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Assistant controller skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. Richard Hale,

Thomas King

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical assistant controller skills. We ranked the top skills for assistant controllers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 9.0% of assistant controller resumes contained reconciliations as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills an assistant controller needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 assistant controller skills for your resume and career

1. Reconciliations

Here's how assistant controllers use reconciliations:

Maintained timely and accurate general ledger account reconciliations, oversaw treasury management, and handled fixed asset tracking and reporting.
Participated in month-end closing activities including monthly journal entries and balance sheet reconciliations resulting in on-time and accurate financial reports.

2. CPA

Here's how assistant controllers use cpa:

Collaborated extensively with CPA during year-end audit processes.
Collaborated extensively with CPA to provide in-depth reporting.

3. GAAP

Here's how assistant controllers use gaap:

Directed balance sheet and inter-company reconciliations according to GAAP and ensured compliance across accounting, payroll, and inventory management systems.
Improved process that resulted in reduced overhead while maintaining productivity * Prepared monthly-consolidated financial statement reporting packages in compliance with GAAP.

4. Internal Controls

Here's how assistant controllers use internal controls:

Formulated new/improved accounting procedures/internal controls.
Directed implementation of financial application enhancements to strengthen internal controls, eliminate manual processing, and reduce closing cycle time requirements.

5. Payroll Processing

Here's how assistant controllers use payroll processing:

Slashed payroll processing time by 40% by automating commission calculations and eliminating complex and problematic compensation policies.
Managed human resources: timekeeping, attendance reporting to President and Controller - coordinated payroll processing.

6. External Auditors

Here's how assistant controllers use external auditors:

Collaborated extensively with internal/external auditors.
Supervised annual physical inventory and reconciliation and ensured proper inventory procedures were followed and external auditors had access to verify records.

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7. 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 assistant controllers use general ledger accounts:

Performed extensive analysis and daily accounting of all general ledger accounts, including preparation and review of financial statements.
Reconciled balance sheet and general ledger accounts for all hotel assets and liabilities in a decentralized accounting environment.

8. Fixed Assets

Here's how assistant controllers use fixed assets:

Maintained schedules for freight, fixed assets/depreciation, accrued/prepaid expense, analyzing budget/actual variances and maintaining international foreign currencies.
Maintained Fixed Assets Schedule and monitored acquisition, disposal, accumulated depreciation and monthly depreciation expense.

9. Financial Data

Here's how assistant controllers use financial data:

Prepared the Financial Statements, performed analysis through investigation of financial data and appropriate commentary of explanations for submissions to management.
Established mapping of financial data to assure continuity/consistency of information across 3 different general ledger systems and related financial reporting systems.

10. Balance Sheet Accounts

Here's how assistant controllers use balance sheet accounts:

Managed and prepared month-end close including journal entry preparation and maintaining general ledger balance sheet accounts, and all associated reporting.
Audit balance sheet accounts and prepare supporting spreadsheets to assist Controller and outside auditors in internal and external statement preparation.

11. Account Reconciliations

Here's how assistant controllers use account reconciliations:

Performed monthly accounting close and prepared account reconciliations, consolidating financial statements and various analyses for senior management's review.
Ensured completeness of general ledger entries into PeopleSoft, account reconciliations, revenue recognition and some financial statement preparation.

12. Close Process

A close process is the necessary closing steps required to prepare the accounts for recording the transactions of the next period. Its purpose is to reset or close the temporary account balances on the general ledger, and the accounting system for a company's financial data including income statement and accounts payable.

Here's how assistant controllers use close process:

Enhanced the accounting function by dramatically improving documentation, reconciliations, and streamlined, enhanced and shortened monthly close processes.
Managed the monthly close process for the compilation of financial statements for timely reporting to corporate consistently within reporting deadlines.

