Accountant Resume Examples and Templates
Staff Accountant Resume Examples and Templates for 2024
Last Updated:
November 30, 2024
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Staff Accountant Resume Templates and Examples (Download in App)
- How To Write a Staff Accountant Resume
- How To Pick the Best Staff Accountant Resume Template
- Staff Accountant Text-Only Resume Templates and Examples
- Frequently Asked Questions: Staff Accountant Resume Examples and Advice
- Check Out Related Examples
Staff Accountant Resume Templates and Examples (Download in App)
- Staff Accountant
- Entry-Level Staff Accountant
- Junior Staff Accountant
Senior Staff Accountant Resume Example
A good staff accountant resume focuses on your relevant skills like cost reduction, data analysis, or regulatory compliance. Give examples of your past success as a staff accountant or in similar roles, and show your knowledge base by citing any finance training or certificate programs you’ve done. This guide provides expert tips to help you create a results-driven resume showing your best staff accountant qualifications.
Key takeaways:
- Brainstorm details about your work history on a separate document or sheet of paper. Then, identify the most relevant ones to feature in your experience section — this helps you focus your resume so it positions you for the role of staff accountant.
- Use bullet points to display your achievements. Start each bullet point with a strong verb like “Created,” “Organized,” or “Enhanced.”
- Spell out the results of your past work as a staff accountant. Describe how your efforts helped the wider organization achieve its goals or raise the bottom line.
How To Write a Staff Accountant Resume
Using a template can help you write an effective staff accountant resume. Your staff accountant resume should usually include these sections:
- Contact information
- Profile
- Key skills
- Professional experience
- Education and certifications
Before starting work on your resume, jot down your preferences for your target job duties, industry, or company size. These notes will help you consider and emphasize your best career details as you develop each section.
1. Share your contact information
Give your full name, phone number, email address, location, and links to any online professional profiles. Ensure your contact information is current so employers can reach you for an interview.
Example
Your Name
(123) 456-7890 | [email protected] | City, State Abbreviation Zip Code | LinkedIn
2. Write a brief summary of your staff accountant qualifications
Impress hiring managers at the top of your resume by giving the three to five primary reasons you can excel as their next staff accountant. These key selling points may include your:
- Years of related work experience
- Main strengths or specialties in accounting
- Work style or approach (efficient, diligent, collaborative…)
- College degree(s) or certifications in your field
Example
Staff accountant with a strong education and experience in top accounting firms such as Ernst & Young and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Skilled at maintaining financial reports, preparing budgets, and conducting financial analysis and audits.
3. Outline your staff accountant experience in a compelling list
View the experience section as a chance to give examples of your work and success in roles similar to the staff accountant position you’re after. For each job in your recent work history, brainstorm your duties and achievements on a separate document or sheet of paper. Then, choose the most relevant details to feature as bullet points in this section.
Example
Senior Staff Accountant, Ernst & Young (EY), Philadelphia, PA | January 2021 to present
- Prepare and present detailed monthly financial reports on business performance, financial trends, and forecasts
- Help develop and implement annual budgets, closely monitoring performance against budget and providing variance analysis to facilitate decision-making
- Perform comprehensive financial analysis and audits, pinpointing areas of improvement and ensuring compliance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and other financial regulations
Resume writer’s tip: Quantify your experience
Use relevant performance data and metrics to show the results you’ve achieved as a staff accountant when possible. Hard numbers put your work in context and give recruiters a better sense of your impact.
Do
- "Conduct regular internal audits to find and rectify discrepancies, resulting in a 15% decrease in financial inconsistencies"
Don’t
- "Conduct regular internal audits to find and rectify discrepancies, resulting in a decrease in financial inconsistencies"
Resume writer’s tip: Tailor your resume to each application
For each job posting you respond to, note any details given about the hiring organization’s size, industry, customer base, or products and services. How do these areas compare to your recent experience? You can make a stronger first impression on the hiring manager by citing these similarities in your profile.
For instance, say the company is in manufacturing. You could enhance your profile by changing your first line from “Accountant with seven years of experience” to “Accountant with seven years of experience including three years in the manufacturing sector.”
What if you don’t have experience as a staff accountant?
As long as the job posting doesn’t strictly require it, you don’t need direct work experience to write an effective resume. The trick is focusing on your transferable skills, which can come from various areas such as your recent jobs, internships, volunteer positions, or college courses. By detailing these areas in full on your resume, you can ensure it helps you get interviews for your target accounting job.
4. List any education and certifications relevant to staff accountant
With the education and certifications sections, you can show you have strong finance and accounting knowledge. Cite any credentials you’ve earned that speak to your abilities as a staff accountant. The following templates help you organize this information on your resume (note, years are optional).
