Building a CV That Gets Noticed for FDD and TAS Roles
3rd October 2026
I have reviewed a fair number of CVs for FDD roles over the years. I have my views on what I like and I appreciate this may not be shared by all, but here are my thoughts:
THE CV
Qualification - ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent (or clear progress towards one). For most associate and senior associate roles this is the first box to tick.
Conciseness - Two pages maximum (one is fine for more junior candidates). Short bullets, one point each. FDD reports are read by busy clients, so a concise CV is itself evidence of a relevant skill.
Judgement on what matters - Show you can tell the difference between challenging work and routine work. I do not want to read reams of “I tested cash balances”. It does not reflect anything worth shouting about. Lead instead with work that involved analysis, or is genuinely complex, or significant judgement.
Analytical exposure - Anything involving analysing trends, explaining variances or challenging management’s numbers.
Excel capability - Stated plainly (don’t go crazy).
Listing engagements and projects - I always recommend including a short list of engagements, clients or projects under each role. Anonymise where confidentiality requires it (e.g. “£80m revenue UK manufacturing group, PE-backed” rather than the client name). For each one, a single line is enough:
The client - Sector, size and ownership (e.g. listed, PE-backed, family-owned).
Your role - What you were responsible for (i.e. the area you owned, not the whole engagement).
USING YOUR ENGAGEMENTS
Any decent reviewer will pick one or two of these engagements and ask you about them. This is an opportunity. It lets you steer the conversation towards ground you know well.
Prepare one interesting point for each engagement on your CV. Good examples include:
A judgement area - An adjustment or accounting treatment that was debated with management, and where you landed. Focus on what you found what you did.
A business insight - What actually drove the Target’s (or client’s) performance, and whether the reported numbers reflected it.
An FDD angle - How the issue would have affected EBITDA, net debt or working capital had the business been sold. This matters less, as it depends on the role you come from (e.g. audit vs industry)
The above will also test your ability to the “tell the story” to someone new. A skill that is super important when speaking to both clients and targets.
Note: even after all of the above is said - they need to like you…
All you need to know
The below information pack (60+ page document with accompanying example Excel databook) will benefit any individual looking into a potential move into the financial due diligence profession (often referred to as transaction services or transaction advisory services in the market). The information pack will prove useful for potential interview questions or even simply establishing a general understanding of the typical financial due diligence thought-process.
The pack will also be beneficial for any already successful FDD candidate who is looking to acquire a strong technical understanding in order to hit the ground running.
FDD Interview Preparation Pack and Example Excel Databook
Complete FDD (Transaction Services) interview preparation pack (60+ page document + example Excel databook). Insights into the FDD process and detailed technical examples covering all three key FDD workstreams: Quality of Earnings, Net Debt and Net Working Capital.
Candidate feedback on the interview preparation pack:
“I would definitely recommend for anyone interested in FDD to take this course just because of the quality. I bought other materials for higher price and this one is better than other online materials.”-Ting L, March 2026
“Thanks to the wide range of information, I successfully managed to receive a job offer at a Big4 firm in FDD.” — Guido V, March 2026
“This guide was worth every penny. I was able to land two big 4 fdd senior associate offers using the information in this guide and would recommend to anyone looking to do the same.” — James E, March 2025