INDUSTRY STATS
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPA positions are at a 7% growth rate, which is as fast as average. With that said, there are currently 1,392,200 jobs in the market right now. The total number of jobs is expected to increase by 96,000 to 1,488,200 in the period of 2020-30.
What’s more, the median annual wage for the CPA jobs was $73,560 in May 2020. The lowest 10% earned less than $45,220, and the highest 10% more than $128,680.
Our conclusion? The CPA job market is wide open for candidates.
Top CPA sections that make the best resume
- Header
- Professional summary
- Experience (with numbers and results)
- Relevant skills
- Education
- Certifications
Writing a strong CPA experience section
CPA resume experience section: Ultimate checklist
- Use no more than 4-6 bullet points per position;
- List relevant positions and situations that add value to your application;
- Describe situations, tasks, actions, and results (the S-T-A-R method);
- Remember to include numbers in whatever form you like (e.g. the number of projects you’ve finished);
- Begin each bullet point with an action verb.
Check out the examples below when building your experience section. They will help you stand out!
- Strategically structured the new Ramada Ponce Hotel’s accounting office to produce accurate financial reporting and comply with Wyndham Worldwide standards.
- Provide free tax assistance to unemployed workers due to economic recession.
- Provide free tax assistance through the I.R.S. Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program for persons with low-to-moderate income and through the I.R.S. Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) program for persons age 60 and older.
- Strategically restructured financial reporting of a non-profit organization in accordance with GAAP. Thanks to this financial report our client obtained a funding for a project.
- Assisted in the analyzing and reviewing of individual clients information before it was presented to the auditor
- Aided in the preparation of analysis and responses required by the audit by organizing and inputting all data
- Analyzed workpapers received from the auditor
- Acted as a Manager on Audit engagements (Precious Metal industry, Software, International Sports Federations, Watches, Swiss Universities, Baking Industry, Temporary Staffing and Permanent Placement industry).
- Kept a very good team spirit instead of pressure and tight deadlines
- Efficient approach of the audit
- Extremely proactive attitude
- Client oriented
- Provide CPA services and consult on a project basis in Finance, Accounting and Tax for private and corporate clients, as well as for international consulting companies.
- Oversee month- and year-end closings, monitor client accounts, analyze a wide variety of accounting and statistical data, prepare reports and present findings and recommendations.
- Prepare financial statements, tax returns and process payroll.
- Lead corporate valuation, mergers, acquisitions and divestitures.
- Research complex accounting and tax questions to assure accuracy and compliance with US GAAP and IRS regulations.
- Use knowledge of software and system functionality to advise clients on software selection, upgrades and implementation.
- Provide Agreed-Upon Procedures and subject matter opinions.
- Coach, develop and motivate client accounting personnel.
- Exceeded sales goals in FY08 and FY09
- District Manager of the quarter for Q3 2009 at 254% of plan
- Provided clients with strategic guidance to assist them in better managing business life cycles and achieving growth.
- Managed relationships with 300 CPA firms in North Dallas.
- Lead Hub Integrated Activity Plan as part of regional VTA
- Consult key hub & markets stakeholders on brand plans & activities
- Define HUB brand ativation strategy and PoS guidelines/toolkits
- Develop cycle activation plan across markets
- BTL agency management & briefing responsibility
- Manage, mentor and train team members
- Accountable for customer marketing A&P management
- Financial statement and compliance assurance shareholder for large governments and not-for-profits, healthcare, schools, and construction contractors, including A-133 and NSF/NIH
- Operational and technical lead on Metro Nashville annual audit
- Member, Tennessee Society of CPAs Government Conference and Construction Conference Committees
- Member, Government Finance Officers Association Special Review Committee
- Managed due diligence for 3 equity financing rounds raising $26.5M in 2005, $19M in 2007 and $14M in 2008.
- Managed the company budget and budgeting process including $30M in expenses, revenue, headcount & cash flow projections.
- Implemented an accounting and planning system with operations.
- Worked on the 2008 acquisition of Intel's RFID business.
- Worked on the 2008 M&A sale of Impinj's memory business to Virage Logic for $5.2M (now acquired by Synopsis).
- Hired by and reported directly to the CFO, started as an intern.
PRO TIP
The person reading your CPA resume will be busy, make sure you never waste their time with fluff.
Action verbs for your CPA resume
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Writing a strong skills section for your CPA resume
Checklist for your CPA skills section:
- Include all relevant skills from the job description to pass ATS;
- Focus on skills that show your expertise;
- List your technical skills in a clear and concise manner;
- Leave room for transferable skills related to teamwork, communication, negotiation, and conflict management.
Top Skills for Your CPA Resume
Sprinklr
QuickBooks Online
ProConnect
SAP
Microsoft Office Suite
MS Suite
SAP
Excel
QuickBooks
Communication
Negotiation
Critical thinking
Problem solving
Collaboration
Flexibitly
Resilience
Dedication
Empathy
PRO TIP
When picking skills to feature in your resume, make sure they'll be relevant to the position you’re applying to. The point of listing skills is for you to stand out from the competition. Stay away from repetitive, meaningless skills that everyone uses in their resumes. Or else, they’ll backfire and make you look like an average candidate.
