Accounting Manager Resume: Detailed guide with tips

Accounting manager resume is essential for getting a job in today's competitive job markets. Accounting managers are responsible for balancing accounts, tracking finances, advising on finances, investments and so on.

This means that every organization, individual or such are going to look for candidates who are trustworthy, skilled and careful (pays attention to details). If you have good skills and experience, you are likely to get a job, however it might not be enough.

To get the best job or your dream job, you will need a really good resume. We have curated this article to help you write the resume that will get you the job you want. You can also check out our resume examples and templates.

What is a job winning resume?

Every job seeker eventually gets a job but rarely the job that they wanted or dreamed of. A regular resume has all the information that is required by the hiring manager. A good resume has a bit more effort in presentation.

But the best resume has been written with regard to every guideline, extra tips and efforts for writing a resume. It is when the resume writer keeps in mind- how to impress the reader- at every line of the resume.

And these resumes are job winning resumes! But why so much pressure on a job winning resume? Why can't you just find a job with a regular resume? We all know technology has brought the never seen before globalization. The world has grown closer.

The talent and skills are easily found these days and the skills and knowledge necessary to convert to talent is also easily acquired through countless online courses and enabling options of learning everything you want to quite easily.

This has made the job markets fiercely competitive. In order to get the job you want, you need something extra and better to offer. And you need to know how to present your profile in an impactful and effective manner.

(Source: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/accountants-and-auditors.htm#:~:text=in%20May%202021.-,Job%20Outlook,on%20average%2C%20over%20the%20decade.)

How to write a job winning accounting manager resume?

Now for the rest of the article, you might want to pay extra attention; as much as you pay attention to financial reports! Every guideline and tip is important to make sure your resume is the best.

First of all, you need to choose a format. You will find many options for format, for example, modern, minimalist, visual, traditional etc. the choice of format should depend on the job seeker's job's industry, organization, job and such.

Research a bit and decide the format according to your job, profile and industry. Once you have decided the format, figure out the outline. The outline will have some mandatory sections and may have a couple of extra sections.

📌 The mandatory sections are:

• Header-contact information
• Summary
• Professional experience
• Education
• Skills

Let's discuss these sections in detail. How to write these sections? Which rules to follow? What to mention and how?

Header

The header of your resume will have your name in slightly larger fonts. Next, there will be your contact information. You can also put your professional headshot in the header of your accounting manager resume.

Your contact information will include your contact number and email address. Your contact number should be written with any extensions/ area codes and parenthesis, spaces and + sign. Your email address should be professional and should not have informal parts in it.

For example, if your name is Helen Knight, your email address can be:

or other such simple and professional addresses, avoid informal words and unnecessary digits.

Summary

The professional summary of your resume should be written in bullet points. Begin by noting your job title. And then describe your experience and skills.

Your first bullet point should cover your experience and skills or background

The next bullet points should mention your most relevant accomplishments and skills. Something remarkable you achieved as an accounting manager or an incredible result you achieved for the client or employer. And describe the most relevant skills that helped you perform well.

Lastly, mention what kind of opportunity you are seeking and how eager you are to leverage your skills and knowledge to make a difference for the employer.

If you have worked as a freelancer, you can mention that briefly in summary as well.

You can also pick up points from the accounting manager job description because it has the exact detail of what the hiring manager is looking for. Most accounting manager resume examples will show you how job descriptions are taken into consideration to cater to the hiring managers' expectations of a suitable resume.

Professional experience

Your professional experience needs to be described in reverse chronological order, starting from the latest experience to the first one.

Mention your job title followed by the company/employer's full name. You should also mention the time period for which you worked there.

The details of the job should be written in bullet points in a concise manner. Talk about the results you achieved and made a difference for the employer, challenges you faced and overcame with your unique approach and skills.

You should cover all the important tasks that you were responsible for and performed well with. Your experience may be related to tasks of accounts payable, accounts receivable, financial reports, financial statements, account management, accounting software, bank reconciliations, financial data, cash management, accounting ledgers, business administration, annual external audits, balance sheet accounts, company cash flow, fixed assets, financial analysis and more such accounting duties.

Mention of such details will ensure the hiring manager that you have actively contributed and you know all there is to know for an accounting manager.

Hiring managers will also look for someone who has experience good enough to not need any training or guidance, someone who can do it all because they know how to. Mentioning these details will help you do that.

Education

An accounting manager is expected to have a background of commerce and finance. Most jobs will require you to have a bachelor's degree or equivalent. Your education is important because you cannot learn everything about accounting in the field on your own or with a little training.

