Before I get you starting to think like an accounting recruiter. We got a question from a loyal Bean Counter fan who writes:
Hello Andrew,Thanks for writing for us, I appreciate it greatly. I’m already a fan of your writing; they are very helpful especially for students.I also want to read about resume templates. I’m always hesitant in using templates. For me, I think that if I use a template, I’ll be a cut out box.
Should I use a template?
The answer is: it depends.
I wouldn’t go downloading any old template off the internet, most suck!
But mine, they work!
It’s amazing that I’ve actually received resumes from people who have paid $5-700 for an accounting resume, and it ends up being crap! As you can see in my resume review video, every detail is important and in accounting, the details are specific!
- Should you show your accounting GPA or overall GPA?
- What should you show first, education or work experience?
- How many years back should I include jobs I worked?
- Should I include high school?
- How do I calculate my GPA if I transferred?
- And that’s only a few…
Every one of these questions has a specific answer and you have to know how accounting recruiters think in order to be able to answer it. Here is how my mind works when I try to get inside the mind of an accounting recruiter:
Ok, today I want to hire the best accountants for my firm, why? So my boss will be happy, I’ll keep my job, maybe get a bonus or raise, and hopefully a promotion! I better find some students with good GPA’s and great personalities and most importantly, other people will like them!
It’s true.
Perhaps the most important question you need to ask yourself is:
Will the recruiter be excited to present me to her boss?
If so, why?
Here are a few reasons to get you started thinking like an accounting recruiter:
- You have a high GPA and can hold a conversation.
- You have an amazing personal story. For example, one guy I knew had been skydiving thousands of times an 19 of which the shoot didn’t open! For me, I lived in Costa Rica for two years.
- You have relevant work experience and kept your grades up.
- You have all the boxes ticked: good GPA, work experience, leadership roles, community service, and a personality.
- You light up a room.
- You are genuinely curious about the firm and the people that work there.
- You are well dressed, well spoken, and make eye contact
All of this and more are reasons the recruiter will love you! But even if you have all of these, if your resume is a nightmare, they might not move you to the next stage of the process.
So today, I’m giving you a free resume template and if you’re interested in 5 more templates, or a personal review with me, you can do that too!
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