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They say that the only two things in this world that are certain are death and taxes.
Well, there’s another one. And that is: you need a great resume to get a great job. Maybe your motivation to specialize in taxes was the job security. Maybe you actually sought excitement, like Frank J. Wilson, who moved from being a humble accountant to joining the Secret Service.
Anyway, before you try framing the next Al Capone for tax evasion, focus on your own career. Write a tax accountant resume that gets you closer to the job of your dreams.
This guide will show you:
- A tax accountant resume example better than 9 out of 10 other resumes.
- How to write a tax accountant resume that will land you more interviews.
- Tips and examples of how to put skills and achievements on a tax accountant resume.
- How to describe your experience on a resume for a tax accountant to get any job you want.
Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes? Try our AI 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.
Sample resume made with our builder—See more resume examples here.
One of our users, Brittanya, had this to say:
Zety really helped me create the best resume possible. It pointed out how things could be better on my existing resume and suggested many things to be re-worded or removed.
See more resume examples for finance positions:
- Tax Preparer Resume
- Accountant Resume
- Senior Accountant Resume
- Accounting Clerk Resume
- Accounting Intern Resume
- Bookkeeper Resume
- Tax Intern Resume
- Consultant Resume
- Certified Public Accountant / CPA Resume
- The Best Resume Examples for All Jobs
Tax Accountant Resume Sample
Brooke Walker
Tax Accountant
brooke.walker@email.us
510-205-4129
linkedin.com/in/brookewwalker
Summary of Qualifications
A CPA tax accountant with 5+ years of experience in preparing federal, state, and local tax returns for small businesses and individuals. At GrowNow Inc. monitored company expenses for 40 ongoing projects and prepared multi-state tax returns compliant with tax law regulations. Detected a recurring error in balance sheets—which helped prevent the loss of $50.000. Assisted clients with IRS notices and provided taxation consultancy for clients of different industry sectors.
Work Experience
Tax Accountant
GrowNow Inc.
August 2016–May 2019
Key Qualifications & Responsibilities
- Prepared multi-state tax returns in compliance with US federal and state law.
- Researched tax regulations and analyzed financial statements to ensure documentation correctness.
- Monitored monthly company expenses for 40 ongoing projects.
- Took part in quarterly financial planning and implemented tax strategies to minimize the financial risks of the company.
- Maintained consistent relationships with auditors and represented the company during audit checks.
- Identified discrepancies in tax reports and transactions data.
Key Achievement
- Identified recurring error in balance sheets that prevented the loss of $50.000.
Assistant Tax Accountant
Green & Co. Tax Services
July 2014–July 2016
Key Qualifications & Responsibilities
- Prepared property, income, and occupation tax services for small businesses and individuals.
- Researched complex tax issues to ensure all relevant deductions.
- Coordinated the agenda of appointments with cross-functional teams and external clients.
- Performed regular data checks to identify potential errors in documentation and procedures.
- Provided taxation consultancy and explained the intricacies of tax laws to business and individual clients.
- Assisted clients with IRS related procedures.
Key Achievement
- Lowered year-end tax bill of a key client by 20% by identifying relevant deductible expenses under state tax regulations.
Education
MA, Accountancy
University of San Francisco
2011-2014
BA, Accounting and Science in Taxation
University of San Francisco
2008-2011
Skills
- Financial statements
- Payroll taxes
- Corporate tax law
- Tax returns
- Mathematics
- Attention to detail
- Analytical skills
- Problem-solving
- Time management
- QuickBooks, Microsoft Excel
- Collaboration and teamwork
Certifications
- Certified Public Accountant
- Certified Tax Planner
Membership
- American Taxation Association
- National Association of Tax Professionals
Here’s how to write a tax accountant resume that proves you’re a vital asset:
1. Choose the Best Format for Your Tax Accountant Resume
Tax accountants manage tax obligations of companies and individuals, prepare tax documentation and assist clients in taxation audits. Your tax accountant resume needs to prove that you can deal with complex calculations, short deadlines, and tax law twists and turns.
To make your resume reflect all the above—
Use the best resume format.
A reverse-chronological layout usually works best as it promotes your recent achievements.
- Start with a resume header that includes your name and current job title.
- Divide the document into visible resume sections.
- Wondering what font to use for a resume? Stick to the classics, don’t go too flashy.
- Leave enough white space for readability. Remember that crammed doesn’t mean relevant.
2. Write a Tax Accountant Resume Summary or Objective
Financial statements are a child’s play to you but writing a resume profile statement seems like a struggle?
Don’t worry.
We’ll help you decide which resume statement is better for you: a resume summary or resume objective.
If you’re in the accounting business for more than 2 years, use a career summary. It focuses on your achievements and promotes your career best moments.
