Accounts Payable Resume Examples to Use This Year

Updated August 24, 2022556

Accounts payable is a department that requires plenty of knowledge and attention to detail. Find out how you can write a resume that helps you join this team.

Accounts Payable Resume Example

Balancing a bank account at the end of the month can be more complicated for a large company than for an individual. As someone who manages a company’s expense reports, you have the skills to create a general ledger and understand its financial status. Here’s how you can create a perfect resume for an accounts payable position.

Jobs That Can Use Accounts Payable Resumes

Many different jobs need you to reconcile a company’s accounts and manage its month-end income. Here are a few jobs that use an accounts payable resume:

Accounts payable specialist
Accounts receivable specialist
Expenditures specialist
Payable clerk
Employee expense tracker

If you’re managing someone’s cash flow or general profit and loss ratios, an accounts payable resume can help you show off the right skills and accomplishments.

Important Elements for Accounts Payable Resumes

A hiring manager will look for specific elements when scanning your resume. If you structure your resume in the following sections, you can ensure the hiring manager gets what they’re looking for.

Header

Your resume heading will be at the top of your resume, it will include your contact information, phone number, email address and professional social media links, such as your LinkedIn profile.

Resume summary or objective

A resume objective or resume summary is a two to a three-sentence paragraph at the top of your resume that outlines what you most want the hiring manager to take away from the resume. The difference is in their content. A resume summary is best for those with work experience, it highlights your most important achievements and experiences. A resume objective is best for those with little to no work experience and goes over your knowledge, skills and career goals, you can also give a brief explanation of what your vision is for this position and how you see it being accomplished.

Skills

You need to include both hard skills and soft skills. Hard skills are the knowledge and technical skills you’ve trained for, while soft skills are the skills you have developed across multiple jobs and are transferable such as interpersonal skills, written and verbal communication and adaptability. Here are a few key skills you might want to include:

Bookkeeping
Knowledge of bookkeeping software (QuickBooks, Microsoft Office Excel, SAP)
Data entry
Ability to spot discrepancies
Ability to incorporate all purchase types (credit card, credit memos, vendor invoices, purchase orders, bank account)
Processing invoices
Managing journal entries
Setting up accounts payable processes
Management of multiple professional accounts

It’s also important to remember that different jobs will look for additional specifications in your skills section. Look through the job description to find specific bullet points you can use in your resume writing.

Work experience

Be sure to write your work experience section in reverse-chronological order and if you have years of experience in something that relates to accounting, include it in your resume, any experience, including internships, volunteering and bookkeeping in other jobs is relevant.

Education

You can become an accounts payable specialist with just a high school diploma but if you have any other education, you should include it in your education section. A bachelor’s degree in accounting will do a lot to bolster your resume and credentials.

Certifications

There are many accounts payable certifications out there, including the Accounts Payable Specialist (CAPS), Accounts Payable Manager (CAPM) and Accounts Payable Practitioner (CAPP) certifications. You must also showcase knowledge of generally accepted accounting practices (GAAP).

Accounts Payable Resume Examples You Can Use

One of the best ways to write the perfect resume is to have an account payable resume sample to look at and build your resume. You can find free resume examples at ResumeNerd. This can help you create the best resume by looking at various samples and putting them together. Then, use the ResumeNerd resume builder to construct a resume that gets you the job.

Tips for Creating Your Accounts Payable Resume

Keep these tips in mind when writing your accounts payable resume:
- Determine how you might be able to use the previous experience as part of your accounts payable resume. Even if your job title wasn’t “accounts payable,” you may have had some relevant experience.
- Be specific about your skills. Don’t just say “Accounts Payable Software,” instead specify “QuickBooks and SAP.”
- Only include up to 10 years of experience in your resume, as your past experience sometimes tends to not be relevant. If you have more, you can include it in your LinkedIn, then include a link to your LinkedIn profile in your header.

FAQ: Accounts Payable Resume Examples

Do I need to submit a cover letter with accounts payable resumes?

Yes. While a resume is one of the most important parts of your general job application, a cover letter will help you present your skills and past experiences to the hiring manager in a more personable way. This can help boost your job search by showing off your professional experience and how you can benefit the company. Use the ResumeNerd cover letter builder to create yours.

Can I get an accounts payable job with no experience?

Depending on the job you’re looking for, you may not need an extremely strong experience section for your accounts payable job. To write an effective accounts payable specialist resume, it’s important that you cite any experience you have in the industry, whether it was as an intern, as an entry-level accounts payable specialist or even as a volunteer. This can all be considered relevant experience for your resume.

Is it a good idea to change up my accounts payable resume for every job posting?

You should create a new accounts payable resume each time you apply to a new position. While you can keep the same basic resume template, you should adjust your resume to meet the requirements that the job description has outlined for you, this way it is more likely that a recruiter will call you for a job interview.

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About The Author

Cindi Cervone Carlson

Cindi Cervone Carlson is a Senior Vice President for Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. Cindi is responsible for developing, delivering, and implementing a dynamic, world-class organization dedicated to delivering outplacement consulting, training, support, and executive coaching. Cindi started her career at Challenger as a client who had lost her job. Over the past nine years, she has risen from an entry-level, part-time professional to Senior Vice President.