Accountant Resume Examples for 2024 (Skills & Templates)

Creating accounting resume samples seems like a more difficult job than making critical financial decisions? Well, with this guide, it will be as straightforward as your daily routine. And just as impressive!

Learn how to impress your recruiters with your work experience, education, skills, and certificates. Create a perfect accountant resume sample and the job you're after!

This guide will show you:

• An example resume for an accountant better than 9 out of 10 other resumes.
• How to write an accountant resume that lands more interviews.
• Tips and examples of great accountant resume skills and achievements.
• How to describe your experience on a resume for accounting to get any job you want.

Here's one of the great accounting resume samples made using our resume builder.

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See more resume examples for jobs in finance:

• Accounting Clerk Resume Sample
• Accounts Receivable Resume Sample
• Accounts Payable Resume Sample
• Accounting Manager Resume Sample
• Accounting Assistant Resume Sample
• Accounting Intern Resume Sample
• Certified Public Accountant / CPA Resume Sample
• Staff Accountant Resume Sample
• Senior Accountant Resume Sample
• Best Resume Examples for All Professions

Now that we know well what a perfect example resume for an accountant looks like, let’s start writing your own!

Accounting Resume Example

1

Choose the Best Format for an Accountant Resume

To be a great accountant, you need to be perfectly organized. Nothing goes over your head, because your attention to detail is superb. We’ll talk about great skills for an accountant's resume later. But right from the top, there’s a way to show them while designing your resume!

Let’s see how to organize your resume correctly!

• Choose the reverse-chronological resume format. With this resume style, you show exactly what are your latest achievements, duties, and responsibilities. And that’s what matters most to a hiring manager.
• Add your contact information, including:
  • Your name
  • Your phone number
  • Your email address
  • Your LinkedIn profile address
• Build your document from the following resume parts:
  • Resume Header (which will include your contact information)
  • Summary Statement or Career Objective
  • Work Experience Section
  • Education Section
  • Skills Section
  • Additional Sections (Conferences, Extra Training, Volunteering, Certifications, Etc.)
• Use clear resume fonts and mind resume margins to boost the readability of your document. That’s also how you show your attention to detail!
• Aim for a one-page resume. However, if you’ve got years of experience and lots of achievements to show, you can also try to fit them all on a two-page resume.
• Select the right file format for saving your accounting resume. See if it’s specified in the job ad. If not, choose a PDF resume format, which keeps the resume formatting unchanged.

Now you know all the important resume tips for planning a resume structure. It’s time to get to writing your very own sample of accounting resume!

Pro Tip: More and more companies are using Application Tracking Systems to pre-check candidates’ resumes before it even lands on a recruiter’s desk. Always aim to create an ATS-friendly resume, to have your document on that pile as well!

 As an accountant, you’re responsible for helping businesses make critical decisions by tracking, collecting, and correcting their finances. You deal with audits, bank statements, and financial records. Without you, nothing would work properly moneywise. 

That’s a basic resume job description for an accountant. You know it. Your recruiter knows it. But still, you need to put that right on your accountant's resume. The best place to do it? Resume work experience section, obviously!

How to impress a recruiter with your previous work on an accountant’s resume?

• Begin with your newest job title. That’s how you follow the reverse-chronology resume format!

• Add names and dates of your work in the relevant companies.

• Tailor your resume experience section to the job description to show you’re just the right fit for the job they have to offer.

• Focus on your achievements and not on your responsibilities. Every accountant has similar responsibilities. Job-winning accountants have accomplishments! 

• Add up to six bullet points to showcase your accomplishments.

• Include some resume action words to back up your achievements. 

• Put some numbers on your resume. You work with them, so let them back up your experience by proving the exact achievements.

How can you do it? The staff accountant resume sample below will illustrate.

Accountant Job Description for a Resume

Wow! What an amazing accountant's resume sample. The CEO just dropped the copy of Profit First and picked up the phone to schedule the interview.

But whatever you do, don't make the mistake visible on this sample of accounting resume:

That's like saying, "I took the CPA exam." Okay, but did you pass? Where are the metrics? What company goals did you help meet? No info about that makes a dull and generic candidate.

Writing your first resume with no experience to draw from? The next two staff accounting resume examples light the way.

How to Write a Resume for Accounting with No Experience

Don't have any experience yet? Surely you've got enough for a solid entry-level accounting resume. The best part? You can get more fast, like this:

• Volunteer.

• Do some freebie work for friends.

