Accountant CV example
Harper Quinn is not a real accountant, and the practice is invented. The sample month and the reversed payment are made up. Write reconciliations you have actually tied out.
A UK accounts CV should say how far you are through a qualification, or that you are not qualified yet. Do not imply ACA, ACCA or CIMA if you have not passed it.
Full example CV
Fictional person, firm and figures. Do not copy the sample month.
Harper Quinn
Manchester · harper.quinn@example.com
Eligible to work in the UK · part-qualified in this sample
Personal statement
Part-qualified accountant with three years in a practice. I reconcile a control account before I post the journal, and I write the query in the file so the next person can see what is still open. Looking for a role with a monthly close.
Experience
Accounts assistant
Lark & Co (fictional practice) · January 2023 – present
- Prepare management accounts for a small set of limited companies, and list the items I have not yet tied out.
- In a made-up sample month, found a supplier payment posted to the wrong company and reversed it before the VAT return was drafted.
- Chase missing purchase invoices with a dated list, not a general reminder.
- File working papers so a reviewer can see the source, the calculation and the journal.
Bookkeeper
Northbank Books (fictional firm) · June 2021 – December 2022
- Posted sales and purchase ledgers for sole traders and reconciled the bank each week.
- Flagged a director’s loan that did not match the board minute, and left it off the accounts until the client confirmed it.
Education
- AAT Level 4, in progress in this sample
- A levels, including maths, 2019
Skills
- Bank, sales and purchase reconciliations
- VAT workings with the source invoices attached
- Journals that state the reason
- Monthly management accounts
- Spreadsheets another accountant can audit
What to show
- The ledgers you post and the software, if you use it every month
- Reconciliations with a date, not “responsible for the bank”
- VAT or payroll only if you prepared the return or the file
- Journals that state why they were posted
- The qualification and the level, including “in progress”
- A file another accountant could review
Common mistakes
- A client’s name and their unpaid tax on the same line.
- “Qualified” when you are still sitting papers.
- A photo or your date of birth.
- A percentage improvement you did not calculate.
- Hiding keywords in white text.
- Calling the document a résumé.
ATS keywords
Use the qualification letters only if they are true.
- accountant
- accounts assistant
- reconciliations
- VAT
- management accounts
- journals
- purchase ledger
- sales ledger
- month-end
- Excel
Use it on your own CV
FAQ
Can I say I am an accountant if I am part-qualified?
Say the level you have reached and that it is in progress. Do not use the letters of a qualification you have not been awarded.
Should I name clients?
No, unless you have permission and the line does not reveal their figures. “A small limited company” is enough.
Do UK accountancy CVs need a photo?
No. City and email are enough. Leave off a photo and your date of birth.
How long should an accountant CV be?
Two pages once you have a close to describe. One page is enough for a first bookkeeping role.
Free job-ready CV checklist
A one-page checklist for any role. No name, and no account.