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Finance controller skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Carol Sullivan,

Thomas King

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical finance controller skills. We ranked the top skills for finance controllers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 6.9% of finance controller resumes contained cpa as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a finance controller needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 finance controller skills for your resume and career

1. CPA

Here's how finance controllers use cpa:

Facilitated annual year end close with external CPA firm; which included a mix of Review, Compilation and Tax Reporting.
Supported external audit requirements from the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) and Certified Public Accounting (CPA) firms.

2. Payroll

Payroll is the sum of all the compensation that an organization has to pay to employees at a specified time. Payroll is managed by the finance or HR department while small business owners may handle it themselves. Payroll isn't fixed as it varies every month due to sick leaves, overtime, etc.

Here's how finance controllers use payroll:

Streamlined payroll processing by migrating to Heartland Payroll Systems that supports all Landmark Hospitality companies within the organization.
Coordinated accounting activities, including day-to-day processes, bank reconciliation, and payroll management.

3. Financial Controller

Here's how finance controllers use financial controller:

Project financial controller focused on quality and accuracy of financial project review data in respect with economic targets.
Mentored and trained the Assistant Controller to ensure a seamless transition to Financial Controller position following promotion.

4. GAAP

Here's how finance controllers use gaap:

Prepared monthly GAAP financial statements used for management decision making, including consolidated statements of income for all five locations.
Performed scheduled accounting and financial processes, including monthly reconciliations and General Ledger, following GAAP best practice recommendations.

5. General Ledger

Here's how finance controllers use general ledger:

Managed all accounting functions including: General ledger accounts reconciliation, Monthly Balance sheet account reconciliation, and Fixed Asset reconciliation.
Provided support to accounting team for monthly close including recording general ledger activities, accounts reconciliations, and financial statement disclosures.

6. Internal Controls

Here's how finance controllers use internal controls:

Traveled to operations to ensure that policies and procedures were consistent to ensure compliance with all internal controls and regulatory requirements.
Lead and coordinate financial activities to ensure effective protection of the company assets value through established internal controls and accounting procedures.

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7. Reconciliations

Here's how finance controllers use reconciliations:

Prepared all accounts for the month-end closing process and additionally gathered information for daily/monthly reconciliations and journal entries.
Ensured accounts under Americas' responsibility were properly translated and account reconciliations done timely and accurately.

8. External Auditors

Here's how finance controllers use external auditors:

Coordinated quarterly and yearly audits with internal and external auditors, reporting directly to Chief Financial Officer.
Liaised with external auditors and bankers/financial institutions on short term funding requirements and interest rate negotiations.

9. 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 controllers use close process:

Conducted quarterly-ended close process including preparation of quarterly financial statements and comparisons to budget and forecast gathered in quarterly board decks.
Coordinated financial monthly close process, translating SAP financial information into Hyperion format.

10. Financial Analysis

Here's how finance controllers use financial analysis:

Prepared economic justifications and financial analysis for $42 million in approved capital projects and plant expansions in last position.
Directed all accounting, budgeting, cash management, short-term investing, consolidated financial reporting, and financial analysis activities.

11. Strong Analytical

Here's how finance controllers use strong analytical:

Provide a strong analytical approach supported by key metrics.

12. Financial Data

Here's how finance controllers use financial data:

Assisted and counseled hotel department heads in the interpretation of financial data and recommended courses of action to maximize profitability.
Analyzed financial data and proposed cost saving measures to management team including refinancing debt, purchasing properties and vendor negotiations.

13. 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 finance controllers use journal entries:

Prepare monthly financial statements and reconciliation's, reviewing accuracy of journal entries and accounting classifications.
Approved credits/write-offs from third party/distributors and monthly and year-end journal entries.

14. Cash Flow

Here's how finance controllers use cash flow:

Established an unwavering focus among executive leaders on cash flow, asset velocity, and capacity utilization to maximize shareholder value.
Review all banking activity and generate availability report to manage cash flow and facilitate efficient use of net working capital.

15. Balance Sheet Accounts

Here's how finance controllers use balance sheet accounts:

Performed monthly account analysis for corporate balance sheet accounts.
Reconcile balance sheet accounts on a monthly basis, including cash, fixed asset, and deposits accounts.

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What skills help Finance Controllers find jobs?

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

What skills stand out on finance controller 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 finance 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 finance 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 finance controller 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 controllers 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 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 finance controller skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a finance controller resume and required skills for a finance controller to have include:

CPA
Payroll
Financial Controller
GAAP
General Ledger
Internal Controls
Reconciliations
External Auditors
Close Process
Financial Analysis
Strong Analytical
Financial Data
Journal Entries
Cash Flow
Balance Sheet Accounts
Treasury

SOX
Financial Forecasts
Cash Management
ERP
Variance Analysis
Financial Performance
Fixed Assets
Financial Management
Securities
Accruals
A/P
Human Resources
QuickBooks
IFRS
R
Internal Audit

Account Reconciliations
Revenue Recognition
Financial Results
Process Improvement
Financial Operations
Hyperion
Management Reports
Tax Returns
Tax Filings
Financial Policies
Financial Transactions
Due Diligence
Direct Reports
Sarbanes-Oxley

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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