Many hotel accounting professionals struggle to articulate the wide-ranging nature of their expertise on a resume, encompassing everything from budget management to financial analysis. Our guide is tailored to help you strategically highlight your diverse skill set in hotel accounting, ensuring you convey your qualifications effectively to potential employers.
- Apply best practices from professional resumes to spotlight your application;
- Quantify your professional experience with achievements, career highlights, projects, and more;
- Write an eye-catching hotel accounting resume top one-third with your header, summary/objective, and skills section;
- Fill in the gaps of your experience with extracurricular, education, and more vital resume sections.
We've selected, especially for you, some of our most relevant hotel accounting resume guides. Getting you from thinking about your next career move to landing your dream job.
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Professional hotel accounting 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.
Different regions expect different formats – Canadian resumes, for example, may look unique.
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PRO TIP
Mention specific courses or projects that are pertinent to the job you're applying for.
Don't forget to include these six sections on your hotel accounting resume:
- Header and summary for your contact details and to highlight your alignment with the hotel accounting job you're applying for
- Experience section to get into specific technologies you're apt at using and personal skills to deliver successful results
- Skills section to further highlight how your profile matches the job requirements
- Education section to provide your academic background
- Achievements to mention any career highlights that may be impressive, or that you might have missed so far in other resume sections
What recruiters want to see on your resume:
- Proficiency in hotel accounting software and property management systems (e.g., Opera, Micros, Delphi)
- Understanding of hotel financial statements, budgeting, and forecasting specific to the hospitality industry
- Experience with hotel audits, accounts payable/receivable, and general ledger reconciliation
- Knowledge of hospitality-related tax laws and regulations
- Ability to analyze financial data to provide strategic recommendations for revenue enhancement and cost control in a hotel setting
Quick formula for writing your hotel accounting resume experience section
Have you ever wondered why recruiters care about your hotel accounting expertise?
For starters, your past roles show that you've obtained the relevant on-the job training and expertise that'd be useful for the role.
What is more, the resume work experience section isn't just your work history , but:
- shows what you're capable of achieving based on your past success;
- proves your skills with (oftentimes, tangible) achievements;
- highlights the unique value of what it's like to work with you.
To ensure your resume work experience section is as effective as possible, follow this formula:
- start each bullet with a powerful, action verb , followed up by your responsibilities, and your workplace success.
The more details you can include - that are relevant to the job and linked with your skill set - the more likely you are to catch recruiters' attention.
Additionally, you can also scan the job advert for key requirements or buzzwords , which you can quantify across your experience section.
Not sure what we mean by this? Take inspiration from the hotel accounting resume experience sections below:
- Oversaw the completion of the quarterly financial consolidation process for a 400-room upscale hotel, improving report accuracy by 25%.
- Implemented a new cloud-based accounting software, increasing department productivity by streamlining processes and reducing manual entry errors.
- Led a cross-departmental team to manage a $5 million renovation budget, ensuring project completion without exceeding allocated funds.
- Managed daily financial transactions and auditing functions with a team of 4 staff, resulting in zero discrepancies for 3 consecutive years.
- Coordinated with external auditors to complete annual audits, consistently meeting compliance standards without any significant findings.
- Developed financial forecasts and budgeting for hotel operations, contributing to a 10% reduction in expenses through targeted cost management.
- Prepared accurate monthly financial statements, which helped in the analysis of cash flow by 15% through better capital management strategies.
- Collaborated with the management team to implement strategic pricing models that increased occupancy rates by 8%.
- Handled accounts payable and receivable, improving vendor relationships and credit terms, leading to reduced operational costs.
- Performed comprehensive financial analysis that identified potential areas for cost savings, resulting in a 5% decrease in monthly operating costs.
- Supervised the transition to a new payroll system, which improved payroll processing efficiency by 20%.
- Assisted with the financial planning for an expansion project, which increased the hotel's capacity by 50 rooms.
- Contributed to the successful audit of financial records by maintaining precise documentation, which also facilitated a 30% quicker audit process.
- Integrated an inventory control system that decreased waste by 12%, effectively reducing overall operational expenses.
- Assisted senior accountants in the preparation of year-end tax documentation, expediting the filing process by two weeks.
- Created and managed a robust accounting reporting system, which provided real-time financial data and supported a 6% revenue growth.
- Oversaw a team of 3 junior accountants, enhancing department efficiency and improving financial report submission times by 10%.
