalent one, must hold the licence named next to it.
For banks, the table applies to the investment services and activities they are authorised for under capital markets law. A teller or a loans officer with no securities work is outside it; someone taking orders for shares or funds is inside it.
| Title or duty (bank or brokerage) | Licence in the SPL table |
|---|---|
| Customer representative for order transmission, execution or portfolio brokerage | Capital Markets Activities Level 1 |
| Clearing and operations officer | Capital Markets Activities Level 1 |
| Internal control staff (brokerage) | Capital Markets Activities Level 2 |
| Branch manager (brokerage) | Capital Markets Activities Level 2 |
| Investment advisor, research specialist, corporate finance specialist | Capital Markets Activities Level 3 |
| Portfolio manager, risk management staff | Level 3, or the Derivatives Licence where derivatives are traded |
| Derivatives staff | Derivatives Licence |
Write the licence on the CV in the same words the table uses. A recruiter at a brokerage will hold your line against the row for the post.
How SPK licences are earned and kept
Nine licence types
SPL lists nine licences. Each needs a minimum level of higher education and a set of exam modules; the Level 3 licence adds three modules to the nine of Level 2.
| Licence | Minimum education | Exam modules |
|---|---|---|
| Capital Markets Activities Level 1 | 2-year higher education | 4 |
| Capital Markets Activities Level 2 | 4-year higher education | 9 |
| Capital Markets Activities Level 3 | 4-year higher education | 12 |
| Derivatives | 4-year higher education | 8 |
| Credit Rating | 4-year higher education | 5 |
| Corporate Governance Rating | 4-year higher education | 5 |
| Residential Valuation | 2-year higher education | 2 |
| Real Estate Valuation | 4-year higher education | 4 |
| Information Systems Independent Audit | 4-year higher education | 5 |
Pass mark and the application
A candidate passes with at least 50 out of 100 in every subject and an average of at least 60. SPL sets no deadline for applying for the licence after passing. The application runs in SPL’s online system: you upload a barcoded graduate certificate from e-Devlet (or send a notarised diploma copy), confirm by SMS code and pay the fee.
Renewal and suspension
Under article 18 of communiqué VII-128.7, a licence is suspended if its holder skips renewal training when it falls due, and a suspended holder may not carry out the licensed activity. Attending the training restores it. Higher levels cover lower ones: a Level 2 holder may work in Level 1 posts, and a Level 3 holder in Level 2 or Level 1 posts.
On a CV, that means the licence line should say it is current. “Level 3, active” tells the reader you can start the licensed work on day one.
CFA, FINRA and the UK as context
CFA Program
CFA Institute describes three exams, usually taken over three to four years. To use the designation, a person also needs at least 4,000 hours of relevant work experience completed in no fewer than 36 months and regular membership of CFA Institute.
Standard VII(B) of its Standards of Practice governs how candidates describe progress. Candidates must not state or imply a partial designation and must not cite an expected completion date.
| CFA Institute calls this proper | CFA Institute calls this improper |
|---|---|
| I passed the Level II CFA exam. | CFA, Level II |
| I am a 2027 Level III candidate for the CFA designation. | CFA, Expected 2027 |
| Passed all three levels; charter after the work experience is complete | John Smith, Charter Pending |
United States
FINRA’s Securities Industry Essentials exam is open to anyone aged 18 or over without a sponsoring firm: 75 questions in 1 hour 45 minutes, with a pass valid for four years. Registration needs the SIE plus a qualification exam such as the Series 7, and a candidate must be associated with a member firm to sit a qualification exam. BLS adds that most licences need employer sponsorship, so employers do not usually expect them before the job starts.
United Kingdom
The National Careers Service says graduate trainees at investment banks or stockbrokers must pass an exam recognised by the Financial Conduct Authority, and names the Investment Management Certificate (CFA Society UK) and the CISI Investment Advice Diploma. Both the investment analyst and the financial services customer adviser profiles mention background checks, and the adviser profile adds a credit check.
Skills the official profiles list
| Skill | Named by | Evidence line |
|---|---|---|
| Analytical skills | BLS, NCS | Wrote 30 company notes a year on BIST industrials with 12-month target prices |
| Customer service | NCS | Advised 180 retail clients on funds and bonds; complaint rate under 1% |
| Decision-making | BLS, NCS | Rebalanced 40 model portfolios each quarter within the risk limits set by the committee |
| Attention to detail | BLS, NCS | Checked daily settlement for about 2,000 trades; zero unreconciled breaks at month end |
| Selling | NCS | Reached 115% of the annual fund sales target |
| Computer skills | BLS | Built valuation models in Excel and pulled data from the market terminal |
BLS lists analytical, communication, computer, decision-making, detail and maths skills for financial analysts. The NCS customer adviser profile adds active listening, selling products and administration. Use the evidence line, not the skill word.
Worked example: an investment advisor at a bank’s securities unit
Example only. Selin Kurt is invented, and the employer and figures are illustrative. She has four years in a bank’s investment advisory unit in Istanbul and is applying to a brokerage’s research team.