You would have learned the basics during your education which you will need to do your job well. For example, accounting principles, financial reporting, account management, accounting manager skills, financial management, state and federal laws, accounting systems, accounting functions, financial operations, problem solving skills, account analysis, payroll processing and much more.

When writing the education section, mention the name of your education institute first. Next, mention the name of your degree. Unless you are yet to complete graduation, do not mention the graduation year as it may lead to bias on hiring manager's part.

You can also mention the relevant coursework and subjects along with anything else relevant and noteworthy such as awards, special programs or online courses that you may have acquired or completed.

Skills

The skills that you need for an accounting manager position can be divided into soft skills and hard skills however your hard skills are relatively more important and should be emphasized upon carefully.

📌 Your soft skills may include:

• Communications skill
• Organizational skill
• Attention to detail

📌 Your hard skills may include:

• Financial reporting
• Accounting software
• Bank reconciliations
• Cash management
• Handle bank accounts
• Business administration
• Financial statement preparation
• Annual external audits
• Company cash flow management
• Handle fixed assets
• Financial analysis
• Financial management
• Accounting functions
• Cost accounting
• Process improvements
• Balance sheet reconciliations
• Day to day operations
• Budget forecasts
• Monthly reporting
• Expense reports
• Account analysis
• Daily cash reports
• Monthly invoices

you can mention any other skills that you may think of and the skills applicable from the lists above. Your skills of handling bank statements, cash receipts, monthly financial results, tasks of accounting departments, customer satisfaction, journal entries, managing accounting staff and other job responsibilities should be mentioned throughout the resume in various sections.

A financial professional knows all about external auditors, operational data, cash flow statements and everything that is related to accounting. This knowledge and well-versed familiarity as a professional should be reflected in your resume.

Your key skills and your knowledge are both equally important in landing your dream job. An accounting manager resume example should be inclusive of all the relevant information that has been discussed until now.

Extra

If you have worked as a freelancer or provided services as an accounting manager overseas or if you have any other relevant experiences, you should mention them in your resume with a separate section.

You can also note your interests and hobbies and/or other technical knowledge or skills that you may find relevant and useful as a professional accounting manager. And you can add all these details in extra sections in your accounting manager resume.

Tips to make your resume extraordinary

Keywords

The Applicant Tracking System or ATS is a software that is used by hiring managers to scan the thousands of resumes that they receive in job applications. The ATS has parameters set to filter out the resumes of the most suitable candidates.

These parameters are keywords that are relevant to the role and industry. Your resume should include all the relevant keywords to beat the ATS and join the shortlisted resumes pile.

Ensure to research your role, job title, responsibilities, industry, employer and everything relevant and note down the keywords that you need to include in your resume. When you write your resume, include these keywords throughout the resume without compromising the readability.

Language rules

There are few rules when it comes to writing resumes. They are simple and must be followed. You should not use pronouns in your sentences anywhere. Write everything in past tense and third person.

Your language should have a professional tone with the hint of confidence and politeness. Language can have a significant impact on the reader's mind and you should not underestimate that.

Tailor the resume for each role

To ensure you get the job you want, you should tailor the resume for each application. Take into consideration the industry and employer, the role and its responsibilities and make some tweaks here and there.

Cover letter

Last but not least, enclose a cover letter. Cover letters are not always mandatory but they help you make an impression on the hiring managers. You can use the space to include keywords. You can address the hiring managers directly and convince them of your skills and knowledge.

Reflect how passionate and how eager you are to join their organization and work with their team. You can pitch how valuable you will be and why they should hire you.

Key Takeaways

When you are done writing your resume, make sure to proofread it twice and remove any spelling, grammatical or factual errors. You should also use this article as your checklist while writing the resume.

📌 Let's go over the key takeaways now:

• Write details in bullet points
• Follow the guidelines of writing details
• Proofread the resume twice
• Include keywords
• Emphasize key skills and highlight accomplishments
• Write a cover letter

When you sit down to write your resume, you will read this article and then look at resume examples and templates. You should make sure to never copy them as is and edit them according to your profile. For the relevant examples, check out our resume examples and templates.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Do I need a graduate degree?

Every job posting has different requirements. As an accounting manager, you will likely be required to have a bachelor's degree or equivalent. However, you should check the job description or confirm with the hiring managers.

Should I mention my home address?

That is not mandatory unless specifically mentioned in the job description or if you are applying to another state or country. You can keep it brief.

Should I mention my clients of freelance work?

If you have experience of freelancing, you should mention it. You can focus on your responsibilities and results as a freelance accounting manager.