Whether you’re a new accountant or a seasoned financial professional, you may be wondering how to write an accounting resume that gets results. Well, wonder no longer. We’ll share everything you need to know to craft a winning resume. That way, you can land your dream accounting role soon!
If you are looking to land an accounting job, start your search on ZipRecruiter. ZipRecruiter is free for job seekers and you can upload your resume to their resume database so that recruiters and employers can reach out to you!
What Is Unique About An Accounting Resume?
At first glance, an accounting resume is much like any other resume. It contains the standard resume sections (more on that below) and attempts to convince the recruiter or hiring manager to interview you.
However, your accounting resume will stand out because you’ll customize it for the specific accounting role you want. Each word will showcase you as a rockstar in your field and an all-star for the hiring company.
Related: The Best Accounting Careers
What Should Be Included On An Accounting Resume?
Your accounting resume should include several sections. Here’s a breakdown of what information to feature in each of them:
Name and Contact Information
This first section of your resume should include your name, email address, and phone number. If your LinkedIn profile is polished and up-to-date, you can also add that link here.
Be sure your email address looks professional. AccountingbabeXO@email.com likely won’t impress a recruiter or hiring manager.
Pro Tip: If you’ve earned an advanced degree or industry certification, list that information next to your name. That could look like: Jane Doe, MBA, CPA.
Resume Objective or Summary
This brief section is your first chance to prove you’re a worthy candidate for the position. If you’re a career changer or recent graduate, you should write a compelling resume objective statement that highlights your skills and knowledge. But, if you’re an accomplished accounting professional, you should write a captivating resume summary that showcases your career achievements.
Let’s look at an example of each:
Resume Objective
Recent graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in accounting skilled in accounts payable, accounts receivable, account reconciliation, and preparing journal entries. Implemented an automated invoice follow-up system that shortened the average accounts receivable timeframe by 50% during an internship. Seeking an accounting clerk position with ABC firm to use my skills to support the senior accountant.
Resume Summary
Accounting manager with an MBA, CPA, and more than 15 years of experience in both public accounting and private industry. Hired, trained, and supervised a team of 11 accountants and accounting clerks for my previous employer. Reduced accounting errors by 30% and saved the company $300,000 annually by negotiating with vendors.
Work Experience
You should list your professional experience in reverse chronological order, which means your current or most recent role goes first. Each job entry should include your title, the company name, and the dates you held the position.
Then, you should write a few bullet points that concisely capture what you achieved during that time. Each bullet point should feature an action word and a quantified accomplishment to drive home what you did and can do. Make your bullet points reflect the requirements outlined in the job advertisement when possible.
Here’s an example work experience entry:
Senior Accountant
ABC Corporation, 2017-2022
- Trained and supervised a team of 5 (2 junior accountants, 1 payroll clerk, 1 accounts receivable clerk, and 1 accounts payable clerk).
- Reduced overhead expenses by 20% by reviewing the company budget.
- Found $ 50,000 worth of additional tax deductions.
- Implemented a new payroll system, which saved 10 labor hours per month.
Pro Tip: If you don’t have much professional experience yet, you can use the above example as a template to describe internships, volunteer work, or freelance projects.
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Education
If you’ve been in accounting for years, you can just list your degree, school name, and graduation date. But, if you recently graduated or you’re switching professions, you should add some supporting details to showcase your academic achievement, knowledge, and skills.
Here’s what that might look like:
Bachelor’s of Science in Accounting
XYZ University, 2021
- 3.9 GPA (only include your GPA if it’s really high)
- Relevant coursework: Financial Accounting, Managerial Accounting, Economics
- Treasurer of the Accounting Club
- Prepared 35+ individual tax returns as a volunteer through a university community service program
If you completed an internship but didn’t include it as an entry in the work experience section, you could add a bullet point for it here.
Pro Tip: Don’t forget to list your industry-recognized certifications, too. Be sure to include the name of the credential, the institution that awarded it, and when it expires, if applicable.
Skills
This section is your opportunity to make it past the company’s applicant tracking system (ATS) filters and impress the recruiter. Here, you should list no more than ten of your top skills, taking care to align them with the job advertisement's requirements when possible. Keep reading to see several skills you may be able to include on your accounting resume.
Awards
If you’ve been named Employee of the Month or Accountant of the Year, you should include that here. Otherwise, you can leave this section off of your resume.
Other
This section is a catchall for things the recruiter and hiring manager should know about you but don’t fit in other areas of your resume. Potential examples include speaking engagements, paper or article publications (share links if you have them!), or professional association memberships.
What Should Be Left Off An Accounting Resume?
Your accounting resume needs to grab the recruiter’s attention in seconds. Otherwise, it will get tossed into the “thanks, but no thanks” pile.
Since every word needs to count, you should leave off any information that doesn’t position you as the ideal applicant for the job. For example, you should avoid discussing irrelevant work experience, hobbies, or interests.
Note: If you’ve never held an accounting-related position, including your other role(s) on your resume makes sense. You can make the most of that experience by demonstrating how the transferable skills you gained prepared you for your accounting career. For example, if you were a cashier or bank teller, you know how to handle money and understand the importance of accuracy, reporting, and compliance.
Important Job Skills For Accounting Resumes
Your accounting resume should highlight your most relevant skills. Here’s a list of competencies you could include, depending on your knowledge and experience:
Hard Skills
- Knowledge of generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP)
- Knowledge of securities and exchange commission (SEC) regulations
- Budgeting
- Forecasting
- Preparing journal entries
- Maintaining the general ledger
- Accounts payable
- Accounts receivable
- Collection procedures
- Invoicing
- Account reconciliation
- Payroll preparation and submission
- Financial document analysis and preparation
- Business tax return preparation
- Tax law and compliance
- Month-end close
- Year-end close
- Vendor account management and negotiation
Soft Skills
- Business acumen
- Data analysis
- Organization
- Attention to detail
- Time management
- Communication
- Presentation
- Problem-solving
- Leadership
Note: This list doesn’t contain every possible accounting-related skill. So, feel free to include others on your resume!
The Bottom Line
After reading this article, you should feel confident that you know how to write an accounting resume. But, it never hurts to have an objective third party review your work. So, we encourage you to partner with one of our choices for the best resume writing service to get that second opinion. Then, you’ll be ready to start your job search on ZipRecruiter!
