Staff Accountant resume examples & templates

A great staff accountant resume is like a year that exceeds profit expectations. Positive attention and bonuses are likely! When you enter a job search, your bonus is the interview for the job you desire. The bottom line is that a dry presentation just won’t get you there. Accelerate your job hunt with a resume that boosts your chances at that interview.

How can a resume do that? With dynamic descriptions of your talents and successes.

You’re a numbers person who understands the importance of details. The big picture is just as important to the business and it may be where the CFO focuses. Your resume provides the big picture of your career. It also gives the recruiter a first glimpse at  your suitability for the position. Make sure your numbers add up in a staff accountant resume that grabs their attention.

Resume guide for a staff accountant resume

Use the right tool for the job with Resume.io. Our guides and resume examples cover over 500 professions, and our resume builder will help you complete a dynamic resume in no time.

This resume guide and the staff accountant resume example that accompanies it will cover the following:

• The elements of a staff accountant resume
• Choosing the right resume format for staff accountants
• What contact information to include
• How to write summaries
• Adding your staff accountant experience
• Listing education and relevant experience
• Picking the right resume design/layout
• What the staff accountant market looks like and what salary you can expect

How to write a staff accountant resume

The very information you need when beginning to write your staff accountant resume is what sections to include. Your resume should contain the following elements:

• The resume header
• The resume summary (aka profile or personal statement)
• The employment history section
• The resume skills section
• The education section

As a back office employee, you’re not in the habit of selling, but now’s the time to try. A resume is a sales pitch for your accounting expertise. With confidence, tell your prospective employer what your unique combination of skills and professional demeanor will bring to the accounting department and the company overall. When deciding among candidates to interview, recruiters choose those whose successes and qualifications best meet or exceed (but not by too much or you may be considered overqualified) the job requirements and mesh with the company culture.

Apply the formula below to the compilation of any resume for a staff accountant:

• Make each bullet item a focal point for an accomplishment, not a task. You’re an accountant and you track spending? So what? You’re an accountant who cut waste by tracking travel spending and suggesting methods to save? Better!
• While “staff accountant” may seem like a straightforward title, no two jobs are exactly alike. Nor are two companies or accounting departments. Customize each resume to match the tone and style of the company and address its needs.
• Choose a professional design, but one with a little zing. A boring layout won’t create a lasting impression.
• For all online applications, adjust your phrases and add keywords to help your resume pass through the ATS filter.

Choosing the right resume format for a staff accountant

Your resume needs to present a professional, detail-oriented and trustworthy image—the same qualities of a good staff accountant.

Take a straightforward approach with a reverse chronological format. This format is best in most cases because it focuses on the employment history section, allowing space to enumerate your successes. Jobs are listed in reverse chronological order to demonstrate your career progress. Below is an example of this format.

First-time job seekers or career changers may prefer an alternative format, such as the functional format. This format focuses more on skills and less on employment history.

When you head over to resume templates in our resume builder, choose the format that works best for your career. Our dozens of designs encompass all three formats and can be previewed as resume examples.

A staff accountant resume should use a clean, clear, professional layout that conveys that you understand the responsibility your job entails and is easy for recruiters to read.

Include your contact information

A resume header serves two purposes: to add a visual element to your layout, but most importantly to highlight your contact information in a professional manner so that the recruiter can easily reach you to schedule your interview.

Here’s what you need to include, and how to do it:

• Full name and title. List your first and last name. Use the title of the role you are pursuing.
• Professional email address. Use a clean format like firstname.lastname@gmail.com. Accounting is serious business, so don’t use a quirky or cute address.
• Phone number. List a number where you can be readily contacted, with a professional voicemail greeting.
• Location. List only your city and state. Don’t list street address or zip code. It can be unsafe and is definitely old-fashioned. Note 'Willing to Relocate' if applicable.
• LinkedIn. If your LinkedIn profile is active, relevant, and shows your business network, include it here.

Don’t include:

• Date of birth: Not necessary and could potentially lead to age discrimination.
• Personal details: Marital status, social security number, passport number, etc.

Make use of a summary

When you present a budget analysis or the results of your internal audit, you don’t start with the details. Instead you provide a comprehensive overview of your points, the company’s value or your findings. Once you have their attention, you discuss the numbers more thoroughly.

Likewise, a summary for a staff accountant resume is not a rehash of your employment history, but an introduction that highlights your overall value as an employee. In 2-3 sentences, you’re telling the employer what you can do for them and why that makes you the best candidate. Listing tasks won’t do that; instead, tout an achievement that dovetails with what the company needs.

Achievements require action and action verbs such as accounted, recommended, balanced, allocated, budgeted or analyzed impress more than passive language. 

Research the company and the industry. Delve into its finances. Then, showcase a success that applies directly to the needs of the accounting department you’ve targeted.

You can find adaptable staff accountant resume examples summary below:

Outline your staff accountant work experience: capitalize your career

The employment history section follows reverse chronological order. List your current or most recent accounting job first. Senior accountants should go back only 10-15 years. If you have worked jobs unrelated to finance, you may list them under “Other experience.”

Begin each bullet item with an action you took (discovered, performed, mentored, balanced, allocated, assessed) and the contribution it led to. Be specific; offer details to round out your descriptions. It’s especially important to quantify your achievements to demonstrate your attention to the numbers.

