5 CV examples · UK · Updated October 2026
Accountant CV Examples and Templates (UK)
A strong accountant CV proves accuracy and commercial impact. State your qualification status (AAT, ACCA, CIMA, ACA or CA), name the systems you use and show results, from faster month-end closes to tax saved. Open with a short personal profile.
Accountant CV at a glance
- Best format
- Reverse-chronological, single column, profile and qualifications first
- Length
- 1 page for trainees and AAT; 2 once chartered or 5+ years
- Top skills
- Month-end close and reconciliations, Excel and accounting software, VAT and Making Tax Digital, Budgeting and variance analysis
- Key qualifications
- AAT Level 3 or 4 accounting qualification, ACCA, CIMA, ICAEW, ICAS or CAI membership, Accounting degree or apprenticeship route
- Average salary
- £30,000 to £60,000 a yearstarter to experienced, National Careers Service
- Typical hours
- 37 to 39 a weekbetween 8am and 6pm
5 accountant CV examples for 2026
Below are 5 UK accountant CV examples, from a graduate trainee with no full-time experience to a financial controller, plus personal profiles, skills, bullet points, ATS keywords and a free accountant CV template in Word for every example. Each one is shown at true A4 size and comes with a free single-column Word template. Open any example to read it in full.
Swipe to see all 5 examples →
Daniel Agyeman
Graduate Trainee Accountant
Nottingham · daniel.agyeman@email.com · 07700 900187 · linkedin.com/in/daniel-agyeman-cv187
Personal Profile
Accounting and Finance graduate (BSc Hons, 2:1) with an eight-week summer internship at a Nottingham accountancy practice, preparing draft sole trader accounts, bank reconciliations and VAT workings in Xero. Two years of part-time retail work alongside study built reliability and accuracy with cash. Seeking a graduate trainee accountant role with study support towards the ACA or ACCA.
Core Competencies
Xero and QuickBooks Online · Excel (XLOOKUP, pivot tables) · Double-entry bookkeeping · Bank reconciliations · VAT return workings · Sole trader and partnership accounts · Ratio and financial statement analysis · Cash handling and till balancing · Clear client communication
Employment History
Summer Intern, Accounts and Tax, Corthwaite & Co Chartered Accountants, Nottingham Jun 2025 – Aug 2025
- Prepared draft year-end accounts for 11 sole trader and partnership clients in Xero, clearing manager review points within a day.
- Reconciled bank and credit card feeds for a 40-client bookkeeping portfolio, clearing 300+ unexplained items before quarterly VAT returns.
- Built an Excel tracker of missing client records, helping the tax team chase Self Assessment information well before January.
Treasurer (volunteer), University Finance and Investment Society, Nottingham Sep 2024 – Jun 2025
- Managed a society budget of £6,400, recording every transaction in a shared ledger and reconciling it to the bank monthly.
- Presented year-end accounts to 85 members at the AGM, with receipts for every claim approved by the students’ union finance team.
- Secured sponsorship from two local firms, funding a spreadsheet modelling workshop series for first-year members.
Customer Assistant (part-time), Greenhallow Foodstores, Nottingham Oct 2023 – May 2025
- Balanced tills and completed end-of-shift cash-up sheets, with no variance over £1 in 20 months.
- Covered the customer service desk on Saturdays, resolving refunds and complaints and logging each one in the refund register.
Education & Qualifications
BSc (Hons) Accounting and Finance, Nottingham Trent University, 2:1, 2026
Dissertation: how Making Tax Digital for VAT changed record keeping in small businesses (First)
A-levels: Mathematics (A), Economics (B), Business (B), 2023
9 GCSEs grades 9-4 including Maths (8) and English Language (7), 2021
Training & Certificates
Xero Advisor Certification (2025)
Why this example works
- Treats an eight-week internship like a real job, with client numbers, software and review standards a training manager recognises.
- Uses a society treasurer post to prove ledger, reconciliation and reporting skills before any full-time finance job.
- Names the target qualifications, ACA or ACCA, so recruiters see a candidate who wants study support and plans to stay.
Why this example works
- Leads with month-end close and VAT, the two duties most assistant accountant adverts list first.
- Shows a clear career change from customer service into finance through AAT, with each step explained.
- Names the ACCA exams passed, so recruiters can judge part-qualified status in seconds.
Applying through an online portal? Use the Word download: it is the same CV in a single-column, ATS-safe layout. Keep this two-column design for emailing and networking.
