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Administrative & finance manager skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Carol Sullivan,

Thomas King

Administrative & finance manager example skills

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical administrative & finance manager skills. We ranked the top skills for administrative & finance managers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 10.0% of administrative & finance manager resumes contained payroll processing as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills an administrative & finance manager needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 administrative & finance manager skills for your resume and career

1. Payroll Processing

Here's how administrative & finance managers use payroll processing:

Managed employee benefits, payroll processing and general office administration.
Managed company Human Resource activities including payroll processing.

2. Human Resources

Human resources is a set of people in a business or a corporation that are designated to locate, interview, and recruit new employees into the company. They are also responsible to maintain the integrity of the employees and help them sort their problems out. They try to introduce and manage employee-benefit programs.

Here's how administrative & finance managers use human resources:

Conducted human resources and program planning activities as administrator and established financial management activities as the finance manager.
Manage and coordinate all administrative responsibilities, including human resources, computer services and office administration.

3. Oversight

Having oversight of someone means to monitor a process or a situation. If someone has oversight of something, they are responsible for the completion of the project. Oversight is usually given to experts as they monitor their juniors or newbies as they go through a project.

Here's how administrative & finance managers use oversight:

Deliver oversight and day-to-day project management related to the implementation of new capital project management software for the Project Delivery Group.
Managed WUF Training classes for the World Savings Corporate Finance organization including oversight of trainers/senior managers and training materials.

4. Administrative Procedures

Here's how administrative & finance managers use administrative procedures:

Handled all the legal and licensing requirements and created operating policies and functional administrative procedures.
Incorporated newly developed objectives into administrative procedures in compliance with affirmative action goals.

5. Financial Management

Here's how administrative & finance managers use financial management:

Managed the agency budget formulations, execution, performance assessments, financial analysis, revenue accounting and internal financial management controls.
Performed full-cycle accounting in the daily financial management of two organizations: an association and a non-profit entity.

6. Financial Analysis

Here's how administrative & finance managers use financial analysis:

Provided monthly financial analysis and performed journal entries for the Customer Service Controller.
Performed business planning, budgeting and financial analysis functions for the subsidiary.

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7. External Auditors

Here's how administrative & finance managers use external auditors:

Served as external auditors' primary contact in audit of Tribune-contributed assets in preparation for Initial Public Offering.
Coordinated and managed audit process and fieldwork with external auditors.

8. General Ledger

Here's how administrative & finance managers use general ledger:

Oversee the general ledger functions in order to provide extensive quality control throughout to ensure accuracy and integrity in financial information.
Worked closely with controllers in financial closings while booking journal entries and reconciling General Ledger accounts to ensure accuracy.

9. Cash Flow

Here's how administrative & finance managers use cash flow:

Created and maintained daily cash flow forecast to more accurately predict funding requirements.
Performed and maintained yearly budget to accurately manage cash flow and productivity.

10. Internal Controls

Here's how administrative & finance managers use internal controls:

Improved internal controls and procedures for compliance with federal regulations and coordinated all audit activity.
Implemented Standard Operating Procedures; monitored departmental internal controls.

11. Administrative Functions

Administrative Functions all revolve around planning and managing business operations. Administrators engage in the planning and execution of different business objectives, implementing workplace policies, and organizing resources efficiently. Every action that is a step towards the business's goals is covered by Administrative Functions.

Here's how administrative & finance managers use administrative functions:

Established and developed all financial, accounting and administrative functions upon implementation of Nielsen's Consumer Panel joint venture.
Build all financial and administrative functions with core business operations for this international consumer goods company.

12. GAAP

Here's how administrative & finance managers use gaap:

Provided technical assistance to the accounting staff located in diverse countries to ensure timely and accurate financial information according to GAAP.
Reviewed and analyzed quarterly, semi-annual and annual financial statements to ensure they are accurate and in compliance with GAAP.

13. Financial Data

Here's how administrative & finance managers use financial data:

Compiled Company's financial data and required documentation for yearly evaluations required by lending partners.
Provide financial recommendations to the Principal Investigators and faculty based on analysis of financial data.

14. Journal Entries

Journal entries can be defined as an act of keeping or making records of any transactions either economic or non-economic. The journal entries are made in the accounting systems of an organization. The entries are filled with two main fields; debit and credit. The debit and credit must be equal at the end of a journal entry else it is not considered correct. The journal entries also keep the date of transactions and the names of the accounts that were affected by the transactions.

Here's how administrative & finance managers use journal entries:

Prepared financial statements including journal entries, reconciliations, analysis and audit preparation.
Reviewed adjusting journal entries on a monthly basis and prepared periodic financial statements.

