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Accounting resume examples
Resumes for accountants at every stage, from a student looking for a first internship to a corporate controller. Each one shows how to present the close, the audit and your CPA progress so a hiring manager sees your level at once.
- Accounting internAccounting junior with a part-time job, VITA returns and Beta Alpha Psi.Intern
- Accounts payable specialistFull-cycle AP for a manufacturer: 1,600 invoices a month and clean controls.Entry level
- Staff accountantTwo years in corporate close: entries, reconciliations, fixed assets, CPA exam.Entry level
- BookkeeperFull-charge bookkeeper running a practice of 22 small business clients.Mid-level
- Tax accountantCPA and tax senior: partnerships, S corporations and multistate filings.Mid-level
- External auditorAudit senior and CPA running fieldwork on private and public company audits.Mid-level
- Senior accountantCPA owning revenue, leases and a 14-entity consolidation after audit years.Senior
- Accounting managerCPA leading a team of 6: a 5-day close, clean audits and working controls.Manager
- Financial controllerCorporate controller of a $1.1 billion manufacturer with a team of 22.Director
Show the work, not the duties
Almost every accounting resume says “prepared journal entries” and “performed reconciliations”. What sets one apart is scope and quality: how many entities and accounts, how many business days the close takes, and what the auditors found (ideally nothing). “Reconcile 30 balance sheet accounts monthly, all done by day 4, no audit adjustments in two years” tells a controller more than a paragraph of duties.
Name your systems. Accounting job ads often filter on the ERP (NetSuite, SAP, Oracle, Dynamics 365, Sage Intacct), on close tools (BlackLine, FloQast) and on tax software. Put them in the bullets where you used them and repeat them in a short skills list.
CPA status: say exactly where you are
Accounting hiring managers look for the license early, so put it in your headline or summary and in a certifications section. If you are licensed, give the state. If you are not, be precise: “CPA candidate: AUD and FAR passed, REG scheduled for March 2027” is honest and useful. Never put “CPA” after your name before your state board issues the license.
The CPA exam now has three core sections (AUD, FAR and REG) plus one discipline section of your choice (BAR, ISC or TCP). Education rules are changing too: many states still require 150 credit hours for licensure, but a growing number also accept 120 hours with extra experience. Check your own state board before you promise a date.
Public accounting, industry and moving between them
Audit and tax years in a CPA firm are valued in industry, because they show you know what good books look like from the outside. When you move, translate firm language (“in-charge”, “PBC”, “roll-forward”) into results a controller recognizes: the size of the clients, the areas you owned and the issues you found.
Questions and answers
Should an accountant’s resume be one or two pages?
One page through staff and most senior accountant roles. Managers, controllers and anyone with ten or more years can use two, as long as page one shows the current role’s scope and results.
Which template works best for accounting?
A clean, single-column layout is the safe choice and reads well in applicant tracking systems. Two columns suit bookkeepers and students who want software and certifications visible in a sidebar.
Do I need the CPA to get an accounting job?
No. Many staff, AP, bookkeeping and even senior roles do not require it. It matters most in public accounting and for manager, controller and CFO roles, and showing exam progress helps at every level.
Should I include GPA on an accounting resume?
For internships and your first job, yes if it is 3.0 or higher; firms often screen on it. After two or three years of experience, take it off.