Stop Accounting for Resume Errors
Identify and correct the biggest resume pitfalls that keep accountants from their dream jobs.
Common Mistakes That Kill Your Chances
Each mistake includes why it hurts, how to fix it, and before/after examples
- Recruiters filter for CPA as a baseline credential
- ATS often ranks candidates with certifications higher
- Absence suggests lack of professional credibility
- Add CPA designation next to your name in the header
- Create a dedicated Certifications section
- Include license number and state if applicable
John Doe Senior Accountant Experience: 8 years
John Doe, CPA Senior Accountant Certified Public Accountant â Texas, #1234567
- Objectives are outdated and add no value
- They waste prime resume space
- Recruiters prefer a concise summary of impact
- Replace objective with a 2â3 sentence Professional Summary
- Highlight years of experience, industry focus, and key achievements
Objective: Seeking a challenging accounting position where I can utilize my skills.
Professional Summary: Detailâoriented CPA with 7+ years of experience in financial reporting, audit coordination, and tax compliance for Fortune 500 firms. Proven track record of reducing monthâend close time by 15% and improving audit outcomes.
- Dutyâfocused bullet points read like a job description
- Recruiters canât gauge your impact
- ATS rewards quantifiable results
- Start each bullet with an action verb
- Add numbers, percentages, or dollar amounts
- Show how you improved processes or saved money
- Prepared monthly financial statements. - Assisted with audits. - Managed accounts payable.
- Produced monthly financial statements for $200M portfolio, reducing reporting errors by 12%. - Led audit preparation, resulting in zero material findings for three consecutive years. - Streamlined accounts payable workflow, cutting invoice processing time by 30% and saving $45K annually.
- ATS may misread dates and think there are gaps
- Recruiters struggle to follow career timeline
- Use MM/YYYY for all positions and education entries
- Align dates to the right margin for easy scanning
Senior Accountant Jan 2018 â March 2021 Junior Accountant 2015 â 2017
Senior Accountant                          01/2018 â 03/2021 Junior Accountant                            06/2015 â 12/2017
- ATS filters out resumes lacking core finance terms
- Hiring managers skim for industry jargon
- Research job postings for top keywords (e.g., GAAP, SOX, financial modeling)
- Weave them naturally into summary, experience, and skills sections
Responsible for preparing reports and managing ledgers.
Prepared GAAPâcompliant financial statements, performed SOX controls testing, and built financial models that supported $10M budgeting decisions.
- Header includes full name, CPA (if earned), phone, email, LinkedIn URL
- Professional Summary is 2â3 sentences with key metrics
- Core Competencies list 8â10 accounting keywords
- Each experience bullet starts with a strong verb and includes numbers
- Dates are formatted MM/YYYY and aligned consistently
- Education lists degree, institution, graduation month/year
- Certifications section highlights CPA and any other licenses
- Technical Skills list relevant software (e.g., QuickBooks, SAP, Excel)
- File saved as PDF with a clean, ATSâfriendly layout
- Trim content to two pages or less
- Replace dutyâfocused bullets with quantified achievements
- Insert CPA and other certification keywords
- Standardize all dates to MM/YYYY
- Add core accounting keywords from the job description
