Finance Leader resume examples for 2025

Finance Leader resume format and sections

1. 1

   1. Add contact information to your finance leader resume

   Your name should be the biggest text on the page and be at or near the top of the document. Your address doesn't need to include your street name or house number - listing your city and state works just fine. Your email address should be professional, but not your current work email address. It's not a good look to use your work email for personal projects (job-searching). Your social media can be included if you have a fully-fledged LinkedIn page or another social media page that showcases your relevant skill set.

   Finance Leader Resume Contact Information Example #1

   Jane Moore

   Montgomery, AL 36043| 333-111-2222 | jane.moore@email.com

   Do you want to know more?

   How To Write The Perfect Resume Header
2. 2

   2. Add relevant education to your finance leader resume

   Your resume's education section should include:

   • The name of your school
   • The date you graduated (Month, Year or Year are both appropriate)
   • The name of your degree

   If you graduated more than 15 years ago, you should consider dropping your graduation date to avoid age discrimination.

   Optional subsections for your education section include:

   • Academic awards (Dean's List, Latin honors, etc. )
   • GPA (if you're a recent graduate and your GPA was 3.5+)
   • Extra certifications
   • Academic projects (thesis, dissertation, etc. )

   Other tips to consider when writing your education section include:

   • If you're a recent graduate, you might opt to place your education section above your experience section
   • The more work experience you get, the shorter your education section should be
   • List your education in reverse chronological order, with your most recent and high-ranking degrees first
   • If you haven't graduated yet, you can include "Expected graduation date" to the entry for that school

   Check More About Finance Leader Education

   Majors

   Accounting

   28.3%

   Business

   26.4%

   Finance

   19.5%

   Economics

   4.2%

   Show More

   Finance Leader Resume Relevant Education Example #1

   Bachelor's Degree In Finance 2004 - 2007

   Pace University New York, NY

   Finance Leader Resume Relevant Education Example #2

   Bachelor's Degree In Business 1999 - 2002

   Indiana Wesleyan University Marion, IN

3. 3

   3. Next, create a finance leader skills section on your resume

   Your resume's skills section should include the most important keywords from the job description, as long as you actually have those skills. If you haven't started your job search yet, you can look over resumes to get an idea of what skills are the most important.

   Here are some tips to keep in mind when writing your resume's skills section:

   • Include 6-12 skills, in bullet point form
   • List mostly hard skills; soft skills are hard to test
   • Emphasize the skills that are most important for the job

   Hard skills are generally more important to hiring managers because they relate to on-the-job knowledge and specific experience with a certain technology or process.

   Soft skills are also valuable, as they're highly transferable and make you a great person to work alongside, but they're impossible to prove on a resume.

   Example of skills to include on an finance leader resume

   • Business Development Skills.
      

     Business development is the ideas or initiatives that work to make business work better. Selling, advertising, product development, supply chain management, and vendor management are only a few of the divisions involved with it. There is still a lot of networking, negotiating, forming alliances, and trying to save money. The goals set for business development guide and coordinate with all of these various operations and sectors.

   • HR Skills.
      

     HR stands for human resources and is used to describe the set of people who work for a company or an organization. HR responsibilities revolve around updating employee records and carrying out management processes like planning, recruitment, evaluation, and selection processes. HR is a key contributor to any company or organization's growth as they are in charge of hiring the right employees, processing payrolls, conducting disciplinary actions, etc.

   • ERP Skills.
      

     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.

   • Business Process Skills.
      

     A business process is a group of tasks that are performed by people working in a business to attain a worthy product and to present it to their customers. A business process can also be defined as performing several steps to achieve a certain goal set by a company. Business processes need to set purposeful goals and the outcome of that goal should be clear.

   Top Skills for a Finance Leader

   Financial Analysis, 7.9%
   Financial Management, 5.4%
   Business Development, 5.1%
   Financial Performance, 4.3%
   Other Skills, 77.3%
   See All Finance Leader Skills

   Not sure which skills are really important?

