When searching for accountant jobs, your CV is one of the most important tools you can have in your arsenal as it’s your main opportunity to showcase your skills and competencies to hiring managers.
You could be a great accountant with a whole wealth of practical experience, but if your CV isn’t up to scratch you will likely miss out on being considered for the role altogether.
To ensure you stand the best chance of being picked for an interview, we’ve put together a guide to show you how to prepare a CV as an accountant.
How to write an accountant CV
When writing your accountant resume, it’s important for you to understand the correct format. While it’s true that you shouldn’t follow a generic template, a hiring manager will always expect to see a certain format that is easy to read and covers the key points throughout your career.
Personal Information
This might go without saying, but you wouldn’t believe the number of candidates that forget to include their up-to-date personal information at the top of their accounting CV.
Any hiring manager would expect to see information such as your full name, phone number (including country dialling code), email address, and address. Information such as date of birth, driving license status, gender and marital status usually isn’t required unless stated otherwise.
Accounting Personal Statement
This offers you the perfect opportunity to sell yourself to the hiring manager. It’s often at this point they will decide whether or not to continue with your application.
Create a compelling summary of yourself in 2-3 sentences including how your skills match the job description, a brief overview of your experience and education as well as any future goals and the motive behind your application.
On average, your potential employer spends less than a minute skimming through your CV, so it’s important you make your personal statement count.
Accounting Skills Section
In this section of your accounting resume, you should include the skills relevant to the job description. For example, if the role includes working with a specific type of software highlight where and when you have used this. Always back up your statements with facts and figures where possible to ensure your CV stands out from other applicants.
Some of the primary accounting skills requested by employers include:
- Experience with systems such as SAP or Oracle
- Relevant accounting qualifications such as chartered status
- Financial reporting and handling of financial data
Hard and Soft Skills for your accountant CV
Accountants possess a wide range of diverse skills, and whilst you want to highlight all the skills you have acquired throughout your accounting career, you must ensure it’s tailored to the job description.
Before compiling your accounting resume, take some time to study the job description and write down the soft and hard skills you have that are relevant. Below are some of the most invaluable skills you can possess in an accounting role:
- Ability to communicate effectively
- Strong interpersonal skills
- Problem-solving
- Organisational skills
- Time management
- Numeracy
- Business acumen
- Systems analysis
- Team player
- Writing
- Adaptability
Experience
Once the hiring manager has opened your CV, the first thing they will do is scan it for relevant technical skills and similar accountant jobs that are relevant to the job title. If your accounting CV does not pass this initial scan, then you won’t be considered for the role you’ve applied for.
Academic qualifications
Hiring managers need to assess if candidates are qualified for the job they’ve applied for and list any qualifications or training you have completed will help to show the company that you are committed to learning.
Whilst you don’t need to list every exam you have ever taken, you should list your most relevant qualifications and they should be listed in reverse chronological order.
When it comes to an accountant’s resume, professional qualifications and knowledge are incredibly important.
Employment History
An accountant resume should only be around two pages long, we recommend only including up to three previous roles.
You want to make sure your employment history is easy to read and ensure it is listed in reverse chronological order starting with your most recent experience and working backwards.
Key achievements
Facts, figures and data to back up any claims you make on your CV allow recruiters to understand the value you will add to their company.
Clear and concise bullet points that include numbers and data will help to quantify the results you have achieved for yourself, employers and clients.
When writing your CV, try to add some measurable achievements for example:
- Analysed the cost of materials and proposed changes, which contributed to a €200k annual cost saving
- Increased sales performance by 15% by studying financial statements and data and recommending which areas of the business were underperforming
Personal Interests and Hobbies
This is the least important part of the CV, and it shouldn’t make or break your application. Even so, it is good to cast aside the whole ‘accountants have no personality’ stereotype. It is also an opportunity to fill in any gaps in your experience. For instance, you can highlight your leadership skills by showing that you were the captain of a successful sports team.
How to write an accountant resume with no experience
If you’re a new graduate or have little experience in the accountancy field – don’t worry. You can still get a job as an accountant within your dream company. Below are a few tips for you to think about when writing your CV:
- If you have minimal experience consider a skills-based CV approach that highlights how you are well versed with accounting procedures and financial reports
- Add a strong resume objective as part of your personal statement summarising your skills, relevant education and experience
- If you have minimal or no real-world work experience focus your CV on your education, adding plenty of detail around relevant modules and any grades you received
GPC Finance is a leading Irish recruitment consultancy based in Dublin, specialising in accountancy and finance, banking and financial services, audit, tax and insurance for permanent appointments. Search our latest jobs here.