Crafting a standout resume as an accountant is crucial to nabbing that dream job amidst the competitive finance landscape.
We’re here to guide you through the nuances of presenting your qualifications and experience in the best light.
Check out our friendly guide complete with an Accountant resume example to kick-start your career move.
Contents
|
Accountant Resume Example
The Accountant resume example displayed above is a great example of proper resume structuring and top content.
It is crafted to appear professional and to ensure it’s an easy read for busy recruiters.
Follow the upcoming steps to write a winning Accountant resume that lands you interviews.
Accountant resume structure & format
Resume structure
A strategically structured resume is crucial for showcasing your strengths and securing interviews.
Ensure your resume includes these sections:
- Contact details: Your name and contact information.
- Resume summary: A concise overview of your qualifications and skills.
- Core skills: A list of key skills relevant to Accountant jobs.
- Work experience: Detailed in reverse chronological order, showcasing your career progression.
- Education: Your academic achievements and credentials.
- Additional info (optional): Extra details that might influence the hiring decision, like volunteer work or special interests.
How to format your Accountant resume
To make a strong impression, your resume format must be both professionally stylish and easy for recruiters to read quickly.
Here are our vital formatting tips to make your resume both appealing and reader-friendly.
- Resume length: Keep your resume between 1 to 2 pages long because recruiters see tons of resumes every day and only have limited time to read each one.
- Font & colour scheme: Use a simple font which is easy to read and avoid elaborate ones which might make reading difficult. Go for black-text-on-white background, but feel free to add a splash of colour in the design to help your resume stand out.
- Page layout: Divide the page into clearly visible sections using bold headings or borders, so that readers can quickly pinpoint the information they want.
- Break text up: Break text up into concise bullet points and short paragraphs to make it easy for busy recruiters to digest the info.
- Photos: Photos aren’t necessary in Australia, but if you want, you can include a small headshot at the top.
Quick tip: Achieving a professional look for your resume can be difficult and time-consuming. If you want to create an attractive resume quickly, try our Resume Builder and use one of our eye-catching professional resume templates.
Contact Details
Employers need to know who you are, and how to contact you – so whilst your contact details section is fairly simple, it’s important to get it right.
Add these 4 essential details to the top of your resume, trying not to take up too much space:
- Your name and a professional title: (e.g. Marketing Manager or Management Accountant) Tailor the title to match your target jobs.
- Email address: Ensure that it look professional (e.g.shane.smith21@gmail.com) and don’t use an old one with your school nickname in like shanzeybwoySmitho666@gmail.com.
- Phone number: Ideally your mobile so that you can be easily reached. Don’t forget to triple check the number is correct!
- Location: Add the general location of where you are looking to work (e.g. Sydney, Brisbane).
You can also add some of the following details optionally:
- Webpage links: You can link out to a relevant social profile such as LinkedIn or even a portfolio. Make sure anything you link to is high-quality and kept up-to-date.
- Photograph: Photographs aren’t normally required but employers in creative industries sometimes like to see them. If you decide to add, make sure that you look professional and don’t take up too much space on the page with it.
You do not need to add personal details such as your date of birth, full address, or gender. These details aren’t needed to make a hiring decision and will waste space on your resume.
Accountant Resume Summary
Your resume summary is a short introductory paragraph at the top of the page, designed to give recruiters a high-level overview of your suitability.
If you want to hook recruiters attention and encourage them to read more of your resume, do the following
- Keep it short: Hiring managers won’t have time to read an essay-sized summary when dealing with hundreds of applications – keep it between 3 to 5 sentences.
- Tailor to target jobs: For maximum impact, try to reflect as many matching skills from your target job adverts as you can. This will make recruiters more likely to pay attention.
- Avoid using cliches: Avoid falling into the trap of labeling yourself as a “go-getter” or a “people person” – these phrases are overused and lack substance for employers.
Accountant resume summary example
What to include in your Accountant resume summary
- Summary of your experience: Outline the variety of roles you’ve undertaken and the organisations you’ve been part of to give employers a clear overview of your career experience.
- Relevant skills: Tell employers you have the right skills for Accountant roles by detailing your most relevant skills for the job.
- Qualifications: Include a short note about any relevant qualifications for Accountant roles to demonstrate your suitability for the position.
- Benefits of hiring you: Highlight the benefits you can bring to the employer, whether it’s in terms of cost reduction, efficiency improvements, or revenue generation for the company.
