Top 11 Accounting Skills To Add for an Outstanding Resume

As the accounting industry keeps embracing technology and innovation, basic accounting skills, such as proficiency in Excel, are no longer enough to impress the recruiter. 

Today, companies of all sizes are looking for well-rounded accounting professionals who possess a variety of hard and soft skills that extend beyond spreadsheets and mathematical calculations.

Well, if you’re wondering which accounting skills you should add to your resume to grab the recruiter’s attention, we’ve got you covered!

In this article, we’ll look into the most sought-after accounting skills, share practical tips to make them stand out on your resume, and more!

What Are Accounting Skills? 

Essentially, accounting skills show that you have the knowledge, technical abilities, and interpersonal attributes needed to effectively manage a company’s financial activities. 

In other words, accounting skills are a set of abilities that enable you to effectively and accurately perform your duties as an accountant. These usually include compiling, maintaining, and presenting financial documents (e.g., financial records and reports) according to relevant standards and regulations.

Contrary to popular belief, accounting skills encompass more than the technical knowledge needed to handle financial data. While this is essential, soft skills are no less important—after all, even those accountants who work alone eventually have to present their findings or collaborate with colleagues, external auditors, and other groups and individuals.

For this reason, you should always include both soft and hard skills on your resume. This way, you can show the hiring manager that you’re a well-rounded accounting professional and increase your chances of landing an interview and, hopefully, the job.

How to Add Accounting Skills to Your Resume

Now, you might be thinking that listing your accounting skills in the skills section of your resume is enough to show the recruiter that you’re a viable candidate for the position. While this is important, it makes your resume look exactly the same as that of tens of other candidates. 

So, how can you showcase your accounting skills AND make your resume stand out?

The answer is two-fold—first, you should look at the job description and tailor your skills to it. 

For example, if the job listing mentions “QuickBooks” and you’re familiar with this software, make sure your resume highlights it. Not only does this help you show that you meet the company’s requirements and expectations, but it can also help you pass the ATS scan.

Then, sprinkle your accounting skills throughout your resume instead of sticking with the skills section only. Ideally, you want to mention them in your resume summary or resume objective and the work experience section. 

Speaking of work experience, if possible, focus on quantifiable achievements to give more context to the recruiter and illustrate how your skills helped you contribute to the company’s growth or success. 

You have to admit—“Identified and corrected critical accounting errors, saving the department $90,000” sounds way more impressive than “Resolved accounting issues.”

11 Accounting Skills To Include in Your Resume 

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s look into the most in-demand accounting skills and how to showcase them on your resume.

#1. Accounting Standards 

At the very least, hiring managers expect you to be familiar with and comply with the accounting standards applicable to your country, such as the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) or International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). 

These standards are designed to ensure that the financial statements you make are consistent and standardized. They outline specific rules and procedures all accountants must follow when preparing financial statements to increase transparency and make it easier to accurately compare financial statements across different companies.

Since these standards largely apply to financial reporting, your best bet is to mention them in relation to such reports. Here’s a good example:

#2. Regulatory Standards

Besides accounting standards, accountants should also be familiar with relevant corporate and public finance regulatory standards, such as those defined by the Public Company Oversight Board and similar bodies. By following these standards, accountants foster integrity and ensure that their financial statements meet the necessary requirements.

Here’s how to show your knowledge of regulatory standards in your accountant resume:

#3. Accounting Software

Since accounting is becoming increasingly more automated, it’s only natural that one of the most sought-after accounting skills is proficiency in accounting software.

While spreadsheet applications are an accounting staple, keeping up with the latest technological advancements in the field can help you stand out from other candidates. So, don’t hesitate to list any project management, business analytics, specialized accounting, artificial intelligence, or other relevant software on your resume. 

Here’s an example of how you can showcase your proficiency in accounting software:

#4. General Business Knowledge

As an accounting professional, you will likely work with people from different departments and industries. Because of this, having general business knowledge often comes in handy, as it helps you understand how your work impacts other business areas. 

