Accounting Associate Resume Example & Writing Guide
Use this Accounting Associate resume example and guide to improve your career and write a powerful resume that will separate you from the competition.
Accounting associates are the backbone of most organizations. They handle the day-to-day operations of a company’s finances, from reconciling accounts to preparing tax returns. Accounting is a field that requires a lot of hard work and attention to detail.
If you’re ready to join the ranks of accountants everywhere and make a career out of your passion for numbers, an accounting associate resume is the first step toward getting hired. Here are tips and an example resume to help you write yours.
How to Write an Accounting Associate Resume
Here’s how to write an accounting associate resume of your own.
Write Compelling Bullet Points
Bullet points are the most effective way to showcase your experience and qualifications. But rather than simply listing your responsibilities, you can make your bullet points much more interesting and compelling by using specific numbers and metrics.
For example, rather than saying you “managed accounts payable and receivable,” you could say that you “managed $1M accounts payable and receivable budget, reducing accounts payable days from 120 to 90 and saving company $50K in interest payments over the last year.”
The second bullet point is much more interesting and provides a clear sense of the scope of the project and the results.
Identify and Include Relevant Keywords
When you apply for an accounting associate role, your resume will likely be scanned by an applicant tracking system (ATS) for certain keywords. This program looks for terms related to accounting, like “account reconciliation” or “financial statements” in order to determine whether your skills are a match for the job opening. If your resume doesn’t include enough relevant keywords, the ATS might discard your application.
To increase your chances of getting an interview, use this list of common accounting keywords as a starting point to help you identify the skills, experience, and terms that are most relevant to the position you’re applying for:
- Accounting
- Financial Reporting
- Account Reconciliation
- Accounts Payable
- Financial Accounting
- Finance
- General Ledger
- Bank Reconciliation
- Financial Analysis
- Journal Entries
- Bookkeeping
- Auditing
- Financial Statements
- Income Tax
- Payroll
- QuickBooks
- Tax
- Accounts Receivable (AR)
- U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP)
- Data Entry
- Spreadsheets
- Microsoft Access
- Cash Flow
- Budgeting
- Teamwork
- Cash Management
- Management
- Tax Accounting
- Business Strategy
- Microsoft Dynamics NAV
Showcase Your Technical Skills
As an accounting associate, you will need to be proficient in the use of accounting software programs, like QuickBooks and Sage 50. You will also need to be able to use Excel to create financial reports and track budget data. So if you have experience with these programs, be sure to list them in your technical skills section.