by Bob Hunter
The accounting industry remains a competitive field in today’s employment market, and only job seekers who can effectively present themselves to employers via impeccable resumes will receive hiring consideration. Your resume showcases your experience on paper, and demonstrates that you deserve an opportunity to detail your accomplishments in person. A quality accounting resume is one to two pages in length, includes only relevant material that is targeted at a specific accounting employer and is error-free.
Preparing to Start the Writing Process
Accomplished job seekers will go to great lengths to detail their relevant experience before they begin writing their accountant resume. Before beginning your resume, ensure that you have an in-depth knowledge of the needs of the accounting industry, including your target accounting employers, and how you, as a candidate, meet those needs.
In the field of accounting, employers seek a combination of technical and soft skills, combined with appropriate education and experience; reading through relevant accounting job descriptions for commonalities can give candidates the most up-to-date information in this area. Using this information, candidates should create a brand that incorporates career goals and professional identity. That brand may be expressed specifically as the objective of the resume or incorporated more subtly throughout the document.
Make Your Experience Work For You
Accounting employers look first and foremost for a candidate’s experience, and a resume must be written to highlight relevant experience fully. The chronological resume, which is the standard resume format, includes relevant experience beginning with the most recent experience. Today’s resumes include the term “Experience” instead of “Employment,” and this resume section can include any relevant experience, including paid, unpaid, intern, part-time, full-time, and temporary. Include basic details of previous positions, including company name, location, dates of employment, and job title. Each position should then include a bulleted list of key accomplishments and responsibilities. Strong action verbs, key industry terms, and the inclusion of quantifiable information meld together to create a strong section. Candidates with little accounting experience can highlight transferable skills gained through unrelated experience.
Other Resume Sections
Aside from the pivotal experience section, essential resume sections include complete contact information, education, which can include relevant professional training and relevant coursework, and skills, which should largely focus on industry-related technical skills instead of general soft skills. As relevant, candidates should also include certifications (including the CPA), honors and awards, professional affiliations, and community involvement.
Methods of Making Your Application Stand Out
The average accounting hiring manager spends 15-20 seconds scanning a resume before making an initial decision on the candidate; brevity, bulleted lists, and sparingly used bold and italic word formatting can help keep the reader’s attention. Highlight projects, financial software, and professional involvement that mirror that of the target employer. Recently, some candidates have included professional website links, brief quotes from industry professionals about the candidate’s achievements, and even graphical representations of key skills and experience; gauge the appropriateness of these tactics as some accounting firms are traditional in nature.
About the Author:
If you are a recent accounting graduate you will soon be entering a great market. For additional
accountant job hunting information visit accountingresume.ca where you’ll find resume tips, salary information, and additional accounting resume resources.