As an accounts clerk, one resume challenge you might face is articulating your experience with complex financial systems in a way that's both accessible and impressive to potential employers. Our guide is tailored to help you translate your technical skills into compelling resume content that will catch the eye of hiring managers and set you apart from the competition.
- Which sections do you need to include in your resume to meet recruiters' requirements;
- How to write your accounts clerk resume experience section - even if you have don't have little to no work experience;
- Real-life professional examples to guide you how to write the most important accounts clerk resume sections;
- Adding even more sections so your accounts clerk resume stands out with professionalism and your personality.
We've also selected some of the best (and most relevant) resume guides for the accounts clerk role you're applying for:
- Finance Coordinator Resume Example
- Financial Project Manager Resume Example
- Financial Auditor Resume Example
- Public Accounting Auditor Resume Example
- Bank Branch Manager Resume Example
- Finance Director Resume Example
- Finance Business Analyst Resume Example
- Accounting Assistant Resume Example
- Loan Officer Resume Example
- Financial Planning Analyst Resume Example
Professional accounts clerk resume format advice
Achieving the most suitable resume format can at times seem like a daunting task at hand.
Which elements are most important to recruiters?
In which format should you submit your resume?
How should you list your experience?
Unless specified otherwise, here's how to achieve a professional look and feel for your resume.
- Present your experience following the reverse-chronological resume format . It showcases your most recent jobs first and can help recruiters attain a quick glance at how your career has progressed.
- The header is the must-have element for your resume. Apart from your contact details, you could also include your portfolio and a headline, that reflects on your current role or a distinguishable achievement.
- Select relevant information to the role, that should encompass no more than two pages of your resume.
- Download your resume in PDF to ensure that its formatting stays intact.
Customize your resume for the market – a Canadian format, for example, might vary in structure.
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PRO TIP
Highlight any significant extracurricular activities that demonstrate valuable skills or leadership.
The key to your accounts clerk job-winning resume - present your expertise with these sections:
- A header to make your resume more scannable
- Snapshot of who you are as a professional with your resume soft skills, achievements, and summary or objective
- Job advert keywords in the skills section of your resume
- Resume experience quantifying your past job successes with metrics
- A relevant education, certification, and technical sills section to provide background to your technological/software capabilities
What recruiters want to see on your resume:
- Proficiency in accounting software (e.g., QuickBooks, Microsoft Excel, SAP)
- Attention to detail and accuracy in handling accounts and financial records
- Experience in accounts payable/receivable and general ledger management
- Strong mathematical skills and the ability to analyze and interpret financial data
- Understanding of financial regulations and compliance (e.g., GAAP)
Defining your professional expertise in your accounts clerk resume work experience section
The work experience section, often the most detailed part of your resume, is where you discuss your past roles and achievements. To effectively list your experience, consider these four key tips:
- Align your expertise with the job requirements. It's vital to integrate keywords matching the job criteria to pass initial assessments;
- Show, don’t just tell. Quantify your responsibilities by stating your actual achievements in previous roles;
- Include measurable metrics. For instance, how did your performance impact the annual ROI?
- Highlight crucial industry skills. Mention both technological knowledge and interpersonal skills in this section.
These guidelines will help you craft an impressive accounts clerk resume work experience section that is bound to catch recruiters' attention.
- Led the daily reconciliation processes for cash, credit, and electronic payments, enhancing financial accuracy for month-end reporting.
- Managed and processed over 250 invoices per month with a 99.7% accuracy rate, improving vendor relations and operational efficiency.
- Coordinated with cross-functional teams to develop a streamlined expense reporting system, reducing paperwork processing time by 35%.
- Conducted thorough audits on financial reports, resulting in the identification and correction of numerous discrepancies.
- Implemented a digital filing system for financial documents, which reduced retrieval time by 50% and increased department productivity.
- Trained and supervised a team of three junior accounts clerks, fostering an environment of continuous learning and process improvement.
- Spearheaded the transition to an automated billing system, ultimately cutting invoice processing time in half.
- Collaborated on the quarterly budgeting process, providing accurate projections that helped reduce departmental expenses by 10%.
- Assisted in the year-end financial audit by preparing comprehensive reports, aiding in the swift completion of the annual audit cycle.
- Played a key role in the development and implementation of cost-reduction strategies, which led to a 12% decrease in office supply expenses.
- Efficiently managed payroll processing for over 150 employees, ensuring timely and accurate salary disbursement.
- Analyzed and reconciled bank statements, significantly reducing unaccounted transactions by 98%.
- Negotiated payment plans with delinquent accounts, successfully recovering $150k in overdue payments within the first year.
- Improved the monthly reporting system by automating data consolidation, which reduced human error by 25%.
- Participated in the successful implementation of a new financial software system that increased overall department efficiency by 20%.
- Processed payroll transactions for 200+ employees across multiple states with adherence to local tax regulations.
