Staff accountant cover letter

Staff Accountant Cover Letter (With Examples)

Staff accountants play an important role in handling the day-to-day tasks of financial matters such as cost, expenditure, and productivity.

They may assist with audits, assist in preparing financial statements, maintain general ledgers, and more. They usually work with certified public accountants (CPAs) or other accounting professionals, and they are vital members of a well-functioning accounting team.

Staff accountants must have the ability to manage high-level financial responsibilities while simultaneously following and analyzing internal processes. The job can get difficult, but it can also be highly rewarding and even lucrative.

Employers look for staff accountants who have all the basic requirements of the job fulfilled, including having at least a bachelor’s degree in accounting or a related field as well as relevant experience.

However, the ways in which you explain and utilize this experience and training in your job search process make all the difference. Those who know the secrets of presenting their best selves to employers will always have the edge.

Cover letters are the perfect opportunity to show off how good you are at presenting yourself and applying your experience. In writing a cover letter, you get an opportunity to explain upfront how exactly you fit into this specific role.

In this article, we’ll talk about the steps to writing a perfect cover letter for a staff accountant position. We’ll run you through the parts you need to include, skills to emphasize for staff accountants, and some helpful examples to aid you in your writing process.

Parts of a Staff Accountant Cover Letter

Every cover letter, regardless of the position, will need to utilize this same standard format and include all of the following parts:

• Salutation/greeting. After your header format, which should include your name and contact information, your salutation will be the first words written on the page. In almost all cases this will look like “Dear,” followed by an honorific such as Ms., Mr., or Mx. and the receiver’s last name.

  If you are on friendly terms with the receiver or if you are applying to a less formal workplace, you may choose to address the receiver by their first name.

• Opening. When it comes to the actual content of your letter, always begin with a statement on why you are writing. Your opening should clarify which position you are applying for, as well as how you found out about it.

  Speak to your qualifications for the position in a general way and emphasize why you would like to work in this specific position at this specific company.

• Body. Your body paragraph(s) should do most of the heavy lifting of explaining your fit for the position. Tailor your experience towards the duties described in the job posting, and focus on how you can serve the organization.

• Closing. Your closing paragraph will end the letter in a strategic way to both wrap up the content and reinforce your interest in the position. Give a statement of gratitude to the reader, include information about any additional documents, and end with a “call to action”.

• Complimentary close. At the very end of your letter, following the guidelines of proper professional letter writing, include a closing phrase followed by your name and/or digital signature. Something like “Sincerely,” “Best,” or “Regards,” will do the trick.

Be sure that whatever design and formatting you choose to have on this cover letter is tasteful, minimal, and consistent throughout. Keep the letter clean, concise, and easy to read at one page maximum.

Staff Accountant Cover Letter Opening

The opening paragraph of your cover letter is essentially the “who am I and what am I doing here” paragraph.

After your initial salutation and header, which for most accounting positions should be kept formal, you’ll use the first sentence of your first paragraph to introduce yourself in a general way and specify the position you’re applying to. You don’t need to re-state your name, but just give a small piece of info about who you are.

You must state upfront the specific position you’re applying to as, at the end of the day, that’s the whole reason you’re writing this letter. Your interest in this exact position is an important point that you really want to land and have the hiring manager remember.

In your first paragraph, you can also mention briefly how you found out about this position. If it’s relevant and you have a good reason to do so, you can even go into a bit of detail about how you found this position. If any mutual contacts or inside employees referred you, definitely find a place to mention that for some bonus points.

No matter what, remember that your opening is where you draw in the hiring manager and entice them to read on. Avoid boring, or generic language like “I am writing to apply to…” and try to mix it up a bit while still staying relevant and focused. Yes, even for staff accounting positions you can still show off some creativity.

Here’s an example of how you might start your cover letter, after the salutation:

Staff Accountant Cover Letter Body

The body paragraph or paragraphs are going to serve as your space to get into the details of why you are the perfect candidate for this position.

At the heart of your cover letter is the chance to detail and explain your skills and experience. The way you choose to describe what it is you’ve done and the knowledge you possess can have a big impact on how others view your experience.

Try to re-state the requirements and qualifications listed in the job posting and explain how you align with them. It’s a good idea to use the exact language used in the posting to ensure that your application doesn’t get overlooked by hiring managers looking for keywords, or any kind of software they may be using to screen applicants.

Of course, you don’t want to put every single thing you’ve done or learned on the cover letter; that’s what your attached resume is for. The cover letter serves as a highlight reel of your biggest accounting achievements as they relate to the job posting.

At the end of the day, the organization has a need and they are looking for someone who can help fulfill this need for them. Focus on the organization, why they’re great, and how you can help them be even greater.

Typically, for a staff accountant cover letter, you won’t be using your letter to dig deeply into your values and story as a way of creating commonalities between yourself and the organization. However, don’t be afraid to flatter the organization a bit and mention why you admire them or what makes them a great place of work. Just be subtle about it.

Here’s an example of what the body paragraphs of your staff accountant cover letter may look like:

Staff Accountant Cover Letter Closing Lines

Use the closing of your letter to tie everything together and explain how you’ll follow up. Make sure to demonstrate your professionalism and positivity with your closing paragraph. You know they are at least partially interested in hiring you, so now you can put a little pressure on them to seal the deal.

In your final paragraph include a “call to action”, which is essentially a request that you make for them to take some sort of action. This could be something like asking them to call to schedule a meeting or telling them you look forward to hearing back from them. Anything that lets them know you are eagerly awaiting (and expecting) a response.

Also, make sure to thank the hiring manager for taking the time to read your letter. They likely have a lot of reading to get through, and it shows some real politeness to recognize the labor they are putting in (partially) on your behalf and show gratitude for it.

After you’ve written the body of your letter, include an appropriate, professional complimentary close to tie it all together. Attach any additional documents, and you’re ready to send it in.

A good closing for a staff accountant cover letter will look something like this:

Example of a Staff Accountant Cover Letter

When you put together all of the different parts and pieces of your staff accountant cover letter, it’ll look something like this: