One of the best pieces of advice that you will get from anyone is to focus on your achievements instead of work duties, especially when writing a resume for accounting positions.
But the first thing that you need to do is separate your achievements from your duties. They are not the same. Generally speaking:
Duties: what you did do previously?
Achievements: How well you performed?
The latter is based on the results that transpired after your efforts were put into action.
Typically, mentioning your work duties depict that you can do the accounting job. As far as achievements are concerned, they go a step further by illustrating your ability to outperform.
Mentioning your achievements in an accounting resume is very important. That is because, by doing so, you can make it easy for hiring managers to decide in favor of you.
Take a look at the following achievement statements to get ideas on how to write accomplishments in your resume:
Sample Achievements for Accounting Resume
- Implemented a streamlined invoice tracking system, resulting in a 20% reduction in processing time and a 15% decrease in late payments.
- Identified cost-saving opportunities by analyzing financial data, resulting in savings of $50,000 annually through vendor negotiations and process improvements.
- Led successful annual audits with zero major findings for three consecutive years, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and maintaining the company’s financial integrity.
- Developed and implemented robust internal controls, resulting in a 30% reduction in fraud instances and ensuring accurate financial reporting.
- Spearheaded a cross-departmental project to automate expense reporting, reducing manual error rates by 50% and saving 20 hours per week in administrative tasks.
- Managed a team of five junior accountants, providing mentorship, training, and guidance, resulting in a 25% increase in team productivity and employee satisfaction.
- Conducted comprehensive financial analysis to guide strategic decision-making, resulting in a 10% increase in profitability over the course of a fiscal year.
- Successfully implemented an online accounting system, replacing the old manual and inefficient one.
- Reduced cost of office supplies by $3000 per month by introducing a less expensive but high-quality supplier.
- Improved the company’s accounting reporting system by 30% by implementing controls to counter-see the information.
- Introduced SoftAccounting, a modern software, that increased standard accounting efficiency by 55%.
- Seamlessly provided profit and loss statements without a single miss between the years 2020 and 2022.
- Acted as a team lead for an internal auditing process, which was successfully completed 3 days earlier than expected.
- Reconciled an accounting discrepancy that had been in limbo for 3 weeks, by employing exceptional analytic and troubleshooting skills.
- Revamped the accounting system, introducing specialized programs to meet payroll and accounts receivable/payable metrics.
- Designed and implemented a complex accounting system, which allowed accounting professionals to work remotely, on the company accounting database.
Conclusion
It is difficult to think of your past achievements when you are already at the edge of applying for a new job. The best thing to do is to keep track of all that you have accomplished over the years so that you can easily incorporate this list into your resume when the time to apply for a new job.
When thinking of placing achievements on your resume, simply think about what you have done that someone else might not have been able to do. And you have yourself an entire list to put in your resume!
Remember, when including achievements and accomplishments on your resume, be specific, quantify results whenever possible, and tailor them to highlight the skills and experiences that match the job requirements.
Note: Always customize your resume based on the specific job description and emphasize the achievements that are most relevant to the position you are applying for.
Related: Achievements for Finance and Accounting Resume