- Managed the invoice entry and payment process for subcontractor services, ensuring compliance with contractual agreements.
- Identified a critical error in sales tax calculations that saved the company $90k in potential fines and fees.
- Collaborated with the IT department to optimize accounting software functionality, enhancing report generation speed by 40%.
- Prepared detailed budget forecasts for upcoming projects, providing essential financial insights for strategic planning.
- Maintained impeccable records on client accounts that ensured 100% audit accuracy over a 4-year period.
- Diligently processed and reviewed travel and expense claims for over 100 employees, maintaining compliance with company policies.
- Led a project to reconcile and update past-due vendor accounts, recovering $75k in overlooked payables.
- Implemented a vendor rating system that improved the selection process for timely and quality services.
- Oversaw a digital transformation project for the accounts department, increasing document processing capability by 150%.
- Managed accurate reporting of financial data across various departments, ensuring transparency and aiding executive decision-making.
- Designed and delivered key financial presentations at monthly board meetings that highlighted departmental progress and targets.
- Enhanced internal controls by implementing a new reconciliation procedure for outstanding checks, reducing potential risk exposure.
- Executed a proprietary database solution for managing account receivables, which cut down on overdue accounts by 20%.
- Orchestrated the integration of a cloud-based expense tracking system that increased visibility and control over operating budgets.
Quantifying impact on your resume
- Include the total amount of invoices processed weekly to demonstrate high-volume data entry capabilities.
- State the number of accounts managed to reflect organizational skills and ability to handle a large client base.
- Mention the percentage of error reduction achieved in ledger management to showcase accuracy and attention to detail.
- Indicate the amount of money saved through reconciliation discrepancies to highlight financial acumen.
- List the number of accounting software applications mastered to show technical proficiency and versatility.
- Detail the frequency of financial report generation to convey timeliness and commitment to regular updates.
- Quantify any improvements in payment processing time to illustrate efficiency and workflow optimization.
- Report the scale of financial audits participated in to indicate experience with compliance and regulatory standards.
Action verbs for your accounts clerk resume
How to shift the focus from your accounts clerk resume experience section to your professional profile
If you're at the start of your career journey or transitioning industries, you might be concerned about the lack of professional experience while crafting your accounts clerk resume.
How can you effectively present your accounts clerk resume experience section under these circumstances?
Rather than a traditional, extensive experience section, demonstrate your expertise through:
- Emphasizing your education. Your academic background might impress recruiters, especially if it includes recent, industry-relevant knowledge;
- Creating a compelling objective statement. The first few sentences of your resume should map out your motivations and career aspirations, offering insight into your goals;
- Highlighting your transferable skills. For example, if you've honed communication skills through volunteering, illustrate on your accounts clerk resume how these can benefit a potential employer;
- Detailing your technical background in certifications and skills sections. As a recent graduate, your technological foundations might be particularly attractive to employers looking to develop these skills further.
It's important to remember that employers sometimes prefer candidates with less experience but who are a better cultural fit for their organization.
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PRO TIP
If the certificate you've obtained is especially vital for the industry or company, include it as part of your name within the resume headline.
Shining a light on your accounts clerk hard skills and soft skills
To win recruiters over, you must really have a breadth of skill set presented and supported within your accounts clerk resume.
On hiring managers' checklists, you'd initially discover hard or technical skills. Those are the technology (and software) that help you perform on the job. Hard skills are easy to quantify via your education, certificates, and on-the-job success.
Another main criterion recruiters are always assessing your accounts clerk resume on is soft skills. That is your ability to communicate, adapt, and grow in new environments. Soft skills are a bit harder to measure, as they are gained both thanks to your personal and professional experience.
Showcase you have the ideal skill set for the role by:
- Dedicating both a skills box (for your technical capabilities) and an achievements or strengths section (to detail your personal skills).
- When listing your skills, be specific about your hard skills (name the precise technology you're able to use) and soft skills (aim to always demonstrate what the outcomes were).
- Avoid listing overused cliches in the skills section (e.g. Microsoft Office and Communication), unless they're otherwise specified as prominent for the role.
- Select up to ten skills which should be defined via various sections in your resume skills sidebar (e.g. a technical skills box, industry expertise box with sliders, strengths section with bullets).
Spice up your resume with leading technical and people skills, that'd help you get noticed by recruiters.
Top skills for your accounts clerk resume:
Microsoft Excel
QuickBooks
SAP
Oracle Financial Services
Peachtree Accounting
Data Entry Software
Accounts Payable/Receivable Systems
Accounting Software
Spreadsheet Management
Financial Reporting Tools
Attention to Detail
Time Management
Organizational Skills
Communication Skills
Problem-Solving
Teamwork
Adaptability
Confidentiality
Critical Thinking
Customer Service Orientation
PRO TIP
If you failed to obtain one of the certificates, as listed in the requirements, but decide to include it on your resume, make sure to include a note somewhere that you have the "relevant training, but are planning to re-take the exams". Support this statement with the actual date you're planning to be re-examined. Always be honest on your resume.
