Resume template · Updated October 2026
Accountant resume template
Short answer
Henrietta suits most accountants: a conventional black-and-grey business page that prints experience first and education right after it, which is where a reader checks your accounting degree. The fictional sample is a senior accountant at a packaging manufacturer who shortened the month-end close, cleared a reconciliation backlog and reviews two staff accountants, after a first job keeping the books for a dental group.
Download the accountant sample
Ryan is a fictional senior accountant. Replace every detail with your own before you send it.
The files are made in your browser by Resumity's own exporters, from this sample. The builder opens it as your own resume: click any line to replace it. Free plan, no watermark.
Why Henrietta suits an accountant resume
Henrietta prints summary, work experience and then education, so the close, reconciliation and audit work comes first and the accounting degree follows straight after. Its plain layout with hairline rules is the conventional business look controllers expect, and the unlabelled skills grid keeps an ERP and close-tool list tidy.
Second choice: Meridian. Meridian prints labelled skill rows before the jobs; better if a posting screens hard on one ERP such as NetSuite or SAP.
What goes in each section, in Henrietta's order
Henrietta prints its sections in a fixed order, the same in the PDF and the Word file. Here is that order for this sample, and what to put in each section.
- Professional Summary. Years, level and the part of the ledger you own (close, reconciliations, fixed assets, revenue, intercompany). Put "CPA" in the first sentence if you hold the licence, since the certifications section prints near the bottom.
- Work Experience. Accounting bullets work best with a scope and a result: which entities or accounts, which close day, which audit. A close moved from day 9 to day 6, a backlog cleared or an audit with no adjustments in your areas tells a controller more than "prepared journal entries".
- Education. Henrietta prints education straight after the jobs. Give the degree and graduation date; if you completed extra credit hours toward licensure, a short detail line can say so.
- Skills. The grid drops group labels, so put accounting work first (month-end close, reconciliations, accruals, fixed assets, GAAP), the systems second (ERP, close software, Excel) and two soft skills last.
- Certifications. Write the licence as "Certified Public Accountant (CPA)" with the state and year. It prints near the end of the page, which is why the headline and summary also mention it.
The sample resume as text
The same content as the files above, so you can copy a line or compare it with your own.
Ryan Castellano
Senior Accountant, CPA
Cleveland, OH | ryan.castellano@example.com | (216) 555-0129 | linkedin.com/in/sample-ryan-castellano
Senior accountant and CPA with six years in manufacturing and healthcare. Owns month-end close for two entities, the fixed asset ledger and audit schedules, and trains staff accountants on reconciliations.
Experience
Senior Accountant, Ironbridge Packaging, Cleveland, OH (04/2023 to Present)
- Own month-end close for two of five entities: journal entries, accruals, prepaid and fixed asset schedules; the close moved from working day 9 to day 6.
- Reconcile 60 balance sheet accounts in BlackLine; cleared $410,000 of unreconciled items left over from an ERP migration.
- Maintain the fixed asset subledger and depreciation for $48M of equipment and built a capital spending tracker with plant managers.
- Prepare audit schedules for the annual external audit; no proposed adjustments in my areas for two years.
- Review the work of two staff accountants and wrote the reconciliation checklist they follow.
Staff Accountant, Lakeshore Dental Group, Akron, OH (07/2020 to 03/2023)
- Recorded payables, receivables and payroll entries for 14 practice locations in NetSuite.
- Reconciled bank and credit card accounts each month.
- Prepared monthly practice P&Ls for the director of operations.
Education
BS, Accounting, Erie Shores University (05/2020)
Certifications
- Certified Public Accountant (CPA), State board of accountancy, Ohio (2023)
Skills
Month-end close, Account reconciliations, Accruals, Fixed assets, US GAAP, Audit schedules, NetSuite, BlackLine, Excel (Power Query), Power BI, Reviewing staff work, Working with auditors
How to make the sample yours
Match staff or senior level
A staff accountant leads with entries, reconciliations and subledgers done accurately and on time. A senior adds review of others' work, ownership of a close area, audit coordination and process fixes. Keep the bullets that match the title you are applying for.
Name the ERP and close tools
Swap NetSuite and BlackLine for SAP, Oracle, Dynamics, Sage Intacct or FloQast as true for you. Postings often name one system, so use its exact name.
Count close days and accounts
Close day, number of entities, number of reconciled accounts, size of the fixed asset register. These figures let a hiring manager picture your workload.
Show one clean-up
A reconciliation backlog after a system change, an unrecorded liability found, a messy fixed asset register fixed. One clean-up bullet shows judgement as well as routine.
Mention audit results in your areas
If your schedules went through the external audit without proposed adjustments, say so for the areas you prepared.
Keywords to keep where they are true
Terms this kind of resume is usually searched for. Use the posting's exact wording, and only for work you have done.
- general ledger
- month-end close
- account reconciliations
- journal entries
- accruals
- fixed assets
- GAAP
- financial statements
- NetSuite
- BlackLine
- audit schedules
- intercompany
- Excel
- CPA
Mistakes to avoid
- Duty lists copied from a job description ("responsible for AP, AR and GL") with no volume, timing or result.
- Writing "CPA" when you have passed some exam sections but are not yet licensed. Say which sections you have passed instead.
- Listing every accounting system you saw once. A controller will ask how you used each one.
- Leaving out the size of the business, which makes close and reconciliation figures hard to judge.
How the sample PDF reads in text extractors
We exported this sample with Resumity's PDF exporter in Chrome on 2026-10-29 and read the file back with three open-source text extractors. This shows whether software that turns a PDF into text can recover it; it is not a test of any commercial applicant tracking system. How we test templates.
| Extractor | Name, email, phone | Headings | Bullets intact |
|---|---|---|---|
| pdf.js 4.10.38 | All found | 5 of 5 | 8 of 8 |
| pdftotext (Xpdf) 4.00 | All found | 5 of 5 | 8 of 8 |
| pypdf 6.13.0 | All found | 5 of 5 | 8 of 8 |
Frequently asked questions
Should I put CPA in my resume headline?
Yes, once you are licensed. NASBA describes a CPA as someone licensed by a state board of accountancy after meeting education, exam and experience requirements, so it is the first thing many controllers look for. Certifications print near the end of this template, so the headline carries it.
How do I show progress toward the CPA?
List it factually, for example "CPA candidate, passed three exam sections", near the education entry or in the summary. Do not write "CPA" after your name until the state board has issued your licence.
How is a staff accountant resume different from a senior accountant resume?
Staff resumes prove accuracy and volume: entries, reconciliations, subledgers, deadlines met. Senior resumes add ownership of a close area, reviewing others, audit coordination and at least one process you improved.
Which accounting software should I list?
The ERP you post in, any close or reconciliation software, and your Excel level (lookups, pivot tables, Power Query). Put the system named in the posting first if you have used it.
How long should an accountant resume be?
One page up to about seven years; two pages for a senior or manager with several roles. Spend the space on scope and results rather than routine duties.
Will applicant tracking systems read this Henrietta PDF?
The sample PDF read back with its contact details, all 5 section headings and all 8 bullets intact in three open-source text extractors (pdf.js, pdftotext and pypdf). Commercial systems such as Workday, Greenhouse or Taleo were not tested, and each employer configures its own.
Guides and templates for this resume
Sources, checked 29 October 2026
We opened every page below on that date. Pay, rules and requirements change, so check the source before you rely on a detail.
- NASBA: Licensure (a CPA is licensed by a state board of accountancy after meeting education, CPA exam and experience requirements plus state rules)
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