- Played a key role in cost-reduction initiatives, identifying over-budget areas and contributing to a 7% savings in the annual budget.
- Effectively managed the hotel's cash flow and produced weekly cash flow forecasts to prevent a liquidity shortfall.
- Optimized procurement processes with strategic vendor negotiations, which resulted in a sustainable 9% cost reduction.
- Organized quarterly budget reviews, aligning department spending with company goals and financial plans.
- Collaborated with hotel management to develop and enforce internal control policies, improving financial accountability and transparency.
- Conducted monthly account reconciliations, which reduced financial discrepancies by 80% and strengthened the integrity of financial data.
- Facilitated training workshops for new accounting software, enhancing the skill sets of the accounting department.
- Directed the implementation of a centralized billing system, significantly improving invoicing accuracy and customer satisfaction scores.
- Reduced month-end closing time by 15% through the introduction of automated reconciliation processes.
- Developed a cash management strategy that optimized investment returns on the hotel's idle funds.
- Led the financial due diligence for a successful merger with a regional hotel chain, expanding the brand's presence by 25 locations.
- Spearheaded a revenue management project which utilized predictive analytics, achieving a 10% increase in RevPAR (Revenue per Available Room).
- Mentored a team of junior accountants and finance professionals, cultivating a high-performance team that exceeded departmental targets.
Quantifying impact on your resume
- Managed daily accounting operations, processing over 200 financial transactions per week, ensuring accuracy and compliance with financial policies.
- Increased financial accuracy by implementing a new software system that reduced monthly reconciliation errors by 25%.
- Administered a hotel budget exceeding $5 million, effectively allocating resources to various departments while reducing costs by 15%.
- Streamlined invoice processing, shortening the average payment cycle by 10 days and improving cash flow.
- Conducted monthly financial analysis, identifying trends that led to a 10% increase in room revenue over the financial year.
- Crafted financial reports and budgets that contributed to a 20% reduction in overhead expenses through strategic cuts and reallocations.
- Improved financial reporting speed by 30%, enabling more timely decision-making and performance tracking.
- Supervised and trained a team of 5 accounting personnel, enhancing department productivity by 40% within one year.
Action verbs for your hotel accounting resume
Four quick steps for candidates with no resume experience
Those with less or no relevant experience could also make a good impression on recruiters by:
- Taking the time to actually understand what matters most to the role and featuring this within key sections of their resume
- Investing resume space into defining what makes them a valuable candidate with transferrable skills and personality
- Using the resume objective to showcase their personal vision for growth within the company
- Heavily featuring their technical alignment with relevant certifications, education, and skills.
Remember that your resume is about aligning your profile to that of the ideal candidate.
The more prominently you can demonstrate how you answer job requirements, the more likely you'd be called in for an interview.
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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.
Hotel accounting resume skills section: writing about your hard skills and soft skills
Recruiters always care about the skill set you'd bring about to the hotel accounting role. That's why it's a good idea to curate yours wisely, integrating both hard (or technical) and soft skills. Hard skills are the technology and software you're apt at using - these show your suitability for the technical aspect of the role. They are easy to track via your experience, certifications, and various resume sections. Your soft skills are those personality traits you've gained over time that show how you'd perform in the specific team, etc. Soft skills are more difficult to qualify but are definitely worth it - as they make you stand out and show your adaptability to new environments. How do you build the skills section of your resume? Best practices point that you could:
- Include up to five or six skills in the section as keywords to align with the advert.
- Create a specific technical skills section to highlight your hard skills aptitude.
- Align the culture of the company you're applying to with your soft skills to determine which ones should be more prominent in your skills section.
- Make sure you answer majority of the job requirements that are in the advert within your skills section.
A hotel accounting's resume requires a specific skill set that balances both industry-specific hard skills with personal, soft skills. Discover the perfect mix for the hotel accounting role from our list:
Top skills for your hotel accounting resume:
Accounting Software (e.g., QuickBooks, Sage)
Microsoft Excel
Financial Reporting
Budgeting and Forecasting
Accounts Payable/Receivable
Point of Sale (POS) Systems
Hotel Management Software (e.g., Opera, Maestro)
Tax Preparation
Auditing
Data Analysis
Attention to Detail
Communication Skills
Problem-Solving
Time Management
Team Collaboration
Customer Service Orientation
Adaptability
Organizational Skills
Critical Thinking
Ethical Judgment
PRO TIP
The more trusted the organization you've attained your certificate (or degree) from, the more credible your skill set would be.