13. Financial Analysis

Here's how assistant controllers use financial analysis:

Revamped monthly reporting packages including financial statements, analysis and commentary for management, and corporate and branch financial analysis books.
Participated in executive strategic business planning, presenting financial analysis that communicated insight into company performance and expedited proactive issue resolution.

14. Strong Analytical

Here's how assistant controllers use strong analytical:

Prepared financial statements *Consistently met deadlines while demonstrating strong analytical and problem-solving skills to achieve corporate objectives.
Develop audit programs, resolve critical audit issues by exercising strong analytical skills and professional judgment.

15. ERP

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is computer software used by major corporations and organizations for conducting their management and accounting tasks efficiently. ERP systems bind different business processes with each other allowing smoother flow of data between them resulting in swift project assessment and completion.

Here's how assistant controllers use erp:

General Ledger team lead during the Lawson ERP implementation, which successfully met its six-month implementation window eliminating potential cost over-runs.
Facilitated the implementation of ERP system, which increased productivity in efficiently and effectively manage the functionality of the organization.

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What skills help Assistant Controllers find jobs?

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

What skills stand out on assistant controller resumes?

Dr. Richard Hale

Associate Professor of Accounting, Berea College

When we meet with practitioners, the most commonly requested skills are:
-The ability to think critically about situations
-Good communications skills in writing
-The ability to speak in public and present ideas
-Working well with others
-The ability to work independently

Notice that these skills are not dependent upon any particular technology or discipline.
An advantage we have at Berea College, a liberal arts college, is that we incorporate these foundational skills into all we do.
Indeed, we also have our students master working with spreadsheets, develop skills in data analytics, and study all aspects of the business from Management, Economics, Finance, and Marketing.
As accounting is the business language, our students have more excellent business knowledge than other studies.

A key distinction for Berea College students is that all students must work for the college while they attend.
These jobs may vary from raising livestock to working in Accounts Payable. But all Berea graduates have years of practical work experience.
A core component of a Berea College education is to value the labor experience. We believe they enter the post-collegiate workforce with a significant advantage over their peers.

What soft skills should all assistant controllers 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 assistant controllers?

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 assistant controller skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Dr. John McGowan

Professor of Accounting, Saint Louis University

A gap year shouldn't just be a break from everything where a student sits around doing nothing. That won't set them up for future success. Instead there should be a purpose.

After high school, students sometimes get involved with service programs like Job Corps or Teach for America.

In light of the tough job market now, one idea is to try and reach out, connect, and collaborate with professionals in great companies. This can be done with LinkedIn. I like the advice given by Jim Collins in his book, Good to Great, find a company that has achieved greatness and figure out a way to get onto that ship.

What type of skills will young assistant controllers need?

Delvin Grant

Associate Professor, DePaul University

The ability to problem solve, which requires an understanding of the problem and a structured approach towards the solution. The ability to apply concepts learned in one discipline to another. Quite often, students are unable to see how a concept translates from one domain to another, and this stifles innovation.

What technical skills for an assistant controller 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 assistant controller skills to add to your resume

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

Reconciliations
CPA
GAAP
Internal Controls
Payroll Processing
External Auditors
General Ledger Accounts
Fixed Assets
Financial Data
Balance Sheet Accounts
Account Reconciliations
Close Process
Financial Analysis
Strong Analytical
ERP
SOX
Cash Management

Accruals
Tax Returns
Cash Flow
Bank Reconciliations
Balance Sheet Reconciliations
Sarbanes-Oxley
Variance Analysis
Treasury
Sales Tax
Revenue Recognition
Human Resources
Internal Audit
Due Diligence
Accounts Payables
Financial Reports
Taxation
Direct Reports

Enterprise Resource Planning
Financial Results
Bank Accounts
Management Reports
Account Analysis
QuickBooks
Tax Filings
Financial Statement Preparation
Budget Preparation
Develop Improvements
Bank Statements
ADP
Financial Operations
Executive Management
Inventory Control
Financial Statements

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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