Why this example works
- Opens with portfolio size and fee value, the first two things a practice manager checks on a senior’s CV.
- Names the standards, returns and software practices use daily: FRS 102 1A, FRS 105, CT600, CCH, IRIS and Xero.
- Shows current rules in action, from MTD for Income Tax to Companies House identity verification, proving up-to-date practice knowledge.
Applying through an online portal? Use the Word download: it is the same CV in a single-column, ATS-safe layout. Keep this two-column design for emailing and networking.
Kamil Jasinski
Management Accountant, ACMA CGMA
Leeds · kamil.jasinski@email.com · 07700 900671 · linkedin.com/in/kamil-jasinski-cv671
Profile
CIMA-qualified management accountant (ACMA, CGMA) with ten years in finance across food manufacturing, engineering and logistics. Produces the monthly management accounts pack, rolling forecasts and product costings for a 320-person food manufacturer with three production lines. Turns factory data into decisions on pricing, waste and capital spend, working closely with operations managers. Seeking a senior management accountant or finance business partner role.
Employment History
Management Accountant, Airebrook Foods Ltd, Leeds Jun 2022 – Present
- Produce the monthly management accounts pack for the board by working day 6, with commentary on margin, labour and waste variances.
- Rebuilt standard costs for 140 products after ingredient inflation, exposing 12 loss-making lines and backing price rises worth £410,000 a year.
- Lead the annual budget and quarterly reforecasts for a £58m turnover business, working with six department heads.
- Built a Power BI dashboard of daily yield and waste by line, helping operations cut production waste from 6.1% to 4.3%.
- Appraised a £1.2m packing line investment using NPV and payback, presenting the business case the board approved in 2024.
- Value finished goods and raw materials at each month end, agreeing stock provisions with the auditors and the operations director.
Assistant Management Accountant, Kilnworth Engineering Ltd, Bradford Mar 2019 – May 2022
- Prepared monthly job costing reports for 60+ live engineering contracts, flagging overruns to project managers within a week of month end.
- Reconciled work in progress and stock each month and led the year-end count across two sites with no audit adjustments.
- Analysed labour efficiency by department, highlighting overtime trends that led to a revised shift pattern and lower agency spend.
- Moved budget templates from 30 linked spreadsheets into a single Excel model using Power Query, halving budget preparation time.
- Prepared weekly 13-week cash flow forecasts for the directors and bank during the 2020 lockdown.
Accounts Assistant, Hollinby Freight Ltd, Wakefield Aug 2016 – Feb 2019
- Processed purchase invoices and fuel card statements for a 90-vehicle fleet, coding costs to each depot and customer contract.
- Prepared weekly aged debtor reports and chased overdue accounts, reducing debtor days from 58 to 44 in a year.
- Took over the payroll journal and pension reconciliation for 140 staff, resolving a long-standing auto-enrolment contribution difference.
- Reconciled the main bank accounts daily and posted customer receipts, supporting the finance manager’s month-end close and VAT returns.
Warehouse Operative, then Stock Controller, Grocery distribution centre, Normanton Jul 2013 – Jul 2016
- Promoted from warehouse operative to stock controller within a year, reconciling the warehouse system to physical stock weekly.
- Ran cycle counts and investigated stock losses in a 24-hour site, reporting variances to the site finance team.
- Began AAT study in the evenings after weekly loss reports showed how much finance shaped decisions on the warehouse floor.
Education & Qualifications
AAT Professional Diploma in Accounting (Level 4), 2018
A-levels: Mathematics (B), Polish (A), Business Studies (C), 2013
8 GCSEs grades A*-C including Maths (A) and English (B), 2011
Training & Certificates
CIMA Professional Qualification: ACMA, CGMA (2023) · Microsoft Certified: Power BI Data Analyst Associate (2024)
Core Skills
Management accounts packs · Budgeting and rolling forecasts · Standard costing and variance analysis · Product and customer profitability · Capital investment appraisal (NPV, payback) · Stock valuation and month-end close · Finance business partnering · Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central · Power BI and Power Query · Advanced Excel and financial modelling · Sage 200
Systems and projects
- Finance lead for the 2023 move from Sage 200 to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central: mapped the chart of accounts, tested costing rules and trained 14 users.
- Wrote the month-end close calendar and checklist now used by the five-person finance team.
- Co-designed a product costing model in Business Central with the operations team, so new recipes are priced before launch.
Languages and mentoring
- Polish (fluent): translate payroll and shift-pattern notices for production staff.
- Mentor two AAT students in the finance team through their Level 3 and Level 4 assessments.
