Examples & writing guide
Accounting Manager Resume Examples and Writing Guide
Updated 11 September 2026
Lead with the accounting work you owned: the close, staff review, internal controls, and reporting. Then use the summary and experience bullets to show the scope and results of that work. For a related role, see the accountant resume example.
Accounting Manager resume examples
Junior Accounting Manager
Modern 2 4 / 5
Why this works
This resume makes a credible case for a first management role. It backs up close ownership, review work, and staff coaching with specific results.
Continue writing your resumeSenior Accounting Manager
Simple 1 / 5
Why this works
This resume connects senior-level ownership to specific results. It shows the size of the close, the team managed, control improvements, audit coordination, and a practical accounting-system rollout.
Continue writing your resumeJunior vs senior: what changes
| Aspect | Junior | Senior |
|---|---|---|
| Professional summary | Focus on the accounting work you have already done, such as close support, reconciliations, reporting, or review preparation. Keep your claims specific and realistic. The [accountant resume example](/uk/cv-examples/accountant) shows how to present related experience. | Open with the size of the accounting operation you managed and the work you owned. Mention staff leadership, controls, close or reporting responsibility, and a couple of results you can support. |
| Period-end close | Describe the entries, reconciliations, schedules, and other close tasks you completed. Add useful context, such as your workload, deadlines, or an improvement you helped make. | Explain how you managed the close calendar, review process, and handoffs to leaders or auditors. Useful measures include the number of entities or accounts, team size, reporting deadlines, and days saved. |
| Leadership evidence | Formal management experience is not essential. You can show leadership through peer support, process documentation, training, or preparing work for review. | State whom you coached, how you assigned and reviewed work, and what changed as a result. That might include fewer errors, more capacity, or better deadline performance. |
| Controls and audit readiness | Name the controls you performed, the audit support you prepared, and any exceptions you resolved. Be clear about the part of the process you handled. | Describe the controls you maintained or changed, how you coordinated audit requests, and how you handled remediation and reported issues. |
| Technology and analysis | Show how you used Excel, financial software, or reporting tools for specific accounting tasks. List only the functions and systems you could discuss in an interview. | Explain how you introduced or expanded automation, close dashboards, or other accounting technology. Connect the work to a practical result, such as cleaner data, faster reporting, or better visibility. |
| Achievement metrics | Use figures that reflect your own work, such as transaction volume, reconciliation counts, accuracy, or turnaround time. Do not claim a team result as your own. | Choose measures that match your wider responsibility. Close duration, reporting deadlines, control exceptions, audit requests, cost findings, staff capacity, and technology adoption can all work if your contribution is clear. |
How to write an accounting manager resume
Use a reverse-chronological, one-column resume with clear headings. One page may be enough early in your career. Use two when your management experience and results need more room. Arrange the sections in this order: contact details, professional summary, skills, experience, education, then any relevant extras.
| Section | What to include |
|---|---|
| Professional summary | Target role, relevant experience, scope, and one result you can support |
| Experience | Recent roles first; include close, reporting, controls, review, and staff development where relevant |
| Skills | Software, reporting, analysis, compliance, and management skills that match your experience and the posting |
| Education | Qualification earned, institution, and completion year |
| Extras | Relevant languages, volunteer work, publications, or professional recognition |
Keep the summary to two or three sentences. Give your recent accounting roles the most space, and shorten older or less relevant entries. If you have a long list of tools and skills, group them into a few clear categories. Education usually comes after experience unless it provides most of your relevant evidence.
Clear sections help recruiters and applicant-tracking systems find the accounting details they need. Borrow wording from the posting only when it describes work you have actually done. For guidance on a nearby role, see the accountant resume example. Although that page follows UK conventions, this page should use US resume terminology and formatting.
Professional summary examples
Accounting professional with six years of experience in period-end close, reconciliation review, financial reporting, and control documentation. Managed the monthly close calendar for four business units, cut late reconciliations from 18 to 4, and coached three staff accountants to produce schedules ready for review.
Hardworking accounting manager with good attention to detail and communication skills. Seeking a challenging role where I can build my experience and contribute to a successful company.
Writing your experience
Build each experience bullet around what changed, what you did, and the size of the work. For example: "Cut the monthly close from eight business days to six by rebuilding the close calendar and assigning review deadlines across four entities." Use figures only when you have records to support them.
