Accounting Assistant Resume Examples and Tips
Accounting assistants provide administrative assistance to accountants, accounting managers and finance managers, managing transactions, maintaining statutory accounts, handling insurance claims, and producing financial reports. To succeed in this career, you should have excellent mathematical skills, the ability to multitask, and knowledge of financial principles and accounting terminology.
Use our resume examples and expert tips to help you create a resume that gets you the right accounting assistant job.
Table of Contents
Featured resume example: accounting assistant
Name : PAULINE STANTON
Address: City, State, Zip Code
Phone: 000-000-0000
E-Mail: email@email.com
PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
Emerging accounting professional ready to develop career foundation with expanding operation. Dedicated to keeping records accurate and controls tight to meet all business needs. Systematic and well-organized with strong attention to detail, mathematical acumen and GAAP knowledge.
SKILLS
- General ledger
- Organization
- QuickBooks
- Time management
- Account reconciliation
- Communication
- MS Excel
- Attention to detail
PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
Accounting
- Prepared monthly closings by creating journal entries and reconciling accounts.
- Organized budget documentation and tracked over $10,000 in monthly expenses to maintain tight business controls.
- Entered figures using 10-key calculator to compute data quickly.
Compliance
- Stayed on top of applicable federal and state requirements to minimize legal and financial risks.
- Analyzed account information and reconciled financial discrepancies to maintain records integrity and compliance.
- Maintained strict client confidentiality in personal, telephone and email interactions to comply with preset standards and regulations.
Attention to detail
- Completed balance sheet reconciliations and profit and loss statements with high accuracy.
- Reviewed general ledger entries and assessed accuracy.
- Identified system errors and applied established company policies and procedures to resolve issues.
WORK HISTORY
Accounting Intern
Company Name, City, State 06/2020 – 09/2020
Accounting Intern
Company Name, City, State 05/2019 – 08/2019
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Science Accounting
City, State
Top 4 characteristics of a best-in-class accounting assistant resume
- Summary In a summary statement, provide an overview of your strongest abilities, aligning them with the job position requirements. For example: “Highly motivated accounting professional with 3+ years experience in financial administration. Skilled in documentation analysis and data processing.”
- Skills Browse through the job description for the position you are applying for, finding relevant skills to include in your resume. Consider dividing your skills section into two subcategories: technical skills (e.g., financial statements, QuickBooks, account analysis or invoicing and payments) and soft skills (e.g. attention to detail, critical thinking, multitasking, administrative skills).
- Work History Highlight top duties and achievements from past jobs, limiting this section to the last ten years of experience. Use numbers and metrics to provide more detail on your accomplishments. For example: “Maintained 100% accuracy in company monthly financial reports over the past year.”
- Education List your highest qualifications or credentials, along with the name of the institution and date of completion. Be sure to include additional courses and training that pertain to the job, such as a certificate in accounting, or certification in QuickBooks Pro.
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Find the right template for your resume
Make sure your resume has an appealing look as well as the right content — use these professionally crafted resume templates.
Modern
This resume template offers a classy presentation, with colored headers distinguishing each section, while keeping the focus on the applicant’s necessary credentials.
Blueprint
This clean layout uses bold colors and large font to highlight the applicant’s name, while leaving plenty of space for each section to breathe.
Pinstripe
With simple dividing lines, this template features an eye-catching design that effectively organizes information for easy navigation.
For more free templates you can use as the foundation of your resume, visit our resume templates page.
Do’s and don’ts for your resume
- DO include soft skills in your resume. In your skills section, summary statement and work history, make sure to highlight soft skills (the intangible capabilities you possess) that are relevant to accounting work, such as time management, confidentiality, being highly organized, and attention to detail. These character traits help recruiters understand how you approach your work.
- DO use powerful action verbs. Using strong action verbs when describing your work experiences will create a more positive impact than being passive. in the mind of the recruiter. For example, writing “Managed invoices, expense reports, and payment memos” is better than “Was responsible for client communication and customer service.” Some examples of strong action verbs include “prepared,” “organized,” “executed” or “established.”
- DO include important projects and achievements. Significant projects and work accomplishments count for a lot in your resume. Single out achievements that best illustrate your abilities, skills and commitment. For example, you could mention a personal milestone, such as receiving recognition at a previous job for superior service or financial skills. Stress achievements in which you saved company money and time, reached or surpassed job goals, and enhanced results — and always use data and figures that showcase your performance. For example: “Implemented financial controls to successfully scale company growth from $5 million to $15 million per year in revenue.”
