Are you stuck in the process of looking for your first-ever or new accountant position?

You may have come across blogs that emphasize the importance of crafting a winning accounting CV to accelerate the hiring process. And how listing the most credible skills, in the right way can strengthen your curriculum vitae.

If yes, then they have been saying it correctly. The right combination of soft and hard skills on your resume can indicate your suitability for the potential role. We’re here to acquaint you with the eleven most essential accounting skills recruiters love seeing on applications for accountant roles.

Not just that – we have shared templates to include them correctly in your skill and experience sections. So, keep scrolling to uncover all!

11 Accounting Skills That Accountant Should List On Their CVs

1. Financial Statement Preparation

The ability to prepare financial statements allows accountants to summarize a company’s monetary activities. The report includes balance sheets, and statements related to cash flow, plus income accounts. They provide valuable insights into a company’s fiscal health. By listing this skill on your CV, you showcase your ability to communicate an organization’s financial position effectively.

2. Tax Compliance

Tax compliance is a critical ability that highlights your knowledge and adherence to tax regulations, plus laws. Proficiency in it will let you ensure that your organization fulfils its tax obligations accurately. Your skills in calculating, reporting, and paying taxes on time will come in handy to your employer. It will help them avoid penalties caused due to non-compliance and legal issues.

3. Financial analysis

Financial analysis is the procedure of scrutinizing monetary data to make the right call. This hard skill is necessary for providing the most appropriate recommendations. Proficiency in it will let you interpret financial statements, identify trends, and evaluate the fiscal state of the organization. Exhibiting it on your resume will indicate your credibility regarding evaluating investment opportunities, spotting financial risks, and supporting strategic planning.

4. Bookkeeping

Bookkeeping is the ability to record and organize financial transactions systematically. It is a job-winning skill that you must highlight in your banking and finance CV. This will indicate your capability to accurately document, and categorize all financial transactions, and develop the basis for preparing financial statements. It also proves that you can efficiently maintain financial records, facilitate audits, and prevent blunders.

5. Budgeting and Forecasting

Budgeting and forecasting skills allow accountants to prepare financial plans and estimate future monetary outcomes. Their detailed planned document is viable for a specific period. It lets the organization see future fiscal performance predictions, based upon their historical data and latest trends. Mastery of hard ability will help your employer set realistic business goals, allocate resources efficiently, and monitor commercial progress.

6. Reconciliation

Reconciliation is comparing and verifying financial records to maintain consistency and accuracy in business operations. Strong reconciliation skills can let you as an accountant dot your i’s and cross your t’s. As a result, you will be able to maintain a clean ledger, correct errors, and maintain accurate financial records.

Employers value these excellent reconciliation skills and prefer to hire a candidate who possesses them. So, exhibit them in your application to highlight your capability of delivering reliable financial information.

7. Accounting Software Proficiency

In today’s tech-driven era, employers and recruiters look for an accountant who excel in accounting software usage. They expect proficiency in relevant tools, particularly word processing, spreadsheet applications, specialized accounting software, and enterprise resource planning (ERP) software.

All these tools meet the budgeting, purchasing, payable, invoicing, receivable, personnel and payroll requirements of a venture. So, if you have mastered a few or more accounting software, then don’t miss the chance to demonstrate them on your CV. 

8. Data Analysis

Data analysis is another hard skill that an accountant should definitely list on their curriculum vitae. It is the ability to gather relevant useful information from raw data. Data Analysis enables professionals to develop reports based on monetary data, including account budgets, revenue, and expenses. It allows them to double-check the accuracy of their financial data for utmost integrity and reporting consistency.

9. Attention to Detail

Attention to detail is useful in reviewing and detecting inconsistencies in extensive amounts of data or information. It is essential for playing by the rules and ensuring consistency, as well as accuracy in financial reporting. Attention to detail verifies monetary information and generates accurate statements. It reduces the chances of committing any accounting blunders, which can lead to audits and investigations by regulatory bodies.

10. Effective Communication

One of the major responsibilities of an accountant is to communicate via both written and verbal mediums. While meeting this responsibility, you may become responsible for preparing and presenting budget proposals, quarterly tax reports, and other monetary information. Effective communication is vital for clear and concise speech delivery to the intended audience.

11. Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is the last skill on our list that you must add to any accounting application. It hints at the ability to consider a thing from all angles. It involves thorough conceptualizing, examining, and assessing information gained from observation, experience, reasoning, or even communication.

According to an expert accounting CV writer, strong critical thinking is necessary for understanding the pros and cons of a particular action. Mentioning it on your application will also exhibit your problem-solving skills, thus increasing your chances of making it to the interview.

Here’s A Useful Template to Include Accounting Skills On Your Resume

The skill and experience sections are the two specific areas on your resume where you can make your abilities shine. We have described the pattern you should follow to include your skill set correctly:

Skills Section:

Technical Skills: GAAP | ERP Software | Data Analysis | SEC Filing |SOX Compliance

Soft Skills: Problem-Solving | Report Writing | Attention to Detail | Time Management | Integrity

Work Experience Section:

Fiscal Fusion

Accountant | July 2019 – Sep 2024

• Minimized accounting errors by 30% through the implementation of the latest software and attention to detail
• Completed audits of 234 clients, resulting in high ROI up to 40%
• Recorded financial transactions and reconciled accounts using hi-tech accounting software to produce financial statements while adhering to GAAP

What skills should I put on my accounting CV?

Attention to detail, analytical thinking, communication, organization, adaptability, financial reporting, auditing, software proficiency, budgeting, and forecasting are the must-include skills. 

How do I list skills on a resume template?

Organize your skills into categories, such as technical, soft, and hard while relating to the open position. Including your level of proficiency will boost your credibility even more.

How many skills should I put on an accounting CV?

You should include skills that are the most relevant to your potential open position. Try to limit them between ten to fifteen. Listing too many can make your accounting CV unprofessional and unfocused.

Wrapping Up

That’s a wrap on the eleven skills accountants should list on their CVs to get their dream jobs in London or all over UK. Hopefully, you would have understood the importance of all these abilities in showing you as the most suitable candidate. Consider the above template as a guide to exhibit your proficiency in accounting-relevant abilities. However, don’t get too excited while listing your skills. The appropriate limit is between ten and fifteen to make your resume professional.