• Job shadow.

• Look for freelance accountant jobs online.

• List transferable accounting tasks from non-accountant jobs.

We're not talking about a year of work. Just one or two days can be enough to give a junior accounts receivable resume a solid footing. The two accounting assistant resume examples below will show you how.

Entry-Level Accounting Resume Samples [No Experience]

That’s a sample of an accounting resume to land superior interviews!

That's like an overdrawn account. Volunteer where? How this bartender’s experience can help with working in accounting? Only questions, no answers. Pass.

Focus your accounts payable resume on metrics you've improved. Not sure what to cite? See this article on Key Performance Indicators.

When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.

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When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and our resume checker will tell you exactly how to make it better.

An education section on your accounting resume should be just like a yearly expenses rapport: flawless. So, how to add a degree to your resume? Simply list your:

• College Name and Location

• Years in School

• Degree

Adding a degree to a resume seems like a simple invoicing. But how can you make it even more impressive? That’s a slightly trickier part. You might want to consider if there are some more education-related achievements to wow your future employer. These can contain of:

• Dean’s list

• Extracurricular activities

• GPA on a resume

• Latin honors

• Relevant coursework

• Studying abroad

The staff accounting resume examples below paint the picture.

Accounting Resume Examples [Education]

Both these sample accounting resume sections target the same job. It requires a knowledge of business accounting and leadership potential.

Those are Deloitte-level accounting resume keywords. Plus, they fit the job offer. However, that's not the case with the next of our staff accountant resume examples.

That's more generic than a QuickBooks template, and it won't work half as well. Yet there’s one more thing that’s important to your recruiters. It’s your set of skills for accountant resume.

Learn how to list your degree on a resume. Read our guide: Major and Minor on Resume

Did you know, that according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment growth for accountants will equal 6% in the following couple of years? It means an estimated 82k jobs will look for a hire! Who will they choose? The candidates with the most impressive skills, correctly presented on their accounting resume samples.

How to create a job-winning accountant resume skills section?

• Make a master list of all your key skills. This is the list you’ll use to pick what skills to put on a resume for an accountant.

• Take another look at the job ad and choose the skills from your list that can be mirrored in the experience and education sections you’ve just created.

• Include your soft skills and your hard skills. Sometimes it is more important to have great communication skills than to have the entire State Tax Law memorized. 

Need an accountant skills list to get started? Use the ones below. They make great resume keywords, too:

Accounting Resume Skills

• Collections

• Financial Statements

• Payroll

• IT Skills

• Asset Management

• Payroll Taxes

• Account Analysis

• Regulatory Filings

• MS Office

• Revenue Projections

• Account Reconciliation

• State Tax Law

• Budgets

• Tax Compliance

• Corporate Tax

• Tax Returns

• General Ledger

• Profit and Loss

• Mathematics

• Quickbooks

• Paychex

• Income Tax

• Invoices

• Communication

• Critical Thinking

• Business Knowledge

• Organization

• Time Management

• Leadership Skills

• Computer skills

• Detail Oriented

• Attention to Detail

Now let’s see some examples. The two accounting resume examples below disclose right and wrong. They're for a job offer that values Accounting IT Skills, Account Reconciliation, and Account Analysis.

Accounting Skills for a Resume [Examples]

Those aren't just accounting resume skills. That’s a ticket to your own accounting desk at the company you’re applying for!

That's the accounting resume equivalent of a junk bond fund. Simply wrong. You’re skilled. But are your skills backed by certain certifications? If so, it’s time to…

Pro Tip: How long should a resume be for accounting? One page? Two? That depends on how experienced you are. For highly skilled applicants, a longer resume is actually better.

Learning how to list certifications on a resume can make a huge difference when applying for an accounting position. Some certifications are necessary to take specialized roles in different areas, such as, i.e., financial forensics or fraud examination.

In other words, it’s better to have them in your job. And if you have them, it is crucial to show them! 

You can put your certification in three places:

• After your name

• In your resume summary or resume objective

• In a special certifications section

This accounting resume example shows how: 

What are some good certifications for an accounting resume?

• Certified Public Accountant (CPA®)

• Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA®)

• Certified Bank Auditor (CBA®)

• Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®)

• Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE®)

• Certified in Financial Forensics (CFF®)

• Certified Internal Auditor (CIA®)

• Certified Management Accountant (CMA®)

• Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA®)

• Certified Information Technology Professional (CITP)

Now that you know how to list certifications on your accountant resume, it’s time to find out more about some other sections you might find helpful!

