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Accountant skills for your resume and career

Q: Is finance harder than accounting?

No, finance is not harder than accounting. While both finance and accounting can be difficult majors, accounting is considered more difficult because it requires more discipline and a lot of math.

Q: What are accounting soft skills?

Accounting soft skills include strong communication, time management, and organization. Accountants are required to have a solid understanding of many different accounting principles, but there are many soft skills that can help them stand out and complete their duties easier and more successfully.

Q: What are dividends in accounting?

Dividends in accounting are a form of income that shareholders of corporations receive for each share of stock that they hold. These payments -- from a corporation's profits or from its accumulated retained earnings -- are in cash or other assets (excluding the corporation's own stock).

Q: What are prepaid expenses in accounting?

Prepaid expenses in accounting are expenses that are paid for in advance. This includes expenses like insurance policies or rental fees. Prepaid expenses often benefit from discounts on that specific expense because a business or organization chooses to pay it early. There might also be tax incentives concerning certain prepaid expenses.

Q: What is an accounting period?

An accounting period is a time frame used by organizations to gather and prepare documents related to their financial activities. Accounting periods can come in many different frames of time, the most common is one fiscal year, however, companies might choose to break down accounting periods into smaller segments.

Q: What is fund accounting?

Fund accounting is a system of accounting used to track the amount of money allocated to various operations at an organization. It's a system designed to ensure funds are used productively and for the benefit of the organization as a whole.

Updated January 8, 2025

5 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. Jennifer Thayer,

Dr. Jennifer Thayer

An accountant's competence in their role can either strengthen or destroy the company they work for. That's why employers are very choosy about the abilities they look for in promising candidates. Initially, they seek out applicants with the bottom line criteria of hard skills they'll need to accomplish daily accounting duties, such as general ledger accounts, payroll, and financial statements.

After getting past the core abilities needed to provide financial services, an employer moves on to decide who has the soft skills to excel. Since the job involves a lot of communication, this is a key asset an employer looks for. Additional valuable soft skills for accounting include time management, critical thinking, and adaptability.

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical accountant skills. We ranked the top skills for accountants based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 13.6% of accountant resumes contained reconciliations as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills an accountant needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 accountant skills for your resume and career

1. Reconciliations

Here's how accountants use reconciliations:

Performed Sub-Ledger/General Ledger analyses and reconciliations to provide data support for Third Party Administrator Repository (TPAIR) automated system implementation.
Perform Balance Sheet account reconciliations, account analysis, accrual calculations, and other related accounting documents/schedules.

2. General Ledger Accounts

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.

Here's how accountants use general ledger accounts:

Reconciled primary cash funding account and monitored daily activity in all company cash accounts including general ledger accounts and cash balances.
Reviewed all assigned preliminary general ledger accounts and proposes any necessary corrections prior to the current period s financial closing.

3. Account Reconciliations

Here's how accountants use account reconciliations:

Maintained Access databases ensuring their accuracy and completeness for the purpose of posting automated general ledger entries and prepare account reconciliations.
Reviewed monthly account reconciliations to verify ledger balances had proper source documentation and ensured successful resolution of inconsistencies within department parameters.

4. GAAP

Here's how accountants use gaap:

Utilized GAAP for weekly financial reporting/invoicing and daily cash transactions as a unit accountant/controller for University of Denver Dining Services.
Maintained general ledgers and preparation of monthly and other periodic financial reports in accordance with GAAP and international accounting standards.

5. Payroll Tax Returns

Here's how accountants use payroll tax returns:

Implemented accounting system with inventory management and prepared monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements including quarterly payroll tax returns
Prepared bi-weekly payroll using Evolution software from Payroll Professionals and verified quarterly payroll tax returns.

6. Customer Service

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.

Here's how accountants use customer service:

Supervised accounts receivable/billing/customer service department.
Trained and managed other customer service representatives for on and off site auto auctions and achieved significant improvements in customer service.

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7. CPA

Here's how accountants use cpa:

Performed reconciliation of cash/checking account, and identified discrepancy that CPA firm could not previously identify.
Staffed various temporary accounting positions including auditing for a small CPA Firm

8. Financial Data

Here's how accountants use financial data:

Calculated and analyzed allocations based on the CSG interface billing systems, and leveraged integration manager tools to upload financial data.
Analyzed, examined and interpreted account records, complied financial information and reconciled reports and financial data daily and monthly.

9. Balance Sheet Accounts

Here's how accountants use balance sheet accounts:

Performed budgeting and analysis functions for areas of responsibility as well as completed reconciliations for all related Balance Sheet accounts.
Reconcile income statements, balance sheet accounts including bank reconciliation for multiple bank accounts and inter-company.

10. External Auditors

Here's how accountants use external auditors:

Prepared financial analyses and reports of operations, which outlined company's financial position for guidance of management for external auditors.
Provide assistance and coordinate activities with internal/external auditors, operating company general ledger groups, and other functions within the business.

11. Accruals

Here's how accountants use accruals:

Performed monthly sales commission analysis to identify missing accruals and communicated any necessary adjustments to the business teams.
Maintained amortization schedule of Prepaid Accounts, included book amortized expenses, accruals and performed reconciliation monthly.