Licences and exams
- Capital Markets Activities Level 3 Licence (Sermaye Piyasası Faaliyetleri Düzey 3 Lisansı), active, 2023
- Derivatives Licence (Türev Araçlar Lisansı), active, 2024
- Passed the Level I CFA exam, 2025; 2027 Level II candidate for the CFA designation
Experience
- Investment Advisor, [Bank] Investment Advisory Unit, Istanbul · 2022 to present
- Advised 180 private clients with about TRY 1.4 billion in assets on equities, bonds and funds
- Wrote a monthly equity strategy note read by 60 branch advisors
- Built a screen for dividend payers on BIST 100 that the unit used for two model portfolios
- Customer Representative, [Bank] Kadıköy branch · 2020 to 2022 · Level 1 licence, order transmission for retail clients
Education
- BA Economics, [University], 2020
The CFA line follows CFA Institute’s wording: a passed exam and a candidacy, with no partial designation after her name. The licence lines say “active”, which matters because a suspended licence bars the work.
Sources and reading date
- Titles and duties that need a licence: SPL, “Lisans Gerektiren Unvan ve Görevler” table (communiqué article 25).
- Licence types, education and modules: SPL, licence types page.
- Pass mark, application and graduate certificate: SPL, licence application page.
- Suspension and renewal training: SPL, suspension and cancellation page.
- CFA exams and experience: CFA Institute, CFA Program page; wording: Standard VII(B).
- SIE facts: FINRA, Securities Industry Essentials page. Sponsorship and skills: BLS, financial analysts, last modified 27 August 2026.
- UK routes and checks: National Careers Service, investment analyst and financial services customer adviser.
All read on 13 October 2026. Licence rules change by Board decision; check spl.com.tr before you apply.
What this page does not cover
- Bank roles with no capital markets activity, such as tellers or loan officers, where the SPL table does not apply.
- Insurance and pension sales, which have their own rules.
- Accounting and audit roles; the accountant example covers SMMM and ACCA.
Applying abroad and next steps
No country guide on this site is specific to finance yet. The UK CV format guide covers layout for British applications, and the EU Blue Card guide and German CV format guide apply to graduate finance roles in Germany. For the US, expect the employer to sponsor FINRA exams after hiring rather than before.
CitedCV builds the CV from the facts you give it, in English, Turkish or German, and every line traces back to one of those facts. It does not hold SPL’s duty table, so match your licence to the row yourself.
- Find the target title in the SPL table and note the licence it needs.
- Write each licence with its Turkish name and whether it is active.
- Word CFA progress the way Standard VII(B) allows.
- Count clients, assets, notes or trades from your own records.
Questions people ask
Do I need an SPK licence to work in a bank in Turkey?
Only for capital markets work. The SPL table applies to banks’ investment services, so a customer representative taking securities orders needs at least Level 1.
Which SPK licence does an investment advisor need?
The Capital Markets Activities Level 3 Licence, according to SPL’s table of titles and duties; research and corporate finance specialists need the same.
How do I write CFA Level 1 on my CV?
Write “Passed the Level I CFA exam, 2025”. CFA Institute calls “CFA, Level I” improper because it implies a partial designation.
Can I take the SIE without a job offer?
Yes. FINRA says anyone aged 18 or over can take the SIE without a sponsoring firm, and a pass stays valid for four years.
How do I put an SPK licence on an English CV?
Give an English name with the Turkish one in brackets, the year, and whether it is active, for example “Capital Markets Activities Level 1 Licence, active”.
Does a Level 3 licence cover Level 1 jobs?
Yes. SPL says Level 3 holders may work in posts that require Level 2 or Level 1, and Level 2 holders in Level 1 posts.
What checks do UK banks run before hiring?
Background checks, and for customer adviser roles a credit check as well, according to the National Careers Service profiles.
Sources
- SPL, Lisans Gerektiren Unvan ve Görevler (table)spl.com.tr/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/lisans-gerektiren-unvan-ve-gorevler.pdf
- SPL, Lisans Türlerispl.com.tr/lisans-turleri/
- SPL, Lisans Alma Sürecispl.com.tr/lisans-alma-sureci/
- SPL, Lisansların Askıya Alınması veya İptal Edilmesispl.com.tr/lisanslarin-askiya-alinmasi-veya-iptal-edilmesi/
- CFA Institute, CFA Programwww.cfainstitute.org/programs/cfa-program
- CFA Institute, Standard VII(B)www.cfainstitute.org/standards/professionals/code-ethics-standards/standards-of-practice-vii-b
- FINRA, Securities Industry Essentials Examwww.finra.org/registration-exams-ce/qualification-exams/securities-industry-essentials-exam
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Financial Analystswww.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/financial-analysts.htm
- National Careers Service, Investment analystnationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/investment-analyst
- National Careers Service, Financial services customer advisernationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/financial-services-customer-adviser