Staff Accountant Resume Sample (Guide & 20+ Examples)

Some believe that the devil is in the details. For you, it’s not true. The devil is sitting in the chair of the Chief Financial Officer. And you suspect it’s his personal goal to make your life a living hell.

Finally, you got tired of being micromanaged 24/7 and decided to find a better workplace, free of demonic entities pretending to be human. But your staff accountant resume stands in the way. It’s outdated and boring. It’s time to write a new one!

This guide will show you: 

• A staff accountant resume example better than 9 out of 10 other resumes.
• How to write a staff accountant resume that will land you more interviews.
• Tips and examples of how to put skills and achievements on a staff accountant resume.
• How to describe your experience on a resume for a staff accountant to get any job you want.

Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes? Try our resume builder. It’s fast and easy to use. Plus, you’ll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ resume templates and create your resume here.

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Use this resume template

Sample Staff Accountant Resume—See more resume examples here.

Do you need a staff accountant resume or something different? See these guides:

• Accounting Resume
• Accounting Assistant Resume
• Entry-Level Accounting Resume
• Accounting Clerk Resume
• Actuary Resume
• Accounts Receivable Resume
• Accounts Payable Resume
• Payroll Resume
• Business Resume
• Resume Examples for Every Career

Staff Accountant Resume Sample

Here’s how to write an interview-collecting staff accounting resume:

1. Choose the Best Format for Your Staff Accountant Resume

Your staff accountant resume should prove you’re all about the details. Do it like this:

• Add contact details to your resume header.
• Start with the reverse-chronological layout. It’s the cleanest resume format. It puts your most relevant details first.
• Pick a professional resume font. Use white space to make it pop.
• Can’t choose between a PDF or Word resume? Use a PDF unless they tell you not to.

Pro Tip: How long should a resume be for an accounting job? Stick to a single page. Anything longer means you’re basically Arthur Blank.

2. Write a Staff Accountant Resume Summary or Objective

You’ve got so little time. You need to stand out fast.

Do it with a resume profile.

Got 2+ years of experience? Write a professional resume summary. That’s 3–4 sentences with a few great staff accountant achievements.

Just starting out? Write a professional career objective. Zero in on your skills, but if you’ve got eye-popping achievements, add them.

Pro Tip: Write your staff accountant resume profile last. That way you’ll get your best accomplishments on paper. Then all you have to do is summarize them.

3. Create the Perfect Staff Accountant Job Description for Your Resume

What’s the best way to get the interview?

Convince them you can do the job, of course. But how?

By linking your staff accountant resume work experience section to the job ad.

• List your most recent position first.
• Add a professional job title, company name, and dates of employment.
• Add 3–5 bullet points that show skills, duties, and achievements.
• Those achievements are key. Pick ones that prove you’ve got the job skills. That’s called tailoring a resume.
• Add numbers to accomplishments like dollars, hours, or percents improved.
• Engage the hiring manager with action words.

Pro Tip: Not sure what skills the job needs most? Do an informational interview with somebody who works there. Selling yourself is easier if you know the company’s challenges.

4. Write a Smart Staff Accountant Resume Education Section

Don’t just list your degree and GPA.

Use it to convince them to interview you.

How?

Yep—by adding more accomplishments:

• Include school achievements that show staff accountant skills.
• Got a professional certification? Add a subsection for that.
• Show your GPA if you just graduated or if it was scorchingly high.

Pro Tip: Are you writing an entry-level staff accountant resume with no experience? Make your education section longer and break it into projects and other impressive things you did.

5. Highlight Your Staff Accountant Skills

Use this staff accountant resume skills list to build your resume:

Staff Accountant Resume Skills

Hard Skills:

• Financial statements
• Collections
• Asset management
• IT
• Payroll
• Payroll taxes
• Regulatory filings
• Account analysis
• MS Office
• Account reconciliation
• State tax law
• Budgets
• P&L

Soft Skills:

• Interpersonal skills
• Written and verbal communication
• Collaboration
• MS Excel
• Attention to detail (detail-oriented)
• Critical thinking
• Business knowledge
• Time management
• Organization

But don’t just slap those professional skills into your staff accountant resume. Focus on the ones the job ad targets.

That means:

• Read the job ad. Highlight the skills in it.
• Use a mix of hard skills & soft skills.
• Prove each skill with an accounting achievement.

Pro Tip: If your experience is kind of balancing-a-checkbook-level, don’t panic. Pick transferable skills from the list above. Then prove them with accomplishments from non-accountant jobs.

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6. Add Other Sections to Your Staff Accountant Resume

Here’s a secret:

The more accomplishments you cram into your resume to prove skills—

The more enticing your resume gets.

So, add more sections to add more impressive facts.

Add sections for:

• Activities
• Language skills
• Volunteer work
• Hobbies
• Achievements
• Professional associations

7. Attach a Cover Letter to Your Staff Accountant Resume

“Who needs a cover letter?”

You do.

But it can’t be generic. It has to make them notice you.

These tips will get you reconciled:

• Choose the best cover letter format for your needs.
• Start your cover letter strong.
• Show passion.
• End your cover letter with an offer.

Pro Tip: Don’t forget to follow up on your job application and your staff accountant resume. An email or call in a few days can make all the difference.

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

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See more cover letter templates and start writing.

That’s it!

That’s how to write a resume for staff accountant positions.

Got more questions about how to write a professional staff accountant resume? Got some tips for newbies? Give us a shout in the comments. We’d love to talk!

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