Accountant CV: Template, Examples + Writing Guide [2024]

In accounting, there are rules. The sun rises in the east, and credits and debits should be equal. There’s no questioning that. 

Well, you’d be happy to find out the same applies to writing a good accountant CV. Just as with double entry, there are clear instructions and best practices. 

Intrigued? Read on then!

This guide will show you: 

• An accountant CV example better than 9 out of 10 other CVs.
• How to write an accountant CV that will land you more interviews.
• Tips and examples of how to put skills and achievements on an accounting CV.
• How to describe your experience on a CV for an accountant to get any job you want.

Want to save time and have your CV ready in 5 minutes? Try our CV builder. It’s fast and easy to use. Plus, you’ll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ CV templates and create your CV here.

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Sample CV made with our builder—See more CV examples here.

Not exactly what you’re looking for? See related CVs:

• CV Example: Sales
• CV Example: Administrator CV
• CV Example: Finance
• CV Example: Consultant
• CV Example: Business Analyst
• CV Example: Account Manager
• CV Example: Career Change
• CV Example: Work Experience
• CV Example: Internship
• CV Example: Graduate
• CV Examples for All Jobs

Accountant CV Example

Now, here’s how you make your accounting CV count:

1. Format Your Accountant CV Properly

When you look at a balance sheet, you expect to see certain formatting that makes it easy to grasp. You want a clean layout, separate sections for different categories, no gimmicks. 

A good accounting CV follows the same principles. To get it right, do the following:

• Use professional fonts (Helvetica, Arial, or similar).
• Leave enough room for your text, with 1.15 line spacing and even margins on all sides.
• Go with the reverse-chronological format.
• Create visible sections using headings.
• Include the following: 
• Header (with your contact info.)
• Summary Statement/Career Objective
• Work Experience
• Education
• Skills
• Additional Sections (Conferences, Certifications, Volunteering, anything relevant that deserves extra attention.)
• Save your accountant CV in PDF (unless asked otherwise.)

Once you’re done with the formatting and move on to assembling the contents for the sections, consider this trick: start with your work experience and leave the professional statement for last. This way, you’ll have a bird’s eye view of your CV, making it easier to summarise the information and highlight the most outstanding bits. 

Read more: Best CV Format Examples

2. Describe Your Work Experience

The work experience section is arguably the most important section of your accountant CV, being the main area of focus for the hiring manager. They need to see if you’re a good fit for the role, so make sure it’s very clear that your qualifications match the position. 

Not tailoring your CV to the job description is a liability, so do study it carefully and use it as a basis. Additionally, consider:

• Listing your most recent job first and going backwards.
• Mentioning your job title, company name, and dates for each entry.
• Adding up to 6 bullet points to describe your experience.
• Focusing on measurable achievements vs simply naming your duties.
• Using the PAR (Problem-Action-Result) formula.
• Choosing action words (“maintained,” “streamlined”) over regular verbs for the best effect.

Have a look at these accountant CV examples:

Accountant CV Example: Work Experience 

This example is based on numbers and measurable achievements. It’s easy to see what value this candidate would potentially bring to the company. 

This example is by far not as presentable visibly, thus not easy for the recruiter to skim. It also does not reflect any special accomplishments—just very basic duties that would not bring this candidate forward in the competition. 

Accounting Graduate CV Example

Even with limited experience, this candidate’s accounting CV will be competitive, as it’s able to demonstrate relevant skills acquired over the course of the internship.

Such an entry will most likely be overlooked, as it’s not really saying anything specific. Remember to always focus on tangible results and actions over generic duty descriptions. 

When making a CV in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional CV template here for free.

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When you’re done, Zety’s CV builder will score your CV and tell you exactly how to make it better.

3. Mention Education on Your Accountant CV

Showcase your CAP by displaying education on your accountant CV. There are 2 possible scenarios that might alter your approach slightly:

• For experienced professionals: include the name of your degree, university, and dates. 
• For entry-level candidates writing an accounting graduate CV: mention your prominent academic achievements, publications, and extracurricular activities, too.

