Before moving ahead to the steps, let’s revisit some facts:
- Most Recruiters/ employers/ interviewers spend no more than 30-60 seconds to review your resume.
- Your resume should tell your
- Personality,
- Professional Story and most importantly,
- WHO ARE YOU?
- You should mention below list of keywords as skills, traits, and action verbs specifically related to the accounting industry. (Mentioned in Appendix 1.1 at the end of this page)
Let’s begin directly to the steps now:
1) Contact Information
Include full name, professional email, and phone number.
Nowadays there is a trend to include e-portfolios, professional websites, and online profiles such as Linkedin.
2) Objective
Highly useful while preparing a targeted resume. Create one using the keywords mentioned in the job post. Don’t forget to add Job-title, location, and the company you’re applying to.
Be short and precise.
3) Education
Detail academic experiences and background
Include degree(s), majors/minors, and study abroad and graduation date.
For those not graduated, include anticipated graduation date.
If you’ve an exceptionally high GPA, MENTION IT! Don’t even bother to mention a lower GPA (<3)
4) Certifications
List out any accounting Certifications, CPA, CA, ACCA, CMA, CIMA, IPA, CIPFA, CTA etc. you’ve completed.
If it is not completed, describe status or progress towards obtaining one.
5) Experience
Include relevant internships, projects, or jobs you’ve completed in recent years.
Include company names, position/titles, locations, dates, and QUANTIFIABLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
DO NOT list out your general duties.
6) Honors and Rewards
Include any scholarships, academic awards, professional awards/acclaims, and any other accomplishments.
If it is only one related to education or profession include in relevant sections (education awards in the education section or professional awards in the experience section)
7) Skills / Technical Skills
Always include skills in three major areas:
Computer skills: Skills in spreadsheet, writing, and presentation applications. Eg., MS Excel, Word, Powerpoint.
Accounting Software: SAP, Oracle, MS Dynamics Navision, Sage, Epicor, NetSuite, etc.
Others: Other skills such as proficiency in foreign languages, accounting standards (IAS/IFRS, ASC, US GAAP, and other work-related skills, etc.
8) Activities / Leadership / Community Service
List any extra-curricular activities, clubs, affiliations, and volunteer activities.
Include position/title, date of employment, and a short description of your tasks.
9) Spelling and Grammar
Be consistent with punctuation, capitalization, and spelling
Read aloud to identify grammatical errors
10) Formatting
Use bulleted sentences beginning with action verbs.
Avoid computer-generated templates as it offers minimum formatting ability
Use basic fonts (Times New Roman, Arial) and size 10-12
Appendix 1.1
Keywords
- Account
- Account Balance
- Analyze
- Annual report
- Approve
- Asset
- Asset management
- Audit
- Taxation
- Bottom line
- Budget
- Cashflow
- Client
- Closing
- Collaborated
- Compliance
- Document
- Earnings
- Equity
- Evaluate
- Financial statements
- Internal control
- Ledger
- Liability
- Policies
- Process
- Profitability
- Reconciled
- Report
- Review
- Team
- Verified
Action Verbs:
- Accomplished
- Achieved
- Adapted
- Attained
- Balanced
- Brainstormed
- Budgeted
- Built
- Calculated
- Changed
- Centralized
- Compiled
- Communicated
- Decreased
- Delegated
- Determined
- Directed
- Distributed
- Delivered
- Disbursed
- Established
- Examined
- Engaged
- Evaluated
- Fulfilled
- Finalized
- Facilitated
- Followed through
- Handled
- Headed
- Implemented
- Increased
- Improved
- Initiated
- Maintained
- Maximized
- Monitored
- Operated
- Oversaw
- Organized
- Optimized
- Planned
- Prepared
- Performed
- Positioned
- Reconciled
- Reduced
- Restructured
- Resolved
- Strategized
- Streamlined
- Structured
- Supervised
- Spearheaded
- Tailored
- Taught
- Tracked
- Transformed
- Verified
- Validated
Skills and Traits:
- Accountable
- Accurate
- Adaptable
- Agile
- Analytical
- Capable
- Cooperative
- Communicative
- Conservative
- Co-ordinating
- Critical-thinking
- Efficient
- Enthusiastic
- Effective
- Energized
- Go-getter
- Hardworking
- Independent