Here are the keywords and skills that appear most frequently on recent Accounts Payable Specialist job postings. In other words, these are the most sought after skills by recruiters and hiring managers. Go to Sample Templates ↓ below to see how to include them on your resume.
Remember that every job is different. Instead of including all keywords on your resume, identify those that are most relevant to the job you're applying to. Use the free Targeted Resume tool to help with this.
Does your resume contain all the right skills? Paste in your resume in the AI Resume Scan ↓ section below and get an instant score.
Paste your resume below and our AI will identify which keywords are missing from your resume from the list above (and what you need to include). Including the right keywords will help you get past Applicant Tracking Systems (i.e. resume screeners) which may scan your resume for keywords to see if you're a match for the job.
Go through the Accounts Payable Specialist posting you're applying to, and identify hard skills the company is looking for. For example, skills like Accounting, Account Reconciliation and Finance are possible skills. These are skills you should try to include on your resume.
The following word cloud highlights the most popular keywords that appear on Accounts Payable Specialist job descriptions. The bigger the word, the more frequently it shows up on employer's job postings. If you have experience with these keywords, include them on your resume.
Here are common soft skills that appear on Accounts Payable Specialist job postings. Unlike hard skills, which refer to tools, software or techniques, soft skills focus on character traits and interpersonal skills. Instead of listing these phrases on your resume, try to show them through your bullet points like in the examples below.
Tip: Do not list these words or phrases on your resume, and instead focus on the hard skills we described above.
Here are examples of proven resumes in related jobs and industries, approved by experienced hiring managers. Use them as inspiration when you're writing your own resume. You can even download and edit the resume template in Google Docs.
Overlooking clerks and accountants is an account-payable manager. These managers perform various tasks such as managing all account payable activities, maintaining and tracking financial reports along with ensuring timely invoice generation for vendors of the business. As an accounts payable manager, you’re going to be juggling many responsibilities such as creating numerically accurate records, communicating efficiently between vendors and the company, and leading your team to success. Review this accounts payable manager resume template and inspire your own:
Managers need to be natural leaders that can outshine any problem that their team faces. Include accomplishments your team achieved while working under your direction, and don't be afraid to mention jobs that are directly related to the one you're looking for so the employer knows they can rely on you.
You might need to utilize specific types of software in your day-to-day tasks as an accounting manager. Make a special skills section on your resume to list your knowledge of applications like Microsoft Access and TeamViewer. List any accounting certificates like CPA and CGMA if you have them!
An accounts payable supervisor makes sure that vendor bills and expenditure vouchers are paid on time, keep correct financial records, and generates control reports. creates the accounts payable register and associated reports on time. You need to meticulously distribute your workload to ensure the entire financial cycle runs smoothly, and great communicative skills help. Here is an accounts payable supervisor resume template to help you get the job:
When describing how you performed similar duties in your past work experience, make sure to use strong action verbs. To highlight your accounting expertise, use words like "invoiced," "supervised," and "reconciled". They also help recruiters understand that you are familiar with your line of work.
You won't have as much job experience to add to your resume at the start of your accounting career, so put more emphasis on your education, particularly if you have an accounting and finance degree. A strong GPA and any academic honors you've received may demonstrate your commitment and work ethic.
Accounts payable clerks are hands-on employees of the accounts payable department. Their work-life revolves around receiving, processing, and verifying invoices that the business gets from its vendors. They often possess great knowledge about accounting software which makes them proficient at their processing jobs. Additionally, they keep track of purchase orders and handle payments that suppliers or customers send to the business' accounting division. Your resume needs to show that you are organized, attentive to minor details, and can do more in less time. Showing you are capable of multi-tasking is a great way to get recruiters to notice your profile and move you to the next stage of the recruitment process. Look at what a successful accounts payable clerk resume template should look like:
It’s always a good idea to add a skill section in your resume where you can bullet important tools that you are proficient in using such as Microsoft Office, QuickBooks, and Oracle. You can include your typing speed as well to show that you can generate many invoices and receipts in short periods of time.
Your resume should never be empty of work experiences or achievements within those positions. Having past expertise in the sector usually makes you a stronger contender, even when entry-level accounting clerk opportunities are available. The best way to demonstrate to hiring managers that you are a fantastic fit for their organization is through the clerk roles you've held in the past on your resume.
Businesses must understand the larger picture. Simply put, they are interested in learning how lucrative their company is and how to increase earnings by minimizing cash leaks in their payment systems. An accounts payable officer may provide a company with the binoculars it needs to see everything. AP Officers are employees that deal with stock management, financial records, and accounting in liaison with suppliers and finance officers. They are responsible for processing invoices to suppliers and obtaining products or services against those invoices. AP Officers can maintain historical records of the company finances and can then create reports on the performance. A bachelor's degree in finance and accounting can aid you in landing a job as an AP Officer because you need great financial knowledge to perform the job well. Let’s see an AP Officer resume template:
Past advancements indicate that you are an excellent worker with the ability to succeed. To advance in any career, you must be proactive and driven, and these same traits are crucial if you want to become a leading officer. Mentioning your promotions hints at your abilities in a positive light.
Recruiters can think statistically and judge your profile based on numbers that measure your skill as an AP clerk. Regarding previous jobs, you should use percentages to describe the amount of cost reduction you achieved as well as the number of L&D specialists you had on your team. Such minor particulars can significantly improve your CV!
This resume template is suitable for experienced hires or mid-level hires. The education contains two examples of an education experiences, but only include one (your most recent one) if you're a senior level employee.
It strikes the right balance between white space and content, and doesn't waste space on unnecessary images and icons. Remember, recruiters aren't looking at how creative you are when it comes to your template. Your content is core and should be the focus.
This job seeker uses resume bullet points that uses strong action verbs, and most importantly, contain numbers that demonstrate the significance of their accomplishments.
This template is clean, readable by resume screeners, and is effective at calling out key accomplishments and projects from specific work experiences. This would be useful if you have been at a company for a while, or been in a consulting-type of role, and want to point hiring managers to your most impressive accomplishments.
Action verbs are important on your resume are vital. They evoke strong imagery to your reader, and this resume does an excellent job by using words such as “spearheaded,” “managed,” and “drove.” These words will help you to put your achievements in perspective, in conjunction with measurable results. Use action verbs relating to the skills you want to highlight.
Many of your accomplishments will involve your responsibilities in your employer's high-level projects. Recruiters want to see what you’ve completed in previous roles -- such as the Operations Improvement Project and new iPhone app launch highlighted in this resume. The numbers make your experience real, rather than a vague “oversaw several teams for a project.” What did you do specifically? Be specific.
Some popular Accounts Payable Specialist hard skills are Accounts Payable, Accounting, Financial Accounting, Accounts Receivable (AR), Finance, Account Reconciliation, Financial Reporting and Microsoft Access.
Depending on the job you apply to, skills like Customer Service, Payroll, Financial Statements, Premarket Approval (PMA) and General Ledger can also be good to include on your resume.
While the keywords above are a good indication of what skills you need on your resume, you should try to find additional keywords that are specific to the job. To do this, use the free Targeted Resume tool. It analyzes the job you are applying to and finds the most important keywords you need on your resume.
It is personalized to your resume, and is the best way to ensure your resume will pass the automated resume filters.
Thank you for the checklist! I realized I was making so many mistakes on my resume that I've now fixed. I'm much more confident in my resume now.