Listing your education and certifications on your hotel accounting resume
Don't underestimate the importance of your resume education section . As it may hint at various skills (and experience) that are relevant to the job. When writing your education section:
- Include only higher education degrees with information about the institution and start/end dates
- If you're in the process of obtaining your degree, include your expected graduation date
- Consider leaving off degrees that aren't relevant to the job or industry
- Write a description of your education if it presents you with an opportunity to further showcase your achievements in a more research-focused environment
When describing your certifications on your resume, always consider their relevancy to the role. Use the same format to describe them as you would for your education. If you're wondering what the best certificates out there are for hotel accounting roles, check out the list below.
The top 5 certifications for your hotel accounting resume:
- Certified Hospitality Accountant Executive (CHAE) - Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP)
- Certified Public Accountant (CPA) - American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)
- Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) - American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) & Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA)
- Certified Management Accountant (CMA) - Institute of Management Accountants (IMA)
- Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) - Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA)
PRO TIP
If you're in the process of obtaining your certificate or degree, list the expected date you're supposed to graduate or be certified.
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The ideal hotel accounting candidate resume summary or objective
You may have heard that your resume top one-third plays an important part in your application.
It basically needs to show strong alignment with the job advert, your unique skill set, and your expertise.
Both the resume summary and resume objective could be used to ensure you've shown why you're the best candidate for the role.
Use the:
- Resume objective to pinpoint your current successes, that are applicable to the field, and your vision for your career. Remember to state how you see yourself growing within this new career opportunity.
- Resume summary as an instrument to pinpoint what is most applicable and noteworthy form your professional profile. Keep your summary to be no more than five sentences long.
At the end of the day, the resume summary or objective is your golden opportunity to shine a light on your personality as a professional and the unique value of what it's like to work with you.
Get inspired with these hotel accounting resume examples:
Resume summaries for a hotel accounting job
- Seasoned Hotel Accountant with over 10 years of experience managing finances in luxury hospitality settings. Expert in implementing cost-saving strategies that have saved past employers upwards of 15% annually. Adept at advanced accounting software and leading successful audit teams. Excited to bring a proven track record of financial management and exceptional accuracy to a dynamic hotel finance team.
- Dynamic CPA with 7 years of experience in corporate finance, seeking to leverage extensive background in budget analysis and strategic financial planning to excel in hotel accounting. Skilled in utilizing financial software to increase efficiency, with a notable accomplishment of redesigning a corporate budget process to improve forecasting accuracy by 25%.
- A meticulous financial professional, transitioning from a successful career in retail accounting to hotel accounting, brings 5 years of expertise in managing multi-million-dollar budgets and reducing costs without compromising service quality. Highly proficient in financial reporting systems and committed to achieving meticulous financial oversight in the hospitality industry.
- Eager to apply a strong foundation in public accounting, where I specialized in taxation and compliance for over 4 years, to the vibrant hotel sector. Certified Public Accountant with a keen eye for identifying trends and areas for improvement, dedicated to maintaining an impeccable financial structure and contributing to the financial robustness of a thriving hotel business.
- Aspiring for an entry-level opportunity in hotel accounting, driven by a passion for finance and a Bachelor's degree in Accounting. Possess a deep understanding of financial principles and a commitment to learning industry-specific financial management to contribute to the effective financial administration of a bustling hotel.
- Recent graduate with a major in finance and minor in hospitality management, ready to enter the hotel accounting field. Keen to apply academic knowledge and a fresh perspective on financial strategies to support a hotel's financial health, while being fully invested in mastering industry-specific financial procedures and standards.
Beyond your hotel accounting resume basics - extra sections
Ensure your hotel accounting 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
- Ensure your hotel accounting resume uses a simple, easy-to-read format that reflects upon your experience and aligns with the role;
- Be specific within the top one-third of your resume (header and summary or objective) to pinpoint what makes you the ideal candidate for the hotel accounting role;
- Curate information that is tailored to the job by detailing skills, achievements, and actual outcomes of your efforts;
- List your certifications and technical capabilities to demonstrate your aptitude with specific software and technologies;
- The sections you decide on including on your hotel accounting should pinpoint your professional expertise and personality.