   3 Big Tips For Listing Skills On Your Resume
4. 4

   4. List your finance leader experience

   The most important part of any resume for a finance leader is the experience section. Recruiters and hiring managers expect to see your experience listed in reverse chronological order, meaning that you should begin with your most recent experience and then work backwards.

   Don't just list your job duties below each job entry. Instead, make sure most of your bullet points discuss impressive achievements from your past positions. Whenever you can, use numbers to contextualize your accomplishments for the hiring manager reading your resume.

   It's okay if you can't include exact percentages or dollar figures. There's a big difference even between saying "Managed a team of finance leaders" and "Managed a team of 6 finance leaders over a 9-month project. "

   Most importantly, make sure that the experience you include is relevant to the job you're applying for. Use the job description to ensure that each bullet point on your resume is appropriate and helpful.

   What experience really stands out on Finance Leader resumes?

   Kim Tan Ph.D.

   Professor, Accounting, Chair, California State University - Stanislaus

   Membership in student clubs. Leadership position in a student organization. Recipient of scholarship. Some work experience or internship.

   Don't have any experience?

   How To Show Your Experience On a Resume... Even When You Don't Have Any

   Work History Example # 1

   Relationship Banker

   Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance ...

   • Passed initial attempts Series 6 and Series 63 FINRA securities licensure exams.
   • Initiated telephonic contact and maintained communication with clients to determine needs and develop clientele base.
   • Maintained compliance with FINRA and California Department of Insurance.
   • Increased value of territory and grew portfolio with over 100 new and existing businesses through cold calling and COIs.
   • Promoted to FSR within 4 months of employment.

   Work History Example # 2

   Finance Leader

   Microsoft

   • Implemented solutions to address data quality arising from Subscription Services vs. Perpetual License.
   • Delivered Consumer & Online business performance tracking, partner engagement and planning processes
   • Provided services to over 70,000 employees across 23 countries through payroll, and over 20 business groups within Accounting Services.
   • Created PowerPoint training presentations to elevate fiscal & business acumen across organization.
   • Managed SharePoint Team site support.

   Work History Example # 3

   Accounts Payable Assistant

   Robert Half International

   • Conducted weekly check runs, prepared open invoices reports, and entered cash sales receipts into QuickBooks Pro 2009..
   • Reconciled Accounts payable transactions through QuickBooks and organization-specific information systems for non-profit clients with multiple divisions throughout various jurisdictions.
   • Corrected and processed daily punch details and bi-weekly payroll for a staff of approximately 1000 associates, both hourly and salaried.
   • Ensured all inventory was correctly posted into AS400 system.
   • Researched, analyzed, and submitted all overpaid invoices for customer Volkswagen America regarding the BASF audit.

   Work History Example # 4

   Finance Leader

   Unisys

   • Encouraged others to consider innovative alternatives and contributed to the business strategy.
   • Assisted in the development and implementation of financial-accounting policies and procedures, with emphasis on SOX compliance.
   • Supervised professional and clerical staff which would include A/P; A/R functions, as well as Staff and Senior Accountants.
   • Worked on project team which evaluated using SAP versus Oracle for world-wide enterprise resource planning.
   • Audited processes to maintain compliance with corporate financial policy and GAAP requirements.

   Show More
5. 5

   5. Highlight finance leader certifications on your resume

   Specific finance leader certifications can be a powerful tool to show employers you've developed the appropriate skills.

   If you have any of these certifications, make sure to put them on your finance leader resume:

   1. Certified Management Accountant (CMA)
   2. Six Sigma Green Belt
   3. Chartered Certified Accountant (ACCA)
   4. Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA)
   5. Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)
   6. Project Management Professional (PMP)

   More Certifications For Finance Leader
6. 6

   6. Finally, add an finance leader resume summary or objective statement

   A resume summary statement consists of 1-3 sentences at the top of your finance leader resume that quickly summarizes who you are and what you have to offer. The summary statement should include your job title, years of experience (if it's 3+), and an impressive accomplishment, if you have space for it.

   Remember to emphasize skills and experiences that feature in the job description.

   Are you a recent grad?

   Read our guide on how to write a resume summary statement