Accounts Clerk
Resume Example

What is an Accounting Clerk?

An Account Clerk, also known as an Accounting Clerk is a person who assists the Accounting Department. He is responsible for clerical and administrative tasks such as bookkeeping, reporting, keeping financial records updated, etc.

As an accounting clerk, you must have the ability to use accounting software programs such as “SAP” and “XERO” to process transactions, disbursements, and expenses. 

Most people think that Accounting clerks have to deal with just numbers. To break the stereotype, they have to work with people, and a lot of communication is involved. It is a role with diversity that involves finance, law, management, and human resource, etc.

If you have decided to be an accounting clerk, or else if you already are one, well, you are there to impress the company with your decisions and to help take action. All you need is data!

Why do we need a good Accounting Clerk resume?

Firstly, Why do we need a resume? Obviously, you need a resume to apply for a job. It is the basic requirement for an interview. Furthermore, It opens up doors to compete with others. 

But, Do all the resumes get the chance to compete? Let’s face it. “NO”. A resume won’t get you a job but if it is well written, It will get you to an interview.

However, we don’t need just a resume but a good resume that can stand out in the crowd. It is not difficult if you do it right. Remember it is not about qualifications or being the most qualified person, it is your ability to sell yourself.!

Resumes should be built having the mentality of the employer. “How can this person help us?”.

You can read the job posting to get an idea.

As an Accounting clerk, remember that your resume should be perfect, rather than a typical boring resume. What can you do to make it less boring and very impressive?  Easy! Think how you can help the company achieve its goals.

This may sound scary, but do you know that Accounting jobs are one of the 12 jobs that are disappearing fastest in the US?. According to the “Insider” Accounting jobs are under threat as a result of technological advancements that automate and simplify this work. 

This is something to be considerate, It is still not disappeared. It’s a little reminder that your resume should be perfect!

How to Create a Perfect Accounting Clerk Resume?

It’s time to get to work, Below is what a good resume must contain,

•

Resume header

•

Resume summary

•

Work experience

•

Education

•

Skills

With the development of technology, most companies use “Applicant tracking systems” to make it easier for the executive in the hiring process. According to “CIO”, 75% of the applications get rejected. How can we get pass that? you just need to beat the system with the correct usage of words and format in your Accounting Clerk resume.

Keep scrolling, we will walk you through to land your dream job.

Resume header

Resume heading is the very first thing noticed by your employer. It should contain your name, job title, and contact information.

What if you use a poor resume header? You are more likely to get rejected. 

• “Name” must be properly written. Use the same name you have used in your website, Linkedin and Email. 
• Write your job title with a smaller font below the name. A title like “Accounting Clerk” would be nice. 
• We highly recommend you not to write the full address instead you can just use the city and the state. 
• Most employers use the phone number to contact you, so make sure you add your personal phone number too. 
• Next, you can write your email address. Be sure to use a professional email address instead of anything with slang.

Resume Summary

The Resume summary is important because it is about you. It says what you can do for the company. You have to make sure that your employer scans further down the page. Use 4 to 5 lines to write your summary. 

As an example, if you’re applying for the Accounting Clerk role with a requirement listed in the job description to ” The Analyst/Clerk of Accounting will perform activities to support the Accounts Receivable, Accounts payable, payroll and general accounting functions  while working collaboratively with the accounting department”, You can write your summary as follows: 

This section might be the hardest to write as you have to choose the correct keywords to impress the employer while writing about your role.

Work experience

This resume section provides the details of your work history. You can list out your significant work experience starting with your most recent job. Don’t forget to add your achievements as an accounting clerk. If you have no idea about it, we suggest you ask yourself some questions it will help you decide what to write such as,

• What steps have I taken to improve operations?
• Was I able to bring down operating costs?
• How did I manage to increase revenue?

Simply write how you contributed to the achievement of the business and financial goals of the company. As you can clearly see, it is all about results.  Be concise and clear about the achievements.

Education

The educational requirements vary from one company to another. Most of the employers seek accounting clerks who hold at least an associate degree in accounting or business.  The accounting clerk job role is focused on general accounting procedures so if you have a high school diploma in accounting and skills to perform your duties and responsibilities. You can give it a try. If so, include your outstanding skills to stand out. But, if you want to secure your job or to move to a senior position you must consider having a degree with your experience.

However, you should emphasize your highest level of education that relates to the job by putting it at the very beginning under the resume education section.