Focus on the parts of Accounting Manager work you actually handled. These may include period-end close, journal entry and reconciliation review, internal controls, reporting, audit preparation, and staff coaching. You do not need to squeeze every possible responsibility into one job.
| Before | After |
|---|---|
| Responsible for month-end close | Shortened month-end close from nine days to seven by sequencing 42 recurring tasks and adding two review checkpoints |
| Helped with audits | Prepared 85 audit-request schedules and resolved 12 review questions before the fieldwork deadline |
| Managed accounting staff | Coached four staff accountants and raised on-time reconciliation completion from 82% to 96% over two quarters |
Each revised bullet shows the action, scope, and result. Be honest about your share of team results. If you contributed without leading the work, verbs such as "supported," "coordinated," and "partnered" can make your role clear.
Use direct verbs that match the work: reviewed, reconciled, analyzed, shortened, resolved, documented, coached, coordinated, automated, or implemented. "Reviewed 60 monthly reconciliations" says more than "responsible for reconciliations." Likewise, "analyzed expense variances across five departments and identified $74,000 in annualized savings" connects the analysis to an outcome.
Give percentages enough context to mean something. Instead of "improved accuracy by 20%," write "reduced correcting entries from 15 per quarter to 12." If financial details are confidential, use measures you can disclose, such as days, item counts, business units, deadlines, or team size. For more examples of presenting related accounting work, see the accountant resume example.
Key skills & ATS keywords
Hard skills
Soft skills
ATS keywords
Education & certifications
List each qualification you have earned, including the degree, field of study, institution, and graduation year. Education usually belongs below experience once your management record carries more weight. Recent graduates and career changers can place it higher and add a few accurate details about relevant coursework, projects, or academic results.
Use the exact name of each qualification or certification. Include a certification only if you hold it, and copy the name and issuer from your documentation rather than borrowing eligibility language from the job posting.
New York CPA licensure follows defined semester-hour pathways. The requirements depend on when you completed your education and submitted your application. This applies only to candidates pursuing licensure in New York; it is not a general requirement for Accounting Manager roles. Check the current rules for the jurisdiction where you plan to qualify.
Otherwise, keep this section brief. You can add relevant coursework or employer training under "Additional training," but do not present it as a degree or certification. For another accounting role, see the accountant resume example.
Common mistakes to avoid
AvoidListing day-to-day accounting duties without showing what you owned or changed.
InsteadSpell out your part in the close, review, or reporting process. Add the scale of the work and a result you can verify, such as fewer corrections or a shorter close.
AvoidUsing a management title as the only proof that you can lead staff.
InsteadSay whom you coached, what work you reviewed, and what changed. You might cite smoother onboarding, fewer reconciliations sent back, or more deadlines met, provided you have the records to support it.
AvoidPacking every accounting skill into one long list.
InsteadBreak your actual skills into a few useful groups, such as close and reporting, controls, data analysis, and accounting technology. Use language from the job posting only when it accurately describes your experience.
AvoidListing financial systems without saying how you used them.
InsteadTie each relevant system or dashboard to the work it supported. That could mean tracking the close, checking data, automating a recurring process, or preparing reports on time.
AvoidMaking broad claims such as "improved controls" or "supported audit work."
InsteadName the control or audit task, explain what you did, and give evidence of the result. Useful measures include reconciliations reviewed, exceptions cleared, days saved, or requests completed.
AvoidChoosing a crowded design that buries the accounting evidence.
InsteadUse a one-column resume with familiar headings, readable dates, and short bullets. Put relevant keywords inside clear descriptions of your work. The [accountant resume example](/uk/cv-examples/accountant) shows how related accounting experience can be presented.
Frequently asked questions
Use one page if your relevant experience fits comfortably. Use two if you need more room for management duties, accounting systems, and results. Cut old or repeated details before reducing the font size or margins.
Focus on management work you already do. This could include running part of the close, reviewing journal entries or reconciliations, preparing reports, documenting controls, training colleagues, or coordinating with other teams. Be clear about what you owned and where you provided support.
Leave the photo off and use the space for evidence of your close responsibilities, staff leadership, accounting systems experience, and results.
If you have relevant certifications, list the credential name and issuer exactly as they appear in your records. Add the completion date if it helps. Leave out credentials you have not earned.
Pull relevant accounting work from your previous roles without overstating it. You might mention budget management, data checks, process documentation, staff training, deadline driven work, or coordination with leaders and vendors. The [accountant resume example](/uk/cv-examples/accountant) offers another way to present related experience.
Use wording from the job posting when it matches work you have done. Relevant terms might include period-end close, general ledger, reconciliations, financial reporting, variance analysis, internal controls, audit readiness, staff development, advanced Excel, and financial software. Work them into your summary, skills, and experience instead of adding a separate keyword list.
From example to application
Turn this accounting manager example into a resume that sounds like you.
Keep the structure that works. Tailor the details around your experience, strengths, and the role you want.