Understanding the basics of business operations also helps you in your day-to-day responsibilities. For example, it can help you better understand what impact specific business decisions have on the company’s financial health. In turn, this enables you to provide valuable insights and suggestions to improve decision-making and boost the company’s financial growth.

With that in mind, let’s see an example of how you could show off this accounting skill on your resume:

#5. Data Analysis 

For any business, financial data is a gold mine—not only does it help understand how the company is doing financially, but it also helps make informed decisions. 

This makes data analysis one of the most invaluable technical accounting skills. It enables you to handle large sets of data, extract meaningful information, interpret it correctly, provide useful insights into the company’s financial performance, and make informed decisions. It is also closely related to data visualization, which can help you clearly present your findings.

So, here’s a practical example of how you can highlight this accounting skill on your resume:

#6. Communication 

Effective written and verbal communication is a must-have for any accountant. Besides communicating with other departments, these professionals also regularly present their work to others, including stakeholders that may or may not have a background in finance. 

In the latter case especially, you should be able to communicate financial information in a concise, easy-to-understand way instead of relying on jargon.

Here’s how you can emphasize your communication skills on your resume:

#7. Attention to Detail 

Essentially, attention to detail refers to the ability to spot mistakes, inconsistencies, discrepancies, and other flaws in data. 

It’s no secret that a simple accounting error can cost thousands—if not tens of thousands—of dollars (or more!) for the company. So, when it comes to basic accounting skills, attention to detail is non-negotiable. 

A detail-oriented accountant will ensure the accuracy of their financial reports and their compliance with the relevant standards, which is exactly what employers are looking for. 

Now, let’s see an example of how you can accentuate this accounting skill in your resume:

#8. Critical Thinking 

Essentially, critical thinking is the ability to conceptualize, assess, synthesize, interpret, and analyze data from different angles to gain a thorough understanding of it.

Accountants often analyze complex financial data and spot trends in it to suggest strategic decisions that benefit the company financially. As such, it goes without saying that critical thinking is one of the most in-demand accounting skills. 

If you aren’t sure how to show off your critical thinking skills on your resume, here’s one example you can follow:

#9. Problem-Solving

Problem-solving is the process of identifying a problem and finding the most effective solution to it. Although many people imagine accountants typing away numbers on their computer screens, accounting involves plenty of problem-solving and often calls for creative thinking.

Most often, accountants investigate and fix accounting inaccuracies. That said, they may need to solve various issues, ranging from transposition errors and control account reconciliation to regulatory non-compliance with financial reports and beyond.

To gain a competitive edge over your competition, stress the benefits your problem-solving skills brought to the company as such:

#10. Organization 

Organizational skills encompass a variety of abilities that help you organize your work and deliver it on time. Some examples of these skills include:

• Prioritizing

• Time management

• Delegation

• Physical organization

Since accountants often provide services for several clients or work with multiple projects at once and have to meet strict deadlines, organizational skills are a must. After all, failure to deliver financial documents on time isn’t a mere inconvenience—it can have negative consequences on the business at large. 

So, here’s how to show off your organization skills on an accountant resume:

#11. Flexibility

Accounting is often considered a monotonous job, but this isn’t quite the case. In reality, the accounting field is constantly changing and evolving, be it due to new regulations, internal company changes, or technological advancements. 

Needless to say, accountants should always stay on top of industry changes. Not only can this help avoid penalties (e.g., for non-compliance with the latest regulations), but keeping up with the latest trends, such as accounting automation, can also help optimize the workflow and increase productivity.

Let’s see how you can demonstrate your flexibility on your resume:

Accountant Resume Example

Use this example

Closing Thoughts 

Congratulations—if you made it to the end of this article, you should now be ready to perfect your resume!

The key to effectively showcasing your accounting skills is to include both hard and soft skills, especially those that are included in the job listing. Most importantly, you should emphasize how your skills have helped you achieve impressive results by focusing on relevant achievements and letting the numbers do the talking.

As long as you follow these tips, it shouldn’t be long before you land that accounting job you’ve been dreaming of!