Professional development
- CIMA CPD on rolling forecasts and business partnering (2025); lean manufacturing awareness course run with the operations team (2023).
Why this example works
- Every bullet links numbers to a business decision on pricing, waste or capital spend, the core of management accounting.
- Shows a non-graduate route from warehouse floor to CIMA, proving progression without a degree.
- Names the ERP, BI tools and costing methods manufacturers screen for, such as Business Central, Power BI and standard costing.
Lorna Baird
Financial Controller, CA
Edinburgh · lorna.baird@email.com · 07700 900893 · linkedin.com/in/lorna-baird-cv893
Executive Profile
ICAS Chartered Accountant with 16 years in audit and industry, now financial controller of a £96m turnover renewable energy services group with six UK subsidiaries. Leads a finance team of nine and owns group consolidation, FRS 102 statutory accounts, treasury and the year-end audit, reporting monthly to the board. Known for faster closes and clean audits. Seeking a financial controller or head of finance role in a growing Scottish business.
Core Competencies
Group consolidation (FRS 102) · Statutory accounts and audit management · Board reporting and KPIs · Cash flow forecasting and treasury · Bank facilities and covenants · Budgeting and long-range planning · Finance team leadership · Internal controls and process redesign · Corporation tax and VAT oversight · Sage Intacct implementation · Power BI reporting · Acquisitions and integration
Employment History
Financial Controller, Lindenbrae Energy Services Ltd, Edinburgh Jan 2022 – Present
- Lead finance teams in Edinburgh and Aberdeen, covering the ledgers, payroll, management accounts and group reporting.
- Cut the group month-end close from 12 working days to 5 by redesigning the close calendar and automating intercompany recharges.
- Run the year-end audit for every subsidiary, delivering signed group accounts two months earlier with no prior-year adjustments.
- Led the move from Sage 200 to Sage Intacct across all entities, live on schedule and within its £180,000 budget.
- Assessed the FRS 102 lease and revenue changes effective from 2026, bringing 140 vehicle and property leases onto the balance sheet.
- Present monthly results and a rolling 12-month forecast to the board, including covenant headroom on the group’s bank facilities.
Finance Manager, Gairlie Hotels Group, Edinburgh May 2018 – Dec 2021
- Produced monthly management accounts and KPIs for eight hotels, reporting RevPAR, payroll ratios and food margins to the operations board.
- Built the 13-week cash flow model behind a £4m Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme facility during the 2020 closures.
- Set up a central purchase ledger across the group, ending duplicate supplier payments and shortening month-end accrual work.
- Managed a team of four, coaching two AAT students to qualification and an assistant accountant through ACCA.
- Led finance due diligence on the purchase of a 60-bedroom Highland hotel and planned its move onto group systems.
Audit Assistant Manager, Kinnardie Muir LLP, Glasgow Sep 2015 – Apr 2018
- Managed a portfolio of 25 audits a year for clients up to £120m turnover, from owner-managed businesses to housing associations, leading teams of four.
- Reported control weaknesses to client boards and audit committees, with practical recommendations most clients adopted within a year.
- Led the audit of a regional charity with restricted funds, agreeing a revised income recognition policy with its trustees.
Audit Senior, Kinnardie Muir LLP, Glasgow Sep 2013 – Aug 2015
- Led audit fieldwork for manufacturers, retailers and charities, supervising trainees on site and coaching six through their ICAS exams.
- Delivered firm-wide training on the 2015 move to FRS 102, building transition templates used across 80 audit clients.
Trainee Chartered Accountant (ICAS), Kinnardie Muir LLP, Glasgow Sep 2010 – Aug 2013
- Audited revenue, payroll and fixed assets for charities, manufacturers and retailers, and drafted statutory accounts for smaller clients.
- Attended 30+ year-end stock counts, from distilleries to builders’ merchants, testing counts and cut-off.
- Qualified as an ICAS Chartered Accountant in 2013, passing every exam at the first attempt.
Education & Qualifications
BAcc (Hons) Accountancy, University of Glasgow, First, 2010
SQA Highers: Mathematics (A), Accounting and Finance (A), English (A), Physics (B), Modern Studies (B), 2006
Training & Certificates
Chartered Accountant (CA), Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland, 2013 · ILM Level 5 Certificate in Leadership and Management (2020)
Board and volunteering
- Trustee and treasurer of an Edinburgh youth housing charity (2019 – Present): chair the finance and audit committee and oversee annual reporting to OSCR, the Scottish Charity Regulator.
