For a financial officer, certifications like CPA or CMA are vital. Ensure these are easy to find on your resume. Also, showing experience with financial software can set you apart. Mention any tools you use, like advanced Excel skills, ERP systems, or financial modeling software.

Show how you have helped businesses in clear numbers. Maybe you improved efficiency and saved money, or you managed budgets effectively. Use percentage or dollar figures to make your achievements stand out. This makes it clear that you are good with numbers and adding value to your employer.

As a hiring manager, I know how important it is for you to make your resume match what the job needs. You must show you have the skills and experience for a financial controller. It helps if you can point out where you did similar work. For example, if you managed money, write this down. It lets the person hiring see that you’re a fit for the job.

• List any accounting software you've worked with to manage budgets and reduce costs, such as QuickBooks or SAP.
• Show how you've led teams by giving details like 'Led a team of 10 in finance and reduced costs by 15%'.
• If you're coming from a different job, talk about your experience with managing budgets or cutting expenses. A good example is, 'Managed a project budget of over $500,000'.

When you update your resume as a financial controller, choose verbs that highlight your ability to manage money and make critical financial decisions. Your choice of verbs can show your leadership in financial matters. Think about verbs that present you as someone who actively takes charge of financial tasks.

Here is a list of good action verbs to consider. These verbs can help you describe your experience and skills effectively. Make sure to use them when you talk about your past job responsibilities and achievements.

• To display your financial management skills, use verbs like administered, allocated, budgeted, forecasted, and optimized.
• Show your expertise in reporting by using verbs such as consolidated, audited, analyzed, reconciled, and reported.
• To highlight your strategic role, include verbs like strategized, planned, executed, improved, and developed.
• Illustrate your skills in compliance and control with verbs such as enforced, monitored, verified, maintained, and ensured.
• For showcasing your ability to work with financial information, use calculated, measured, valued, assessed, and integrated.

Want inspiration for other action verbs you can use? Check out synonyms to commonly used action verbs like Work on, Clean up, Worked with, Presented, Organize.

When crafting your resume, it's important to highlight the right technical skills and financial knowledge. Employers look for candidates who show they can handle the responsibilities of a financial controller. Here are skills you should consider including:

• Financial reporting
• Accounting principles
• Budget management
• Financial analysis
• Risk management
• Regulatory compliance
• Taxation knowledge
• Cost control strategies
• ERP systems expertise
• Advanced Excel skills

Include these skills in a dedicated section or weave them into your work experience. Remember that an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) might scan your resume, so include keywords from the job description. You don't need every skill listed. Pick those that best match your experience and the job you're applying for.

For a financial controller, it's also good to show you can use financial software and data analysis tools. These are often key parts of the job. If you've worked with specific tools, like SAP or Oracle, make sure to list them. It shows you can jump into the role with less training.

When you apply for jobs, showing that you have grown into leadership roles can make a big difference. If you have been promoted, this is a clear sign that you have strong skills and can handle more responsibility. Think about times when you took the lead on a project or guided a team.

• Example: 'Promoted from finance analyst to senior analyst within two years due to strong performance and leadership in budget management.'
• Example: 'Led a team of four in streamlining the quarterly budget process, resulting in a 20% reduction in time spent.'

Even if you are not sure how to show leadership, think about when you helped make decisions or trained new staff. These are also signs of leadership. Remember to keep your sentences simple and clear, so they are easy to understand.

• Example: 'Managed the transition to a new financial software, training 15 team members and ensuring a smooth changeover.'
• Example: 'Acted as interim controller, overseeing the financial reporting process during a period of staff change.'

As a financial controller, showing your impact with clear numbers can set you apart. You might not have exact figures for everything, but you can often estimate. Think about the budgets you've managed, cost savings you've identified, or revenue increases you've helped achieve. Here's how to use metrics to highlight your effectiveness:

• Estimate the size of budgets you've overseen by rounding to the nearest thousand, million, or billion dollars, if precise numbers aren't available.
• Calculate the percentage of cost reductions you've achieved in operations through improved financial strategies or renegotiations with vendors.

For example, if you've streamlined processes, estimate the time savings in percentages. If it saved your team 10% of their time, that's a strong point to make. If you've improved financial reporting accuracy, mention the decrease in errors, like a reduction from 12% to 2%. Consider these metrics:

• Percentage increase in cash flow
• Reduction in audit completion time by days or weeks
• Decrease in tax liabilities by a certain percentage
• Growth in revenue or profits year-over-year as a percentage
• Efficiency improvements leading to cost savings, expressed in percentage
• Number of financial policies implemented or revised
• Reduction in financial discrepancies or errors by percentage
• Time taken to close monthly, quarterly, or yearly books reduced by days or weeks

Remember, these are just ideas. Look at your own experience and pick the metrics that best show your impact. Use them to make your resume stand out.

When applying to small companies or startups like Stripe or Square, focus on your adaptability and ability to wear multiple hats. You might say, 'Managed all aspects of financial operations, from accounts payable to strategic planning.'

For larger corporations like JPMorgan Chase or Goldman Sachs, highlight your specialization and depth of experience. You could include, 'Led a team of 10 to oversee compliance and financial reporting for a $500M portfolio.'