Accountant resume examples for 2024

Accountant resume format and sections

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   1. Add contact information to your accountant resume

   Your name should be the biggest text on the page and be at or near the top of the document. Your address doesn't need to include your street name or house number - listing your city and state works just fine. Your email address should be professional, but not your current work email address. It's not a good look to use your work email for personal projects (job-searching). Your social media can be included if you have a fully-fledged LinkedIn page or another social media page that showcases your relevant skill set.

   Accountant Resume Contact Information Example #1

   Hank Rutherford Hill

   St. Arlen, Texas | 333-111-2222 | hank.hill@gmail.com

   Do you want to know more?

   How To Write The Perfect Resume Header
2. 2

   2. Add relevant education to your accountant resume

   Your resume's education section should include:

   • The name of your school
   • The date you graduated (Month, Year or Year are both appropriate)
   • The name of your degree

   If you graduated more than 15 years ago, you should consider dropping your graduation date to avoid age discrimination.

   Optional subsections for your education section include:

   • Academic awards (Dean's List, Latin honors, etc. )
   • GPA (if you're a recent graduate and your GPA was 3.5+)
   • Extra certifications
   • Academic projects (thesis, dissertation, etc. )

   Other tips to consider when writing your education section include:

   • If you're a recent graduate, you might opt to place your education section above your experience section
   • The more work experience you get, the shorter your education section should be
   • List your education in reverse chronological order, with your most recent and high-ranking degrees first
   • If you haven't graduated yet, you can include "Expected graduation date" to the entry for that school

   Check More About Accountant Education

   Majors

   Accounting

   55.6%

   Business

   24.2%

   Finance

   7.3%

   Economics

   2.0%

   Show More

   Accountant Resume Relevant Education Example #1

   Doctoral Degree In Accounting 2014 - 2017

   Baruch College of the City University of New York New York, NY

   Accountant Resume Relevant Education Example #2

   Bachelor's Degree In Business 2011 - 2014

   Pennsylvania State University Main, PA

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   3. Next, create an accountant skills section on your resume

   Your resume's skills section should include the most important keywords from the job description, as long as you actually have those skills. If you haven't started your job search yet, you can look over resumes to get an idea of what skills are the most important.

   Here are some tips to keep in mind when writing your resume's skills section:

   • Include 6-12 skills, in bullet point form
   • List mostly hard skills; soft skills are hard to test
   • Emphasize the skills that are most important for the job

   Hard skills are generally more important to hiring managers because they relate to on-the-job knowledge and specific experience with a certain technology or process.

   Soft skills are also valuable, as they're highly transferable and make you a great person to work alongside, but they're impossible to prove on a resume.

   Example of skills to include on an accountant resume

   • General Ledger Accounts Skills.
      

     A general ledger account is a practice to keep a record of a company's total financial accounts. The accounts included in a general ledger lists the assets, liabilities, owners' equity, expenses, and income or revenue. It forms the basis of reporting a business's financial statements.

   • Customer Service Skills.
      

     Customer service is the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers -- answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.

   • Financial Transactions Skills.
      

     The type of agreement held between two parties (buyer and seller) regarding an exchange of funds for an asset, is termed as a financial transaction. The financial transaction is the exchange of products, services, cash or credit, information, and other things of value among two separate entities for a common goal.

   Top Skills for an Accountant

   Reconciliations, 13.6%
   General Ledger Accounts, 5.7%
   Account Reconciliations, 5.6%
   GAAP, 5.0%
   Other Skills, 70.1%
   See All Accountant Skills

   Not sure which skills are really important?

   3 Big Tips For Listing Skills On Your Resume
4. 4

   4. List your accountant experience

   The most important part of any resume for an accountant is the experience section. Recruiters and hiring managers expect to see your experience listed in reverse chronological order, meaning that you should begin with your most recent experience and then work backwards.

   Don't just list your job duties below each job entry. Instead, make sure most of your bullet points discuss impressive achievements from your past positions. Whenever you can, use numbers to contextualize your accomplishments for the hiring manager reading your resume.