Remember to avoid listing tasks and instead create a detailed story of your successes and growth at each position. The items below need improvement:

• Updated accounting software
• Prepared monthly statements
• Managed accounts payable
• Reconciled accounts

Note the lack of detail and generic tone. Your goal is to convince the employer that you are the right person for the job. Do that by illustrating your value add to each position you have held. Choose those that best apply to the position you seek. Add information like the size of the budget, the programs you used, the number of transactions in the accounts you handled or any savings or efficiencies you suggested.

Here are rewritten versions of the phrases above:

• Led transitioned from QuickBooks to SAP to enhance accounting capabilities, leading to more detailed financial analyses.
• Analyzed monthly financial statements of accounts worth $950K, including balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow statements.
• Managed accounts payable and accounts receivable, including processing invoices, issuing payments, and reconciling vendor statements.
• Maintained all financial records, ensuring accuracy and compliance with financial regulations.
• Conducted thorough account reconciliations of accounts with more than 5,000 transactions per month, catching and correcting any discrepancies.

Take a look at the staff accountant employment history resume sample below:

How to write a staff accountant resume with no experience

An entry-level staff accountant resume or one with no experience focuses on transferable skills and skills learned in school or unrelated jobs. Since most staff accounting jobs require a bachelor’s degree, a resume format that highlights these two sections over your experience will serve you best.

Most staff accountant positions require a year or two of accounting work. If that’s the case, use your resume summary to explain why you’re ready to make the leap.

If no experience is required, focus on soft skills. Recruiters hiring for entry-level positions want to know that you can get along with others, communicate and have a sense of responsibility and trustworthiness. Any after school job, such as your stint at McDonald’s, serves that purpose. If you have been the treasurer of a club or organization during your academic career, include that direct experience.

Any position of responsibility, even if it was a volunteer job, shows initiative. Although you may be creating a staff accountant resume with no experience, these indirect experiences—along with your education—show you have the makings of an excellent employee.

Include the relevant key skills that make you a great staff accountant

A skills list is an at-a-glance overview of your expert-level accounting attributes. Combine hard and soft skills to create the picture of a well-rounded staff accountant. Consult the job listing to ensure you use keywords that will help you pass through the ATS.

Hard skills such as strong math skills; knowledge of tax law, financial regulations and GAAP; and proficiency in accounting basics like software, budgeting and account reconciliation form the basis of your career. 

Soft skills, however, may be the ones that buoy both your career and your resume. Analytical thinking, problem-solving, leadership and time management can take you beyond inputting transactions into QuickBooks.

The resume builder provides a listing of skills you can simply click on, adding your proficiency level. You can also choose to type in your own staff accountant resume skills.

Here’s what the skills box looks like in our staff accountant resume template. 

The skills box highlights attributes, but your entire resume furnishes a platform for demonstrating them. Tell the story of your career and its growth by showcasing your expertise and how you applied it with specific examples.

Highlight expertise by incorporate skills into your employment history and summary sections:

• Problem solving by describing a root cause analysis you completed and how you ensured it would not happen again
• Data analytics by detailing your use of software to help uncover financial patterns within the company’s spending habits
• Regulatory compliance and mentorship by improving procedures and training junior staff members in GAAP standards and new process

Detail your education & relevant staff account certifications

The education section is a listing of all your academic degrees. Most staff accounting positions require at least a bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance or a related field. Begin with your most recent degree. If you have a master’s degree or higher, there’s no need to list your high school.

Your education may go beyond your college degree. Certifications and training programs add value and show you want to improve your skills and knowledge. Add any of the following:

• Training and certification. Many accounting jobs require that you are a Certified Public Accountant, but there are many other certificates you can earn. List those and any related training programs you have completed.
• Internships. These are especially valuable if you are just beginning your career or learned skills that you have not yet demonstrated in your career.
• Professional development. Membership in organizations such as the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants shows you maintain an interest in your field and staying current on all changes within it.

If your education achievements are particularly impressive and you are at the beginning of your career, you may emphasize it by moving above your employment history section, or try a functional or hybrid format.

Pick the right resume layout and design for a staff accountant resume

When you make a budget presentation, you don’t show the staff your back-end Excel spreadsheet. You turn it into easy-to-read graphics that are easier to decipher and deliver your message in a more understandable format. 

Take into account the same factors when in your resume’s presentation. Grab the attention of the hiring manager with a design that reveals your professional personality without fuss. The layout for a staff accountant should be clean, organized and legible, but not dull. 

While creative thinking is a plus, a resume design that’s too creative will send the wrong message. Stick with easy-to-read fonts, crisp lines and clearly defined sections. Color is fine as long as you choose one with gravitas—a hunter green or navy blue, for example.

Budget less time for formatting and making design decisions with one of our field-tested resume templates. Simply choose the one that catches your eye and give it a personal touch. You’ll be on your way to

Staff accountant text-only resume example

What type of salary you can expect in staff accounting

Staff accountant salaries vary depending on experience, region, education and other factors, but the median annual income for a staff accountant is $72,715, with a typical range of $65,912 and $80,538.

Key takeaways for building a staff accountant resume

A great staff accountant is not only a detail-oriented number cruncher, but an analytical thinker with a firm grasp of business goals. Use your summary and work history sections to show off your successes and attributes. Bottom line: You need a resume that grabs the hiring manager’s attention and then impresses with your career achievements. 

Our resume builder gives you a big assist in getting your job applications out there so you can find the staff accounting job you desire.