15 Accounting Manager Resume Examples for 2025

In this guide, find winning resume examples for accounting managers. As a hiring expert, I'll share simple yet powerful tips. Learn what to include: from CPA credentials to leadership skills, ensuring your resume reflects the vital role you play in financial stewardship. Keep your document clear, and focus on your experience in managing accounting teams, budgeting, and compliance. This advice will help you present a good, strong case to potential employers.

  Compiled and approved by Jason Lewis
  Last updated on See history of changes

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At a Glance

Here's what we see in strong accounting manager resumes.

  • Quantifiable Impact With Numbers: The best resumes show clear impact with numbers like reduced expenses by 20%, managed a budget of $500K, increased efficiency by 30%, and oversaw a team of 10 accountants. These figures help you see the real-world impact of their work.

  • Relevant Skills Aligned With The Job Description: Include skills on your resume that you have and are also in the job description. Some important ones are financial reporting, tax compliance, budgeting, GAAP standards, and forecasting. Pick the ones that match your experience.

  • Understanding Of Current Regulations: Show you are up-to-date with the latest regulations by including phrases like familiar with SEC filings or current IFRS expertise. This tells employers that you can ensure compliance.

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Where to list your education

As an accounting manager, you want to quickly show your relevant knowledge in the field. If you are a seasoned professional, include your education after your experience. Place your degree, certifications, or licenses here in reverse-chronological order, placing the latest achievements first.

If your most recent and significant achievement is a higher degree in a relevant field, such as a master's in accounting or finance, position this information before your experience. This is especially true if the education has been completed recently. Highlight any concentration or coursework that is directly applicable to being an accounting manager, such as advanced financial reporting or management accounting.

Tailoring for the finance sector

When targeting an accounting manager role, emphasize leadership in financial projects. Details about your role in budgeting, financial analysis, or audit coordination show your expertise.

Also feature any specialized certifications like Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA), which are highly regarded in the financial industry and could improve your job prospects.

Ideal length for your resume

As an accounting manager applying for a new opportunity, you should aim to present your experience succinctly. If you have less than 10 years of experience or are at a mid-level stage, your resume should ideally fit on one page. This length encourages you to focus on your most relevant accounting and management experience.

For those with more than 10 years of experience or in a senior-level position, a two-page resume is acceptable. You should put your strongest, most relevant accomplishments on the first page because hiring managers typically scan this area first. Remember, readability is key. Avoid small fonts and thin margins – if space is tight, it’s better to cut less important information or switch to a layout that uses space efficiently.

Highlighting accounting skills

Focusing on specific software skills can set you apart when applying for an accounting manager position. Showcase your proficiency in accounting software like QuickBooks or Oracle Financials.

Include any experience in regulatory compliance or tax preparation, as these competencies are critical in the accounting field and demonstrate your capability to handle complex financial tasks.

Understand resume screeners

When you apply for an accounting manager role, know that your resume may first be read by a computer program known as an Applicant Tracking System (ATS). This system looks for specific keywords and phrases to decide if your resume should move forward.

Here are things you can do to help your resume pass an ATS:

  • Use standard job titles like 'accounting supervisor' instead of creative ones. This increases the chance that the ATS recognizes your experience.
  • Include keywords from the job description, such as 'budgeting,' 'financial reporting,' or 'tax compliance.' These are terms often searched for in accounting management.

Keep your resume format simple and clear. Complex designs can confuse an ATS. By following these steps, you help ensure your resume shows what you can do in a way that both computers and people can understand.

Match your resume to the job

Your resume should show that you are the right person for the job of managing accounts. Use the job posting as your guide. Show how your past work makes you a good fit for this job. Make sure you use words from the job posting in your resume.

  • Show you can lead a team by including examples like 'Managed a team of 10 accountants.'
  • List software you've used like QuickBooks or SAP to show your technical skills.
  • If you are changing to this field, talk about your experience with budgets or data analysis from other jobs.

Avoid vague job descriptions

When you apply for jobs, be clear about what you have done. Sometimes you might write job descriptions that are too general. This does not help the hiring manager understand your true skills and experience. For example, rather than saying you 'managed accounts,' explain how you improved the process or saved money for your company.

Remember, as an accounting manager candidate, you need to show how your work had an effect. Add details like 'oversaw a team of 10 accountants' or 'introduced a new software that cut report time by 20%.' These show the impact of your work, which is important for a hiring manager to see.

Use strong action verbs

When crafting your resume as an accounting manager, choosing strong action verbs is essential. You want to show your ability to lead and manage effectively. Think about the tasks you have overseen and pick verbs that truly capture the impact of your work.

Using the right verbs will help you to stand out. They can make your accomplishments more impressive and your responsibilities clearer. Here's a list of action verbs that can sharpen your resume and highlight your leadership in accounting.

