Accounting & Finance Resumes

Accounting and finance resume should highlight a candidate's accomplishments and education.

In the competitive financial services sector, candidates for accounting and finance jobs need well-crafted resumes to differentiate themselves from other applicants. Tailoring resumes to individual positions and using industry-specific jargon can make a resume stand out and land interviews for a candidate.

Identification

FINS, a career website that is part of The Wall Street Journal Digital Network, notes that an accounting resume should lead with a list of degrees and certifications. For finance jobs, FINS suggests placing technical skills ahead of the job history.

Types

The chronological resume format, in which jobs are listed from most recent to oldest, is the preferred format for accounting and finance resumes, according to FINS. A finance resume should be tailored to each firm an applicant submits the resume to, according to FINS. For example, an applicant should highlight international work experience when applying for a position at a global firm. An accounting resume needs a job history section in the resume that highlights experience relevant to the position the candidate is applying to.

Accomplishments

Accounting resumes that include data such as dollar figures and percentages are what hiring managers are looking for, notes FINS. Highlighting achievements is also important in a finance resume. Action words and quantifying language that demonstrates how a candidate provided earnings at a prior job are helpful.

Keywords

Keywords are an important component of finance and accounting resumes, according to FINS. Many large companies scan resumes and automatically reject submissions that do not include industry-specific terms. However, recruiters also review resumes, in which case use of industry jargon is helpful. FINS suggests that resumes include examples of both keywords in the resume, i.e., "M&A and mergers and acquisitions," to pass electronic and recruiter scans.

Considerations

Accounting resumes should not be longer than two pages and should focus on leadership experience as much as possible, according to FINS. A general career objective is unnecessary for a finance resume; instead, a paragraph summarizing work experience and accomplishments should be placed ahead of the job history.

References

• FINS: The Perfect Accounting Resume
• FINS: The Perfect Finance Resume