Stunning CPA Resume Examples for You to Use This Year

Updated August 24, 2022554

As a CPA, or Certified Public Accountant, you help individuals handle their financial reports. Here’s how you can write a CPA resume that shows your skills.

CPA Resume Examples

Tax law and accounting processes are extremely complicated, far more complicated than many individuals can handle. A CPA, or certified public accountant, is a professional who has the training necessary to help individuals with their taxes and accounting processes. Here’s how you can write the perfect resume to show off your accounting skills.

What To Highlight in a CPA Resume

Having the CPA certification can itself show that you excel in this realm. As you look through accounting resume examples, you’ll notice that metrics are often key, which makes sense when it comes to a job as numbers-heavy as accounting. The best resume should show an accounting firm that you can do your job without much oversight, including past success as a staff accountant or accounting professional.

Structure of a CPA Resume

Your first step should always be deciding on a resume format. Decide between the chronological format, which emphasizes your work experience, the functional format, which emphasizes your skills, and the combination format, which emphasizes both skills and experience. Once you’ve decided which works best with the current state of your career, you can start writing your resume.

Header

Your header shows off your contact information, including your name, phone number, email address and professional social media links, like your LinkedIn profile.

Resume summary or objective

At the very top of your resume is a two- to three-sentence paragraph that is either your resume summary or resume objective. A resume summary is more common for people with lots of experience and outlines your biggest accomplishments and years of experience. A resume objective is more common for entry-level workers and outlines your education, skills and career objective.

Skills

Accounting professionals need a good mix of hard skills and soft skills to succeed in their jobs. Here are a few bullet points that you can include on your CPA resume:

Performing audits and assessments
Generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP)
Bookkeeping
Financial reporting
Knowledge of accounting software (QuickBooks, ERP)
Account reconciliation
Communication skills
Financial management
Keeping a general ledger
Knowledge of financial statements and financial records
Account forecasts
Knowledge of tax returns and tax filings
Accounts payable and accounts receivable
Regulatory requirements

To stand out from other job seekers, read the accounting job description and include the skills the description lists. This will help your accounting resume do well in an applicant tracking system (ATS).

Work experience

You can list up to 10 years of experience in your work experience section. If you have experience older than that, it isn’t as relevant anymore so you can include that on your LinkedIn profile.

Education

A CPA will need at least a bachelor's degree and the CPA exam certification, a rigorous four-part exam. If you’re planning to lean toward a specific specialty rather than applying for a general accounting job, such as a financial analyst, you’ll also want certifications that apply to the specialty.

Do’s and Don’ts for a CPA Resume

Here are some additional tips to be aware of when writing your CPA resume:

Do:
- Include up to 10 years of experience on your resume. If you’re aiming for a more senior-level CPA position, you may include more than this but most people will add it to their LinkedIn profile instead.
- Check out CPA resume samples before you write your resume. With the ResumeNerd resume examples available, you can see how other people are building their resumes.
- Include information about specific projects that you’ve done in past jobs. This gives more insight into how you use your skills.
Don’t:
- Include more than 8-12 skills on your resume. If you’re writing a chronological resume, you may include fewer skills.
- List basic computer and accounting skills, such as Microsoft Office Suite or Excel. This can come off like you’re trying to pad a lackluster resume.
- Write a resume from scratch with no outside help. This is what the ResumeNerd resume builder is for, so feel free to use it whenever you need to write a new resume.

FAQ: CPA Resumes

Do I need to include a cover letter for a CPA application?

Any time you have a job application, it’s a good idea to also write a cover letter. This is true even if the job description doesn’t specifically ask for a cover letter. The cover letter lets you explain your skills and talents and showcase how you’d be a good fit for the team and with the ResumeNerd cover letter builder, it’s easy for you to write one.

How can I write a CPA resume without a lot of experience?

Entry-level CPAs may not need much experience as a CPA to get a specific job. To become a certified public accountant, you need extensive amounts of training. This means you have some experience, just not the type you’re probably thinking of. You can also include expertise in other related jobs, like a general tax accountant.

How do I change my CPA resume to apply to different jobs?

You should never turn in the same resume to two different jobs. Every recruiter is looking for a slightly different worker and the best way to ensure you look like the right person is to read through the job listing and look for specific accounting skills. Reflect those skills in your professional resume, so you’re the person the hiring manager chooses.

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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.