Yesterday, I was invited by AccountingFly to give a webinar called “Watch Me Critique An Accounting Resume” and gave everyone a free accounting resume template.
For those of you who missed out, I included the video link below.
Resumes are much more art than science.
Rather than give you hard rules, I want you to see these videos and get inside my mind.
See how I look at these resumes, what I’m looking for, and what recruiters are expecting.
Here’s another resume critique I did months ago:
Accounting resumes can be a bit tricky. Especially if you have never created your own resume and are starting from a blank sheet of paper!
Here are specific tips and “must-haves” for accountants that are different than other professions. To help clear up some of the confusion, here are 5 tips you should remember when crafting your own resume…
- One Page Only, Please!
I do not care if your friend of a friend told you that two-page resumes are the new “hotness”. If you’re in accounting, and wish to submit a resume to any company in the accounting field, please submit a 1-page resume…only!
In my interview with a Big 4 ex-recruiter, she specifically said any two-page resumes are automatically pushed to the bottom of the stack and would most likely not be given the chance to be viewed. Please don’t make this mistake. Instead, list out the key work/education/community service experiences that you have and keep it to one page.
- Include The Better Of The Accounting Or Overall GPA
Have you calculated your Overall GPA and/or Accounting GPA? Which one is higher?
The answer to that question will tell you which GPA should be listed on your resume. For example, if you have an Accounting GPA of a 3.09 and an overall GPA of 3.49, just include your overall GPA. Then, if they ask for your accounting GPA in later interviews, you can provide your accounting GPA as well as your transcripts.
- Submit A Resume In PDF Format
Going back to the first tip, having your resume fit on just one page, you want to make sure the formatting does not change when you submit your resume. In order to do this, take your Word document resume and save it as a PDF.
Then re-open the PDF to see if the Word document was properly converted to a beautiful 1-page resume. This will guarantee the formatting and overall look of your resume does not change when you send it off to a recruiter.
Always use separate PDF’s for your cover letter and resume!
- List Your Resume Around Your Best Qualities
This might sound a little confusing so let me explain with an example. Let’s say Sara J has a great accounting GPA, 3.89, was a part of Beta Alpha Psi (as a member only) and has accounting internship experience.
The first thing that should be on your resume is the high accounting GPA as it is a top quality you are bringing to the firm. Then, I would recommend listing out the relevant accounting internship experience next followed by the Beta Alpha Psi membership.
This way, the employer will look first at the GPA, then become impressed with the relevant accounting experience and finally end with an additional bonus of being in Beta Alpha Psi.
When figuring out where to put information on your resume, use the basic guideline of what speaks the best to my employer when reviewing my resume. Is it GPA, work experience, skill set, community service? Whatever your answer is, restructure your resume to fit in with that job position.
- Exclude Old Or Irrelevant Experience
Stop and take a look at your resume. Does it have work experience during the time you were in high school? What about community service events from 10+ years ago?
If so, it needs to leave your resume, today. Your resume should showcase the relevant information needed by your future employer in making a decision on whether or not they should hire you.
Unfortunately, some individuals feel they need to include everything they have ever done on their resume, causing it to become cluttered and irrelevant to the employer. Instead of overwhelming the person reviewing your resume, create your resume to be clean, organized and clear to why you believe your are the right person for this job.
Additional Advice
If you are still lost and need additional advice, I can help walk you through your current resume and transform it into an ideal accounting resume, that highlights your best qualities.
Check out my resume services here or feel free to shoot me an email at andrew@thebeancounter.com with any resume questions you might have.