If you’re targeting an entry-level position, go for a career objective. It will highlight your skills and show the recruiting manager why you’re top dog.
Remember: write your tax accountant resume profile after you have other resume sections in place. It’s much easier to summarize the best things this way.
Pro Tip: If you’re about to start a career within the IRS, here’s a list of jobs and divisions you can aim for: IRS divisions.
3. Create the Perfect Tax Accountant Job Description for a Resume
Talk is cheap. Want to know how to best sell yourself?
Put a number on everything when you describe your work experience on a resume.
Your tax specialist job description needs to prove that you’re perfect for the position.
And that you’ll excel exactly at what they’re looking for.
Tailor your resume to the job offer to highlight all relevant skills and experience:
- Begin with your latest or current job, then move back in your career history.
- For each position, add your job title, company name, location, and dates worked.
- Put your duties and accomplishments on a bullet point list. Make each entry 6-7 bullets long.
- Use resume action verbs, such as managed, reviewed, restructured, prepared, declared, etc.
- Put numbers and percentages on your resume to back up your experience with quantifiable achievements.
Pro Tip: Writing a senior tax accountant job description? Remember to show your promotions on the resume. If you got promoted internally and your duties changed—create a separate entry with bullet points for each job title. Then put them under one umbrella header with your company name.
4. Make Your Tax Accountant Resume Education Section Great
Formal education is a must for tax accountants.
Apart from a bachelor’s degree in accounting, additional training is usually necessary.
Prove that you’re well-trained for the job with a great resume education section.
Here’s how to do it:
- If you’ve been in business for over 5 years, stick to listing your highest degree, school name and location, plus graduation year.
- If you’re a less experienced candidate, consider listing your GPA (if upwards of 3.5) and academic achievements. Relevant coursework and extracurricular activities are also valuable.
Note: Most tax accounting positions nowadays require a CPA designation and other relevant certifications. More on that later.
5. Highlight Your Tax Accountant Skills
Accounting is more than just crunching numbers.
Want that lucrative job? You need to show off your skills.
Prove them to the recruiter by creating a list of relevant job skills.
Your tax accountant resume should focus on hard skills and technical skills.
However, listing your soft skills is also important as tax accounting is not only about Excel spreadsheets. It’s also about great communication with people.
Use the list below to pick out your key tax accountant skills.
Top Skills for a Career in Accounting
- Financial statements
- Payroll taxes
- State tax law
- Corporate tax law
- Income tax law
- Social security tax law
- Tax compliance
- Tax returns
- IT skills
- Account analysis
- Revenue projections
- Account reconciliation
- Profit and loss
- Mathematics
- QuickBooks
- Invoices
- Microsoft Excel, Access, and SQL bases
- Attention to detail
- Data entry
- Analytical skills
- Collaboration skills
- Critical thinking
- Decision making
- Problem-solving
- Time management
One last thing: Don’t fudge your resume with too many skills. What you need are abilities relevant to the job description.
Based on an analysis of 11 million resumes created using our builder, we discovered that:
- The most common skills for Tax Accountants are Registered Financial Planner (RFP), tax computing, internal tax policies, statement review, and Accredited Business Accountant/Advisor (ABA).
- Resumes for Tax Accountants are, on average, 2.4 pages long.
Making a resume with our builder is incredibly simple. Follow our step-by-step guide, use ready-made content tailored to your job and have a resume ready in minutes.
When you’re done, our AI resume builder will score your resume and our resume checker will show you exactly how to improve it.
6. Add Other Sections to Your Tax Accountant Resume
By now you’ve covered all the crucial resume parts.
But… Here’s how to kick your resume up a notch—
Use these extra resume sections to outshine the others:
- Certifications: are you an Enrolled Agent or Certified Tax Coach? Any tax expert certification has a positive ROI. Make it prominent in a separate resume section.
- Language skills: always an asset, especially for international accounting.
- List of interests: it’s a nice change of pace on a technical resume. It shows more than your professional side.
- List of accomplishments: improved a process or two and got an Employee of the Month award? Show it off in a separate section of your resume.
Pro Tip: Over 86% recruitment decision-makers find voluntary experience on a resume important. Create a resume section with voluntary gigs (bonus points if it’s relevant in some way to the job ad.)
7. Attach a Tax Accountant Resume Cover Letter
Yes, you do.
A well-written cover letter can accelerate your chances of winning an interview.
Use the tips below to write a first-rate cover letter:
- Choose the best cover letter format for a job.
- Set the encouraging tone with your cover letter intro.
- Make an offer to the employer by addressing their specific needs.
- Include a call to action in your cover letter conclusion.
Pro Tip: How long should a cover letter be? Three paragraphs, less than one page. This works best. Keep it short but focused.
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:
Easy as one, two, three!
That’s how you make a job-winning resume for a tax accountant.
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