How to list accounting skills on a resume
If you like dealing with figures, solving issues, and organizing accounts and records, you could discover your ideal career in accounting. Accountants, auditors, comptrollers, bookkeepers, accounting clerks, and other accounting roles are available. All of these jobs need a core set of abilities. According to BLS projections, accounting is a steady field with a 10% growth rate through 2026. Now, how to prepare for a job in this sector? The initial step is to study and learn what businesses are searching for in prospective accountant recruits so that you can make suitable learning objectives, improve your résumé, and pick which specialized abilities to emphasize during interviews.
Accountants essential skills

Soft skills may be just as valuable as technical abilities, as they are essential to perform specific job obligations. Soft skills are fundamental functional skill sets that develop as you progress through more particular accounting-based coursework and are relevant in strengthening organizational interaction and successfully leading a team of personnel. Here are some of the core skills necessary for an accountant;
- Solid written and oral communication
- Organization
- Detail-oriented
- Analytical
- Problem-solving
- Time management
- Systems analysis
- Mathematical and deductive reasoning
- Critical thinking
- Active learning
- Clerical knowledge
- Microsoft Office Suite
What is the role of an accountant?
- Accountants gather, arrange, and analyze financial data for businesses. They generate financial statements on revenues, costs, assets, and liabilities for internal access by personnel and fulfill regulatory, shareholder, and other outside entity needs.
- Accountants undertake audits to check if their clients' or their own employers' financial activity and records management comply with specified legal standards and business regulations. They write reports based on their observations and offer solutions to issues to limit the possibility of litigation and financial losses caused by staff mistakes or criminal behavior.
- Accountants compile tax returns to reduce tax liability and guarantee that income is recorded following IRS regulations. They counsel clients or leadership at their organization on methods for reducing future tax bills.
What is the salary of an accountant?
As per the BLS, the average yearly income for accountants in May 2019 was $71,550. The lowest 10% made less than $44,480, whereas the highest 10% made more than $124,450.
Accounting skills list

What do technical accounting skills constitute?
Accounting is a precise subject, and there is minimal space for mistakes. Not surprisingly, companies want elementary and specific technical abilities in their accountants to guarantee they have the knowledge to correctly and responsibly manage, analyze, and advise on the financial operations of a company or individual. Accounting necessitates knowing some hard skills, like arithmetic and experience with accounting tools. Many occupations need a solid understanding of applicable rules and regulations. Accountants must have attention to detail, good analytical abilities, and arrange and evaluate financial data using computer applications like spreadsheet applications. And there are other accounting occupations available, including investigative accountant, financial consultant, personal financial counselor, and actuary companies will seek these accounting abilities on your CV.
Analytical
Accountants must be capable of assessing and comprehending numbers and data. Accountants, for instance, may examine a client's assets to reduce their tax burden. Auditors may analyze data to identify cases of persons abusing funds. All accounting positions require analyzing numbers and statistics in papers.
- Accuracy
- Analysis
- Compliance
- Mathematical
- Numerical Competence
Communication
Accountants must be able to interact with coworkers, other divisions, and clients. They may have to converse in person, via email, or by phone. Accountants are usually required to deliver presentations. As a result, their writing and spoken communication skills must be excellent. They generally have to communicate complicated mathematical concepts in a straightforward, understandable manner.
- Collections
- Commitment
- Communication
- Interpersonal Skills
- Motivation
- Multitasking
- Problem Solving
- Teamwork
- Training
- Writing
Organization
Accounting occupations need strong organizational abilities. Accountants, auditors, and other accounting professionals must collaborate with and maintain a variety of client papers. They must keep these records organized and monitor each client's information.
- Asset Management
- Business Awareness
- Compliance
- Corporate Reports
- Credit Management
- Finance
- Professionalism
- QuickBooks
- Special Projects
Information Technology
Accounting positions sometimes need the expertise of a wide range of computer applications and systems. An accountant, for instance, may need to utilize finance-relevant software systems (such as QuickBooks), a bookkeeper may require sophisticated Excel abilities, and an auditor may require knowledge of specific data modeling tools.
- Computer
- IT Knowledge
- MS Office
- MS Access
- MS Excel
- MS Word
- Software
- Technology
Additional Accountant Job skills
Here is a list of additional accountant job technical skills;
- Account Analysis
- Account Reconciliation
- Accounting Information Systems
- Accounting Software
- Accounts Payable
- Accounting Processes
- Accounting Principles
- Accounts Receivable
- ADP
- Aging Reports
- Annual Reports
- Audits
- Audit Schedules
- Balance Sheets
- Banking
- Bank Deposits
- Bank Reconciliations
- Bill Payment
- Bookkeeping
- Budgets
- Cash Receipts
- Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
- Chart of Accounts
- Check Runs
- Corporate Tax
- Cost Accounting
- Credits
- Crystal Reports
- Debt Management
- Depreciation
- Federal Tax Law
- Financial Analysis
- Financial Reporting
- Financial Software
- Financial Statements
- Financial Statement Analysis
- Fixed Assets
- Forecasts
- Forecasting
- General Ledger
- Income Tax
- Interest Calculations
- Invoices
- Job Cost Reports
- Journal Entry Preparation/Posting
- Monthly Closes
- Oracle
- Organization
- Paychex
- Payroll
- Payroll Liabilities
- Payroll Taxes
- Peachtree
- Personal Tax
- Petty Cash
- Platinum
- Prepaid Income/Expenses
- Profit and Loss
- Reconciliation
- Regulatory Filings
- Reporting
- Revenue Projections
- Revenue Recognition
- Sales Receipts
- SAP
- State Tax Law
- Tax Analysis
- Tax Compliance
- Tax Filing
- Tax Law
- Tax Liabilities
- Tax Reporting
- Tax Returns
- Tax Software
- Trial Balance
How to add accounting skills to a resume
As a new recruit of a certified public accountant or as a professional accountant, you will have to grasp how to use particular accounting abilities;
- Match your skills to the job posting. A recruiter will often identify these talents under the job duties part of their job posting. So organize your resume in such a manner that these qualities quickly capture the prospective manager's attention.
- At the start of your CV, emphasize relevant abilities. The ideal spot to highlight your accounting hard abilities is at the very top of your resume, just before your introductory Professional overview section.
- Mention the software applications you employ. As a lot of financial information and auditing is done using specialized technology, you must also include the tools you commonly utilize, either as a piece of text inside your Professional summary or as Technical skills section.
- Whether you're looking for a job as a government accountant with a financial services business or a private accountant with a corporation, you'll have to describe particular accounting skills you have, such as AP/AR management, general ledger balancing, tax reporting, or auditing.
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