Professional Accountant Resume: Sample to Download & Examples

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If you’re an Accountant who wants to land a new position, it may be time to create a high-quality resume.

Without an expertly written Accountant resume that fully shows off your skills, you might struggle to land your dream high-salary position. 

If you’ve been asking yourself “What is the best format for an experienced Accountant?” or “What are the top three skills of an Accountant?”, we’ve got the answers for you. 

Our guide has all the helpful writing tips and examples you need to create a document that stands out above the pack! 

In this article, you will learn:

• The best format for an Accountant resume 
• The best soft skills for an Accounting resume
• Whether to include an Accountant resume summary or objective 
• How to write a junior and senior Accountant resume summary
• How to write an entry-level Accounting resume 

Our AI resume builder also makes sure you have the most relevant Accounting keywords in seconds. 
Keep reading to make the numbers work in your favor with our tools and tips.

It’s helpful to see a sample of the type of resume you are trying to create, so we’ve provided a respectable Accounting resume example below.

Resume Example

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[Mitchelle Dubois]

[Accountant]

[Austin, TX | 555-555-5555 | mitchellejdubois@randomemail.com]

Summary

Accountant with 6+ years experience of accurately and efficiently supporting accounting activities for clients in various sectors. Proven track record in presenting data, analyzing cost control, providing financial reports, and delivering profit and loss statements under time pressures. Achievements include saving ABC Marketing Co. $32,000 by fixing a tax reporting error.

Experience 

Accountant
2021-Present
XYZ Solutions Inc., Austin, TX

• Assessed budgets, financial projections, and reports for more accurate monetary standing.
• Regularly reviewed accounting procedures and structures to spot areas that needed improvement.
• Monitored and managed insurance files, financial updates, and watch lists.

• Corrected account errors, which saved a total of $74,000.
• Set up a digital accountancy system for a 10% efficiency increase.
• Processed 200+ Final Account Statements annually.

Junior Accountant

2018 – 2021

Sagrada Software, Mabank, TX

• Partnered with management to drive business processes to improve efficiency of financial reporting by 30%.
• Promoted record integrity by resolving digital and physical records variances via thorough investigation.
• Assisted clients in navigating tax authorities, and financial and legal concerns.
• Communicated with external parties to reconcile account problems within 48 hours.

Education 

Accounting (BBA), Texas A&M University, Mabank, TX, 2018

>> Certifications <<

Certified Public Accountant, 2022

Skills

• Invoice coding familiarity
• Advanced bookkeeping skills
• Tax preparation software
• Robotic process automation
• Programming
• Data trending knowledge
• Calculating liabilities

If you want to impress a hiring manager and keep them engaged, then it’s important to choose the right format to create a truly professional Accounting resume. 

The most common resume format for Accountants is the reverse-chronological order, especially for experienced applicants. 

This format structures your resume so that you can:

• Highlight recent achievements 
• Show you are up-to-date with the latest accounting technology
• Easily demonstrate your career progression
• Display your use of accounting skills throughout your career

By using this format correctly, you’ll organize your accomplishments and increase your chances of success over other applicants.

One of the most important elements to include on any resume is your opening statement. 

This could either be a: 

• Summary 
• Objective 

Resume summaries and objectives are short introductory paragraphs that give an overview of your abilities, experience, and career goals.

These statements will help you grab a hiring manager’s attention, especially if you add quantifiable data and the right industry keywords. 

Find more information about both concepts below.

Resume Summary

An Accountant resume summary begins your document with a short introductory paragraph.

It’s basically an elevator pitch for your resume, compelling the hiring manager to continue reading and learn why you’re worth their while. 

Between a summary and an objective, a summary is typically the better choice as it better explains your experience and qualifications. 

These standout qualities should occupy the body of this short paragraph alongside an adjective that describes your personality or mindset as a professional Accountant.

Here’s a senior Accountant resume summary:

Example

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Summary

Highly analytical, results-driven Chartered Accountant focused on auditing, public accounting, tax compliance, and commitment to best accounting practices. Achievements include saving XYZSolutions Inc. $2 million by strengthening its internal controls.

This summary is effective because it concisely showcases the candidate’s expertise and quantifiable achievements, clearly highlighting their skills and impact, which immediately engages potential employers.

If you have problems reducing your summary to just four lines, you could try using ChatGPT or other AI tools to help you write this resume section. Just enter what you want to include, give it a word limit, and see what it generates. However, always edit the final result to make it sound like you rather than a bot!

Resume Objective

A resume objective says what you wish to achieve throughout your career in a brief paragraph. 

While a summary is usually more ideal, a resume objective, can be useful if you’re an entry level applicant as you can avoid mentioning your experience as much.  

Using an objective section on a resume for accounting can help you convince hiring managers that you have the mindset needed to work with the company. 

Once you’ve researched the job description and the company, your objective can look like:

Example

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Objective

Ambitious entry-level Accountant with proven expertise in tax preparation and cost-saving strategies. Successfully prepared 17 tax returns and consulted for local businesses, achieving $6,000 in savings through volunteer work. Eager to apply my analytical skills and accounting knowledge to drive financial accuracy and efficiency as the lead Accountant at ABC Co.

This is effective because it shows off practical experience and specific achievements. Additionally, it clearly expresses the candidate’s career aspirations and aligns them with the employer’s needs.

The importance of work experience on a resume is crucial to conveying your expertise as an Accountant. 

To describe your experience, you should:

• Include 2 or more descriptions of your past positions if possible
• Add extra information about your activities as an Accountant, such as how you completed reports and assessed projections
• Mention statistics and extra data measuring your performance 
• Add any remote work roles to your resume including the specific skills you learned from this modality (Slack, Asana, Teams, etc.)

