Accountant resume examples
This page has 12 one-page accountant resume examples, from an accounting intern and a tax preparer to staff, senior, project, cost and tax accountants, an assistant controller, an accounting manager, a tax manager and a controller. Each one is checked against 25,249 US postings from 7,704 employers, and the note under each sample says which close, reconciliation and audit numbers it puts first.
Accounting Intern Resume Example
Accounting intern postings most often ask for Excel, accounting principles and attention to detail, so both jobs lead with reconciliations, journal entries and Excel reporting backed by real volumes. The accounting degree that 65% of accounting employers require is listed in education with its 05/2027 date, which the summary repeats.
Why this resume works:
- Reconcile 14 bank and credit card accounts each month in QuickBooks before the controller's review.
- Prepare accrual and prepaid journal entries with support files, about 40 entries per month-end close.
- Build Microsoft Excel aging reports on $1.2M in patient receivables, cutting prep time from 3 hours to 1.
Tax Preparer Resume Example
Tax preparer postings ask first for tax preparation experience, tax preparation software and compliance, so the resume opens with 420 returns a season, IRS e-file results and EITC due diligence work. The PTIN and AFSP record sit in certificates where a recruiter checks first, and the teller job shows the accuracy and client communication postings also name.
Why this resume works:
- Prepare about 420 returns per season, mostly Form 1040 returns with Schedule C, E and A.
- Interview clients on income, dependents and credits, then request missing W-2s, 1099s and receipts.
- Transmit returns by IRS e-file with a 1.5% reject rate, fixing and resending rejects within 24 hours.
Staff Accountant Resume Example
Staff accountant postings ask for Excel, GAAP and attention to detail, and their most common duties are reconciliations, journal entries, the monthly close and audit support, which are exactly the four bullets of the current job. The accounting bachelor's degree that 65% of employers require is in education, and the 2 years of experience match the median these postings ask for.
Why this resume works:
- Complete monthly reconciliations for 35 balance sheet accounts, including cash, prepaids and accrued liabilities.
- Record recurring and accrual journal entries in NetSuite so the general ledger closes by business day 5.
- Maintain fixed asset and depreciation schedules in Microsoft Excel for $14M of trucks and warehouse equipment.
Accountant Resume Example
Accountant postings ask for 3-5 years of accounting experience, GAAP, Excel and financial reporting, and this resume shows 5 years split between a CPA firm and a corporate close. The bullets match the duties employers write most, preparing monthly statements, journal entries and reconciliations, and each one carries a volume or result.
Why this resume works:
- Prepare monthly financial reporting packages for 14 clinics and deliver them to leadership by business day 6.
- Record about 150 journal entries for payroll, accruals and revenue in Sage Intacct each month-end close.
- Perform account reconciliation for 48 balance sheet accounts and resolve variances above $2,500 within the month.
Project Accountant Resume Example
Project accountant postings name project accounting, Excel and communication with project teams most, so the resume shows billing, job costing and WIP work on 32 jobs alongside daily work with project managers. The accounting degree employers ask for is in education, and 5 years of experience sits just above the 3-year median these postings request.
Why this resume works:
- Prepare AIA billing for 32 active jobs each month and submit pay applications by the 25th with lien waivers.
- Run job costing reviews with project managers, correcting miscoded costs that averaged $45K a month.
- Build the monthly WIP reporting schedule using percentage-of-completion revenue recognition on $210M in contracts.
Cost Accountant Resume Example
Cost accountant postings name cost accounting, standard costing, variance analysis, SAP and pivot tables more than any other title in this career, and each of those appears in a bullet with a plant-floor result. The accounting degree and 5 years of manufacturing experience cover the bachelor's degree and the 3-year median employers ask for.
Why this resume works:
- Set annual standard costing for 2,300 part numbers in SAP, updating material, labor and overhead rates.
- Present monthly variance analysis on purchase price, labor and scrap to 2 plant managers.
- Lead quarterly cycle counts and inventory valuation reviews, holding book-to-physical adjustments to 0.4%.
Tax Accountant Resume Example
Tax accountant postings ask for public accounting experience, Excel, QuickBooks and accuracy, and this resume shows 5 years at two CPA firms preparing returns, research memos and QuickBooks-based workpapers. The CPA license that many accounting employers prefer is listed as a certificate, next to the accounting degree in education.
Why this resume works:
- Complete 85 corporate tax returns and partnership returns a year on Forms 1120, 1120-S and 1065.
- Write tax research memos on nexus, Section 179 and R&D credits, saving one client $96K in 2025.
