Resume template · Updated October 2026
Accounting resume template
Short answer
Henrietta suits accounting: a plain business layout that prints education straight after experience, which helps when CPA eligibility depends on your degree and credit hours. The fictional sample is a licensed CPA and senior accountant at a restaurant group who spent three years in audit first, with a shorter close, a lease accounting rollout, audits with no adjustments and the CPA written into the headline.
Download the accounting sample
Rafael 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 accounting resume
Henrietta places education directly after work experience, and in accounting the degree and extra credit hours are part of license eligibility rather than background detail. Its left-aligned name, hairline rules and black and grey type match the conventional layout controllers and audit partners expect, and nothing on the page competes with the figures.
Second choice: Catalyst. Catalyst drops the summary and opens on the current job, a cleaner fit for controllers and accounting managers with long track records.
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. Put the license in the first words ("Licensed CPA and senior accountant") and the scope straight after: entities, locations, close timing and the standards you report under. Accounting readers check license status and scope before anything else.
- Work Experience. Use close days, numbers of entities or accounts, audit outcomes (adjustments proposed, findings) and standards implemented. For public accounting years, give client count, industries, revenue range and your role in fieldwork; written that way they translate directly to industry.
- Education. Henrietta puts this right after experience. List a master's or extra credit hours if they made you CPA-eligible, and name the accounting concentration if your degree title hides it.
- Skills. The grid has no labels, so start with the accounting work (close, reconciliations, the GAAP topics you know), then systems: ERP, close management, audit software and Excel. Name the ERP; NetSuite, SAP and Oracle each take months to learn well.
- Certifications. Write the license with the state that issued it, since NASBA notes a CPA is licensed by a state board of accountancy. Henrietta prints this section last, so keep "CPA" in your headline too.
The sample resume as text
The same content as the files above, so you can copy a line or compare it with your own.
Rafael Mendoza
Senior Accountant, CPA
Phoenix, AZ | rafael.mendoza@example.com | (602) 555-0184 | linkedin.com/in/sample-rafael-mendoza
Licensed CPA and senior accountant at a multi-site restaurant group, owning the month-end close for 38 locations, lease accounting and the external audit. Spent three years in assurance at a regional firm before moving to industry, so prepares workpapers the way auditors want to read them.
Experience
Senior Accountant, Saguaro Hospitality Group, Phoenix, AZ (04/2023 to Present)
- Run the month-end close for 38 restaurants and the holding company; the close moved from day 9 to day 5 after reassigning reconciliations and automating recurring accruals.
- Implemented ASC 842 lease accounting for 41 leases in a lease subledger and wrote the policy memo the auditors relied on.
- Prepare the audit support package; the last two audits finished with no adjustments proposed.
- Set up balance sheet reconciliations for 220 accounts in BlackLine, each signed off by a reviewer before close.
- Train two staff accountants on accrual entries and variance commentary.
Audit Senior, Desert Ridge CPAs, Tempe, AZ (09/2020 to 03/2023)
- Led fieldwork on about 12 audits and reviews a season for manufacturing, nonprofit and construction clients with revenue from $10M to $150M.
- Tested revenue, inventory and payroll cycles, documenting walkthroughs and control tests in CaseWare.
- Supervised three associates and reviewed their workpapers before manager sign-off.
Education
MAcc, Accountancy, Sonoran State University (05/2020)
BS, Accounting, Sonoran State University (05/2019)
Certifications
- Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Arizona, Arizona State Board of Accountancy (2022)
Skills
Month-end close, Account reconciliation, US GAAP, ASC 842 lease accounting, Audit preparation, Accruals and journal entries, NetSuite, BlackLine, Excel (Power Query), CaseWare, Power BI, Training staff accountants, Working with external auditors
How to make the sample yours
State license status exactly
Licensed (with the state), "CPA exam passed, licensure pending", or "pursuing CPA, two sections passed". Since January 2024 the exam has three core sections (AUD, FAR, REG) plus one discipline you choose (BAR, ISC or TCP), so name the sections you hold.
Know which licensure path your state offers
The long-standing route asks for 150 semester hours. In 2025 NASBA and the AICPA added a model path of a bachelor's degree with an accounting concentration plus two years of experience, but each state must adopt it before candidates can use it. Mention your path only if an employer would wonder.
Translate audit into industry work
Fieldwork becomes close and reconciliation skill, walkthroughs become controls design, client service becomes business partnering. The sample's audit bullets were chosen for what an industry controller would look for.
Name the standards and topics you handled
Revenue recognition, leases, inventory costing, consolidation, or IFRS if you report under it. Topic names separate an accountant who posted entries from one who wrote the policy.
Count the close
Day of close, number of reconciliations, entities consolidated. These are the comparison points controllers use when they hire.
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.
- accounting
- CPA
- month-end close
- account reconciliation
- general ledger
- US GAAP
- journal entries
- accruals
- financial statements
- external audit
- internal controls
- ERP
- NetSuite
- lease accounting
- variance analysis
Mistakes to avoid
- Writing "CPA" after your name before the license is issued. Use "CPA exam passed" or state the sections accurately.
- Duties ("responsible for accounts payable") instead of results such as days to close or audit adjustments.
- Leaving out the ERP and close tools, which hiring managers filter on.
- Client names from public accounting. Describe industry and size instead.
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 licensed. It is often the first filter for senior accounting roles, and the certifications section sits near the end of the page in most templates. Before licensure, state your exam progress instead.
How do I list CPA exam sections I have passed?
In the summary or certifications, for example "CPA exam: AUD, FAR and REG passed; BAR scheduled". Under the current exam you take the three core sections and one discipline, BAR, ISC or TCP.
How do I move from public accounting to industry?
Reframe audit work as what a company needs: reconciliations, controls, technical research and close support. Name client industries that match the target employer and leave out busy-season hour counts.
Do I need a CPA license to work in accounting?
No. Staff, senior and many management roles in industry hire without one, though controller and public accounting manager tracks often prefer it. Show the close, reconciliation and systems experience either way.
How long should an accounting resume be?
One page until senior or manager level with several roles; two is fine after that. Summarise public accounting engagements rather than listing clients one by one.
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; Uniform CPA Exam plus state requirements)
- NASBA: NASBA and AICPA Publish Ninth Edition of the Uniform Accountancy Act (UAA) (additional licensure path (bachelor's with accounting concentration plus two years of experience) in model legislation; states must enact it)
- AICPA & CIMA: Navigating CPA Evolution's New CPA Exam Model (since January 2024: three core sections (AUD, FAR, REG) plus one discipline (BAR, ISC or TCP))
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