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Finance/accounting analyst 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 finance/accounting analyst skills. We ranked the top skills for finance/accounting analysts based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 8.8% of finance/accounting analyst resumes contained reconciliations as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a finance/accounting analyst needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 finance/accounting analyst skills for your resume and career

1. Reconciliations

Here's how finance/accounting analysts use reconciliations:

Performed reconciliations to GL system, Futurity operating accounts, compensation and check replacement ensuring profitability of new products.
Provided transitional finance department support in analysis and operations, including account reconciliations, and vendor dispute resolutions.

2. GAAP

Here's how finance/accounting analysts use gaap:

Implemented procedures to ensure that financial reports are accurate and are maintained in accordance with GAAP and Regulatory requirements.
Ensured the consistency, accuracy, and adherence to policies, regulations, and procedures of the GAAP.

3. 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 finance/accounting analysts use customer service:

Provided exceptional customer service while liaising between project managers, accounting team and other departments to achieve desirable results.
Led quality improvement initiative for 14,000 telemarketing and customer service professionals, dramatically reducing customer escalations 49%.

4. Internal Controls

Here's how finance/accounting analysts use internal controls:

Maintained effective and adequate internal controls to ensure proper financial accounting and security over assets.
Implemented effective internal controls to assure safeguarding of assets and reliability of financial statements.

5. Process Improvement

Here's how finance/accounting analysts use process improvement:

Participated in continuous improvement assignments where ideas were generated that resulted in cost-savings and process improvements for the company.
Investigated key risk areas, designed and implemented control activities and managed process improvement projects.

6. Financial Analysis

Here's how finance/accounting analysts use financial analysis:

Provided traditional department services including payroll, accounts payable, accounts receivable, account reconciliation, financial analysis and vendor services.
Performed highly complex financial/economic analysis and developed and coordinated criteria plans, methods and techniques for performing financial analysis projects.

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7. Account Reconciliations

Here's how finance/accounting analysts use account reconciliations:

Manage a staff who prepares general ledger account reconciliations for 6 Michigan Newspaper organizations (Detroit/Observer Eccentric/Livingston/Lansing/Port Huron/Battle Creek).
Reviewed account reconciliations completed by Finance associates and worked with Asset Management Group lines of business to resolve outstanding items.

8. Strong Analytical

Here's how finance/accounting analysts use strong analytical:

Prepared weekly cash management/short-term cash flow models, long-term financial forecasts and departmental budgets utilizing strong analytical and MS excel skills.
Identified and resolved problems by using strong analytical techniques, innovative approaches and taking initiative in preventing and solving problems.

9. Accruals

Here's how finance/accounting analysts use accruals:

Instituted standardized detailed schedules for amortization accounts and recorded their monthly accruals within the General Ledger.
Perform monthly reconciliation process for accruals and adjustments for three centralized billing locations.

10. Financial Reports

Here's how finance/accounting analysts use financial reports:

Prepared monthly financial reports and maintained discounted cash/asset flow models, analysis of business activity including fixed incomes.
Prepare and present financial reports for operating expenses and capital expenditures to upper management.

11. Treasury

Here's how finance/accounting analysts use treasury:

Analyzed financial and statistical data to create and automate Treasury Services Industry Dashboards.
Participate in development of new Treasury MIS reporting system for derivatives positions.

12. Financial Data

Here's how finance/accounting analysts use financial data:

Prepared and presented comprehensive financial data for self-insured and fully-insured Workers' Compensation, Property & Liability, and Benefit pools.
Collaborated with licensee partners and senior management to adjust financial data after researching complex compliance and performance issues.

13. SOX

Here's how finance/accounting analysts use sox:

Maintained SOX and third-party contractual compliance and reviewed reported data for accuracy and completeness.
Provided operational support for quarterly SOX and internal control testing.

14. 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 finance/accounting analysts use close process:

Provided technical guidance and analysis to corporate accounting staff to prepare income statement balance sheet and month end close process.
Managed accounting close process for more than ten years including preparation and consolidation of monthly profit and loss statements.

15. Shared Services

Here's how finance/accounting analysts use shared services:

Engaged in other special projects within ARS shared services.
Developed and implemented a comprehensive recovery model for IR Shared Services.

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What skills help Finance/Accounting Analysts find jobs?

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

What skills stand out on finance/accounting analyst 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 finance/accounting analysts 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 finance/accounting analysts?

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 finance/accounting analyst skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Kim Tan Ph.D.

Professor, Accounting, Chair, California State University - Stanislaus

Travel abroad. Study/work on some certification to learn new/related skills (MOOC). Volunteer work. Work to help support the family. Prepare for graduate school. Work at a lower-level job in an organization they are interested in.

What type of skills will young finance/accounting analysts need?

Dr. Reid Cummings

Associate Professor of Finance & Real Estate, University of South Alabama

As computing systems continue to advance and evolve, and as artificial intelligence becomes more prevalent in data analytics, the ability to work with a variety of data manipulation, analysis, and presentation platforms will become increasingly important. Equally, a focus on improving critical thinking and communication skills, and the abilities to present outcomes, analysis, and ideas in a succinct, cogent, and logical fashion, will largely differentiate those who will succeed at a high level from everyone else.

What technical skills for a finance/accounting analyst 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 finance/accounting analyst skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a finance/accounting analyst resume and required skills for a finance/accounting analyst to have include:

Reconciliations
GAAP
Customer Service
Internal Controls
Process Improvement
Financial Analysis
Account Reconciliations
Strong Analytical
Accruals
Financial Reports
Treasury
Financial Data
SOX
Close Process
Shared Services
External Auditors
Hyperion

Variance Analysis
Payroll
Pivot Tables
Income Statement
Strong Work Ethic
Calculation
Data Analysis
SQL
Securities
General Ledger Accounts
ERP
Financial Planning Analysis
Balance Sheet Accounts
Sarbanes-Oxley
HR
Cash Flow
Financial Systems

Financial Results
Related Analysis
Account Analysis
Fixed Assets
Financial Models
Cash Management
PeopleSoft
Develop Financial Models
Essbase
Financial Transactions
Financial Support
Management Reports
Tax Returns
Taxation
Financial Performance

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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