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Senior accountant analyst skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. Richard Hale,

Thomas King

Senior accountant analyst example skills

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical senior accountant analyst skills. We ranked the top skills for senior accountant analysts based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 11.2% of senior accountant analyst resumes contained reconciliations as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a senior accountant analyst needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 senior accountant analyst skills for your resume and career

1. Reconciliations

Here's how senior accountant analysts use reconciliations:

Completed monthly fixed asset accounting, customer profitability analysis and general ledger reconciliations with a focus on streamlining and automating tasks.
Assisted Controller in timely management of accounting functions by completing reconciliations, closing books and performing corporate oversight and analysis.

2. External Auditors

Here's how senior accountant analysts use external auditors:

Developed and managed external financial relationships with external auditors, banks and other parties
Coordinated the provision of information to external auditors for annual financial statement audit.

3. Account Reconciliations

Here's how senior accountant analysts use account reconciliations:

Managed monthly journal activities and balance sheet account reconciliations, preparing financial statements and presenting quarterly consolidated package to parent company.
Take on special projects as needed including automation of vendor payments, automation of account reconciliations, and financial reporting improvements.

4. 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 senior accountant analysts use general ledger accounts:

Designed reconciliation spreadsheets for general ledger accounts, shortening the reconciliation and review process by several days.
Supported Bank Accounting Department personnel in identifying and resolving discrepancies related to inter-company general ledger accounts.

5. GAAP

Here's how senior accountant analysts use gaap:

Researched and made technical recommendations regarding GAAP accounting issues.
Prepare monthly financial statement package and analysis for Mexico operations, according to US GAAP on a full deferral accounting basis.

6. Financial Analysis

Here's how senior accountant analysts use financial analysis:

Performed financial analysis, prepared internal management reports using various graphs and discussed company s performance in senior management meetings.
Assisted Controller in directing the financial affairs and preparing financial analysis of operations, for the guidance of executive management.

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7. Balance Sheet Accounts

Here's how senior accountant analysts use balance sheet accounts:

Analyzed and reconciled balance sheet accounts ensuring the general ledger accuracy.
Compiled Work Papers and prepared quarterly Balance Sheet accounts analysis.

8. 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 senior accountant analysts use payroll:

Trained various accounting personnel on payroll processing for parent and subsidiary company.
Prepared salesmen commissions, management payroll and administered corporate health benefits.

9. Internal Controls

Here's how senior accountant analysts use internal controls:

Updated the internal controls and suggested improvements as they related to implementing Sarbanes-Oxley.
Helped develop procedures and internal controls to avoid unplanned liabilities and expenses.

10. Financial Data

Here's how senior accountant analysts use financial data:

Assisted team leaders in completing balance sheet reviews with business segments through timely consolidation and analysis of financial data.
Analyzed program/financial data for trends and anomalies and identified their significance to agency or program.

11. Strong Analytical

Here's how senior accountant analysts use strong analytical:

Established strong analytical and technical accounting skills through financial statement analysis.
Demonstrate strong analytical abilities and computer skills.

12. Accruals

Here's how senior accountant analysts use accruals:

Prepared correcting entries and/or accruals required based on investigation results and presented recommendations to upper management for approval.
Recommended and prepared monthly accruals and provided feedback to management for monthly budgeting.

13. SOX

Here's how senior accountant analysts use sox:

Submit quarterly reports to Tenet corporate departments for hospital lease obligations and estimated Physician liability as required by SOX mandates.
Supported all functional areas: revenue recognition, international consolidation, financial trend report preparations and SOX testing.

14. Fixed Assets

Here's how senior accountant analysts use fixed assets:

Extract information for corporate reporting and organize documentation for external and internal audits pertaining to fixed assets.
Tracked construction in progress, capitalized, and maintained fixed assets and performed annual physical inventory.

15. Variance Analysis

Here's how senior accountant analysts use variance analysis:

Conducted brand/category segment variance analysis explanations between budget/forecast/actual.
Prepared distribution reports, developed budgets, and performed variance analysis in accordance with business plan for a global manufacturing company.

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What skills help Senior Accountant Analysts find jobs?

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

What skills stand out on senior accountant 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 senior accountant 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 senior accountant 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 senior accountant analyst skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Stephen Moehrle Ph.D.

Professor and Chairman of Accounting, University of Missouri - St. Louis

In the spirit of continuing education I would recommend the following: First and foremost, successfully complete the cpa exam. This is a huge difference-maker in the marketplace. If the young professional has already accomplished that, I would consider developing expertise consistent with their long-term career goals. Potential areas of expertise include data analytics, information systems controls and security, taxation, SEC reporting, or management accounting. There are certificate programs in each of these skills at universities across the country. The internet is also replete with free or relatively inexpensive materials for self-starters.

What type of skills will young senior accountant 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 senior accountant 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 senior accountant analyst skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a senior accountant analyst resume and required skills for a senior accountant analyst to have include:

Reconciliations
External Auditors
Account Reconciliations
General Ledger Accounts
GAAP
Financial Analysis
Balance Sheet Accounts
Payroll
Internal Controls
Financial Data
Strong Analytical
Accruals
SOX
Fixed Assets
Variance Analysis
ERP
Income Statement

Treasury
Financial Performance
Process Improvement
Real Estate
Cash Flow
Close Process
Pivot Tables
Financial Results
Account Analysis
Balance Sheet Reconciliations
A/P
Tax Returns
Sarbanes-Oxley
Revenue Recognition
Intercompany Transactions
Bank Reconciliations
Internal Audit

Financial Transactions
Taxation
Management Reports
PeopleSoft
Bank Accounts
ACH
Reconcile General Ledger
Bank Statements
IFRS
Customer Accounts
Financial Statement Preparation
Expense Reports
QuickBooks
HR
Audit Schedules

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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