12 CPA Resume Examples for 2025

For certified public accountants, a strong resume is essential. This guide offers proven examples and practical advice. Learn the best ways to highlight your skills, experience, and qualifications to stand out to employers. From formatting to key sections, we cover what you need to know to create an effective CPA resume.

  Compiled and approved by Diana Price
  Last updated on See history of changes

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At a Glance

Here's what we see in top resumes for CPAs.

  • Show Impact With Numbers: The best resumes use metrics. Common ones include cost savings, financial accuracy improvements, auditing efficiency, and increasing client satisfaction scores.

  • Relevant Skills Matter: Include skills on your resume that you have and are mentioned on the job description. Some popular ones are GAAP, SAP, Taxation, Excel, auditing. But don't include all of them, choose the ones you have and are mentioned in the JD.

  • Highlight Certifications: Industry certifications like CPA license and CMA can set you apart. Include these credentials prominently.

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Placement of education section

If you're an entry-level hire or recently graduated, display your education at the top. This makes it clear why recent job experience might be limited. For experienced professionals, place your education below your work history unless your latest degree is a higher level of education.

For someone transitioning careers or returning to the workforce after education, also put the education section near the top. This quickly shows potential employers the reason for your recent lack of employment.

Highlight certifications

When applying for accounting roles, always list your CPA certification prominently. This certification is crucial for accounting jobs and immediately signals your qualifications. Include any other industry-specific credentials like CFE or CMA.

In addition, include brief notes on each certification's relevancy. This helps hiring managers understand your specialized skills and how they apply to the role you're applying for.

Ideal resume length for CPAs

As a certified public accountant seeking a new position, your resume should be concise yet complete. For less experienced CPAs, aim to fit your resume comfortably on one page. This encourages you to prioritize your most relevant experience and skills. Remember, a one-page resume should not compress information using small fonts or margins, as clarity is key for readability.

More experienced CPAs with over a decade in the field may extend to a two-page resume. This allows space to detail a breadth of experience and key achievements. Ensure your first page captures crucial information and showcases your top qualifications. This helps the hiring manager quickly identify your strong fit for the role during their initial review. Highlight experiences that align closely with the job requirements, keeping your content clear and to the point.

Software proficiency

Accountants should list proficiency in relevant software programs such as QuickBooks, SAP, or Microsoft Excel. Mention any unique tools or software specific to your past roles, as these can set you apart from other candidates.

Provide short bullet points under each tool detailing your level of proficiency and specific ways you've used the software in your past roles. This makes it clear how your technical skills can benefit the employer.

Understand resume screeners

When applying for certified public accountant positions, it's important to optimize your resume for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). These systems sort and rank resumes before a hiring manager sees them. To help you, here are two key tips:

  • Use keywords from the job description. For example, include terms like 'tax preparation' and 'financial reporting' to match the job requirements.
  • Format your resume with clear headings and a simple layout. Make sure your work experience and qualifications are easy to find.

Follow these tips to improve your chances of getting your resume seen by a hiring manager.

Making your resume fit

When you apply for an accounting role, show your skills match what the job needs. Do this by using clear examples from your past work that tell how you are a good fit for the job.

  • Talk about the accounting systems you know. Use clear words such as proficient in QuickBooks and SAP accounting software.
  • If you've been a team leader, tell how you helped your team. You might say, guided a team of 4 junior accountants to meet monthly close deadlines.
  • Show how your skills from a different job are just what an accountant needs. For example, if you worked with money before, say, experience with budget management and financial analysis.

Key skills for CPAs

When crafting your resume, you must show your proficiency with certain core skills. These will help you stand out to hiring managers looking for qualified CPAs. Here's a list of skills to consider:

  • Accounting principles
  • Auditing standards
  • Financial analysis
  • Tax preparation
  • Regulatory compliance
  • Financial reporting
  • Account reconciliation
  • General ledger accounting
  • QuickBooks
  • Microsoft Excel

Include these skills in a dedicated section on your resume. This makes it easier for hiring managers and Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to find them. ATS are used to scan resumes for relevant terms, so including the right skills can help your resume get noticed.

Remember, you don't need to list every skill. Choose the ones that match your experience and the job you want. If you have experience with ERP software, for example, include it if the job description mentions it. Think about the specific tasks a CPA performs, like budget forecasting or cash flow analysis, and include related skills.

Show leadership and growth

When you are aiming to stand out in your career as a certified public accountant, showing evidence of leadership and upward movement is key. Think about times you've taken the lead on projects or been recognized for your work.

  • Include any titles or roles that demonstrate your climb, like 'Senior Accountant' after starting as an 'Accountant.'
  • Detail any committees or teams you've chaired, especially those that led to positive outcomes, such as 'Led a cross-departmental team to streamline tax processes, resulting in a 20% reduction in errors.'

Even if you are not sure how to show leadership, consider times you've mentored others or taken on more responsibility. Examples like 'Mentored junior staff in complex tax filing techniques' or 'Took charge of quarterly financial reporting' clearly show your growth.

Show leadership and growth

When you're applying for a job, showing how you've grown in your career is important. You should include any leadership roles or promotions you've had. This tells employers you can take on more responsibility. Think about times you've led a project or a team. Even if you're not sure, here are ways to show your growth:

  • Include titles like 'Senior Accountant' or 'Audit Manager' to show promotions.
  • List any committees you've led or been a part of, especially if they're related to finance or auditing.

Here are some phrases you could use:

  • 'Promoted to team lead for a group of 5 accountants due to strong performance in managing client accounts.'
  • 'Elected as chair of the annual budget committee, overseeing a $1M budget.'

Show leadership and growth

When you apply for jobs, it's good to show how you've grown in your work. If you've been a leader or got a promotion, this is very important to include. Here are ways to show this in your resume:

  • Include any job titles that show you moved up, like 'Senior Accountant' after being an 'Accountant.'
  • List any big projects you led. For example, 'Led a team to improve tax filing process, resulting in a 20% reduction in errors.'

Think about how you've helped others at work or taken on more responsibility. Even if you're not sure, here are some things you can include:

  • Mention if you trained new staff or interns, as in 'Trained 5 new accountants in company-specific tax practices.'
  • Write about times you were in charge, like 'Managed yearly audit process for major clients.'

Show impact with numbers

When you write your resume, showing your impact with numbers makes your experience stand out. Numbers help you show how you've helped past employers. Think about your work and find ways to measure your success.

  • Highlight any cost savings you achieved by streamlining processes or finding errors. Did you reduce expenses by a specific percentage? Mention it.
  • Showcase revenue growth you contributed to. Did the businesses you worked for see an increase in profits because of your work? How much did it grow? Use percentage gains to show this.
  • Did you manage budgets or financial portfolios? Include the size of the budgets or portfolios in dollars to show the scope of your responsibility.
  • Mention the number of tax returns you prepared or the amount of tax savings you found for your clients. This shows your direct impact on client finances.
  • Include any improvements in audit cycle times or reduction in error rates in financial reports to demonstrate your efficiency and accuracy.
  • If you trained or led a team, how big was it? Include the number of team members to show leadership.
  • Did you implement any software or systems that led to time savings? Quantify the time saved as a percentage or in hours per week.

Always ask yourself: How did my work help the company? Did it save time, reduce errors, or increase money? Find numbers to show this. If you're not sure about exact figures, it's okay to give a close estimate. Use numbers to make your achievements clear and strong.

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