Accountant Resume Template Example

Your accountant resume should demonstrate your financial competency, attention to detail, diligence, and knowledge of accounting best practices. Equally important are soft skills such as communication and collaborating cross-functionally because accountants work across departments and with clients, C-suite leaders, and boards of directors.

How To Write an Accountant Resume

Using a resume template can help you write an effective accountant resume. Your resume should include these sections:

  • Contact information
  • Profile
  • Key skills
  • Professional experience
  • Education and certifications

Contact information

Include a header with your full name, phone number, email address, location, and a link to your online professional profile. Ensure your contact information is current so potential employers can contact you for an interview.

Example

Your Name
(123) 456-7890
[email protected]
City, State Abbreviation Zip Code
LinkedIn | Portfolio

Profile

In about two to three sentences, summarize your professional background, relevant skills, and experience as an accountant. Use this section to make a strong, eye-catching introduction. Highlight your unique strengths and integrate keywords from the job description to show you’re a good match for the position.

Example

Accounting professional and Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with six years of experience preparing financial reports, reconciling accounts, and harvesting revenue loss by identifying banking errors. Works closely with the chief financial officer (CFO) as a financial adviser and key voice in strategic budgeting.

Key skills

Highlight accounting skills that demonstrate your strengths in the accounting profession, aligning skills to the job description to show you are an ideal candidate for the position. Highlight at least key skills, including hard and soft skills. The table below includes some suggestions.

Common hard and soft skills for an accountant

Hard Skills Soft Skills
Accounts payable and receivable Attention to detail
Data analysis Client relationship building
Expense reporting Cross-functional collaboration
QuickBooks Time management
Tax accounting

Use common action verbs

Action verbs add impact to your experience section, but it’s easy to run short during the resume-building process. It’s also simple to become redundant by overusing words like “accomplished” or “assisted.” When writing your accountant resume, use concise language, avoid the passive voice, and vary your action verbs.

Here is a list of common action verbs for accountant resumes:

Action Verbs
Analyze Estimate
Examine Forecast
Manage Organize
Prepare Reconcile
Report Verify

Professional experience

The professional experience section of your accountant resume should include specific job titles along with bullet points that highlight responsibilities and measurable accomplishments.

Example

Senior Accountant, Epitome Products, El Paso, Texas
October 2019 – present

  • Decreased company financial errors by 10% during a two-year period
  • Collaborates with company president and CFO to address strategic financial planning and arrange effective audits
  • Prepares monthly closing and profit loss statements for C-suite leaders and board of directors
  • Improves client relationships by resolving past-due and missed payments
  • Expedited QuickBooks processes, training accounting support staff to utilize the program more efficiently

Staff Accountant, KMH Associates, Concord, New Hampshire
June 2015 – October 2019

  • Prepared debit and credit documents for a client base exceeding 200
  • Assisted with weekly account audits
  • Analyzed all client transactions with clients, vendors, and employees to ensure accuracy

Resume writer’s tip: Quantify your experience

Data, metrics, and monetary figures quantify your experience, so include these measures of your success in your accountant resume. Companies are looking for candidates who will drive results and revenue. Illustrate your worth by including examples of specific accomplishments and outcomes.

Resume writer’s tip: Tailor your resume for each application

Align your resume with each accountant job you apply for to demonstrate you are a strong candidate for the position. This will mean tweaking your resume, featuring some of the same target keywords in the job description, and highlighting specific skills and requirements the hiring manager is seeking. This will give you the best chance of capturing their attention and landing an interview.

What if you don’t have experience?

Say you lack experience in the accounting field. Rather than focusing only on skills, your resume should highlight academic projects, bookkeeping roles, and financial responsibilities you have managed in other fields or jobs. Also include skills gained from any volunteer capacity, such as serving as treasurer for a nonprofit organization.

Education and certifications

List any relevant education and certifications you’ve received to show you’re qualified to practice as an accountant. Be sure to include the title of the degree or certificate earned, the institution’s name, and the completion date. You can also list continuing education courses or professional development programs you’ve completed.

Example

Education

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Accounting, September 2011 – June 2015
Temple University, Philadelphia, PA

Certifications

  • Certified Public Accountant (CPA), New Hampshire State Board of Accountancy, 2015
  • QuickBooks Certified ProAdvisor, QuickBooks, 2017

Accountant Resume Template Text Example

Brittany Murphy
(123) 456-7890
[email protected]
LinkedIn | Portfolio
City, State Abbreviation zip code

Profile

Accounting professional and CPA with six years of experience preparing financial reports, reconciling accounts, and harvesting revenue loss by identifying banking errors. Works closely with the CFO as a financial adviser and key voice in strategic budgeting.

Key Skills

  • Accounts payable/receivable
  • Cross-functional collaboration
  • Data analysis
  • Financial planning
  • QuickBooks
  • Tax accounting

Professional Experience

Senior Accountant, Epitome Products, El Paso, Texas
October 2019 – present

  • Decreased company financial errors by 10% during a two-year period
  • Collaborates with company president and CFO to address strategic financial planning and arrange effective audits
  • Prepares monthly closing and profit loss statements for C-suite leaders and board of directors
  • Improves client relationships by resolving past-due and missed payments
  • Expedited QuickBooks processes, training accounting support staff to utilize the program more efficiently

Staff Accountant, KMH Associates, Concord, New Hampshire
June 2015 – October 2019

  • Prepared debit and credit documents for a client base exceeding 200
  • Assisted with weekly account audits
  • Analyzed all client transactions with clients, vendors, and employees to ensure accuracy

Education

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Accounting, September 2011 – June 2015
Temple University, Philadelphia, PA

Certifications

  • Certified Public Accountant (CPA), New Hampshire State Board of Accountancy, 2015
  • QuickBooks Certified ProAdvisor, QuickBooks, 2017
Andrew Stoner

Executive Resume Writer and Career Coach

A resume should be a forward-looking value proposition that showcases your most relevant accomplishments for a target role — not a rear view summary of your previous roles and responsibilities.

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