- Manage sales and use tax filings in 7 states for 18 clients with no late-filing penalties.
Senior Accountant Resume Example
Senior accountant postings ask for progressive accounting experience, GAAP and financial reporting, so the summary states 7 years and the bullets show close leadership, reporting packages and lease and revenue accounting standards. The CPA license and accounting degree sit where recruiters check first, and the audit result covers the audit support duty that nearly 1 in 5 employers list.
Why this resume works:
- Lead the 5-day month-end close for 4 legal entities, reviewing entries and reconciliations from 2 staff accountants.
- Prepare monthly financial reporting packages and flux analysis for the CFO, explaining every variance over $50K.
- Maintain ASC 842 lease accounting for 140 terminal and equipment leases in Oracle ERP.
Assistant Controller Resume Example
Assistant controller postings ask for progressive accounting experience, GAAP, financial reporting, internal controls and ERP systems, and each of those has its own result here, from a 5-day close to 11 closed audit findings and a Dynamics 365 move. The CPA license and the path from audit to senior accountant to assistant controller show the 9 years of steady growth the role expects.
Why this resume works:
- Direct the month-end close and consolidations for 3 entities, cutting close time from 9 days to 5.
- Manage 5 accountants covering general ledger, AP, payroll and fixed assets, with quarterly training plans.
- Design and test internal controls over revenue and inventory, closing 11 audit findings in 2024.
Accounting Manager Resume Example
Accounting manager postings ask for progressive accounting experience, GAAP, financial reporting, internal controls, SAP and leadership, and the current job covers all six with a team size, close length and audit result. The 11-year path from staff to senior to manager, plus the CPA license, answers the experience question before a recruiter has to ask it.
Why this resume works:
- Lead a team of 7 accountants through a 4-day month-end close for 5 entities in SAP.
- Deliver monthly GAAP financial reporting to the CFO, with flux reviews on every line over $100K.
- Implemented BlackLine for account reconciliation across 600 accounts, cutting reconciliation hours by 35%.
Tax Manager Resume Example
Tax manager postings ask for public accounting experience, tax compliance, tax research and leadership, and the resume answers each with 10 years at CPA firms, 120 reviewed returns, research memos and a team of 6. The CPA license and master's in taxation sit in their own sections, and the client book and fee size show the manager-level scope employers hire for.
Why this resume works:
- Manage a book of 60 clients with $1.4M in annual fees, owning tax compliance from planning to filing.
- Review 120 partnership and corporate returns a year in GoSystem Tax RS before partner sign-off.
- Direct tax research on M&A structuring and Section 754 elections, writing memos clients share with lenders.
Controller Resume Example
Controller postings ask for GAAP, financial reporting, internal controls, budgeting, forecasting and ERP systems, and the current job shows each of these with a measured result, from a 6-day close to 3% forecast accuracy. The CPA license, accounting degree and 14 years of progressive experience cover the qualifications recruiters screen for first.
Why this resume works:
- Direct a 10-person accounting team covering GL, AP, AR, payroll and cost accounting across 3 plants.
- Deliver monthly GAAP financial reporting to the CFO and board within 6 business days of month-end.
- Run annual budgeting and rolling forecasting on $210M in revenue, holding forecast accuracy within 3%.
What employers ask for in accountant job postings
Accountant job postings in the US, October 2026
- 25,249
- active US job postings
- 7,704
- employers hiring
- 3 yr
- median experience asked
- 11%
- ask for 1 year or less
Technical skills and tools employers name
| Skill | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| excel | 45% |
| analytical skills | 36% |
| gaap | 10% |
| financial reporting | 9% |
| progressive accounting experience | 7% |
| accounting | 8% |
| accounting experience | 6% |
| accounting principles | 6% |
| internal controls | 5% |
| pivot tables | 6% |
Make sure your resume shows
- Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance or a related field (69% of employers)
- Strong analytical, written and verbal communication skills (57% of employers)
- 3 to 5 years of accounting or financial experience (43% of employers)
- Microsoft Office, especially Excel and Word (38% of employers)
- Handles several priorities and meets deadlines (30% of employers)
- Strong knowledge of GAAP and accounting principles (27% of employers)
- CPA license or active CPA candidate (9% of employers)
- Experience with ERP and financial systems (7% of employers)
Duties to build your bullet points around
What employers write most often under responsibilities. Show each one with a result (numbers, scale, outcome), not a copy of the duty.