Your academic background: should you include your education and certifications on your accounts clerk resume?
Adding relevant education and certifications to your accounts clerk resume is beneficial, whether you're an experienced candidate or just starting in the field.
Featuring your higher education degree that aligns with the role demonstrates your commitment to the industry. On your accounts clerk resume, include the start and graduation dates, followed by the name of the institution that awarded your degree.
Regarding certifications, it's wise to list those most relevant to the role or that have contributed to your array of crucial technical or personal traits. Be sure to include the name of the certificate and the awarding institution.
If uncertain about which certifications to feature prominently on your accounts clerk resume, refer to our compiled list of the most in-demand ones for guidance.
The top 5 certifications for your accounts clerk resume:
- Certified Bookkeeper (CB) - American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers (AIPB)
- Certified Public Accountant (CPA) - American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)
- Certified Management Accountant (CMA) - Institute of Management Accountants (IMA)
- Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) - CFA Institute
- QuickBooks ProAdvisor - Intuit
PRO TIP
The more trusted the organization you've attained your certificate (or degree) from, the more credible your skill set would be.
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Best practices to your accounts clerk resume summary or objective
To start, how do you know if you should include a resume summary or a resume objective ?
- Resume summaries are ideal for accounts clerk professionals with more experience, who'd like to give a quick glimpse of their biggest career achievements in the top one-third of their resumes.
- On the other hand, resume objectives serve as a road map for recruiters. Candidates use the objective to show how their experience aligns with the accounts clerk role they're applying for while showcasing the North Star of their career (or where they want to be as a professional in the next couple of years).
The resume summary or resume objective could be the perfect fit for your accounts clerk resume. The function of both is to highlight your professionalism succinctly. So, keep your writing specific: include no more than four sentences and target your application to the role. Here's how these specific resume sections help the accounts clerk candidates stand out.
Resume summaries for a accounts clerk job
- Dedicated accounts clerk with over 5 years of experience managing financial transactions and records with precision and adherence to regulatory standards in the healthcare sector. Leveraged expertise in QuickBooks and Microsoft Excel to streamline invoice processing, which increased department efficiency by 15%. Seeking to apply meticulous record-keeping and analytical skills to ensure accurate financial management.
- Meticulous professional with 6 years' tenure in a fast-paced retail environment, aspiring to pivot talents into the accounting field. Demonstrated proficiency in inventory management and cost reduction, saving the firm $20,000 annually through strategic vendor negotiations. Aiming to deploy strong organizational skills and a keen eye for detail in a financial records management capacity.
- Former Logistics Coordinator with a track record of achieving a 98% accuracy rate in inventory tracking and freight cost analysis, shifting to accountancy to utilize exceptional numerical proficiency and analytical abilities attained over 4 years. Exceptional competence in SAP and advanced Excel functions, eager to contribute to a data-driven financial department.
- Certified in Accounting Principles and armed with a robust understanding of financial compliance and auditing procedures garnered from a 3-year tenure as a Compliance Officer. An adept user of Oracle Financials, seeking to employ a deep comprehension of fiscal policies and risk management in a role that demands precision in accounts handling and reporting.
- Eager to launch an accounting career, bringing forth advanced education in Accounting and Finance paired with a committed work ethic exemplified by part-time work and internships during university studies. Passionate about contributing to a team that upholds the integrity of financial data, while further honing practical accounting skills and industry knowledge.
- Highly motivated career changer with a BSc in Mathematics and recent certification in Bookkeeping aspiring to transition into the accounting sector. Combines strong analytical skills, attention to detail, and a passion for problem-solving to support the financial administration and enhance organizational efficiency, despite lacking direct experience in accounts.
Beyond your accounts clerk resume basics - extra sections
Ensure your accounts clerk resume stands out from the crowd by spicing it up with a couple of supplementary sections that showcase your:
- Prizes - as a special nod to what matters most in the field;
- Projects - ones that would really further support your application;
- Hobbies - include only if you think they'd further your chances at landing the role with personality
- Community impact - to hint at the causes you care about.
Key takeaways
At the end of our guide, we'd like to remind you to:
- Invest in a simple, modern resume design that is ATS friendly and keeps your experience organized and legible;
- Avoid just listing your responsibilities in your experience section, but rather focus on quantifiable achievements;
- Always select resume sections that are relevant to the role and can answer job requirements. Sometimes your volunteering experience could bring more value than irrelevant work experience;
- Balance your technical background with your personality traits across various sections of your resume to hint at how much time employers would have to invest in training you and if your profile would be a good cultural fit to the organization;
- Include your academic background (in the form of your relevant higher education degrees and certifications) to show recruiters that you have the technical basics of the industry covered.
