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The accounting manager is a senior-level position within the finance team at an organization. Accounting managers are leaders who oversee the accounting team and their day-to-day business processes. As an accounting manager, you may monitor and optimize workflow processes, identify cost-savings opportunities, and provide guidance to junior accountants. To become an accounting manager, you will need demonstrated knowledge in accounting, as well as an eye for detail and great leadership skills.
For this role, hiring managers will look for a candidate with a bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or business. More importantly, ideal candidates will have significant and progressive experience working in finance roles. Hiring managers may look for someone with previous experience as a junior accountant, budget officer, or controller. It’s important that candidates for this role have leadership abilities as well as project management capabilities.
The CPA is a credential given to licensed accounting professionals. Having this certification on your resume will show hiring managers you have completed at least 150 hours of accounting education and have a minimum of 2 years of professional accounting experience. Gaining a CPA is a great way to quickly show hiring managers you are knowledgeable.
It’s crucial that the accounting manager is a strong leader as they will oversee junior finance staff who complete important tasks such as payroll, accounts receivable, billing, and more. You should showcase your ability to manage several team members with varying responsibilities on your resume.
The accounting manager oversees and manages the accounting team. They determine goals, and policies, and delegate tasks to team members. Accounting managers ensure that the organization’s finances are at their best state by auditing their financial reports. Then they identify patterns that allow them to draw conclusions.
This is a leadership position, so you should demonstrate your leadership and project management skills in your resume. You can mention previous experiences in which you managed a large team.
As an accounting manager, you are expected to have several years of experience in the field, so it’s important to include all relevant project and job experience in accounting. This will demonstrate seniority and illustrate your value in the industry.
Accounting managers should be computer-literate and up-to-date with the latest trends in the industry. Some of the most used programs for accounting in 2023 include Oracle NetSuite Accounting Software, Intuit QuickBooks Online, Melio, and FreshBooks Accounting Software. It might be a good idea to research the company you're applying to by looking at the job description, find out what they're using, and including that exact stack of software on your resume.
Accounting managers oversee accounting departments, manage financial reporting, and lead their teams to success. To advance to a management position in accounting, you not only need to be a great accountant; you also need to demonstrate leadership and people skills. Make sure your resume reflects your experience in these areas.
Featuring past promotions on your resume tells hiring managers that you are an outstanding employee with the potential to excel. It takes proactivity and drive to rise through the ranks at any job, and those same qualities are essential when you’re seeking a leadership position.
As a financial professional, you will be expected to produce results for your employers. Quantify your previous successes with specific numbers to show the impact you made at your old jobs. Prior achievements such as “recovered $2M in overstated expenses” or “consolidated sales over $10M” are a strong testament to your skills.
As a hiring manager who has recruited accounting managers at companies like Ernst & Young, Deloitte, and KPMG, I've seen hundreds of resumes for this role. The best resumes that lead to interviews and job offers have a few things in common. In this article, we'll cover what those are with plenty of examples so you can build a strong accounting manager resume that gets results.
Many accounting manager roles require specialized knowledge. Show this on your resume:
In contrast, avoid being too generic which doesn't tell the hiring manager much:
When it comes to writing your accounting manager resume, the summary section is optional but can be a strategic addition. While your resume itself is already a summary of your qualifications, a well-crafted summary can provide additional context and highlight your most relevant skills and experiences. This is particularly useful if you're a career changer or an executive with extensive experience. However, it's crucial to avoid using an objective statement, as it's outdated and ineffective.
When crafting your summary, focus on showcasing your unique value proposition and how you can contribute to the organization. Tailor your language to the specific accounting manager role you're targeting, and avoid repeating information that's already covered in other sections of your resume. Keep your summary concise, ideally no more than one paragraph, and steer clear of generic soft skills or corporate buzzwords.
The work experience section is the core of your accounting manager resume. It's where you show hiring managers how you've applied your skills to make an impact in previous roles.
In this section, we'll cover the essential tips for crafting a work experience section that effectively showcases your accounting management abilities and leaves a lasting impression on recruiters.
When writing about your accounting manager experience, use powerful action verbs that showcase your leadership, technical abilities, and problem-solving skills. Weak, generic verbs can undersell your contributions:
Instead, use strong, accounting-specific verbs to emphasize your impact:
The education section of your accounting manager resume should be concise and highlight your most relevant qualifications. It's important to tailor this section to the job description and showcase your educational background that aligns with the position.
Your skills section is one of the most important parts of your accounting manager resume. It's where you highlight your top abilities that are relevant to the job you're applying for. The best skills sections are tailored to the job description and showcase a mix of technical accounting skills, software proficiencies, and industry knowledge.
Here are some tips to help you write a compelling skills section:
Here are examples of popular skills from Accounting Manager job descriptions that you can include on your resume.
This word cloud highlights the important keywords that appear on Accounting Manager job descriptions and resumes. The bigger the word, the more frequently it appears on job postings, and the more likely you should include it in your resume.
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