Accountant resume example that passes the ATS (2026)

Updated November 5, 2026

Accounting screens check credentials and systems first (CPA status, GAAP, the ERP you closed the books in), then look for how much you owned in the close and how clean it was.

Sample Accountant resume

A fictional candidate at fictional companies, written in a simple one-column layout that applicant tracking systems read cleanly. Copy the structure; replace every detail with your own.

Daniel Okafor (fictional)

Senior Accountant · CPA, US GAAP, NetSuite

Summary

CPA with 6 years in corporate accounting and 2 in public audit. Owns the month-end close for a multi-entity company and keeps it fast, documented and audit-ready.

Experience

Senior Accountant, Riverbend Health Services (fictional)

2021 to present

Own the month-end close for 4 entities in NetSuite; cut close time from 10 to 6 business days.
Reconcile 60 balance sheet accounts monthly in BlackLine, with no audit adjustments in 2 annual audits.
Documented 25 close procedures, which let a new staff accountant run half the close within 3 months.

Audit Associate, Morgan & Hale CPAs (fictional)

2018 to 2021

Audited 12 private companies with revenue from $5M to $80M under US GAAP.
Tested revenue and inventory controls and wrote findings reviewed by partners.
Trained 4 new associates on workpaper standards during busy season.

Skills

US GAAP, Month-end close, Account reconciliation, Journal entries, NetSuite, BlackLine, Excel

Education

B.S. Accounting, Northfield State University (fictional) · CPA, licensed

How hiring managers screen a Accountant

Many accounting postings have hard filters: a degree in accounting, CPA licensed or eligible, and a number of years in public or corporate accounting. Application forms often ask these as yes or no questions, so answer honestly and make sure your resume says the same thing in the same words.

Next, recruiters search for the systems and standards in the posting: US GAAP, account reconciliations, journal entries, a named ERP such as NetSuite, SAP or QuickBooks. If you closed the books in NetSuite, write NetSuite, not “accounting software”.

The controller reading your resume wants scope and reliability. Which accounts did you own? How many entities? How long was the close, and did you shorten it? Did you support an audit without findings? Clear numbers here matter more than a long list of duties.

ATS keywords for a Accountant resume

Common in Accountant postings. Mirror the exact wording of the job you apply to, and only use a keyword when a real bullet backs it up.

Hard skills

general ledger
month-end close
account reconciliation
journal entries
US GAAP
accounts payable
accounts receivable
accruals
audit support
internal controls
financial statements

Tools and software

Excel
NetSuite
QuickBooks
SAP
Oracle
Sage Intacct
BlackLine
Bill.com
Expensify

Job titles recruiters search for

Staff Accountant
Senior Accountant
General Ledger Accountant
Accounting Specialist
Accountant

How to adapt this sample to a real posting

Read the posting and mark its must-haves. For a Accountant, these are usually a few hard skills (such as general ledger and month-end close) and one or two tools (such as Excel or NetSuite).
Use the job title from the posting in your headline if it honestly describes your work. Recruiters often search by titles like Staff Accountant or Senior Accountant.
Write a two-line summary naming your area, your years of experience and one result. Keep it specific to this kind of role.
For each must-have you really have, make sure one bullet shows where you used it and what changed. Leave out anything you could not discuss in an interview.
Save it as a one-column Word file or text-based PDF, then check your keyword match against the posting before you apply.

More example bullets to adapt

The formula: an action, what you did, and a number. Replace every detail with your own results.

Cleaned up 18 months of unreconciled intercompany balances worth $2.3M before the annual audit.
Set up an accrual schedule that reduced post-close adjustments from 15 to 3 per month.
Moved vendor payments to Bill.com, cutting late payments from 12% to under 2% of invoices.
Prepared quarterly sales tax filings for 9 states with no penalties.

Mistakes that get it filtered out

Leaving out CPA status, or being vague about it (“CPA track”) when you are licensed or eligible.
Naming no ERP or accounting system.
Listing duties (“prepared journal entries”) without close time, account scope or audit results.

Interview questions to prepare

Walk me through your month-end close.
Tell me about a reconciliation that would not tie out. What did you do?
How do you handle a deadline when the numbers are not ready?
Explain the difference between an accrual and a prepaid expense.

Prepare each one as a STAR story: how the STAR method works.

Frequently asked questions

Should I put CPA after my name on my resume?

Yes, if you are licensed. If you are not yet, write your status plainly in the education section, for example “CPA exam: 3 of 4 sections passed”. Do not use CPA after your name until you hold the license.

How do I show public accounting experience on a corporate resume?

Name the kinds of clients, their size and the areas you tested. Corporate hiring managers value audit experience because it means you know what a clean close looks like.

What keywords matter most for accountant roles?

Month-end close, account reconciliation, journal entries, US GAAP and the ERP named in the posting are the most common. Mirror the posting’s wording where it matches what you have done.

Is QuickBooks experience enough for a corporate accounting job?

It is fine for smaller companies. For larger ones, say what you did in it (close, reconciliations, reporting) and mention any other systems you have used, even briefly.

How long should an accountant resume be?

One page for most staff and senior accountant roles. Two pages make sense for manager roles with several employers and certifications.

Tailor your Accountant resume to a real job.

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