Accounting Cover Letter Examples

Accounting Cover Letter Template

Average accountant salaries in the US

The following table includes information from O*NET Resource Center by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. The data is presented based on the top states by downloads in the USA.

Accounting cover letter writing tips

Accountants are professionally trained to examine and prepare financial reports for clients. But to land a job as a finance expert, you’ll need to prepare a professional accountant cover letter to show employers you have the knowledge, qualifications, and experience they seek.

Below are four tips for writing an impressive accounting cover letter that highlights your expertise and helps you stand out from other applicants:

1. Mimic the language of the job ad

The original job ad is a great reference for deciding what to include in your cover letter. Where accurate, echo the terminology used to describe required skills, tools, and knowledge areas. This approach will help you emphasize the relevance of your skills and experience to the specific employer you’re addressing.

You can also use high-demand accounting terms and keywords to highlight your industry expertise. We analyzed nearly 5,000 accounting job ads and compiled the most frequently used terms in the industry:

In addition to mirroring the job ad, incorporating some of these common industry phrases into your cover letter can help demonstrate your professionalism and familiarity with the field.

2. Highlight your accounting skills

Hiring managers look for accountants who possess a combination of hard and soft skills, and your accounting cover letter is a great place to provide these details.

Hard skills are the technical abilities you’ve learned from previous schooling, training, and on-the-job experience.

Employers want to know they can rely on you to analyze financial data and accurately communicate these findings with clients. As accountants review and interpret financial records, include examples of times when you showed strong analytical skills and knowledge of complex financial processes.

Here’s an example of a statement describing an applicant’s specific contributions to their company’s growth:

Below are some other technical skills to include in your accounting cover letter:

• Google Drive and Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, and Outlook)
• Oracle PeopleSoft, Microsoft Dynamics, SAP
• Intuit QuickBooks
• Sage 50 Accounting
• Microsoft Access, Microsoft Project
• Structured Query Language (SQL)
• Complying with financial regulations
• Bookkeeping

By contrast, your soft skills convey your ability to relate well with clients and colleagues.

For instance, your ability to turn complex data and numbers into accurate reports and presentations is important, but being able to communicate this information effectively is also a critical skill employers seek in their accountants.

Additionally, discussing a number of financial matters with clients, stakeholders, or your internal team such as audits, tax returns, or purchase orders are part of an accountant’s key responsibilities, so try writing about your people skills.

Here’s an example of an accountant applicant mentioning their ability to work well with their colleagues:

Here are some soft skills to include in your cover letter that present you as an effective accountant:

• Attention to detail
• Communication skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Time management skills
• Organizational skills
• Adaptability
• Analytical and critical thinking skills
• Decision-making
• Problem-solving
• Teamwork

3. Use proper cover letter formatting

Accounting work requires being detail-oriented, and your cover letter for an accounting role should convey this quality. Even with impressive qualifications, a hiring manager will immediately lose interest with a lengthy or disorganized cover letter.

So using a professional cover letter format that’s well-organized and easy to follow is essential for writing a successful accounting job application.

Here’s how to structure an accounting cover letter:

• Your accounting cover letter format should include your contact details, a salutation, an introductory paragraph, 1–2 body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
• Set the margins to between ½” and 1” so your cover letter doesn’t look too empty or too busy.
• Use an appropriate cover letter font such as Times New Roman, Arial, and Verdana so employers can read your typed writing easily.
• Keep your font size between 10.5 and 12 points so hiring managers don’t have to strain their eyes.
• In the closing paragraph, thank the hiring manager for their time and include a call-to-action to set up a meeting by including your email address and phone number.

4. Use hard numbers to quantify your achievements

Working as an accountant means you’re constantly managing money and working hard to help a company gain profits and reduce losses.

Communicating to your target employer that you’ve made a positive impact to your previous companies’ bottom line will encourage them to continue reading the rest of your application and consider you for an interview.

So include your top accomplishments throughout your accounting cover letter. Providing examples of your previous achievements by including metrics proves you’re results-driven and will be an asset to your target company.

So as you’re writing your cover letter statements, don’t forget to state the:

• number of clients or teams you worked with
• accounts you worked with
• amount of money you worked with daily, monthly, or quarterly
• number of financial statements and reports you compiled

Our accounting applicant includes these two statements where they provide several hard numbers:

I solely handled payroll for 25 employees and saved our company $150,000 in one year.

In 2022, I successfully negotiated with 5 vendors and helped our team save $42,000 in annual expenses so we no longer needed to rely on a $1 million line-of-credit.