Accounting Jobs: Creating an exceptional resume for your dream job

Having finally completed your accounting degree your sights are now set on an accounting position in a prestigious accounting firm. The field of accounting is in fact one of the most competitive industries and it is essential to portray your strengths from the moment you apply for your dream accounting job. Whilst your accounting qualifications and experience are certainly important on a resume, so is presentation.

Understand the Accounting Company

Look at it from the view of the accounting firm which you hope to work for. For any given accounting post which they advertise, the accounting company is likely to be inundated with hundreds of highly qualified, experienced accountants vying for the job. So how does the accounting firm essentially differentiate the great accountants from the average accountants, all prior to the interview stage? This decision is based on the presentation of their resumes of course. It is fair to assume that an accountant, who is conscientious and professional about his/her resume, will also be professional and conscientious about their role as an accountant.

Here’s how to create a successful resume which will ensure you are called for an interview for that much sort after accounting position. Remember it is not just your qualifications and past job experience that will show the accounting firm your capabilities. The overall content and layout of your resume will speak volumes about your personality as well as the way you approach your career as an accountant.

Tips for Accounting Resumes

Make sure your resume is concise, clear and professional and free of meaningless cliché’s and jargon.
Only include information that will add value to your application for the accounting job at hand.
Make your resume short (2 pages at the most) and positive.
Make sure that you check your resume for spelling and grammatical errors. It doesn’t say much about an accountant who is unable to detect minor errors in his/her own work.
Use action words such as ‘managed’ and ‘developed’ to give the accounting firm a sense of the level of responsibility entrusted to you in your previous accounting jobs.

Although the key to progressing from the initial stage is to make your resume stand out from all the other accountants, ensure you refrain from the use of pictures or coloured paper and fancy fonts. Your resume, especially for an upper level accounting job, should be printed, using a standard font which is easily legible and on white or at