7 Tips for Getting Your CV Ready to Secure the Top Paraplanning Jobs
The paraplanning job market is competitive, and standing out takes more than just technical knowledge. Your CV is often the first impression you make on a potential employer, so ensuring it's tailored, professional, and impactful is key. Whether you're aiming for your first paraplanning role or looking to step up into a top-tier position, here are seven essential tips to help you get your CV ready:
1. Tailor Your CV to the Role you are looking for
Carefully craft the CV to the job you are looking for highlighting key skills that allow to achieve great outcomes for yourself and the business. Highlight what you do in your role emphasises cashflow modelling, pension transfers, or complex investments, highlight your experience in those areas. If you have been in project work or involved in training or change management outline your experience. These skills will show the employer how you stand out from the crowd.
2. Showcase Your Technical Knowledge
Paraplanners are valued for their technical expertise. Include specific qualifications (like Diploma in Financial Planning or working towards Chartered status) and highlight your experience with tax planning, investment research, and suitability reports.
You should also showcase your knowledge of pension investments and the financial products you've researched and recommended. This can include ISAs, SIPPs, SSASs, bonds, VCTs, EISs, discretionary fund management solutions, and protection products.
In addition, make sure to state:
- How many advisers you support (for example, "Providing dedicated paraplanning support to a team of 3 financial advisers").
- The types of clients you work with, such as High-Net-Worth (HNW), Ultra-High-Net-Worth (UHNW), business owners, or retirees.
- The average AUM (Assets Under Management) of the clients or portfolios you’re involved in. For example, “Specialising in reports for HNW clients with an average AUM of £1.5m+”.
This level of detail helps employers immediately understand the scale and complexity of the cases you handle.
3. Quantify Your Achievements
Employers love to see impact. Instead of saying, "Helped prepare reports," try "Produced over 150 high-quality suitability reports annually for HNW clients, contributing to a 98% client retention rate." Numbers and results help demonstrate your capability and productivity.
4. Highlight Your Tech Skills
Paraplanning requires proficiency in platforms like Voyant, Intelliflo, CashCalc, and FE Analytics. Make sure these are clearly listed, along with any CRM systems or financial planning tools you've mastered. If you've helped implement or optimise these systems, that’s worth mentioning too!
5. Keep It Clear and Concise
Busy hiring managers don’t want to read a 6-page CV. Aim for 2 pages, with clear section headings, bullet points, and a logical structure. Use professional, straightforward language and avoid jargon unless it's industry-standard.
6. Show Continuous Professional Development (CPD)
The best paraplanners keep their knowledge up to date. Include recent courses, webinars, conferences, and CPD hours—especially if they’re relevant to current financial regulations or innovations in financial planning.
7. Add a Personal Touch
Many firms are looking for a good cultural fit as well as technical skills. Including a short, well-written personal profile at the top of your CV can help. Briefly explain what drives you as a paraplanner, what you enjoy about the work, and what you’re looking for in your next role.
Bonus Content
Think about writing a case study of a complex report you have researched and written, like the one below, and condense it on your CV with key bullet points from the journey.
Example of a Technical Case Study
Case Type:
Defined Benefit (DB) Pension Transfer Analysis and Investment Recommendation
Client Profile:
- Client: Married couple, both aged 58
- Status: Retired, seeking to consolidate pensions and optimise retirement income
- Assets: £1.8m total investable assets, including a £900k DB pension, £400k ISA portfolio, and £500k GIA
- Risk Profile: Moderate (Balanced)
- Objectives: Flexibility of income in retirement, estate planning, tax efficiency, and passing wealth to children
Work Completed:
As the lead paraplanner on the case, I was responsible for producing a full Pension Transfer Suitability Report (TVAS), including cashflow modelling via Voyant and investment planning recommendations.
Key steps included:
✅ Detailed analysis of the DB scheme benefits vs. transferring to a SIPP, ensuring FCA guidelines were strictly adhered to
✅ Calculated the Critical Yield and assessed the sustainability of drawdown income against lifetime objectives
✅ Researched and recommended a globally diversified investment strategy utilising multi-asset funds via a Discretionary Fund Manager (DFM), aligned to the client’s attitude to risk
✅ Integrated tax planning strategies to utilise ISA allowances, Capital Gains Tax exemptions, and pension contribution carry forward to reduce overall tax liability
✅ Modelled different income scenarios to provide flexibility while protecting capital longevity
Products Recommended:
- SIPP (for receiving the DB transfer value)
- DFM-managed portfolio (risk-profiled and regularly rebalanced)
- ISA wrappers for tax-free growth
- Relevant Life Plan for Inheritance Tax (IHT) efficiency
Outcome:
✔️ Delivered a highly detailed and FCA-compliant report which was approved by compliance without amendments
✔️ Helped the client proceed with the DB transfer, achieving their goals of flexible income and effective estate planning
✔️ Ongoing annual reviews set to monitor investment performance, income sustainability, and changing objectives
Final Thoughts
A strong paraplanning CV is more than just a list of jobs—it's your opportunity to show you're an expert who adds value, solves problems, and supports financial planners in delivering exceptional client outcomes.
By tailoring your CV with these tips and demonstrating the depth of your experience across pensions, products, adviser support, and client profiles, you'll position yourself as a top candidate ready for the most sought-after opportunities in the industry.