- Prepare and review monthly financial statements and schedules (28%)
- Support internal and external audit requests (20%)
- Prepare journal entries and reconciliations for the monthly close (17%)
- Keep accounting policies, procedures and internal controls in place (15%)
- Find ways to improve accounting processes and controls (12%)
- Help with budgeting, forecasting and financial planning (7%)
The examples on this page, in job postings
| Example | US postings | Median years asked | Skills that set this role apart |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accounting Intern | 259 | 2 | – |
| Tax Preparer | 374 | 1.5 | – |
| Staff Accountant | 1,605 | 2 | – |
| Accountant | 1,336 | 3 | – |
| Project Accountant | 271 | 3 | project accounting, self-motivated |
| Cost Accountant | 248 | 3 | cost accounting, standard costing, sap, cost accounting experience |
| Tax Accountant | 150 | 2 | tax preparation, tax software, public accounting experience |
| Senior Accountant | 1,891 | 3 | – |
| Assistant Controller | 343 | 5 | – |
| Accounting Manager | 932 | 5 | progressive accounting experience |
| Tax Manager | 1,097 | 5 | public accounting, tax compliance, progressive tax experience, public accounting experience |
| Controller | 777 | 5 | internal controls, progressive accounting experience, budgeting, forecasting |
Which job title to put on your resume: the titles employers use most, so recruiters and applicant tracking systems search for them: Senior Accountant (1,259 employers), Staff Accountant (1,182 employers), Accountant (900 employers), Accounting Manager (715 employers), Controller (626 employers).
Source: Owlapply analysis of active US job postings, October 2026. Requirements and duties are grouped by meaning from the postings' own bullet lists and counted once per employer.
Advertised pay, experience and the skills employers ask for: Accountant pay and requirements.
Check your accountant resume against a real job posting
- Paste a accountant job posting into the job match score tool to see which of its skills your resume is missing.
- Upload your resume to the ATS resume checker to read the text an applicant tracking system gets from it.
Accountant resume sample (text you can copy)
This is the text of the Accountant example above. Paste it into the resume builder and replace the details with your own.
Accountant resume sample
DANIEL OKAFOR
Accountant
Charlotte, NC · (704) 555-0158 · [email protected] · linkedin.com/in/danielokafor
SUMMARY
Accountant with 5 years of corporate and public accounting experience, now running the monthly close for a 14-clinic healthcare group. Prepares monthly financial statements and schedules under GAAP, owns account reconciliation in Sage Intacct and supports external audits. Known for clean workpapers and the communication skills to explain numbers to clinic managers.
EXPERIENCE
Accountant, Carolina Crest Healthcare Group, Charlotte, NC | 03/2023 - Present
- Prepare monthly financial reporting packages for 14 clinics and deliver them to leadership by business day 6.
- Record about 150 journal entries for payroll, accruals and revenue in Sage Intacct each month-end close.
- Perform account reconciliation for 48 balance sheet accounts and resolve variances above $2,500 within the month.
- Write variance analysis on clinic expenses in Microsoft Excel, which flagged $310K of supply overspending in 2025.
Staff Accountant, Piedmont Ledger Partners, Charlotte, NC | 06/2021 - 02/2023
- Closed the books monthly for 20 small and mid-size clients, reconciling bank, loan and payroll accounts.
- Drafted GAAP-basis financial statements and footnotes for 6 review engagements each year.
- Tested schedules and gathered audit evidence for 3 nonprofit audits, meeting every partner deadline.
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Science, Accounting, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC | 05/2021
SKILLS
Financial Reporting, GAAP, Microsoft Excel, Account Reconciliation, Journal Entries, Month-End Close, Sage Intacct, Variance Analysis, Attention to Detail, Communication Skills
How to write a accountant resume
Write a accountant resume summary
- Start with your years of experience and the setting: public accounting, corporate, a CPA firm or an industry such as manufacturing or health care.
- Name the size of what you account for, such as a $90M distributor or 4 legal entities, so the reader can judge your scope.
- Put CPA in the first line if you hold it, or say you are a CPA candidate; about 9% of employers ask for one or the other.
- Mention your ERP or ledger system and the standards you work with, such as NetSuite, SAP, GAAP or ASC 842.
Accounting Intern summary (entry level)
Accounting student at The Ohio State University graduating in 05/2027, with 18 months of part-time accounting work at a health practice and a dental group. Handles account reconciliation, journal entries and QuickBooks data entry, and builds month-end schedules in Microsoft Excel. Applies GAAP accounting principles carefully and asks good questions.
Accountant summary (mid level)
Accountant with 5 years of corporate and public accounting experience, now running the monthly close for a 14-clinic healthcare group. Prepares monthly financial statements and schedules under GAAP, owns account reconciliation in Sage Intacct and supports external audits. Known for clean workpapers and the communication skills to explain numbers to clinic managers.