12. Fixed Assets

Here's how accountants use fixed assets:

Administered fixed assets/depreciation accounting utilizing PC-distributed software.
Prepared monthly financial analyses on the Fixed Assets and accumulated depreciation accounts and communicated the findings to all levels of management.

13. Internal Controls

Here's how accountants use internal controls:

Develop and maintain systems of internal controls to safeguard financial assets of the organization and other required supplementary schedules and information.
Developed efficient and effective internal controls to secure funding and financial information to ensure Internal Audit compliance and reduce audit risk.

14. Financial Transactions

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.

Here's how accountants use financial transactions:

Managed financial records including recording all financial transactions, managing accounts, processing accounts payable and receivable and reconciling bank statements.
Ensured financial transactions are recorded accurately and timely, and analyze and reviews financial statements for given area of responsibility.

15. Income Statement

Here's how accountants use income statement:

Reconcile Monthly Income Statement General Ledger Accounts showing summary of all debit and credit transactions with detail information as back-up documentation.
Analyzed Consolidated Income Statement and Balance Sheet and prepared retained earnings and income taxes for submission to Corporate Reporting.

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What skills help Accountants find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on accountant resumes?

Dr. Jennifer Thayer

Assistant Professor of Accounting, Socrates Award for Excellence in Teaching Recipient, Clarksville Chamber of Commerce APSU Distinguished Faculty Award for Community Service Recipient, Accounting Society at Austin Peay Advisor, Austin Peay State University

Several skills help applicants stand out when submitting their resumes, which goes beyond just the normal “accounting knowledge.” Individuals should include any type of practical application via internships, volunteer work, or work experience. When including these experiences, be sure to highlight the type of work that was completed, such as preparing tax returns, analyzing transactions for audits, preparing financial reports, etc. In addition, including skills such as proficiency or certifications in specific software is also helpful. For example, Microsoft Excel or QuickBooks knowledge/certifications. Also, including any experience with data analytics and using programs such as Power BI or Tableau would be very beneficial.

What soft skills should all accountants possess?

Dr. Jennifer Thayer

From speaking with employers in the industry, the number one soft skill seems to be written and spoken communication. Many current students need to hone their written communication skills to avoid “text speak” when communicating with potential employers and/or clients. Other important soft skills include problem-solving, collaboration, adaptability, and willingness to deal with failure and/or criticism. Especially in the world of COVID and ever-changing work environments, the importance of adaptability and problem-solving have only been highlighted. Since most work environments involve people working in teams, effectively collaborating with others and accepting criticism are vital skills.

What hard/technical skills are most important for accountants?

Dr. Jennifer Thayer

In addition to general accounting knowledge, critical thinking, data analytics, and advanced Microsoft Excel abilities are some of the most important skills. Clearly, having a solid foundation in general accounting knowledge is necessary to be a candidate for a job in the accounting field. However, possessing the ability to critically think and analyze data and use Microsoft Excel beyond the basics, such as pivot tables, will only improve a candidate’s chances.

What accountant skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Stephen Moehrle Ph.D.

Professor and Chairman of Accounting, University of Missouri - St. Louis

In the spirit of continuing education I would recommend the following: First and foremost, successfully complete the cpa exam. This is a huge difference-maker in the marketplace. If the young professional has already accomplished that, I would consider developing expertise consistent with their long-term career goals. Potential areas of expertise include data analytics, information systems controls and security, taxation, SEC reporting, or management accounting. There are certificate programs in each of these skills at universities across the country. The internet is also replete with free or relatively inexpensive materials for self-starters.

What type of skills will young accountants need?

Elizabeth Gordon

Chair and Professor, Temple University

Preparing accounting students for their future means focusing their education on developing their critical thinking, decision making, and judgment, and truly thinking like an accountant requires critical thinking skills to be able to make judgments, to create and to use the information to solve problems and make good decisions. After all, accounting is not about rote memorization or data processing - tasks that do not require a university education. A university accounting education should foster curious and adaptive problem solvers with strong analytical skills and technical knowledge of accounting.

Do you want to know more?

List of accountant skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for an accountant resume and required skills for an accountant to have include:

Reconciliations
General Ledger Accounts
Account Reconciliations
GAAP
Payroll Tax Returns
Customer Service
CPA
Financial Data
Balance Sheet Accounts
External Auditors
Accruals
Fixed Assets
Internal Controls
Financial Transactions
Income Statement
Credit Card
Real Estate

Financial Analysis
HR
QuickBooks
Bank Accounts
SOX
Close Process
Bank Statements
Purchase Orders
Balance Sheet Reconciliations
Variance Analysis
Account Analysis
Cash Flow
Ledgers
Financial Reports
Accounts Payables
ACH
Sales Tax Returns

Management Reports
Expense Reports
PeopleSoft
Reconcile General Ledger
Loss Statements
Financial Statement Preparation
General Ledger Entries
Bank Deposits
Accounts Receivables
Taxation
Trial Balance
Vendor Invoices
Payroll Processing
Wire Transfers
Tax Reports

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Accountant skills FAQs

Is finance harder than accounting?

What are accounting soft skills?

What are dividends in accounting?

What are prepaid expenses in accounting?

What is an accounting period?

What is fund accounting?

Have more questions? See all answers to common business and financial questions.

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Updated January 8, 2025

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