Accountant Resume: Example, Skills and CPA Tips
Updated
An accountant resume should show the work you own (month-end close, reconciliations, financial statements, tax or audit), the size and type of organizations you worked for, and results such as faster closes, cleaner audits or savings. List your accounting software and Excel skills, and your CPA status: licensed, exam in progress or eligible.
What to include on an accountant resume
- Contact details: name, phone, professional email, city and state, and a LinkedIn URL if it is up to date. No photo, date of birth or other personal details: US employers don’t expect them.
- A professional summary of two or three sentences.
- Work experience, most recent first, with bullet points that show results, not just duties.
- CPA status in the header or summary, for example “Jane Smith, CPA” or “CPA candidate, 2 of 4 sections passed”.
- Scope for each job: industry, company size, number of entities, and whether it was public accounting or industry.
- Software: ERP and accounting systems, plus your Excel level.
Public accounting and corporate accounting value different things. For audit or tax roles, highlight clients, industries and engagement size; for industry roles, highlight close timelines, reporting and process improvements.
Sample professional summary
Staff accountant with 4 years in manufacturing, responsible for month-end close, account reconciliations and fixed assets for three entities. Cut the close from 10 to 6 business days and supported a clean annual audit. Advanced Excel and NetSuite. CPA candidate, 3 of 4 sections passed.
Change the industry, entities, systems and CPA status to yours. Senior accountants and controllers should mention team size and reporting responsibilities.
How to describe your experience
Under each job, write three to five bullets that start with an action verb and say what changed because of your work. The numbers below are examples: use your own.
WeakDid month-end close.
BetterLed month-end close for 3 entities and cut the timeline from 10 to 6 business days by standardizing reconciliations and accruals.
WeakPrepared reconciliations.
BetterReconciled 40+ balance sheet accounts monthly and cleared $250K in aged reconciling items.
WeakHelped with the audit.
BetterPrepared PBC schedules for the annual audit, with no material adjustments and fieldwork finished a week early.
WeakWorked on taxes.
BetterPrepared 120+ individual and small-business federal and state returns per season with few reviewer corrections.
If you don’t have exact figures, describe the result without one, or use a range you could explain in an interview.
Skills to list on an accountant resume
- Month-end and year-end close, accruals and journal entries
- Account reconciliations and general ledger
- Financial statements under US GAAP
- Accounts payable and receivable, fixed assets
- Audit support and internal controls (SOX, where applicable)
- Software: QuickBooks, NetSuite, SAP, Oracle, Sage Intacct
- Excel: pivot tables, XLOOKUP, Power Query; BI tools if you use them
Education, CPA and other credentials
- Bachelor’s degree in accounting or a related field; a Master of Accountancy (MAcc) if you have one.
- CPA license, issued by your state board of accountancy after passing the Uniform CPA Examination and meeting education and experience requirements that vary by state. Write the state: “CPA, [State]”.
- Still testing? Show your progress (sections passed) or write “CPA eligible”. Don’t put “CPA” after your name until you are licensed.
- Other credentials when relevant: Certified Management Accountant (CMA), Enrolled Agent (EA) for tax roles, Certified Internal Auditor (CIA).
Frequently asked questions
Can I write CPA on my resume if I passed the exam but am not licensed yet?
No. State laws generally reserve the CPA title for licensed individuals. Write “Passed all sections of the CPA exam, licensure expected [month, year]” instead, and check your state board’s rules.
Should I include my GPA?
Include it if you graduated recently and it is strong, since many public accounting firms recruit on campus. Drop it after a few years of experience.
One page or two?
One page for staff and senior accountants. Two pages for managers and controllers with several roles, system implementations or leadership responsibilities.
How do I move from public accounting to industry?
Translate audit work into what corporate teams do: name the close, reporting and controls areas you tested, the industries you know, and any process improvements you suggested to clients.