Accountant CV Example

Let’s look at the sections to include in your accountant CV. If you want to improve your CV for accountancy job applications, following the structure below can help. Employers hiring accountancy professionals are likely to favour a traditional, or chronological CV. This emphasises your work experience and achievements. The guide below follows this CV structure.

The ideal structure for your accounting CV is as follows:

Header

The CV header includes all your personal information. Start by adding your full name in bold or a larger font than the rest of the document. Underneath this, add your email address and phone number, as well as your address or location. You could also include reference to your professional status as a qualified accountant after your name. In the UK, this is ACCA or FCCA. Including a photo in your CV header is optional, and may depend on the CV layout you choose.

CV objective or summary

Your CV objective is a brief introduction to the document. It's designed to grab the attention of the hiring manager and explain why you’re suitable for the role. Write two or three sentences explaining your skills as an accountant, your experience and your reasons for applying for the role.

Here’s an example of an accountant CV objective:

A dedicated, reliable accounting professional with 10 years’ experience and an analytical, detail-driven approach. Adept at all accounting functions and with different types of accounting software. Seeking a new challenge to support a mission-driven organisation with their financial management.

Work experience

In a traditional CV structure, your work experience is the next section. For senior accountancy roles, you’re likely to use this structure. List your relevant work experience in reverse chronological order, starting with your current or most recent employment. Include your job title, employer, location and the dates of your employment.

Underneath each entry in the work experience section, add several bullet points explaining your duties and achievements in the role. Try to relate each bullet point back to a requirement mentioned in the job description.

Here’s an example work experience CV section:

Accountant, Sphere Financial Management, Birmingham, March 2016 – present

• Managing a portfolio of six medium-sized businesses, providing full-service accounting and acting as a direct liaison with clients
• Carrying out regular financial audits to ensure clients’ regulatory compliance, with 100% record of compliance across a seven-year period
• Liaising with senior managers to create financial forecasts, handling budgets of up to £10m
• Providing business development support to the organisation, resulting in an uplift of 12% in company revenues

Junior accountant, Orton Medical Supplies Ltd, Wolverhampton, July 2013 – March 2016

• Handled invoicing and payroll for a small medical supplies company, ensuring compliance with HMRC regulations
• Produced monthly balance sheets and presented financial results to company management
• Advised company directors on budgets and financial planning, resulting in an 8% reduction of fixed costs over a three-year period
• Collaborated with independent auditors to ensure compliance with ISO 9001 

Education

In a traditional CV layout, the education section comes after your employment history. List your academic achievements and professional qualifications, referencing anything relevant to accountancy. Include the course name and type of qualification or award, the establishment, its location and the dates of study or graduation.

The education section of an accounting CV might look like this:

CGMA Certification, Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, 2016

BSc Accounting and Finance, University of Kent, 2011

Hard skills

When listing your skills on your accountant CV, you might want to separate them into hard and soft skills. Instead of naming this section “hard skills”, you might want to call it “accountancy skills” and focus on specific skills you have with financial reporting, forecasting, accounting software, balance sheets or other accounting practices.

Here are some example hard skills you might mention on your CV:

• Producing balance sheets
• Managing invoicing and payments
• Payroll management
• Financial auditing
• Month-end/year-end reporting
• Quickbooks, Xero and SAP expertise

Soft skills

After your hard skills, list your soft skills. These are general qualities, abilities and personality traits that help to make you an effective employee.

Some soft skills to include on your accountant CV could include:

• Communication
• Problem-solving
• Teamwork
• Working under pressure
• Multi-tasking
• Flexibility

Optional sections

If you have space on your CV, you might want to include some optional extra details that provide more insight into your suitability for an accountancy role. You could mention any certifications or training you’ve undertaken, any languages you speak or any relevant hobbies, interests or voluntary work.

Tips for Writing an Accountant CV

Follow these key tips to ensure your accountancy CV makes the biggest impact possible with employers:

1. Use a reverse-chronological format: There are several formats you could choose from when preparing your accountant CV. A reverse-chronological CV is the most commonly used in the UK for professional roles. It involves listing your work experience, achievements and education in reverse order, starting with the current or most recent and working backwards from there.
2. Quantify your achievements: Providing evidence or figures to support your achievements can help demonstrate your suitability for accountancy roles. Adopting the STAR method can help with this. STAR stands for “Situation, Task, Action, Results”. Make sure you use this strategy for each bullet point in your work experience section.
3. Tailor your CV to every job application: It might be tempting to produce a generic CV that you can use for multiple job applications. However, this could harm your chances of success. Pay attention to the job description and make sure your CV references the key qualities required of candidates. It can also help to directly reference the company you’re applying for, either in your CV or cover letter.
4. Keep your CV concise: Use simple language and keep your CV concise and to-the-point. Use bullet points to outline your duties and achievements. Make sure your document is no longer than two pages, and limit it to a single side of A4 paper if you can.
5. Choose a professional CV design: The layout and design of your CV can make a big difference to how well it catches the attention of employers. It can also make it easier to read. Jobseeker has plenty of CV templates and resume templates to pick from, that can help you to produce a clean, structured, professional resume or CV.

Key Takeaways for the Ideal Accountant CV

When writing your CV for accounting jobs, remember to tailor the document for each application. Quantify your achievements and use reverse-chronological structure to emphasise your most recent experience.

You can use Jobseeker’s CV examples for help creating your own professional CV. Simply sign up with Jobseeker to access our wide range of CV resources, including CV and cover letter templates, and start creating your perfect accountant CV today.