Accountant Resume Examples, Skills and Keywords
When you’re a skilled problem solver who enjoys numbers, an accountant position may be right up your alley. Whether you’re finishing accounting school or are interested in changing careers, the right resume can improve your chances of landing an interview.
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Accountant resume sample
Successful accountants oversee financial records and report important information to decision-makers in the company. Your role is crucial for setting goals and budgets for each department, plus your job impacts everyone in the company. Being good with numbers will help make you a good accountant, but there are other skills you need as well.
Most importantly, you need to be organized and trustworthy. People skills are also a must since you will be interacting with people in your company. When building your resume, focus on a mix of hard and soft accountant skills that will communicate your ability to crunch numbers, interact with coworkers, and handle sensitive information.
You should tailor your resume based on the position you’re applying for. If you are applying to be a senior-level accountant or a CPA, you may be required to have a bachelor’s degree and specific certifications. Look through the job description and assess your resume to see how it stacks up. Jobscan’s accountant resume examples can show you how to optimize your resume for an accountant position.
Orlando, FL 32802 • (555) 555-1234 • adrianyoung@anymail.com • linkedin.com/in/adrian-young-cpa
ACCOUNTING & FINANCE PROFESSIONAL
Financially and operationally driven accounting professional with demonstrated expertise managing financial reporting, audit and compliance, AP/AR, GL, and taxation functions for corporate finance entities.
Accounting | Revenue & Profit Growth | Stakeholder & Client Relations | Financial Management | Best Practices & Processes | Financial Governance | Process Improvement | Regulatory Compliance | US GAAP Compliance | SEC Reporting | GL, A/P, & A/R | Audit & Controls | Reconciliation | Variance Analysis | Cash Management | Taxation | SAP | Oracle | QuickBooks | Sage 50 | Xero | Excel | Word | PowerPoint
Perform accounting functions and execute cash management functions, supporting a 15-property REIT portfolio, including A/P, A/R, GL maintenance, reconciliation, audit compliance, variance analysis, and financial reporting. Create financial statements and serve as primary liaison to internal and external auditors charged with ensuring compliance with regulatory guidelines.
- Drive process improvement initiatives; decreased the month-end close time 65% by leading a process redesign; implemented reporting best practices and a new chart of accounts, and deployed procedures in compliance with GAAP, SEC, and corporate guidelines.
- Oversee the fixed asset system, including the maintenance of capital asset records, policies, disposals, and transfers, and the calculation of monthly depreciation values, adhering to capitalization and depreciation policies.
- Collaborate with the audit team to redesign and improve internal control processes, reducing process turnaround time by 60%.
- Deliver accounting and financial reporting presentations, incorporating variance analysis with detailed explanations to senior management, audit committee, and the board of directors to support strategic planning and decision-making.
- Verify real estate taxes are paid in the appropriate period and ensure escrowed funds meet taxation needs.
- Recognized for performance and success, receiving accolades from key leaders for consistently exceeding expectations.
Improved business profitability and grew revenue across a 5+ million square foot office, retail, and specialty real estate facility, leveraging operational procedure and compliance standard expertise. Managed new space, office build out, and interior and exterior improvement projects, enhancing on-time project completion rates by analyzing capital budgets, monthly accruals, closing reports, and variances.
- Administered operating and capital budgets of $15+ million across 5 portfolios, prepared bonus summaries, and created month-end reports and leasing summaries; prepared letters, memos, monthly lease activity reports, and quarterly financial reports.
- Captured $15,000 in annual cost savings by proposing and executing a lighting retrofit initiative across three buildings.
- Reconciled rent accounts, ensuring adherence to lease terms; partnered with brokers, asset managers, and landlords to resolve issues.
Prepared and delivered individual, partnership, trust, estate, and gift tax returns for high-net-worth clientele. Advised clients on business and personal tax matters to mitigate taxation liability while ensuring compliance with all regulatory guidelines.
- Contributed to clients’ IRS and state notices and responded to calculation, tax estimate, and IRA distribution inquiries.
- Assisted in government tax audits, federal disclosures, tax notices, and correspondence; ensured adherence to all tax filing deadlines.
Resume written by Erin Kennedy, CPRW
Accountant resume skills and keywords
Below is a list of hard and soft resume skills you need to have to be an exceptional accountant. Emphasize these and other accountant resume keywords to move your resume past the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and increase your chances of nailing an interview.
Top 30 accountant resume skills
- Microsoft Excel
- Data interpretation
- Financial reporting
- Data visualization
- Business intelligence software
- Cloud-based software
- Quickbooks
- Revenue recognition
- Risk and compliance
- Knowledge of regulations
- Accounts payable
- Accounts receivable
- Budgeting
- Tax compliance
- Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP)
- Organized
- Detail-oriented
- Discretion
- Critical thinking
- Problem-solving
- Multitasking
- Tact
- Communication
- Active learning
- Systems analysis
- Presentation
- Mathematics
- Analytical skills
- Clerical skills
5 accountant resume writing tips
1. Showcase your certifications
If you are applying for a senior-level accounting position, you may be required to carry certifications. Many accounting certifications require a lot of preparation, but having one can make you stand out. Make sure your letters are front and center to show the hiring manager that you have what it takes to do the job.
If you’re applying for a job as a CPA, you will be required to be licensed in your state. Since you’re competing with other licensed professionals, use other certifications and skills to stand out.
2. Highlight your ability to think critically
As an accountant, you will be required to take complex information and distill it into information for decision-makers in all departments of your company. For this part of the job, critical thinking skills are necessary. Show off your analytical and critical thinking skills with specific examples from previous jobs.
Think of times in your previous positions where you demonstrated critical thinking skills and how they benefited your company. Perhaps you found and fixed a formula error that made the numbers more accurate and saved your company money. Make a list of all the times your skills helped your previous employer and put the most relevant examples in your resume under the specific job title.
3. Tailor your relevant keywords
Many hiring managers and recruiters rely on ATS to immediately filter out resumes that don’t fit the job. Before submitting your accountant resume, look closely at the specific job description to tailor your keywords. There may be skills you want to highlight for one company that aren’t necessary for another. Look for words that match your skills and remove those that aren’t relevant.
For instance, if you are skilled at compliance and tax accounting, but the job description doesn’t include those words, remove them from your resume before submitting it.
4. Include actionable language
Rather than including general job descriptors for each of your previous positions, use action words to show what you have accomplished. In general, your resume should be short as most employers prefer reading resumes that are one page. Using actionable language can condense your resume while making it easier to read. With this method, it is also more likely to resonate with the hiring manager.
For example, instead of saying “responsible for analyzing accounting reports,” say “Analyzed numbers and wrote accounting reports, contributing to the quarterly marketing budgeting process.” Using actionable language will show the hiring manager what you accomplished regularly.
5. Pick the right resume format
Most job candidates use the reverse chronological resume format when applying for jobs. If you have accounting experience under your belt, this format is likely the best because it is expected and easy to read. However, if you’re applying for an entry-level job or if you are changing careers, you may choose to use a functional resume format. This format focuses less on the job title and more on your transferable skills.
When applying for an entry-level accounting position, hiring managers may be willing to overlook the lack of formal job experience, but using a functional resume lets you showcase soft skills you’ve developed over time. In this format, you’ll group your past job experience by transferable skill instead of listing it by job title.
If you’re making a career change, you should consider using a hybrid approach. Your previous job titles show dependability and job stability, but the specific job title could get your resume thrown out by the ATS. For this format, include your keywords and skills at the top and follow it with your chronological job history, tailoring your job descriptions to relevant duties that show you are a great accountant.