   It's okay if you can't include exact percentages or dollar figures. There's a big difference even between saying "Managed a team of accountants" and "Managed a team of 6 accountants over a 9-month project. "

   Most importantly, make sure that the experience you include is relevant to the job you're applying for. Use the job description to ensure that each bullet point on your resume is appropriate and helpful.

   What experience really stands out on Accountant resumes?

   Dr. Kyleen Prewett Ph.D.

   Associate Professor of Accounting, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

   If full-time employment after graduation isn't an option, students should try to find an internship, part-time work, or volunteer somewhere, while studying for and taking the CPA exam, assuming they have their 150 hours. I also recommend keeping up with current events. Demonstrating knowledge about federal and state pandemic assistance programs and new employer requirements for things like employee paid sick leave, etc. would be a plus.
   
   If an applicant can converse about some of those things, they would demonstrate not only that knowledge, but the fact that they pay attention to business and current events.

   Don't have any experience?

   How To Show Your Experience On a Resume... Even When You Don't Have Any

   Work History Example # 1

   General Ledger Bookkeeper

   Integra lifesciences

   • Prepared income statements, balance sheets, and inventory control.
   • Assisted with budget preparation for each facility and monitored the budgeted expenditures.
   • Researched unpaid checks for reissue Assist with financial quarterly reviews and annual audits by external CPA firms.
   • Prepared and processed payroll for all 50 employees.
   • Executed and approved bi-weekly Accounts Payable and Payroll check runs totaling $500k.

   Work History Example # 2

   Accountant

   HCR ManorCare

   • Ensured compliance with company policy & procedure for AP, AR, Payroll, Resident Trust, and petty cash transactions.
   • Focused on accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll, computer support and cost reporting procedures.
   • Assured that all financial processes and procedures were documented and current.
   • Processed payables, deposits, invoices and payroll in Quickbooks.
   • Implemented a new corporate process to ensure that all vendors had a W-9 on file.

   Work History Example # 3

   Junior Accountant

   CNA Financial

   • Established and analyzed the GAAP current and deferred income tax provision for CNA consolidation on a group basis.
   • Utilized PeopleSoft software to enter accounts into a general ledger system and reconciliation software to reconcile general accounts.
   • Assisted in preparation & validation of GAAP & STAT external financial statements.
   • Supervised and implemented banking procedures related to lock boxes and bank statement reconciliation.
   • Prepared various exhibits for monthly Board of Directors Report and prepared income tax footnote for CNA Annual Report.

   Work History Example # 4

   Finance Specialist

   RSM

   • Coordinated with project managers on company policies, T&C of contracts, rates and various compliance procedures.
   • Assisted with yearly budgets * Reduced overtime to nearly zero hours per pay period
   • Created PowerPoint presentations to present the analysis of financial issues.
   • Created logs and procedures that made processing more efficient.
   • Processed and gauged remittance, A/P and payroll and ensured financial systems were maintained accurately.

   Show More
5. 5

   5. Highlight accountant certifications on your resume

   Specific accountant certifications can be a powerful tool to show employers you've developed the appropriate skills.

   If you have any of these certifications, make sure to put them on your accountant resume:

   1. Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
   2. Certified Management Accountant (CMA)
   3. Certified Resume Specialist: Accounting and Finance (CRS+AF)
   4. International Accredited Business Accountant (IABA)
   5. Chartered Certified Accountant (ACCA)
   6. Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA)
   7. Project Management Professional (PMP)
   8. Certified Forensic Accountant (CrFA)
   9. Certificate in Public Financial Management (Cert PFM)
   10. Certified Accounts Payable Professional (CAPP)

   More Certifications For Accountant
6. 6

   6. Finally, add an accountant resume summary or objective statement

   A resume summary statement consists of 1-3 sentences at the top of your accountant resume that quickly summarizes who you are and what you have to offer. The summary statement should include your job title, years of experience (if it's 3+), and an impressive accomplishment, if you have space for it.

   Remember to emphasize skills and experiences that feature in the job description.

   Are you a recent grad?

   Read our guide on how to write a resume summary statement