Quick tip: Choose from hundreds of pre-written summaries across all industries, and add one to your resume with one-click in our Resume Builder. All written by recruitment experts and easily tailored to suit your unique skillset and style.
Core skills section
Enhance the impact of your resume by adding a section for core skills.
List your key skills that are highly valued in Accountant jobs in bullet points and keep each item concise – no more than four words – to quickly draw the attention of busy hiring managers.
Skills for your Accountant resume
Financial Reporting – Preparation of financial statements, such as balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow statements, to provide accurate insights into the financial status of an organisation.
Tax Compliance – Ensuring adherence to tax laws and regulations, including the preparation and submission of tax returns and other required documents to the Australian Taxation Office.
Auditing Practices – Conducting systematic reviews and audits of financial records to ensure accuracy and compliance with accounting standards and legal requirements.
Management Accounting – Assisting in decision-making by analysing financial information to support budgeting, performance evaluation, and cost management.
Financial Analysis – Interpreting financial data to identify trends, assess financial health, and make recommendations for business improvements.
Accounting Software Proficiency – Utilising accounting software like Xero, MYOB, or QuickBooks for efficient transaction recording, report generation, and financial management.
Corporate Finance – Understanding of corporate financial operations, including capital budgeting, risk management, and investment analysis.
Regulatory Compliance – Familiarity with financial regulations and ensuring that financial practices adhere to the Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB) guidelines.
Bookkeeping – Maintaining accurate records of financial transactions, including purchases, sales, receipts, and payments, to ensure up-to-date accounting information.
Superannuation Compliance – Knowledge of superannuation laws and regulations to ensure correct calculation and payment of superannuation contributions for employees.
Quick tip: Our Resume Builder contains thousands of in-demand skills for every profession that can be added to your resume in seconds – saving you time and greatly improving your chances of landing job interviews and getting hired.
Work experience section
The work experience part of your resume allows you to display what you can bring to a potential employer.
Record your previous roles in reverse chronological order, giving particular attention to the past 3-5 years.
Structuring your jobs
To make your responsibilities clear to recruiters, present your previous jobs in the following format.
Outline
Introduce each job with a concise 1 to 2 line outline that covers the employer’s business, your role within the structure, and the key goals of your position.
Key responsibilities
List 5-8 bullet points detailing your main responsibilities within the job, highlighting important skills, knowledge and tools that you use.
Keep each point brief and show who you interact with, and how you contribute to the organisation.
Key achievements
Round up each role by listing 1-3 key achievements that had a big positive impact on the employer (like saving them money or completing a project ahead of schedule)
Wherever possible, quantify them using hard facts and figures to prove the value you delivered.
Example job for Accountant resume
Outline
Coordinate budgeting and forecasting activities and drive positive business outcomes, for a an organisation that produces affordable clothing, bags, accessories, and other soft goods.
Key Responsibilities
- Mentor and impart the necessary skills which allow junior staff to thrive and attain outline targets.
- Ensure accounts are closed in-line with month-end deadlines, while effectively resolving P&L performance issues.
- Manage working capital in areas that include aged debt and cash flow projections.
- Reconcile balance sheet for to identify any discrepancies in statements.
Quick tip: Create impressive job descriptions easily in our Resume Builder by adding pre-written job phrases for every industry and career stage.
Education section
In the lower part of your resume, add a section dedicated to education.
Present this information in a bullet-point format, concentrating on qualifications that are directly relevant to Accountant jobs.
Candidates with extensive professional experience can limit this section to key details, whereas if you have little or no experience you should expand on your academic achievements to demonstrate relevant skills.
This section can include:
- University degrees
- Industry specific qualifications for Accountant jobs
- Vocational education and training (VET) diplomas
- Senior Secondary Certificate of Education (SSCE)
Additional information (optional)
At the end of your resume, you can consider incorporating a section for additional information.
This part is suitable for hobbies, interests, awards, publications, or technical skills that could enhance your appeal to employers.
When adding content here, ensure it is either directly relevant to your profession or exceptionally impressive.
Avoid listing everyday activities like watching television or casual socialising, as they are unlikely to influence hiring decisions.
While writing an exceptional Accountant resume is demanding, the steps outlined above should guide you in crafting a document that engages recruiters and brings in many interview requests.
It is crucial to proofread your resume thoroughly and tailor it for each application to ensure you are seen as a fitting candidate.
Good luck with your job search!
Related resumes: Financial planner | Finance analyst | Auditor | Bookkeeper | Finance Manager