Education
Template:
[Degree Name], [School Name], [City, State Abbreviation] | [Graduation Year]
[Relevant coursework or honors]
Example:
Master of Science in Accounting, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA | 2017
Certifications
Template:
[Certification Name], [Awarding Organization] | [Completion Year]
Example:
Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), Institute of Internal Auditors
5. List key staff accountant skills and proficiencies
A separate skills section lets you quickly display how you can add value to an organization. Below, you’ll find some key terms and skills to consider for this section:
| Key Skills and Proficiencies | |
|---|---|
| Budget preparation | Business data gathering and analysis |
| Cost reduction and elimination | Cross-functional collaboration |
| Financial analysis and reporting | GAAP |
| Internal and external audits | Junior staff leadership |
| Regulatory compliance | Tax codes and regulations |
| Tax preparation | |
Resume writer’s tip: Use common action verbs
One of the best ways to enhance your resume is by starting each bullet point with a strong action verb. Dynamic verbs help you keep the hiring manager’s attention and show the varied nature of your experience. The following list can help you find a good mix of action verbs for your staff accountant resume:
| Action Verbs | |
|---|---|
| Advised | Clarified |
| Created | Decreased |
| Enhanced | Fostered |
| Generated | Grew |
| Improved | Increased |
| Introduced | Lowered |
| Pinpointed | Prevented |
| Ranked | Reduced |
| Reported | Saved |
| Streamlined | Updated |
| Won | |
How To Pick the Best Staff Accountant Resume Template
A resume is a simple tool for professional communication and should be formatted accordingly. Choose a clear and straightforward template, and avoid any template with elaborate graphics or various colors and font styles. Simple resume design helps a hiring manager scan for relevant information. It also helps you tailor the document to each job application and update your work history going forward.
Staff Accountant Text-Only Resume Templates and Examples
John Bergsen
San Francisco, CA 12345 | (123) 456-7890 | [email protected] | LinkedIn
Staff accountant with a strong education and experience in top accounting firms such as Ernst & Young and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Skilled at maintaining financial reports, preparing budgets, and conducting financial analysis and audits.
Key Skills
- Budget preparation
- Data gathering and analysis
- Cross-functional collaboration
- GAAP
Professional Experience
Senior Staff Accountant, Ernst & Young (EY), Philadelphia, PA | January 2019 to present
- Prepare and present detailed monthly financial reports to senior management, highlighting key business indicators, risks, and opportunities
- Lead the annual budgeting process, working closely with different department heads to ensure accurate forecasting
- Conduct regular internal audits, identifying and rectifying discrepancies, resulting in a 15% decrease in financial inconsistencies
Staff Accountant, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Los Angeles, CA | January 2018 to December 2018
- Helped prepare quarterly and annual financial reports, ensuring compliance with GAAP
- Participated in the budget preparation process, analyzing previous budgets and financial data to provide accurate information for future planning
- Conducted financial analysis regularly, identifying trends and providing actionable insights to management
Education
Bachelor of Science in Accounting, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, May 2015
Master of Science in Accounting, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, December 2017
Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a concentration in Accounting, Harvard Business School, Boston, MA, May 2018
Professional Development
- Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), Institute of Internal Auditors
- Certified Management Accountant (CMA), Institute of Management Accountants
- Certified Public Accountant (CPA), American Institute of CPAs
Why this staff accountant resume example is strong:
This resume uses dynamic action verbs to express how the applicant has been an active contributor at each organization.
Frequently Asked Questions: Staff Accountant Resume Examples and Advice
How do you align your resume with a staff accountant job posting?
First, look closely at the job post text and note any repeated or emphasized words. Compare these phrases to the language you’re using in your resume, particularly the profile and key skills sections. Then, seek ways to align your resume language with the job posting while not copying phrases or misstating your background.
For example, if the organization seeks someone collaborative, call out that aspect of your experience in your profile. Or say the company has many non-English speaking customers. Cite your foreign language skills in your profile and as a separate section farther down the document. With adjustments like these, you can make your resume more relevant to each opportunity.
What is the best staff accountant resume format?
Most staff accountants should use the combination (or hybrid) format. True to its name, this format combines two important features of other resume formats: the chronological format’s experience section and the functional format’s profile section. (The resume examples on this page all use combination format.)
A combination resume offers the best of both worlds by fusing these features. The experience section lets you outline your recent work history – essential information for most employers. At the same time, the profile section enables you to display your career highlights at the top, regardless if they’re from that work history or another part of your background.
As a result, you can present yourself clearly and strategically. This format gives hiring managers the best view of your experience and relevant strengths so they can decide whether to call you for an interview.
Expert advice:
Include a cover letter with your resume
A good cover letter can enhance your job application. To write a standout letter, get specific. Tell the hiring manager why you’re interested in their organization and the staff accountant role they hope to fill.
Check Out Related Examples
Executive Resume Writer and Career Coach
Andrew Stoner is an executive career coach and resume writer with 17 years of experience as a hiring manager and operations leader at two Fortune 500 Financial Services companies, and as the career services director at two major university business schools.
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