Keep in mind,  hiring managers are often impressed by quantifiable information because they accurately reflect your work achievements. 

However, make sure to avoid adding irrelevant information. 

For example, if the company emphasizes that candidates should have advanced bookkeeping skills and data trending knowledge, make sure you weave these keywords into your experience section. 

🌟Featured Content: Consider showcasing instances where you applied both specific soft and hard skills. It’s an effective way to impress the employer and get an interview.

Here’s how an Accountant’s experience section should look:

Example

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Experience

Accountant

2016-Current

Musk Solutions Inc., Austin, TX

• Assessed budgets, financial projections, and reports, improving the accuracy of the company’s financial standing by 15% through detailed analysis.
• Regularly reviewed and optimized accounting procedures and structures, identifying and implementing improvements that increased operational efficiency by 20%.
• Monitored and managed over 300 insurance files, ensuring timely financial updates and compliance with regulatory watch lists.

Junior Accountant

2018 – 2021

Sagrada Software, Mabank, TX

• Designed and implemented accounting processes and systems that improved overall financial effectiveness by 25% and fully met company needs.
• Promoted record integrity by resolving 150+ discrepancies annually between digital and physical records through meticulous investigation.
• Assisted over 100 clients annually in navigating complex interactions with tax authorities and addressing financial and legal concerns.

As you can see, it effectively uses quantifiable data to demonstrate the candidate’s impact and achievements, such as improving financial accuracy and operational efficiency. 

A junior Accountant resume summary may seem easy to write, but what about an experience section when you haven’t had previous jobs?

You might not be sure of how to get started. 

Thankfully, there are multiple ways to fix this minor problem, such as:

• Include any volunteer work on your resume 
• Mention an accounting internship that you’ve completed
• Add freelance accounting work

While these may not all be professional experiences, it’s an opportunity to show off the skills you’ve developed and how you’ve achieved success. 

If you don’t have any volunteer experience as an Accountant, find a small firm and volunteer to help with their bookkeeping and related activities. 

Here’s an entry-level Accountant resume sample of an experience section:

Example

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Experience

Freelance Accountant

2023 – present

Sparrow Co., Austin, TX  

• Assessed and managed all QuickBooks operations during my internship at ABC Co.
• Volunteered to Handle financial matters at the county veterinary clinic 
• Prepared 27 tax returns for individuals and couples

If you have little to no work history, this is a great example as it explains valuable internship and volunteering experience.

Hiring managers love to see certifications, degrees, and anything that says you’re a qualified Accountant. 

Fortunately, outlining your education isn’t a tricky task; it’s as simple as writing out the degree type, institution name, and graduation year. 

Here’s our recommended format and examples for writing an Accountant resume education section:

• Degree type
• School name and location
• Years in school

Example

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Education

• Bachelor’s Degree: Accounting | Texas A&M University | Mabank, TX,  2019
• MBA from National Institute of Management, Dallas, Texas, 2020

This is a great example as it provides the degrees obtained and the institutions attended, along with their locations and the years of graduation.

If you have not graduated yet, you can include your expected finish date, and add bullet points below which detail relevant coursework, projects, awards, etc.

Did you make the Dean’s List a few times while studying? You can add achievements like this if you are an entry-level candidate, to show your accomplishments outside the workplace.

Skills are what pay the bills, and you’ll need to add expertise that are relevant and non-generic to grab a hiring manager’s attention.

To maximize your chances of being accepted, we recommend reviewing the job description for information or researching the company you are applying to see what they want from candidates. 

However, before applying these recommendations, it’s worth mentioning that your skills are divided into two categories, soft and hard skills.

These distinct categories of abilities are outlined in greater detail below. Hard skills might include your IT and tech skills within accounting software or your bookkeeping skills.

As for soft skills, these are also called people skills, which aren’t unique to the accounting profession. 

These abilities are employed during social interactions, ensuring you function professionally with a team or on your own.

Some examples of soft and hard skills worth adding to your Accountant Resume include:

According to the World Economic Forum, up to 50% of all employees will need to reskill due to technological advancements. 

That’s why as AI skills are becoming essential, it’s also a great idea to add some top computer skills to an Accountant’s resume, such as:

• Data analysis and machine learning
• AI implementation and management
• Robotic process automation
• Programming skills

Another way to set yourself apart from the competition is to paint a fuller picture of your character and interests both within and outside of your professional achievements as an Accountant. 

You can do this by including other headings that showcase your sporting interests and hobbies. 

You can also outline participation in training programs, conferences or seminars that give you extra value in the eyes of your potential employers. If you have any publications in well-known magazines, newsletters, or websites, you could add these too.

Find below an Accountant resume example of extra headings that you may like to include:

Example

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>> Additional Activities <<

• Avid jogger 
• Member, AICPA
• Volunteer Accountant for Grace Island Human Rights Society 

>> Conferences <<

• 2017 Emergence Conference – Spoke on a panel about new accounting opportunities 
• 2019 AICPA CFO Conference – Spoke on a panel about emerging accounting tech  

>> Publications <<

• 2021 Article on Accounting software published in Accounting Coach
• 2023 Appeared in a Robert Kiyosaki Podcast episode about Financial freedom

These extra sections provide additional details that can give your resume the extra boost it needs.

By following the guide’s resume examples, tips, and best practices, you’ll have a much better chance to impress any potential employer. 

Simply remember to follow the tips we mentioned, such as:

• Use the reverse-chronological format
• Begin with a resume summary or objective 
• Display information consistent with the job description and requirements 
• Include quantifiable data throughout your resume
• Mention any AI or computer skills that you have

Combine these tips with our AI tools and customizable templates, and you’ll land your interview in no time!