How to List Accounting Skills on a Resume: Best Skills and Examples

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The skills chosen for an accounting resume should be focused on abilities that make an accountant successful. By highlighting your best accounting skills on your resume, you increase your chances of impressing a potential employer. This article explores the skills that are required for a career as an accountant and how to call attention to those accounting skills on your resume.

Best accounting skills to list on a resume

The best list of accounting skills will contain a balance of both hard and soft skills. In addition to the technical knowledge to complete the job, you should demonstrate that you also possess interpersonal abilities which make you a valuable member of a team. 

Here are some of the best accounting skills to include on your resume:

  • Mathematics
  • Analysis
  • Accounting software
  • Computing
  • Organization
  • Time management
  • Communication
  • Attention to detail

The best way to show you’re a strong candidate for any position is to call attention to your skills that align with the requirements listed in the job posting.

Read More: Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills

How to create your accounting resume 

There are many ways you can highlight your accounting skills on your resume. The specifics of your situation or personal preference will determine the best approach for you. 

Here’s how you can display your skills on a resume for accounting positions:

1. First, choose your resume type

Resumes can come in a variety of styles, which means you have options when deciding how to best demonstrate your accounting skills. Depending on the job you’re applying for and your qualifications, you may want to use skills as an accent to your experience or you may prefer to lead with your abilities. 

Options for your accounting resume style include:

  • Chronological accounting resume. This is the traditional style of creating a resume, where you begin the body with your work experience in reverse-chronological order. This was once the standard resume format and remains the most popular. With a chronological resume, a skills section traditionally only contains the name of the skills you possess without elaboration.
  • Functional accounting resume. As traditional standards have changed in recent years, new resume styles have emerged. The functional resume is a popular choice when you’re changing industries or are new to the working world. On a functional resume, your skills section is expanded to a style similar to your work experience, with key skills receiving their own section which includes a list of bullet points elaborating on the skill or a brief description of each. Work experience, in turn, is reduced in importance on the resume.
  • Combination accounting resume. On a combination resume, both the work experience and skills sections are expanded, with fewer items in each to allow for elaboration on both. With a combination resume, you can highlight your relevant skills without completely downplaying your work experience.
  • Accounting CV. With a CV, you are no longer constricted to fitting your information on one page, allowing for ample room to display your abilities and experience. Your skills section can include all of the key skills for an accounting CV, each with notes on how you developed the skill and how you’ve applied it.

Read More: Resume Format Guide (With Tips and Examples)

2. Second, compile your list of skills

Accounting is a field that requires a range of skills to succeed. You should assess your abilities and skills and determine which can be applied to the accounting position you are applying for. 

Here are some accounting skills you can list on your resume:

  • Adaptability
  • Auditing
  • Banking
  • Budgeting
  • Confidentiality
  • Customer service
  • Payroll management
  • Problem-solving
  • Self-motivation
  • Tax compliance
  • Teamwork

Read More: 6 Essential Accounting Skills

3. Third, customize your skills by referring to the requirements listed in the job posting

When you apply for a job, you should customize your resume to match the position and specific attributes the employer is looking for. Read the job posting thoroughly and take note of any skills and responsibilities listed. Select the skills or responsibilities matching your own skill set and include them in your skills section along with the other accounting capabilities you want to highlight. When the hiring manager reads your resume, they’ll immediately be presented with your most relevant abilities.

Accounting resume skills section example

Here is one example of how you can utilize an expanded skills section to highlight your abilities:

Example:

Skills and Experience

  • Accounting Software: Professional experience and familiarity with most common accounting software options, including FreshBooks, QuickBooks, NetSuite ERP and Tipaldi.
  • Communication: Over a decade of working in corporate finance, communicating and sharing information between departments to keep all parties on the same page and all projects on budget.
  • Time Management: Three tax seasons as a personal accountant, managing the rigors and high workload of the April filing rush without missing the deadline for any clients.

Additional Skills 

  • Analysis 
  • Attention to detail 
  • Budgeting 
  • Customer service 
  • Mathematics 
  • Organization 
  • Payroll management