Pro Tip: Writing an accounts receivable resume or accounting assistant resume? In that case, you may need a bookkeeper resume instead.

Apart from your certifications, you might have something else up your sleeve that can boost your chances of getting that accounting job you’re after. Here are some other additional things to think of when creating your own accounting resume sample:

• Conferences you attended. They show that you’re passionate about your job and that you still want to keep learning.

• Hobbies on a resume can be really impressive. And they can help easily reflect your soft skills.

• Language skills on your resume are always in price. You might need to work in an international environment or with a client who will better understand all the nuances of his finances in his mother tongue, that you happen to know! 

• Publications on a resume show that you’re not only a pro. You’re an authority. And there aren’t many things that can top that!

• Volunteer work is just something recruiters love to see. So be sure to include them on your accounting resume!

The two staff accountant resume examples below show you how to include all the extra information on your resume correctly.

Accounting Resume Examples [Other Sections]

Sounds like a cool person to hang out with. But does it sound like a good person to hire? Let’s not take that risk, shall we?

Now that your experience, education, skills, and additional sections on a resume are ready, it’s time to send your application, right? Wrong. Now it’s time for a brief introduction to your resume!

Pro Tip: Definitely join a professional association if you haven't already. It's worth it for the networking alone. Plus, it looks great on an accounting manager resume or accounting assistant resume.

 Do you know how to start your resume? Sure, you already know how to plan it, how to write each section and what to write to win the job. Now let’s focus on the beginning.

Writing a summary or objective is a perfect way to start a resume. These short introductory paragraphs can work magic in introducing you as a perfect candidate for the job. 

So what’s the difference? 

• A professional resume summary is for a candidate with more than a year of relevant experience. 

• An objective for a resume is for a candidate if you have little to no experience.

There are formulas that you can follow to make your own resume summary or objective!

How to write a resume summary for an accountant?

How to write an accountant resume objective?

Let’s see how it works on those two accounting resume samples:

Accountant Job Description for a Resume

The formula used 100% correctly. That's better than a tax-free gift. 

That's not as bad as an audit letter, but remember, you need to stand out.

But what if your experience is more like a new account? If that's you, see the entry-level accountant resume examples below.

Entry-Level Accounting Resume Objective Example

Show me the money, right? That entry-level accounting resume objective will earn a treasure trove of interviews.

That's as generic as an uncompleted balance statement. The lack of details makes it loose to the example above.

Your resume is ready. Now let's add a cover letter to it!

Pro Tip: Suffering from writer's block? Save the staff accountant resume objective or summary for last. Once your resume is finished, the summary will almost write itself.

Do you need a cover letter? According to 83% of recruiters, you do! So don’t miss an opportunity to express your knack for accounting further in a perfectly-written cover letter!

Wondering how to write a cover letter to add to your accounting resume sample? Here are some tips to follow:

• Stick to the the professional cover letter structure.

• Begin your cover letter strongly to get remembered and to get the reader’s attention.

• Format your cover letter into 3–5 paragraphs. That, with a well-done resume, should do the trick.

• Express why you want to work specifically for the company you apply to. Adding a compliment won’t do much harm!

• Finish your cover letter with enthusiasm and offer an interview date. 

• Send an application follow-up email every week. Do it for a month, but do it only if they don’t respond to your first e-mail.

Here’s how the shortened accountant cover letter example might look like:

Accounting Cover Letter Example

Close your cover letter with a request: "Could we discuss furthering Sachs' cloud accounts reconciliation excellence?" works great.

Pro Tip: You’ve got your resume and your cover letter ready. Now take care of your LinkedIn profile, because many recruiters tend to check your online presence before inviting you for an interview.

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

Create my cover letter now

See more cover letter templates and start writing.

This guide shows the nuts and bolts of making a great resume for accounting. Remember these key strategies:

• Read the job offer carefully. Highlight the qualities you see. Then, prove you have them in your resume bullet points.

• Don't fudge your education section. A key detail in it can be the one thing the hiring manager remembers about any customer service manager's resume example.

• Add “other” sections to report on the breadth of your management resume skills. Include professional associations, volunteer work, and publications.

With that in mind, your accountant resume sample will help you win the job you’re after! Good luck!

Do you have questions on how to write a great resume for accounting? Not sure how to describe your accounting skills or achievements? Give us a shout in the comments! Let's generate some interest.

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Sources

• https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/accountants-and-auditors.htm