Accountant CV Sample (Experienced): Education

Accounting Student CV: Education 

This section may provide extra value in a recent finance graduate CV if placed right after the career objective.

Want to make sure you include all the right things? See our guide: How to Include Education on a CV: Full Guide

4. Highlight Your Professional Skills

It’s time to look into your books and bring out your greatest assets. Your relevant skills will offer great support for your work experience section, further proving that you’re the top candidate in the pool. 

Here are some ideas for your accountant CV skills section:

Accounting CV Examples: Skills

• Bookkeeping
• Invoicing
• Taxation
• Payroll
• Knowledge of regulatory standards
• Compliance
• GAAP
• Software skills
• Reporting
• Analytical skills
• Problem-solving
• Decision-making skills
• Accuracy
• Attention to detail
• Reliability
• Communication skills
• Computer skills

Maximise the impact by adding relevant comments about those skills, like here:

Accounting Skills for CV

It might seem intuitive to just focus on software or accounting-specific abilities. Still, studies claim that employers evaluate your personal qualities and communication skills just as much—so mention both hard skills and soft skills.

5. Enhance Your Accountant CV With Additional Sections

We’re almost done with the required sections of the accounting CV (the professional statement being the last of those). However, there are hidden gems of CV writing that can boost your application significantly—the additional sections.

Use those to demonstrate the extra profit that will come with hiring you. Here are some ideas of what you could potentially include:

• For experienced professionals: certifications, extra training, conferences you’ve attended, industry awards, etc.
• For entry-level candidates: putvolunteering, proficiency in languages, hobbies, and personal interests on your CV, as long as they are appropriate and relevant to the industry/company culture.

Accounting CV Sample: Extra Sections

Read more: Essentials to Include in a CV

6.Write a CV Summary or CV Objective

Now that the bulk of the work is done, it’s time to conduct an audit and find the strongest suits that should be featured in the personal statement of your accountant CV.

Follow this procedure:

• Refer back to the job description, picking out keywords and reminding yourself of what exactly the company’s looking for.
• Go through your CV again, picking out the most relevant points.
• Decide on the top achievements (2–3) and skills from all the sections. 
• Assemble a summary using the formula:

Personal Statement for Accountant CV: Experienced Candidate

Numbers just draw more attention, don’t they? You can see how being relevant and listing your measurable results vs bare responsibilities sets a CV summary forward.

For an accounting graduate CV, focus on your career objectives and ways in which you can bring value to the company.

CV Objective: Accounting Graduate CV Example

It’s absolutely crucial to show the value you can bring, not just what you want to gain from a job. According to a report, many small and medium-sized businesses struggle to see the value of hiring recent graduates due to them being not ‘work ready’ enough (thus presenting additional costs for training, etc.) That is why showing you already have some skills necessary will be a significant advantage.

7. Pair Your Accounting CV With a Cover Letter

It’s not the time to collect the dividends yet—your application won’t be complete without an accounting cover letter. Even if it’s not explicitly required, it might still be an expectation, so don’t miss your chance to stand out from the crowd.

There are perks you could gain from attaching a cover letter to your accountant CV:

• Showing you would go the extra mile and put effort into your endeavours. 
• Adding more relevant information that the CV can’t contain due to its format.
• Clarifying certain key points, providing examples of your work or successful cases you’ve dealt with.

Keep your cover letter brief (1 page) and to the point. Don’t hesitate to use cover letter templates (you can use a matching set for your CV/cover letter).

Read more: How to Write a Cover Letter for Any Job

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your CV will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

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See more cover letter templates and start writing.

Key Takeaways

Here’s how to write an accountant CV, step by step:

• Take care of the formatting.
• Bring out the best in the work experience section.
• Mention your education and relevant skills.
• Use additional sections to give some attention to your prominent achievements.
• Write an impressive professional statement. 
• Add a cover letter to your accounting CV to seal the deal.

Hope you enjoyed our guide on crafting a perfect accountant CV. We’d love to hear what you think:

• Are there any details we could add? 

• Is there a particular part of your accountant CV that presented a challenge?

Let's get the conversation going!

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