Stunning accounting intern CV examples for this year

Most accounting firms stick to a competitive recruitment process, so to stand out from the crowd when looking for an accounting intern job, you’ll need to highlight the following in a professional CV: 

• Accounting skills 
• Extensive financial information knowledge 
• Understanding of financial initiatives 
• Hold the right certifications 

This article will show how to format your information to increase your chances of securing an interview.

The structure of your accounting internship CV will depend on the CV format you choose. There are three CV formats: 

• Chronological: This is the most popular CV format that focuses on work experience. This format is best for those with an extensive work history of 10 years or more.
• Functional: Functional CV formats focus on transferable skills. As an accounting intern, you probably have a minimum of three years of work experience, so this may be your best option.
• Combination: Combination CV formats showcase both skills and experience. It is best suited for candidates with three to eight years of experience who can highlight accomplishments and a job-acquired skill set.

Once you have selected the CV format that is best for you, fill out each of the CV sections with your information.

Header

Your CV header contains your contact information; it should be clearly displayed so hiring managers can contact you easily to schedule an interview. In this section, you can include your: 

• Full name 
• Email address
• Phone number 
• Location (city and postal code)

You can also include your professional social media links, like your LinkedIn profile. This is a good way to provide the hiring manager with more information about your key accomplishments and previous roles. 

Professional summary or career objective 

When applying for an internship, it’s likely that you don’t have lots of accounting experience. To counteract this, you can use a career objective that explains your career intentions. This two-to-three-sentence paragraph is designed to hook the recruiter. In this section, you should explain why you believe an internship benefits your career goals. Reference some of the main accounting skills you have and your industry knowledge. 

Skills

Your accounting intern skills section might be the most important part of your CV. To increase your chances of success, you should include a combination of hard skills and soft skills. Hard skills, also known as technical skills, are accounting-specific and gained through your qualifications and certifications. Soft skills are transferable across many industries. 

Here are some bullet points with accounting skills to consider adding to your CV: 

• Interpersonal skills 
• Time management 
• Knowledge of accounting software (e.g. QuickBooks) 
• Preparing income statements 
• Bookkeeping software and accounting systems (Oracle) 
• Financial accounting theory 
• Analytical skills 
• Spreadsheets
• Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) 
• Preparing tax returns 
• Data entry 
• Budgeting and pricing 
• Balance sheet account management 
• Working cross-divisionally and with accounting departments 
• Problem-solving 
• Journal entry
• Analysing financial statements 
• Accounts receivable and accounts payable 
• Financial report writing 
• Communication skills 
• Financial forecast
• Reconciling general ledger and month-end closing
• Resolving discrepancies
• Following generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP)

Work history

If you’re applying for an internship, even if you may be a recent graduate with little work experience, you can still include work history information such as extracurricular and volunteer activities. If you have previous job titles relevant to the role in terms of duties and skills, you can include these positions. 

You can list your experience in reverse-chronological order, starting from the most recent example. You can include brief bullet points summarising your primary duties and key responsibilities. 

Education

The education section is an important part of your CV as employers typically expect candidates to have select qualifications. To become an accounting intern, you might require a bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance. You can also include this information if you’re in further training and are studying for a certification, such as a Certified Public Accountant.

Build My CV

Do:

• Use a CV template or CV builder. This is a good way to structure your CV professionally. 
• Proofread your CV before you submit it. Since accounting interns must be detail-oriented, spelling, punctuation or grammatical errors will reflect poorly on you.
• Read the job description to select keywords related to required skills and experiences, match them to your own qualifications and add them to your CV. This helps you navigate applicant tracking systems (ATS) that employers use to scan CVs for keywords. 

Don’t:

• Include your high school grades unless stated in the job description. Most recruiters aren’t interested in your grade point. 
• Use long sentences. This might make it too long and a busy recruiter won’t read your entire CV.
• Forget to use an accounting intern CV sample. Looking at CV samples can inspire your content.

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