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CPA resume header: tips, red flags, and best practices
Checklist for your CPA resume header
- Your name and surname in a legible and larger resume font
- The job title you’re applying for or your current job title as a subheading to your name
- Link to your portfolio or online profile, such as LinkedIn
- Address (City and State for the US; just your city for rest of the world)
- Email address
- Headshot (required or welcomed in the EU; not required and sometimes frowned upon in the US)
Stick to popular email providers such as Gmail or Outlook. And use these professional formats to create your username:
- first.last@gmail.com
- last.first@gmail.com
- firstlast@gmail.com
- f.last@gmail.com
- first.l@gmail.com
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PRO TIP
Include a link to your portfolio in your CPA resume header. Most companies will require that you include one in your resume, and even if they don’t, it’s an excellent opportunity to directly show them your proudest projects.
The ideal summary for your CPA resume
Mastering the summary section: checklist
- Mention the total years of experience you have in the field;
- Focus on 2 to 3 of your top achievements;
- Highlight the things that make you the best fit for the position;
- Go for short, easy-to-read sentences to keep the recruiter’s attention.
Resume summary formula:
PRO TIP
Read the job description carefully and understand what the hiring company is exactly looking for. After that, write your summary accordingly while highlighting your potential and ability to be the best at that job.
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Things to Include in Your CPA Resume Education Section
CPA resume education section checklist:
- Mention your highest education degree;
- Add the duration of your course and the institution you attended;
- List the awards you’ve received during your studies;
- Feature your certifications if they are relevant to the position;
- Entry-level positions: Share more about projects and classes.
Top Certifications for Your CPA Resume
CPA Marketing With Push Ads (+ Successful Case Study)
CPA Marketing: How To Promote CPA Offers As An Affiliate Marketer Using Push Notification Ads
Home Business: The Complete CPA Marketing Course
Find success in a new industry using this totally effective secret strategy.
CPA Marketing With PPC Advertising: Get Sales Consistently
Learn my exact CPA Marketing strategy to promote best CPA Marketing offers with Microsoft Ads To Get Sales Consistently.
CPA Affiliate Marketing: How to Get Started in CPA Marketing
Get the know-how to promote CPA affiliate marketing campaigns
CPA Marketing For Beginners
How to go from a CPA Newbie to CPA Marketing Expert from the comfort of home.
"Recommended reads:":
PRO TIP
There are dozens of certifications that you can claim as a CPA. But, some are more effective than others. That’s why you mustn’t include every certificate other applicants might have. Try instead to earn and list a few of the difficult ones.
Formatting your CPA resume
What’s worse than a .docx resume? A resume with a poorly chosen format.
In general, there are three basic resume formats we advise you to stick with:
- Reverse-chronological resume format;
- Functional skills-based resume format;
- Combination (or Hybrid) resume format.
Choosing between them is easy when you’re aware of your applicant profile – it depends on your years of experience, the position you’re applying for, and whether you’re looking for an industry change or not.
The reverse-chronological resume format is just that – all your relevant jobs in reverse-chronological order. It’s great for applicants with lots of experience, no career gaps, and little desire for creativity.
When working with less experienced applicants, we suggest the functional skills-based resume format. It’s great for recent graduates or people with large career gaps. Functional skills-based resumes focus on your personality, the skills you have, your interests, and your education. Ultimately, the idea is to show you’re the perfect fit without putting too much emphasis on your work experience (or lack thereof).
If you’re in the middle or are generally looking to make your resume feel more modern and personal, go for the combination or hybrid resume format. It offers the best of both worlds by combining sections focused on experience and work-related skills and at the same time keeping space for projects, awards, certifications, or even creative sections like ‘my typical day’ and ‘my words to live by’.
CPA Resume Formatting Checklist
- Choose the resume format based on your level of experience and the company you’re applying for
- Go for a traditional 10-12p font
- Stick to 1-inch page margins to ensure high readability
- Match the length of your resume to your experience, but don’t go for more than two pages!
To take it a step further, check out how your resume can stand out without leaning too much on the creative side.
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PRO TIP
Test your draft CPA resume by sending it out to peers and mentors in your circles. Ask them to review it as if they are hiring you for a project and implement the feedback afterwards.
Additional sections for your CPA resume
In some cases, especially when it comes to entry-level positions, adding more sections beyond the usual ‘experience’, ‘skills’, and ‘education’ works well in your favor. Such additional sections will help you paint a fuller picture of who you are in the recruiter’s head.
Here’s a list of fun yet informative additional sections for your resume:
Making your CPA resume creative
We know too well that recruiters go through tons of resumes every day. The worse part is, they often need to hire people for different positions and teams. So how do you make yourself stand out in such cases?
By adding a dash of creativity to your CPA resume. It can be in the form of a colorful layout, a section describing your typical day, or even a picture of your favorite book – you decide!
Just make sure that the levels of creativity match the industry, company, and position you’re applying for.
What makes a great CPA resume: key takeaways
- Choose a resume layout that sends the right message across and fits your current career situation;
- Create a resume header that shows your desired job title, and easy to find contact numbers;
- Be specific about your experience, accomplishments and future goals in your summary;
- Feature detailed metrics and specific examples that show the impact you made in your previous roles when describing your experience;
- List soft skills backed by examples;
- Add all of your technical skills and certifications that you have and match the job description;
- Show off a dash of personality in your resume that will demonstrate your culture fit and the right mix of hard and soft skills.