- DON’T make your resume too long. The longer your resume, the more risk you run of employers missing critical information. Feature only your most essential skills, and make sure they’re relevant to the job. Limit your work history to the last 10 years and highlight your most impressive work achievements. Aim to keep your resume under two-pages long.
- DON’T forget to review your resume. You know that in this job, accuracy is paramount — make sure your resume is also accurate, by reviewing it before you submit it for grammatical and factual errors. Don’t forget to also cross-check the data you provide for accuracy (e.g., employment dates, or financial numbers). When you use our Resume Builder to create your resume, our tools will help you check your document.
- DON’T get too verbose. Resumes don’t need complete sentences to get the job done. instead of writing “I have provided exceptional clerical support to the senior staff,” write “Provided exceptional clerical support to senior staff.” Notice how you don’t need articles like “the” or pronouns like “I.” Use bullet points and punchy phrases for your work experience and skills section.
Accounting assistant resume FAQ
- 1.Which skills should you include in your accounting assistant resume?
- 2. How do you incorporate keywords in a resume?
- 3. How should you craft your resume if you’re looking to take the next step in your career?
- 4. How should you format your resume?
- 5. How should you tailor your resume for different jobs?
1.Which skills should you include in your accounting assistant resume?
Technical skills: | Soft skills: |
Audits | Communication |
Vendor invoices | Critical thinking |
Mortgage documents | Multitasking |
Data entry | Hard-working |
Financial statements | Team player |
Account analysis | Good interpersonal skills |
QuickBooks | Problem-solving |
Credit | Quick learner |
Billing | Leadership skills |
Auditing | Problem-solving |
Analyzing data | |
Expense claims | |
Payroll | |
Purchase ledger | |
Retail sales | |
Balance sheets |
Technical skills: |
Audits |
Vendor invoices |
Mortgage documents |
Data entry |
Financial statements |
Account analysis |
QuickBooks |
Credit |
Billing |
Auditing |
Analyzing data |
Expense claims |
Payroll |
Purchase ledger |
Retail sales |
Balance sheets |
Soft skills: |
Communication |
Critical thinking |
Multitasking |
Hard-working |
Team player |
Good interpersonal skills |
Problem-solving |
Quick learner |
Leadership skills |
Problem-solving |
2. How do you incorporate keywords in a resume?
Analyze the job post, picking out phrases that spell out job requirements (e.g., “Tracks all problem invoices for resolution,” or “Verifies accuracy of invoices and other accounting documents”). Match these requirements with your own skills and work experiences, and present them in your resume. For example, you could write “Invoice management” in your skills, or “Created 15 financial reports and invoices per week for major clients” in your work history section.
3. How should you craft your resume if you’re looking to take the next step in your career?
Highlight your experience in the following activities and skills:
- Any additional certifications or diplomas related to accounting, such as a Certified Management Accountant certification or Certified Public Accountant (CPA) certification.
- Experience in training new hires and completing tasks in a timely manner, exceeding expectations.
- Demonstrate how you’ve taken on an increased role in leading projects to successful outcomes.
- Excellence at interdepartmental communications (e.g., answering and routing calls) and performing essential office tasks, such as client communications and records management.
4. How should you format your resume?
Your format will depend on your unique experience and skills. If you already have some professional accounting experience, use the combination resume format, which highlights both your skills and work accomplishments. A chronological resume format is a good choice if you have extensive experience in accounting, as it emphasizes your work history. The functional resume format is best for first-time job seekers, as it emphasizes your skills rather than your work experience.
For more information on resume formatting, visit our resume format page.
5. How should you tailor your resume for different jobs?
Every accounting assistant job is different from the rest — to customize your resume for each opportunity, follow these guidelines:
- Update your skills section with skills that are specifically requested by the job.
- Emphasize keywords mentioned in the job description, matching them to your skills or prior experience.
- If you lack certain skills or experiences, emphasize work accomplishments or abilities that show you have the capability of picking up new tasks and skills, and succeeding.
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Cover letter examples for the next step in your billing and collections career
- Accounts Payable Clerk Cover Letter
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