Finance & Accounting resume example

Accountant Resume Example & ATS Guide

An accountant resume should show reliable ownership of records, close activities, reconciliations, controls, reporting, and issue resolution. This fictional example describes accuracy and judgment without vague compliance claims.

The candidate, employers, school, and contact details below are fictional. Any scope or outcome is illustrative—replace it with evidence you can verify.

Check your own resume against a job description
Complete fictional sample

Accountant resume example

Priya Lawson

Accountant · Phoenix, AZ · [email protected]

Professional Summary

Accountant experienced in month-end close, balance-sheet reconciliations, journal entries, fixed assets, reporting support, control documentation, and audit requests in multi-entity environments.

Skills

general-ledger accounting · month-end close · reconciliation · financial reporting · internal controls · Excel · ERP or accounting systems · GAAP or IFRS · accounts payable and receivable · tax fundamentals · accuracy · integrity

Experience

Staff Accountant — Desert Bloom Hospitality (fictional)
2021–Present
  • Owns assigned month-end close activities for prepaid, accrual, fixed-asset, and intercompany accounts across several operating entities.
  • Prepares balance-sheet reconciliations with source support, aging review, reconciling-item ownership, disposition, and reviewer sign-off.
  • Investigates recurring classification and cutoff issues with accounts payable and operations and documents corrected procedures and controls.
Accounting Associate — Juniper Row Services (fictional)
2019–2021
  • Prepared journal-entry support and maintained schedules for operating expenses, vendor accruals, and fixed assets.
  • Responded to audit requests with organized evidence, reconciliations, explanations, and follow-up tracking.
  • Standardized reconciliation templates and close checklists to clarify preparer, reviewer, source, aging, and resolution expectations.

Education

B.S. Accounting — Sonoran State College (fictional)

Professional summary example

Write a summary that establishes role fit

Accountant experienced in month-end close, balance-sheet reconciliations, journal entries, fixed assets, reporting support, control documentation, and audit requests in multi-entity environments.

Treat this as a structural example. Your summary should reflect your actual level, domain, strongest supported capabilities, and verifiable scope.

Skills example

Relevant Accountant skills from the maintained role profile

general-ledger accountingmonth-end closereconciliationfinancial reportinginternal controlsExcelERP or accounting systemsGAAP or IFRSaccounts payable and receivabletax fundamentalsaccuracyintegrity

Do not copy this entire list. Select skills that appear in the target job and that your experience, projects, education, or credentials can support.

Achievement bullet examples

Turn Accountant duties into evidence

A stronger bullet clarifies the action, scope, method, and result or decision evidence. These are examples, not claims to copy.

Instead of 1

Completed month-end close.

Better

Owned assigned prepaid, accrual, fixed-asset, and intercompany close activities across multiple operating entities.

Instead of 2

Prepared reconciliations.

Better

Prepared balance-sheet reconciliations with source support, aging, reconciling-item ownership, disposition, and reviewer sign-off.

Instead of 3

Posted journal entries.

Better

Prepared recurring and adjusting journal entries with calculation support, account mapping, period validation, and approval evidence.

Instead of 4

Helped with audits.

Better

Fulfilled audit requests with indexed support, reconciliation evidence, control explanations, and tracked follow-up items.

Instead of 5

Improved accounting processes.

Better

Standardized close checklists and reconciliation templates to clarify evidence, ownership, review, and issue resolution.

Instead of 6

Resolved accounting issues.

Better

Investigated classification and cutoff differences with operations and accounts payable and documented corrected handling.

Keyword summary

Important Accountant resume keywords

general-ledger accountingmonth-end closereconciliationfinancial reportinginternal controlsExcelERP or accounting systemsGAAP or IFRSaccounts payable and receivabletax fundamentalsaccuracyintegritydeadline management
View the full Accountant Resume Keywords & Skills Guide
Common ATS mistakes

What weakens a Accountant resume

  • Listing routine transactions without account ownership, controls, complexity, or resolution work.
  • Claiming GAAP, audit, or compliance expertise beyond the standards and responsibilities actually used.
  • Using “error-free” or “perfect accuracy” claims without a defensible control or review basis.
Job-description tailoring

How to tailor this example

  1. 1Match the role’s specialty, such as general ledger, public accounting, tax, cost, revenue, or fund accounting.
  2. 2Name the relevant close areas, entity structure, reporting standards, and systems you have actually used.
  3. 3Show reconciliation quality, controls, investigation, and review—not only transaction volume.
  4. 4State credential progress accurately and never imply an active license you do not hold.

See which example ideas match your actual target job

Compare your resume with the complete posting, then keep only accurate keywords and evidence you can defend.

Check my resume
Frequently asked questions

Accountant resume example questions

What should an accountant resume emphasize?

Emphasize the accounts and processes you owned, the standards and systems involved, the controls applied, and how you resolved exceptions.

Should I include transaction volume?

Include verified volume when it clarifies scope, but pair it with quality controls, complexity, and ownership.

How should CPA status be written?

Use the exact truthful status, such as active CPA, exam candidate, or exam sections passed, following applicable rules.

Accountant Resume Keywords & Skills

Explore the complete maintained role profile and ATS evidence guide.

How to Tailor a Resume to a Job Description

Map requirements to truthful evidence before rewriting.

ATS Resume Keywords Guide

Use accurate terms naturally without keyword stuffing.

Check your Accountant resume against the real job description

Get a structured match report, missing keyword review, and evidence gaps for your own resume—not the fictional sample.

Check your resume against a job description