  • To demonstrate your financial management skills, use verbs like allocated, budgeted, forecasted, analyzed, and optimized.
  • For showcasing strategic planning abilities, include devised, planned, implemented, improved, and standardized.
  • To highlight your role in team oversight and development, use supervised, coached, directed, motivated, and developed.
  • For demonstrating your expertise in reporting and compliance, verbs like consolidated, reported, ensured, audited, and validated are effective.
  • To underline your experience with systems and processes, select verbs such as integrated, upgraded, automated, maintained, and streamlined.

Want inspiration for other action verbs you can use? Check out synonyms to commonly used action verbs like Execute, Build, Took, Handling, Possess.

Focus on your achievements

When you apply for an accounting manager role, it's important to show not just what you did, but how well you did it. Replace job responsibilities with your accomplishments. This offers a clear picture of your impact and value to potential employers.

Think about your achievements in past jobs. How did you help the company? Did you save money or make processes better? Use numbers to show this. For example:

  • Instead of "Managed a team of accountants," you could say, "Led a team of 5 accountants to reduce monthly closing time by 30%, enhancing efficiency."
  • Swap "Oversaw budgeting and forecasting" with "Developed a new forecasting model that improved budget accuracy by 25%, supporting better company financial planning."

Essential skills for accounting managers

When you're crafting your resume, focusing on the key hard skills is crucial. Below is a list of skills essential for an accounting manager. Remember, you should only include skills that you are proficient in and match the job you are applying for.

  • Financial reporting
  • Budget management
  • General ledger
  • Account reconciliation
  • Cost accounting
  • Audit coordination
  • Tax preparation
  • Financial analysis
  • Regulatory compliance
  • Accounting software (such as QuickBooks, SAP, or Oracle)

Include these skills in a dedicated section on your resume. This makes it easier for hiring managers and tracking systems to find and match them to job requirements. Place the most relevant skills higher on the list to catch the eye quickly.

For example, if the job you’re applying for emphasizes financial analysis, ensure financial analysis is prominent on your resume. If you have experience with specific accounting software, list those too, as many companies look for proficiency in their preferred systems.

Show leadership growth

When you're looking to showcase your capabilities as an accounting manager, it's important to highlight your journey up the career ladder. If you've had the chance to lead a team or were promoted because of your work, make sure to include this on your resume. Here's how you can do that:

  • Detail any roles where you supervised staff, managed budgets, or led projects. For example, 'Oversaw a team of 4 junior accountants and improved report processing time by 30%'.
  • Include specific promotions, such as moving from an accountant to a senior accountant, and then to an accounting manager. You might write, 'Promoted to senior accountant within 2 years due to strong performance in streamlining financial processes.'

Think about times when you guided your colleagues or took charge of a situation. Even if you were not in a formal leadership position, showing how you stepped up can speak volumes. Consider phrases like:

  • 'Led monthly book-closing process, ensuring accuracy and efficiency.'
  • 'Trained new staff in accounting software and procedures, contributing to team success.'

Show impact with numbers

When you talk about your work as an accounting manager, numbers can tell a strong story. They make your impact clear. Think about how you have helped your company. Maybe you saved money or made processes better. Here are ways to show this with numbers:

  • Look at how you cut costs. Did you negotiate better deals? Write down by how much you reduced expenses, for example, 'Cut supply costs by 15% year-over-year.'
  • Consider the budgets you manage. Show the size of the budgets you handle with numbers like '$500,000 quarterly budget.'
  • Did you improve the time it takes to close monthly books? Share it like 'Reduced month-end closing time by 3 days.'
  • Think about your team. Did you lead a team that completed audits with fewer errors? Note it as 'Increased audit accuracy by 25%.'
  • Maybe you made reports faster or better. Say 'Enhanced report generation efficiency, saving 10 hours per month.'
  • Have you improved cash flow? Include by how much, such as 'Improved cash flow by 20% through strategic accounts receivable management.'
  • If you helped in getting more money back, show this. For example, 'Increased revenue by optimizing billing processes, leading to a 5% uplift.'
  • Did you work with new systems? Mention how they made a difference, like 'Implemented a new accounting software that reduced data entry errors by 30%.'

Think about your job. Remember times when you made things better. Use numbers to show this. It will help people see how good you are at your job.

Tailor your resume for small companies

When applying to small companies or startups, highlight your ability to handle a wide range of tasks. Small teams often need versatile employees who can manage multiple responsibilities. Mention experiences where you have taken on diverse roles or streamlined processes.

For example, you might include, 'Led the implementation of a new accounting system, resulting in a 50% reduction in processing time' or 'Managed both payroll and financial reporting for a growing team of 20+ employees.'

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