13 Accounting Resume Examples and Guide for 2024

Accounting resume template (text format)

Pair your resume with an effective accounting cover letter.

3 accountant resumes by experience level

Wherever you are on your career journey, we have resume samples for you to refer to as you write your own.

Entry-level accountant resume

If you’re seeking an entry-level accounting role, take a look at this junior accountant resume sample to learn what to include in your own:

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Junior accountant resume example highlights

• Includes a prominent education section: If you’ve just graduated, employers won’t expect you to have much accounting-related work experience. They’ll be much more interested in the education section of your resume, especially if your listed coursework shows a close connection between your studies and your intended job.
• Adds a certifications section: This applicant may not have much relevant work experience, but they do have certifications on their resume that prove they have the skills accounting firms are seeking.

Accounting internship resume

You might be searching for an accounting internship during summer vacation or after graduation. Here’s what companies will expect to see in an accounting internship resume:

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Accounting intern resume example highlights

• Uses a resume objective: A resume objective is perfect when you don’t have much accounting-related work experience. An objective explains why accounting is your dream career and links your personal goals with the work your target company is doing.
• Shows prior internship experience: This candidate has previous internship experience, which they format like regular work experience entries. They also use strong bullet points with action verbs and numbers to put their accomplishments into context.

Senior accountant resume

After several years in accounting, it might be time for you to move up the ladder to a management position. Here’s how to construct a job-winning senior accountant resume:

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Senior accountant resume example highlights

• Contextualizes previous jobs: Senior-role resumes often use this format: a short sentence in each work experience entry explains the scope of your role and responsibilities, giving context into your previous responsibilities to hiring managers.
• Centered design: This sample is an example of a centered resume design. It’s different, so it’ll stand out in a pile of accounting manager applications.

9 accounting resume samples by job title or specialty

Accounting is a broad industry with many specializations. No matter what kind of accounting you do, we have a vast array of resume samples that you can browse to see how an effective resume for your specific role looks like.

Accounting assistant resume

If you’re unsure how to write a standout accounting assistant resume, learn now by looking at our example:

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Example highlight

• Has a bold resume header: Sometimes all it takes is a resume header with a bold background color to make sure your resume stands out to employers, especially given that many of your fellow accounting applicants will use traditional black-and-white resumes.

Accounts payable resume

Look no further than our accounts payable resume example to see how one should be written:

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Example highlight

• Uses a simple template: Accounting is a traditional industry, so we recommend using a basic resume template (as opposed to one with bright colors and graphics).

Accounts receivable resume

Write an excellent accounts receivable resume by paying attention to the strategies used in this example:

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Example highlight

• Makes good use of page space: This unique resume layout features a one-column design up top where you need more words to explain your work history, but two columns down below where fewer words are needed in the education and skills sections.

Bookkeeper resume

A strong bookkeeper resume makes employers realize the full extent of your skills, qualifications, and experience. Here’s an example to draw inspiration from:

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Example highlight

• Highlights accounting skills: This resume design highlights accounting skills by placing them inside skills “bubbles” that pop off the page so employers immediately see them.

Certified public accountant (CPA) resume

Next, we have a solid CPA resume sample you can use to get to grips with writing yours:

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Example highlight

• Uses icons to draw attention to your contact details: Subtle use of resume icons can help attract the attention of recruiting managers in the accounting field — in this case, to the contact details section, so employers can quickly find it.

Debt collector resume

It’s time to write your debt collector resume. We provide this sample so you can see how to compose your own:

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Example highlight

• Integrates numbers into bullet points: Each bullet point on your resume should include hard numbers. This data helps employers understand what you accomplished in previous roles so they have a good idea about what you can achieve in a new debt collector job one.

Payroll specialist resume

If you’re seeking out a payroll specialist role, you can find some good ideas for what to include in your resume on our payroll specialist resume example:

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• Effectively uses white space: The design of this resume template means the lower-right side doesn’t look busy, making your resume overall look uncramped. This means it’ll seem less overwhelming to recruiters so that they prioritize looking over your payroll specialist resume.

Staff accountant resume

As a staff accountant, a top-tier resume will help you land the job you want. Here’s our strong staff accountant resume to glean ideas from and use in your own:

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Example highlight

• Uses lines to effectively break up content: Lines can be used on your resume to break it up and help hiring managers quickly find the resume section they’re looking for.

Tax preparer resume

Prepare your tax preparer resume following the ideas from our sample:

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Example highlight

• Uses an eye-catching color: Using color on your resume can help make it stand out among its competitors. Pick a resume color that’s appropriate for the traditional accounting sector, like dark greens, blues, and maroons.

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 in the USA.

How to write an accounting resume

An effective accounting resume is one that impresses employers and makes them call you in for an interview. We’re here to help you write this kind of resume.

@resumegenius Thinking of getting a job in accounting? 💰 Here are some tips on how to land a job in this industry, including required education, necessary skills, and resume writing advice. If you’re looking for an accounting resume template, we have 10 examples of resumes for this industry here: 🔸 resumegeniusDOTme/accounting-resume And if you’re already preparing for your job interview, check out our profile. We have a video on how to answer the top 3 most common accounting interview questions #accounting #resumetips #resumegenius #jobsearchtips #jobsearching #careeradvice #accountant #cpa ♬ SHIPWRECK SHORELINE – SEDVTED

1. Highlight your accounting successes

A good work history bullet point should highlight work-based achievements rather than duties so that you can impress hiring managers with your accomplishments instead of just listing your daily duties.

Here’s a good example of a hard number–filled work experience entry:

2. Demonstrate you’re certified

Certifications matter in the accounting industry because they show you’ve been trained to do the job, are clear on how to use certain software, know about accounting-related state and federal regulations, and keep on top of your continuous learning.

Here’s how a certifications section on an accounting resume should look:

And here are 10 common accounting sector certifications you can add to your resume or look into getting:

3. Add accounting-related technical skills to your resume

The skills section of your accountant resume should feature mostly technical skills to prove to employers that you’re up to date with the latest accountancy software and accounting techniques.

Here’s a long list of technical accountancy skills:

1. QuickBooks
2. Microsoft Excel
3. SAP
4. Oracle Financials
5. Xero
6. FreshBooks
7. Wave Accounting
8. Accounts payable and receivable management
9. Financial reporting
10. Budget forecasting
11. Tax preparation
12. Audit software (e.g., ACL, IDEA)
13. Payroll software
14. General ledger management
15. Financial modeling

4. Sum up your resume in its introduction

Although you might be tempted to write your resume introduction first, hold up. Finish the rest of your accounting resume first and then come back to your resume summary.

You can now write it with all of your skills, achievements, and certifications in front of you, which allows you to select the best content and put it into your summary.

Here are three examples of good accounting resume summaries:

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Resources for aspiring accountants

Looking for advice on how to land your first accounting job? Certified public accountant Eddy from Gramajo Consulting shares his top tips on TikTok:

@gramajoconsulting Break into accounting! #accounting #accountingstudent #accountant #accountant ♬ original sound – Eddy, CPA | CPA Career Tips