From the mailbag:
Andrew,
I’d love to hear about how to write a resume when you are still a freshment. If your accounting experience is limited and maybe you don’t even have an internship, it can be difficult to get more than half a page. I assume this resume should be one page. Is that correct? Should a list of professional organizations you joined be added to your resume?
Thanks so much!
Rachel
As I have stated numerous times, having a resume longer than one page is not good.
There are really no exceptions to that if you’ve been working for less than 5 years full-time in accounting.
No exceptions.
But what if your resume isn’t even a page?
Is that a problem?
Heck yes it is!
What you are trying to do with the resume is perk the interest of an employer.
The goal is to get another meeting.
The best way to do that is to have a professionally presented resume.
The only thing worse than a resume longer than 1-page is a resume that only has half pages.
.5 pages is bad.
So is 1.5, and 2.5, and 3.5.
Full pages are essential. Half pages look sloppy, disorganized, and distracting.
So how do you fill up a resume if you have no experience?
Here is the way I think about what to include on your resume (in order of importance).
- Leadership Experience
- GPA
- Relevant Work Experience (aka accounting experience)
- Other Work Experience
- Accounting Classes
- Community Services
- Extracurriculars
- Skills
- Certifications
- Technology Experience
The truth is, as a freshmen, it’s tough.
But, if you just work for a few months you can get experience to put on your resume:
- Join a few community service organizations on campus, attend events.
- Join Beta Alpha Psi – find a full listing of Chapters here.
- Get a part-time job, preferably in accounting.
- Become a volunteer income tax assistant helping low-income family’s prepare tax returns every spring.
- Join your state CPA society and attend events.
- Join other organizations you may be interested in (ACFE, ISACA, IMA, etc)
Even if you don’t do any of the above, you should still have enough experience to fill up one page.
Here are some tips:
- Use a little bit bigger font, maybe 14 pt.
- Include an objective section
- Include a section of your accounting classes
- If you worked as a server or any other job in high school, add a paragraph relating it to accounting – cash handling responsibilities, customer services, etc.
- Add a skills section which includes technology – word, powerpoint, excel, and any accounting applications like QuickBooks.
Lucky for you, here’s a perfect accounting resume template to get you started!
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