15. Logistics

Logistics is a complete organization and implementation of a problem. Logistics are often considered in a complex business operation, as some works need detailed plannings. Logistics are also used in military action.

Here's how administrative & finance managers use logistics:

Manage logistics of bimonthly Board of Director's meetings, provide administrative support to Executive Director and administer appointment calendar.
Marketed Logistics and Technical Publication services to other Government and commercial customers and directed proposal preparation and bidding activities.

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What skills help Administrative & Finance Managers find jobs?

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

What skills stand out on administrative & finance manager resumes?

Carol Sullivan

Associate Professor, The University of Texas Permian Basin

Microsoft Office is most important in my professional opinion, but also Accounting software like QuickBooks is important. Computer literacy is really important, especially if employees continue to work remotely.

What soft skills should all administrative & finance managers possess?

Thomas King

Department Chair, Director, Master of Accountancy Program, Professor, Accountancy, Case Western Reserve University

The ability to develop working relationships with a wide range of colleagues who have diverse skills.

What hard/technical skills are most important for administrative & finance managers?

Thomas King

Department Chair, Director, Master of Accountancy Program, Professor, Accountancy, Case Western Reserve University

The ability to extract information from unfamiliar data sets and then explain conclusions reached in a clear, persuasive manner.

What administrative & finance manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Janet Tarase

Lead Accounting Faculty / Accounting Department Chair, Red Rocks Community College

Students that need to take a gap year have several opportunities to make that year count. They should consider doing one or more of the following three things:

Work on honing your soft skills, which include: critical thinking/problem solving, oral/written communication, teamwork/collaboration, technology/digital literacy, leadership, professionalism, time management, organizational, and confidence. These talents are desired by employers and also will help you succeed in your educational aspirations
Take free classes offered online through organizations like edX at EDX. Even Harvard is offering free classes, check out:
Onlinelearning
Also expand your global views or overcome those challenges you may be facing by checking out Ted Talks at Ted
Look for a job (full or part-time) or internship in your chosen career field. Even entry-level positions can allow you to see how this job fits into the larger picture or you could ask to shadow someone for a day. Since I am in the accounting field, I suggest contacting Accountemps; their website is: RobertHalf Occasionally, you can also receive job and skill enhancement training through Accountemps.

What type of skills will young administrative & finance managers need?

Dr. Lilac Nachum Ph.D.

Professor, International Business, Baruch College, City University New York

In light of the changes described in #1, the most apparent skills would be those related to digital employment. These will relate to both new opportunities, created digitally, as well as the transformation of brick and mortar jobs online. The former requires skills such as online management of supply chains, digital marketing, online sale, and the likes. These new jobs might require in addition to digital skills also heavy doses of creativity and entrepreneurship as new products and industries are being created and developed. In relation to the latter, the jobs themselves might be well established and familiar for some graduates but their delivery would be transformed in significant ways and require advanced digital skills related to the implementation of these activities.

What technical skills for an administrative & finance manager stand out to employers?

Dr. JP Krahel Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Accounting, Accounting Department Chair, Loyola University Maryland

First, Excel. It's the most basic, essential tool for the accounting professional. If you can come in on Day 1 knowing essential keyboard shortcuts, proper formula and reference use, and how to format a spreadsheet properly, you'll have an immediate advantage over your peers.

Second, believe it or not, is writing. People think that accounting is all about numbers, but really, it's less about the math (which Excel does for you) and more about being able to explain the deeper meaning behind the results. Can you explain complex depreciation methods to an audit client? Give bad news to a tax client in an understandable way? These are big deals.

Third is data analytics. Given the immense volume of data now available to firms, someone who can extract, clean, and present that data using modern software tools will have an edge. It's really another form of communication, and one that early-career accounting professionals would do well to familiarize themselves with before entering the workforce.

Do you want to know more?

List of administrative & finance manager skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for an administrative & finance manager resume and required skills for an administrative & finance manager to have include:

Payroll Processing
Human Resources
Oversight
Administrative Procedures
Financial Management
Financial Analysis
External Auditors
General Ledger
Cash Flow
Internal Controls
Administrative Functions
GAAP
Financial Data
Journal Entries
Logistics
Grants Management

Office Management
Balance Sheet
CPA
Financial Operations
Accounts Receivables
Financial Policies
Bank Reconciliations
Financial Transactions
ERP
Fixed Assets
Variance Analysis
Budget Preparation
QuickBooks
Direct Reports
Bank Accounts
Accounts Payables

Administrative Operations
Travel Arrangements
Expense Reports
Tax Returns
Financial Systems
SOX
Management Reports
Inventory Control
ADP
Financial Aspects
PeopleSoft
Office Equipment
Financial Resources
Financial Statements
Administrative Tasks
USAID

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

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