accounting resume

accounting resume

How to Create an Effective Accounting Resume

1. Introduction

A resume is a written record of an individual’s history. A typical resume contains the applicant’s name, address, history from most recent job to oldest, chronology of education, professional affiliations, and a brief description of skills. The various forms of resumes include chronological, functional, executive summary, and combination. Each form has different strengths and weaknesses and is useful in different circumstances. For example, the chronological resume begins listing the most recent job first followed by previous jobs in descending order. This system is reliable if the applicant can demonstrate a consistent and impressive career trajectory. Conversely, if the applicant has had a spotty or inconsistent career, the chronological resume will not help.

Developing an attention-grabbing resume is one of the most difficult challenges of the job hunt. This considerable part of applying for an accounting position requires a great deal of time and effort. Effective resumes are usually part of a marketing strategy designed to sell an individual to the hiring authority. A number of successful techniques can be used to influence the content of an accounting resume. Keep in mind that the hiring authority is still the most important reader. Make a resume that will catch his or her attention and you will increase your chances for success.

2. Crafting a Strong Summary Statement

Appearance. Only 20% of resumes are read by potential employers, according to the online survey conducted by Harris Interactive in 2013. The other 80% did not go through the initial screening process. Your summary section needs to be clear and concise, right up to the point. Does your potential employer read everything in your document or is looking for specific details? If your resume is challenging to interpret quickly, or includes long, unattractive blocks of texts, it may be relegated to irrelevant spam. Experts recommend dividing your resume into clear and concise sections so that it can easily be read in just six seconds. The accounting resume summary should be one of your most compelling sections. Notice we said summary, not objective. Avoid starting with, “My purpose is to find an appropriate job in a prominent accounting firm”. Go straight to marketing yourself, and work the resume objective into the overview by expanding upon an educational, special event, internship or business achievement – something that is embedded specifically in this early entry.

Take a look at your old resume, or the last resume you used for a job application. Do you like what you see or are you disappointed? Maybe it seemed easier and faster to hastily fumble through this and some other necessary documents. But if you are actively looking for a new accounting position, you want to ensure that all your paperwork is suitable and meets current requirements. Whether you are just getting started with a new accounting career, or have vast professional experience in this area, Bishop and Company encourages you to understand how to write a good resume and give yourself the best opportunity. Here are some suggestions, tips, and ideas for creating a new accounting resume to help you get a foot in the door. Watch and use these to gain an advantage.

3. Highlighting Relevant Skills and Experience

In finance, computer skills are crucial. Depending on your area of interest, Microsoft, Oracle, Great Plains, and Sales Force are just some of the software packages you may run into. Specific experience within the required area of work is usually necessary. There are many different fields in Finance (Investment Banking, Asset Management, Hedge Funds, Private Equity, etc.) and each of them has different requirements. For example, in Investment Banking, you should be familiar with the Microsoft tool, while Oracle is required in some financial planning and analysis functions. If you lack experience in a particular platform, publicize the resources or courses that you are using to gain experience. Make sure you can easily explain to a potential employer how you have used or anticipate being able to use these tools.

List your work experiences in reverse chronological order. Include the accounting or finance department, position, and a brief overview of your responsibilities. In addition to showing potential employers what tasks you were responsible for and your accounting abilities, providing proof of your performance can increase earning potential. Make sure you list all accomplishments (give specific results) working with Finance – did you create complex spreadsheets, participate in a financial analysis for the business, did you work at month-end, were you involved in external financial audits, etc. If you didn’t do any of this, then this is the time to broaden your range of experience. Finance looks for candidates with a wide range of abilities, not just specific skill sets.

4. Showcasing Educational Background

Finally, consider including an academic profile, particularly if you are a recent graduate or in the early stages of your accounting career. Your educational experiences may be your professional events, and including academic information can add depth to the content of your resume. This profile should not only contain the school, degree or certificate, and special accomplishments, but it should also include key courses, including accounting courses, dates, and professors. Be sure to include the names of your references, as well as your contact information, including your phone number, email address, and LinkedIn account.

There are many different paths to becoming an accounting professional, many of which need a variety of educational experiences. Make sure your resume thoroughly notates these. Make sure your resume includes: the date on which you received your diploma, certification, or degree; the name of the school you attended, including the location; the name of the programs you completed; any high honors or special accomplishments you received; the dates/times you engaged in any groups, committees, or associations that were related to the program you completed or this course of study are undeclared. It seems a simple addition, but if you have studied accounting, make sure that this is notated in your resume.

5. Finalizing with Professional Accomplishments

With a successful networking outcome, encompass a call to action, which should be an invitation to expand your targeted company network. Networking or business event name (e.g., coffee “Network Building” event, Acountex 2018, Colorado Untaught Business Ethics Course).

For finalizing your accounting resume, if you are not fully satisfied with your overall summary value proposition (which would, in most cases, be a near impossible task), then your corporate accountant resume should have you fully prepared to use a personal summary during networking events. The personal summary, your professional “elevator speech,” will be the exact same as your completed resume for corporate accounting, but reworded/paraphrased to be created within mental recall while expanding your internal network or in conferring to attend useful training or industry workshops.

Special note: Do not simply offer a list of your external accounting skills here. Create a situation, task, action, and resolution for them, known as the S.T.A.R. technique. This should consist of a minimum of 8 statements.

For finalizing your accounting resume with professional accomplishments, look inside your history within accounting positions held. For concrete accomplishments, any duties, roles, or responsibilities performed should be reworded to provide a completed task in a series for a “scope of work” setting. The accomplishment should be described in such a way that your unique, effective, and most relevant accounting capabilities become a legitimate chorus, which can establish both skill sets toward creating an overall summary statement.