Certified Public Accountant / CPA Resume: Sample & Guide [20+Tips]

CPA Resume Sample

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Sample CPA Resume—See more templates and create your resume here.

Here are some other CPA-related accounting resume examples to view:

• Accounting Resume
• Tax Accountant Resume
• Tax Preparer Resume
• Senior Accountant Resume
• Auditor Resume
• Financial Analyst Resume
• Bookkeeper Resume
• Business Analyst Resume
• Accounts Receivable Resume
• Accounts Payable Resume
• Accounting Assistant Resume

Above these links was our version of the best sample CPA resume.

Now, let’s get to yours— 

Here’s how to write a CPA resume:

1. Choose a Great Format for a CPA Resume Template

A Certified Public Accountant, commonly referred to by its abbreviation CPA, is a person licensed or certified to provide financial services related to accounting, such as tax preparation and financial planning, to the public. A CPA resume needs to show the employer that you have the financial background, finance skills, and accounting experience to deserve an interview.

To write a resume certified public accountant employers will love, there’s something to do before you begin writing— 

You must format CPA resume templates for easy readability.

This is how to format a CPA resume template:

• In the professional header, start with the phone number and contact info on a resume.
• How to put CPA on resumes? The first place to add it is after your name. Below that, you could choose to spell it out entirely as your professional title.
• Create legible sections of a resume by allowing section titles to stand out with larger, bold fonts.
• Use the reverse chronological resume template as it’s the most effective resume format.
• What size font for a resume? Stick to 11–12pt font in the general body of the resume for CPA jobs. 

Pro Tip: How to save your public accounting resume? Stick with the resume PDF format unless the CPA job description says otherwise. PDF documents appear nicely on any device, whereas Word documents may look funny on some. 

2. Write A CPA Resume Objective or Summary Statement

Like a great elevator pitch or your deal-winning sales spiel, the resume profile is a brief paragraph effectively introducing you as a candidate.

It comes in two varieties, the objective and the summary.

Been a certified public accountant for ages?

Go with the career summary. 

The summary statement on CPA resumes is perfect for experienced accountants. You’ll use this heading statement to talk up your financial skills, accounting expertise, and general background as a CPA. Include a numbered accomplishment to really get your message across.

First time as a CPA or writing a CPA candidate resume?

Go with the career objective. 

In order to overlook your lack of CPA resume experience, you’ll instead talk up your past experience, skills, and background in a way which makes sense for accounting jobs. However, still include a numbered win from your past experience to verify your talents to them.

Pro Tip: To make sure your heading statement’s as solid as your bookkeeping skills, write it last. With this method, you’ll have the rest of your finished resume to look back upon to locate the best opportunities to list in the intro paragraph.

3. Create the Best CPA Job Description for a Resume

Like a general ledger, the resume work experience section must be documented correctly. 

So— 

This is how to write a CPA job description on a resume:

• Go reverse-chronologically by starting with your most recent or current job first.
• Add the business job title, employment dates, and the company’s name and location.
• Use 5 or 6 bullet points to outline your accounting job responsibilities and duties.
• Start each bullet entry with power verbs (e.g., audited, planned) to make a powerful statement.
• Give an achievement or two with numbers to quantify just how great you were at your past workplaces. 

Pro Tip: Learn how to tailor a resume to a specific job, rather than sending one generic resume to every CPA job description you find on Indeed. Like generic financial advice, it’s useless for this institution.

4. Make Your Certified Public Accountant Resume Education Section Shine

Just as you adhere to generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), there are guidelines to follow when listing education on a resume.

Here’s the gist:

• Use reverse-chronological order in your education, as well, by listing your most advanced degree at the top.
• Provide your major name, the school’s name and locale, your completion date, and any classwork you had related to finance and accounting.
• Since you need a degree (or at least 120 credits) to become a CPA in most states, don’t add high school on resumes for CPAs.

Pro Tip: If you’re writing a resume without experience, such as a CPA-eligible resume, your degree in finance may be more impressive than your work experience. In this case, switch these sections so the education is on top, giving the hiring manager the most salient info first.

5. Highlight Your Accounting Skills on a CPA Resume

There were 1.4 million CPAs and other accountants in 2016, and that number is set to explode 10% by 2026, adding another 140,000 employees.

You’re in a crazy-large applicant pool.

So— 

To impress the finance department head or financial consultancy firm, highlight your relevant skills in the best way possible:

General Accounting Skills for CPA Resumes—Examples 

• Income Tax & Payroll Tax
• Estate Planning
• Corporate Finance & Accounting
• Financial Planning & Analysis
• Tax Preparation & Audit Defense
• Federal & State Regulatory Compliance
• International Tax Regulations
• Asset Management
• Accounting Software (e.g., Quickbooks, SAP Business One, Sage)
• Skilled in Communication
• Skilled in Project Management
• Skilled in Interpersonal Relationships
• Skilled in Making Decisions
• Skilled with Technical Details
• Skilled in Time Management
• Skilled in Solving Problems
• Skilled with Presentations
• Skilled in Management
• Skilled in Teamwork
• Skilled in Critical Thinking
• Skilled in Creative Thinking

Now, here’s how to put those skills onto a resume for accounting professionals:

• List your job skills and abilities you have which relate to work as a certified public accountant.
• Don’t forget to include both soft skills and hard skills.
• Go back to the CPA job ad’s responsibilities section to locate the best resume keywords to use.
• If they line up, add that skill to your tax accounting or CPA auditor resume.

Pro Tip: Use similar wording in your skills list for CPA jobs as you find in the job ad. If they ask for Microsoft Office skills and you put you’re awesome at Word and Excel, any software scanner (the ATS) might not put two and two together like a human would, costing you an interview, potentially.

When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building your resume here.

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When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.

6. Add Extra Sections to Your CPA Resume 

Extra sections on a resume help to round you out as an accounting candidate, showing you’re more than just the professional skills and experience you added.

So— 

Here are top sections to add for an experienced or entry-level CPA resume:

CPA Resume Examples—Extra Sections 

• Financial licenses and certifications 
• Levels of language proficiency on a resume
• Examples of professional achievements
• Accounting organizational memberships (e.g., AICPA, AAFA) 
• Hobbies & interests on a resume
• Volunteer experience on a resume

7. Attach a CPA Cover Letter to Accounting Resumes

Do you need a cover letter for a resume for CPA jobs?

More than half of all employers prefer a cover letter, so not sending one cuts your chances in half from the start.

So, always include a cover letter for CPA applications.

Here are a few tips for how to write a CPA cover letter:

• Learn how to format a cover letter, just like with the resume, before you start writing.
• The best way to start a cover letter is with a strong, concise introductory statement.
• Explain to the CPA employer why you’re the best accountant to consider.
• Show them that this office is the ideal place for your skills and experience.
• Include a quantifiable achievement to prove you have the abilities they’re looking for.
• Close it using a cover letter conclusion and a strong call to action.

Need to know how long a cover letter should be? That guide has the answers!

Pro Tip: Remember to follow up on your job application by sending an email after waiting a week or so.

Got any questions about how to write CPA resumes? Need more CPA, CPA candidate, and CPA eligible resume examples? Let’s talk about it below in the comments area, and thank you for reading!