Writing an accountant CV

Writing a good accountant CV is all about grabbing attention. Have clearly labelled headings so the reader can navigate their way around easily. Focus the CV to your target accountancy roles and ensure achievements stand out. Showcase your accounting, business and soft skills.

Professional profile

The professional profile acts as your introduction. Align yourself to your target roles in the first sentence. For example, as a financial controller, management accountant or chief finance officer. This will allow the reader to ascertain the relevance of your accountant CV. Then give a little insight into the personal qualities you bring. Don’t just summarise what an accountant does, say something authentic and original about yourself.

ATS Systems

You are no doubt aware of Applicant tracking systems (ATS). They work in a similar way to how search engines find web pages. ATS systems looking for concentrations of relevant key words and phrases. It is estimated that over 70% of all applications are filtered out by ATS systems before anyone actually reads a CV.

Key skills

To stand the best chance of getting through ATS systems it is essential to mirror the key terms and phrases in the job description and person specification. Job titles are important, in addition to technical skills and qualifications. Include a separate key skills section after the professional profile and list key skills such as audit, IFRS, governance and risk or other terms associated with your specialism.

Achievements not duties

Many job seekers only include the responsibilities of a role in their career history. This can sound generic so the CV becomes bland and could apply to anyone. Tell your story. Provide specific examples of achievements and support these with facts and figures. Your accountant CV will be much more convincing if based in real life experience rather than reading like a hypothetical job description.

Reflect yourself. Make sure you convey a sense of the individual skills and qualities that make you successful at what you do. Ensure the key skills are aligned to the job you are applying for and make the decision on calling you to interview easy by giving specific examples of relevant achievements.

This article is written by Neville Rose, Director of CV Writers. Please do connect with me via LinkedIn.

Check out our CV writing service with details of our packages that include LinkedIn profiles, cover letters and more. You can get things started with a Free CV review. I am also a qualified career counsellor and provide Career Counselling services for people looking to change career paths.