Senior accountant CV examples with tips for writing yours

Senior accountants have a lot resting on their shoulders. Here’s how you can make sure your CV as a senior accountant showcases everything you can do.

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Senior accountant CV

A senior accountant is an important figure in many businesses. Senior accountants will have many years of experience in accounting, so they’ll typically handle more accounting tasks than administrative tasks, like gathering financial data. If you’re interested in becoming a senior accountant, it’s important that you have a great CV to go along with your job application. Here’s a senior accountant CV sample that you can use to create your CV.

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What to highlight in a senior accountant CV?

Senior accountants need to highlight their accounting skills. A senior accountant CV example will also showcase previous jobs, including any benefits that you may have brought to the previous job by improving their accounting processes. If you’ve received any awards or you have any other qualifications, it’s also a good idea to highlight these components of your experience.

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Structure of a senior accountant CV

The first element to note is that the structure of any CV will at least partially depend on the CV format you use. A skills-based (also known as a functional CV) will emphasise your skills, while a chronological CV will usually emphasise experience. With an ample amount of work experience, senior accountants will typically want to use a chronological CV.

Header

The first section on your CV is your CV header. This header should include your contact information such as name, phone number, location, email address and professional job networking links, like your LinkedIn profile.

Personal statement or CV summary

The next section is your personal statement (also know as the CV summary or professional statement). This is a descriptive paragraph highlighting your best achievements and qualifications as a senior accountant. If you don’t have a long history as a senior accountant you can use this section to focus more on your career goals.

Skills

The skills section will include a variety of important skills that you’ve learned throughout your career. Format your skills on CV as bullet points so they are easy to read. Here are some skill statements to consider:

Ability to perform audits
Preparing journal entries and general ledger accounts analysis
Quickly spotting balance discrepancies
Understanding fixed assets and cash flow
Forecasting future trends
Implementing internal controls
Problem-solving
Knowledge of spreadsheet and accounting software (Oracle, QuickBooks, ERP, SAP, Checker, Excel)
Knowledge of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS)
Ability to perform financial analysis and manage financial reporting
Handling accounts payable and accounts receivable
Account reconciliation and bank reconciliation
Managing a balance sheet
Year-end and month-end close
Compiling monthly financial statements

It’s important that you have both soft skills and hard skills to be successful as a senior accountant. Bookkeeping is an important part of an accountant role, but to do a complete accountant job, you also need to work well with other staff accountants, including junior accountants, and have generalised skills like problem-solving and thinking well on your feet.

Work history

Next is your work experience section. Include up to 10 years of experience here. This doesn’t have to just include experience as a senior accountant but can also include work as an accounting manager or any other accountant role within a company.

Education

In this section, include your professional education. You’ll typically need A levels or the equivalent level 3 qualifications to apply. You should also include your certifications. Typically, senior accountants will be a professionally part or fully qualified accountant through ACCA or CIMA depending on your career path.

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Do’s and don’ts for a senior accountant CV

Here are some tips for writing your senior accountant CV:

Do:

Read the job description before you apply for the job. Every employer is looking for a slightly different person, so reading the job description will help you present yourself well to a hiring manager.
Make full use of your CV. Include any information that is relevant to the job description.
Use the CVHelp CV builder to help create the perfect senior accountant CV. The CV builder will help you quickly and easily create a professional CV using pre-written texts that you can quickly modify to suit your needs.

Don’t:

Apply as a senior accountant without first going through the process of being a junior accountant. You need that work experience to be taken seriously.
Include every work experience you have, including those that aren’t accountant related. You’ll typically only need to include 10 years of experience, but there may be situations that extend past this if all experiences relate to the accounting industry.
Include any samples with identifying information from previous jobs. You should never show financial statements or similar items as part of your job application.

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FAQ: senior accountant CV

Q: Do I need to include a cover letter for a senior accountant application?

Yes. Cover letters can be even more important when it comes to a senior accountant position. It allows you to explain why you are qualified for the job. If you’re not confident in your ability to write a cover letter, you’re not alone. You can use the CVHelp cover letter builder to create a great cover letter.

Q: Can I write a senior accountant CV without a lot of experience?

A senior accountant CV typically requires a significant amount of experience. In fact, most job titles with the name “senior” would require at least a few years of previous experience. A requirement for a senior accountant position is a minimum of 3 years experience, so list as much experience related to accounting as you have if you’re looking to land this job title.

Q: How do I change my senior accountant CV to apply to different jobs?

The most important point to remember is that you should never apply to two different jobs with the same CV. Instead, look through the job listing to find CV keywords. You can then apply those keywords throughout your CV. This will help your CV to pass through an applicant tracking system (ATS) and rank well so that your CV reaches a hiring manager’s desk. This can improve the likelihood that you’ll get through to the job interview.

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