Senior Accountant summary (senior level)
Senior accountant and CPA with 7 years of progressive accounting experience, leading the month-end close for a $320M freight logistics company. Owns financial reporting, ASC 606 revenue recognition and ASC 842 lease accounting under GAAP, and reviews the work of 2 staff accountants. Handles audit and tax requests with documented support.
Write accountant experience bullets
- Show the close: which business day it ends on, how many entities, and whether you cut days off it.
- Count reconciliations and entries: balance sheet accounts reconciled, journal entries a month, variances cleared.
- Report audit results, such as PBC items delivered, zero adjustments or findings closed; about 20% of employers list audit support as a duty.
- For tax, cost and project roles, give the work volume: returns prepared, part numbers costed, jobs billed or contract value covered.
Accountant experience bullets
- Prepare monthly financial reporting packages for 14 clinics and deliver them to leadership by business day 6.
- Record about 150 journal entries for payroll, accruals and revenue in Sage Intacct each month-end close.
- Perform account reconciliation for 48 balance sheet accounts and resolve variances above $2,500 within the month.
- Write variance analysis on clinic expenses in Microsoft Excel, which flagged $310K of supply overspending in 2025.
Pick the skills for a accountant resume
- Excel (about 45% of postings) and analytical skills (about 36%) come right after communication (about 49%); show Excel work in a bullet such as aging reports, variance analysis or pivot tables.
- List the accounting knowledge employers name: GAAP (about 10%), financial reporting (about 9%) and accounting principles (about 6%), plus your ERP and tax software.
- Attention to detail (about 32%) and meeting deadlines read best as proof: a close that ends on day 5 or an audit with no adjustments.
Do's and don'ts
Do this
- List your accounting or finance degree near the top; about 69% of employers ask for one.
- Put a number in every bullet: accounts, entries, days, dollars, returns or findings.
- Name your software by product, such as QuickBooks, NetSuite, Sage Intacct, SAP or BlackLine.
- Show a clear path from staff to senior to manager, since many postings ask for progressive accounting experience.
Avoid this
- Don't write "responsible for month-end close" without saying what you closed and how fast.
- Don't list GAAP alone; tie it to the work, such as accruals, revenue recognition or lease accounting.
- Don't bury the CPA license at the bottom of the page.
- Don't use the same resume for tax and corporate jobs; tax postings look for returns, research and compliance, not the close.
Related resume examples
- Finance Manager
- Accounting Clerk
- Auditor
- Financial Analyst
- Payroll Specialist
- Office Manager
- Project Manager
- Administrative Assistant
Accountant resume questions
What should I put on an accountant resume?
A short summary with your years and setting, your jobs with close, reconciliation and audit numbers, a skills list with your software, and your degree and any CPA license. About 69% of employers ask for a bachelor's in accounting, finance or a related field, and about 57% ask for strong analytical and communication skills. The duties employers list most are monthly financial statements, audit support and journal entries.
How much experience do accountant jobs ask for?
Of the 9,092 postings that state experience, the median ask is 3 years, and only about 11% ask for a year or less. Staff accountant roles in the examples ask for about 2 years, accountant and senior accountant roles for about 3, and assistant controller, accounting manager, tax manager and controller roles for about 5. Internships and part-time accounting work count toward the total.
Do I need a CPA to get an accounting job?
Most postings do not require it; about 9% of employers ask for a CPA license or an active CPA candidate. It matters more as you move up, and most senior, manager and controller examples on this page list one. If you are sitting for the exam, say so in your summary or certificates.
How do I write a staff accountant resume?
Lead with the four tasks staff accountant postings describe most: reconciliations, journal entries, the monthly close and audit support. Give each one a number, such as 35 accounts reconciled or a close finished by business day 5. Staff accountant roles in the examples ask for about 2 years, so count internships and part-time accounting work.
What makes a senior accountant resume different?
A senior accountant resume shows ownership and review: leading the close, reviewing staff work, preparing reporting packages and handling the audit. Add the standards you apply, such as ASC 606 or ASC 842, and the size of the books you close. Employers often ask for progressive accounting experience, so make the step up from staff accountant visible.
What goes on an accounting intern or tax preparer resume?
For an intern, list your degree with its expected date and any part-time work with reconciliations, journal entries or QuickBooks, with volumes. For a tax preparer, give returns prepared per season, the forms you handle, your e-file reject rate and your PTIN. In the examples, intern roles ask for about 2 years of experience and tax preparer roles for about 1.5.