Skills

Your resume represents YOU as an accounting clerk. Above all, know your skills as an accounting clerk. It is important if you want to add some color to your resume. You can think of the skills you have that can help the company and when performing your job role.

You might have a lot of skills as a job hunter but it is smart if you can stick to the skills that actually make sense about you and the accounting clerk role.

Accounting professionals need strong technological skills. The skill to use different types of accounting softwares such as AccountEdge Pro and FreshBooks. Since this role requires doing financial analysis, having this skill is absolutely necessary. Apart from that skills such as problem-solving and critical thinking help to perform their duties efficiently.

There are soft skills, Accounting skills as well as technical skills. Let’s find out what skills can be used in your accounting clerk resume.

Soft Skills for accounting clerk resume

• Attention to detail
• Effective communication
• Critical thinking
• Leadership.
• Problem-solving
• Prioritizing
• Service orientation

Accounting Skills

• Managing vendor accounts
• Forecasting budgets
• Standards of accounting
• Knowledge of regulatory standards
• General business knowledge
• Handling payroll
• Tax understanding
• Messaging and video conferencing
• Understanding of financial reporting

Technical skills

• Microsoft Excel
• Data analysis software
• QuickBooks
• CRM systems

Certifications

Devote this section to show your employer that you are THE ONE. Certifications usually show that you are interested in the role and obviously you are more capable for the role. 

Certifications are quite important because these certification programs are about auditing and taxation that are essential for the role.

If you are thinking about job prospects, Certification in a specific field of accounting, such as becoming a licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA) would be ideal and definitely help you through! 

If you don’t have any certifications that are relevant to the role, then it’s better not to include this section.

Language Proficiency

Unquestionably, English is a major means of communication. It has become the bridge to connect all the business people around the globe. And for your accounting clerk resume, it is a must-have. 

Moreover, if you have knowledge of a foreign language, it would be a significant factor in this whole drama. 

Nowadays, most companies do business with overseas companies and customers. In that case, the accounting department has a huge role to play in transactions. If communication involves, knowing another language will create a lot of opportunities.

Finally, proofread your resume. If your resume noticeably has errors, you will not get a chance for the interview. Here are common errors you should be aware of,

• Spelling errors
• Misuse of words
• Mixing up tenses
• Incorrect use of verbs /adverbs/adjectives
• Incorrect punctuation

More tips to write an Accounting Clerk resume

01. When selecting keywords to include in your resume, think of the jobs you want. Here, As an accounting clerk, try to emphasize the technical terms, software, and other words listed below you think that the employer may have to use in this role.

• Accounting 
• Account Experience
• Account Reconciliation 
• Accounts Payable  
• Account Receivables
• Bookkeeping
• Bank Reconciliation 
• Customer Service
• Client Billing 
• Data Entry
• Financial Analysis
• Financial Reporting
• General Ledger
• Invoicing
• Financial Accounting
• Microsoft Access 
• QuickBooks Software
• Reconciling
• Teamwork 
• Tax Administration 
• Vendor Management

02. The fonts must be right. Don’t use too many fonts on the same page as well. The below fonts are simple, easy to read and look much professional on accounting resumes.

• Calibri
• Cambria
• Helvetica
• Garamond
• Georgia
• Arial
• Didot
• Book Antiqua
• Trebuchet MS
• Tahoma

03. Spice up your resume with powerful action verbs instead of using passive words. Resumes are usually written in the past tense therefore these verbs should be powerful verbs that end in the past tense. Trust me if they are used properly, it can bring a real impact on your resume. Here are some action words you can use in your accounting Clerk resume.

• Analyzed
• Allocated
• Balanced
• Coordinated
• Distributed
• Financed
• Investigated
• Invoiced
• Managed
• Organized
• Process
• Participate
• Reconciled
• Researched
• Reviewed
• Support 
• Use
• Update
• Write

Frequently asked questions about Accounting Clerk resumes?

01. Do you describe accounting clerk duties on a resume?

It is irrelevant to list duties on a resume. Focus on achievements that can be used to impress the employer. You can use bullets under work experience to list them out.

02. What can you do when you have no work experience as an Accounting Clerk?

If you have no experience related to the job role, or if you are a recent graduate just skip that section but you can mention relevant activities, skills, work ethics and also your passion and interests in relevant sections.

03. What’s more important, Accounting Clerk resume or the interview?

Both, but for different reasons. A resume tells the employer that you are an eligible candidate for the position, Interview checks whether you are the most suitable candidate for the role.