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Staff accountants keep track of and oversee all financial records in an organization, including balance sheets and cash flow, equity, and income statements. They must record transactions conduct the billing processes, and help stakeholders make more informed decisions regarding year budgets or new projects. That’s why you might want to highlight your business acumen on your resume by mentioning your impact on previous projects’ bottom line.
A staff accountant can work in private, public, and non-profit institutions. Ideally, you should have a bachelor’s degree in finance, administration, or accounting.
One of your responsibilities as a staff accountant is to ensure the company is compliant with local and state regulations. You should guarantee that the accounting team is following the best practices to demonstrate transparency and accuracy in financial records.
As a staff accountant, you should compare each year’s transactions to identify patterns in the data. This includes income, spending habits, and budgets. This way, you can help stakeholders make better financial decisions using data-backed insights.
Staff accountants have a variety of duties that may include bookkeeping, processing payroll, preparing taxes, and generating financial reports and statements. They also help ensure compliance with local laws and regulations.
When talking about your previous jobs, it’s wise to mention specific results that you achieved in each position so accounting hiring managers can see the extent of your capabilities. When you can say that you “reduced error rates by 20%” or “maintained monthly schedules of 30+ fixed assets”, you show that your actions and decisions had a measurable impact at past jobs.
You should always lead your bullet-point achievements with precise action verbs such as “oversaw”, “maintained”, and “reconciled”. These types of verbs clearly illustrate what you accomplished at past jobs, and they help you position yourself as a skilled professional within your field. If you can choose verbs that are related to accounting and finance, do that!
As a hiring manager who has recruited for staff accountant roles at companies like Ernst & Young, Deloitte, and KPMG, I have seen thousands of resumes. The best ones always stand out because they are tailored to the specific job and company, and highlight the candidate's most relevant skills and experience. Here are some tips to help you create a strong staff accountant resume that will catch the attention of hiring managers and increase your chances of getting an interview.
Hiring managers want to see that you have the technical skills and knowledge required for the job. Make sure to:
For example:
CPA certified with 5+ years of experience in financial reporting, budgeting, and auditing. Proficient in QuickBooks, SAP, and Oracle.
A resume summary, also known as a professional summary or career overview, is an optional section that appears at the top of your resume. It's a brief statement that highlights your most relevant qualifications, skills, and experience for the job you're applying for. While it's not a mandatory section, a well-crafted summary can help you stand out from other candidates and grab the attention of hiring managers.
Keep in mind that a resume summary is different from an objective statement. Objective statements are outdated and focus on what you want from the job, rather than what you can offer the employer. In contrast, a summary showcases your value proposition and how you can contribute to the company's success.
The work experience section is the heart of your staff accountant resume. It's where you show hiring managers that you have the skills and experience to excel in the role. In this section, you'll list your previous jobs in reverse-chronological order, with your most recent position at the top.
For each job, include your title, the company name, the location, and the dates you worked there. Under each job, add 3-5 bullet points that describe your key responsibilities and accomplishments. Remember to use strong action verbs and quantify your achievements with metrics whenever possible.
When describing your job duties and achievements, start each bullet point with a strong action verb that showcases your accounting skills. Weak, vague verbs like 'helped with' or 'was responsible for' won't impress hiring managers. Compare:
Instead, use powerful, specific verbs like:
The education section of your resume shows hiring managers that you have the necessary background knowledge to excel as a staff accountant. It also helps them gauge your career level. Here are some tips to make your education section stand out.
The skills section of your resume is a critical component that can make or break your chances of landing an interview. As a staff accountant, you need to showcase your technical proficiencies, software knowledge, and industry-specific skills to stand out from other candidates. In this section, we'll guide you through the process of crafting a compelling skills section that will catch the attention of hiring managers and demonstrate your value as a potential employee.
Here are examples of popular skills from Staff Accountant job descriptions that you can include on your resume.
This word cloud highlights the important keywords that appear on Staff Accountant 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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