Accountant Resume Example

Accountant Resume with Writing Guide

Many professional positions will require you to submit a resume, and if you’re an accountant, your resume needs to be perfect. An accountant’s resume should demonstrate the breadth of their experience, provide evidence of high-level skills and capabilities, show a lengthy professional track record with considerable achievements, create an accurate portrayal of your work ethic and productivity — in general, it should impress!

Accountant Resume Writing Guide:

1. Chronological vs. Functional

This is an important choice, and one that should be made based on the job description. A chronological resume is the most common, listing all of your previous jobs in reverse chronological order, with your current position on top. When writing a chronological resume, focus on recent experience and achievements; list older positions first, but keep them brief if they are not related to the skill set you are currently showcasing for your accounting career.

A functional resume focuses on skills over job titles and accomplishments. It lists skills and promotes them as transferable to a variety of industries. For example, the same skills that make you an effective accountant could also be used in business development. A functional resume helps you target your resume by highlighting your most relevant skills and experiences to the position for which you’re applying. It also allows you to highlight relevant skills that span job titles and industries so that you can have one resume for all positions instead of a different resume for each job/industry combination.

2. Format and Layout

Your resume should be clean and easy to read, the best way to achieve this is by making sure that your information is organized logically, with sections clearly defined. Your skills and experiences should be grouped together in logical order as well.

If you have a lot of experience, try dividing your resume into two sections: Work Experience (grouping your positions/organizations by industry) and Education & Training (grouping courses/certificates by area of study). If you have little to no experience, use the Resume Outline to help you decide where your personal information and qualifications will fit best.

3. Choosing a Resume Font

When choosing a font for your resume, keep it simple; make sure that it’s easy to read and looks professional at all times. The most common font for resumes is Times New Roman, but other common choices include Calibri, Arial and Verdana.

4. Choosing a Resume Layout

A resume’s layout should be as simple as possible. Avoid overly complex layouts that may distract the reader from your accomplishments and highlight your experience. A clear layout also helps with the overall flow of information on your resume — it allows the reader to find information more easily and follow it through your resume faster than with a more complicated layout.

Accountant Responsibilities:

1. Keep track of your keep track of all financial transactions.
2. Monitor the figures and follow the schedules for your business.
3. Must be able to answer any questions about the accounting system you’re using, which is called _ _ .
4. Must be able to communicate with people that are from outside the company you work for related to this and who might have some issues with the accounting system you want to use in your company, but have no idea what they mean by it.
5. Must have interpersonal communication skills because you have to work in a team with your boss and other people in the company.
6. Must be able to keep track of the records relating to your financial transactions so that the tax man can see everything is running smoothly when he comes around next year to do his taxes.
7. Must be able to keep a contact with your bank manager and other people involved if the money you’re investing in is in foreign currency.
8. Must keep track of blank documents for expenses and invoices, which are called _ .
9. Must be good at math so that you can use applications on spreadsheets or any other applications that will make your job easier to solve .
10. Must be organized and professional in your work dress code and have a very good appearance to lead the employees at your company to be organized as well.
11. Must have good communication skills to deal with clients and other people who are working with you on your budget.

Top 15 Must-have Accountant Skills:

1. Multi-tasking: Ability to keep several tasks in mind and carry them out simultaneously
2. Analytical thinking: Ability to formulate and store information in a way that is readily accessible and useful for decision-making
3. Project management: Understanding of your role within the corporate structure, personal performance standards, and how the work needs of your company will affect the overall success of the project
4. Data Management: Ability to analyze data sets or trends or run financial reports so that you can act on their information appropriately
5. Time Management: Ability to plan workload and prioritize tasks so that they are completed within the expected time frame
6. Financial Management: Knowledge of how accounting work fits into the overall financial operations of the company; ability to compare actual costs and revenues with projected costs and revenues, and identify potential problems
7. Foreign Language Skills: Understanding of financial terms in other languages in order to analyze data sets from foreign-owned businesses or suppliers’ materials for production purposes
8. General Accounting: Knowledge of accounting principles so that you can review financial transactions and make adjustments to ensure the company’s financial data is accurate
9. Budgeting: Ability to use past data sets to create budget estimates for future years, and monitor performance of budgets throughout the year
10. International Accounting Standards: Familiarity with the rules and regulations that govern international business practices, especially when conducting business overseas or interacting with foreign counterparties in domestic operations

Tips to write an Accountant Resume Summary:

A Summary is a shorter version of a resume that gives an incomplete or “quick and dirty” review of yourself. One of the most important sections for employers to read, your Summary is only 1-3 pages long. Make sure it conveys your value to the employer – don’t be afraid to name names!

A strong Summary is targeted, accurate and concise; it is a great place to put “selling points” about yourself that may have slipped through the cracks elsewhere in your resume. The first sentence of your Summary must be a strong statement, which will “hook” the reader into reading more.

Tips:

1. Don’t be afraid to use a “Power Statement” in the first sentence.
2. Bullet points are your friend in this section.
3. Don’t forget to list accomplishments.
4. Do not get bogged down with dates and details; keep it at an overview level to speak directly to the employer’s concerns about your experience.
5. Do not be afraid to use a strong voice, but don’t sound aggressive; get to the point.
6. If this is your first resume, practice in front of a mirror!
7. If you have several years of experience – list the job title and company name; if you have more than one resume, be sure to list all companies.
8. Consistency is key! Use the same style and structure for all your resumes, or they will not convey the same message to the employer.

How to write an Accountant Resume with No experience:

1. Have a clear idea of what you want to say and focus on how
   you feel about yourself.
2. Use action verbs at the beginning of paragraphs to keep the
   email short and snappy.
3. Know your target audience. For a fresh-faced, younger audience, then use active verbs only (cutting back on “like” and “such as”). For an older market, use passive verbs along with action verbs that convey your accomplishments such as “improved processes” or “achieved results”.
4. Include a specialty section for every 3-5 years of experience.
5. Keep your resume to 1-2 pages

How to write an Accountant Cover Letter:

1. Don’t give up until you find your perfect cover letter and resume.
2. If you are an accountant, you should include a career objective in your cover letter.
3. If you work with numbers, include that in your cover letter as well!
4. If you are a financial analyst, include proof of this in your cover letter as well!
5. Don’t be too wishy-washy in your resume – I see people who say “I am good at math” write it down as “good at math. I am good at accounting/bookkeeping.” Prove it in your cover letter!
6. If you don’t know too much about an industry (especially in the field of finance), write that down and explain why you want to work there and not somewhere else.
7. Don’t be afraid to make up a part of your resume by briefly explaining things like your motivation for wanting to work with that particular company or how you can help them improve their financial situation (this is also known as “positioning” your resume).
8. If you have a connection to someone at the company, mention it!
9. Don’t be afraid to show off your personality! Don’t let your resume sound too stiff.
10. Consider using bullet points in your cover letter instead of paragraphs – this will make your cover letter look much more professional and clean-cut.

Key Takeaways:

• Accountant Resume is a summary of qualifications and experience you have that are relevant for the job description.
• Accounting is a huge industry that covers nearly every business function, from personal finances to large corporations. Therefore, you should not limit yourself to one area of accounting; instead, you should focus on the type of accounting skills needed for the position.
• There are many formats Accountant Resumes can take: chronological, functional and combination. It depends on your experience and career goals which type should be used.