- Volunteer mentor for newly qualified accountants moving into industry, meeting each mentee quarterly.
Professional development
- ICAS CPD: FRS 102 periodic review (2025), lease accounting and treasury risk management (2024), and a board-level course on finance for non-executive roles (2023).
Languages
- English (native) and French (intermediate), used with the group’s French turbine suppliers.
Why this example works
- Leads with scope, turnover, subsidiaries and team size, so a finance director can judge seniority in seconds.
- Recent roles show ownership and results: a faster close, earlier audits and a systems move delivered on budget.
- Two pages suit a financial controller CV: audit training, a finance manager role and controller results show steady progression.
Accountant personal profile examples
Copy the personal profile that matches your level, then swap in your own experience, settings and results.
Numerate school leaver with A-levels in Maths (B), Economics (B) and Business (C) and a week’s work experience at a local accountancy practice, scanning client records and entering bank transactions into Xero. Confident with Excel formulas and careful with figures. Seeking an Assistant Accountant Level 3 apprenticeship or accounts assistant role with AAT study support.
Accounting and Finance graduate (2:1) with a summer internship in practice, preparing draft accounts, bank reconciliations and VAT workings in Xero and QuickBooks. Treasurer of a 90-member sports club, with the budget reconciled every month. Seeking a graduate trainee accountant role with a training agreement towards the ICAEW ACA or ACCA.
Retail store manager moving into finance after eight years running budgets, payroll hours, the cash office and stock results for a 40-person store. Now studying the AAT Level 3 Diploma in Accounting and confident with Excel, reconciliations and supplier invoices. Seeking an accounts assistant or purchase ledger role where commercial experience adds value.
Part-qualified assistant accountant with three years in industry, preparing month-end journals, accruals, fixed asset schedules and VAT returns for a 200-person distributor. CIMA Management level complete, with the Strategic level under way. Strong in Excel and Sage 200. Seeking a management accountant role with exam support to complete the CGMA.
ACA-qualified finance manager with 12 years across audit and industry, leading a team of six for a multi-site retail business. Owns statutory accounts, the audit, cash flow and board reporting, and introduced a rolling forecast the directors now use for every investment decision. Seeking a financial controller or head of finance role in a growing business.
Best skills for a accountant CV
List the skills the job advert and person specification name, in the same wording, and prove the important ones in your employment history.
Hard skills
- Month-end and year-end close
- Bank and balance sheet reconciliations
- Accruals, prepayments and journals
- Purchase and sales ledger
- VAT returns and Making Tax Digital
- Management accounts and variance analysis
- Budgeting and forecasting
- Statutory accounts (FRS 102, FRS 105)
- Corporation tax and Self Assessment returns
- Cash flow forecasting
- Fixed asset registers and depreciation
- Payroll journals and RTI
- Costing and margin analysis
Soft skills
- Accuracy and attention to detail
- Meeting month-end and year-end deadlines
- Explaining numbers to non-finance managers
- Professional scepticism
- Integrity with confidential information
- Organising a client or task portfolio
- Coaching trainees and junior staff
Systems and equipment
- Excel (pivot tables, XLOOKUP, Power Query)
- Xero, QuickBooks Online and Sage 50
- Sage 200, Sage Intacct and Microsoft Dynamics 365
- SAP or Oracle NetSuite in larger organisations
- Practice software such as CCH, IRIS and TaxCalc
- Dext for receipt and invoice capture
- Power BI for reporting and dashboards
Qualifications and training
- AAT Level 2 Certificate in Accounting
- AAT Level 3 Diploma in Accounting
- AAT Level 4 Diploma for Professional Accounting Technicians (from September 2026)
- ACCA Qualification (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants)
- CIMA Professional Qualification and CGMA designation
- ICAEW ACA, ICAS CA or Chartered Accountants Ireland ACA (chartered accountancy)
- CIPFA qualification for public sector finance
- Assistant Accountant Level 3 or Professional Accounting or Taxation Technician Level 4 apprenticeship (England)
Accountant CV bullet point examples
Strong bullets pair an action verb with a specific task and a measurable result. Adapt these to your own numbers.
Month-end and reporting
- Produced quarterly management accounts for a 70-employee charity, splitting results by funder so each grant report matched the ledger.
- Wrote variance commentary for the monthly board pack, explaining a £260,000 contractor overspend within two days of close.
- Cleared 18 months of unreconciled intercompany differences between two UK entities before the auditors arrived.
Tax and compliance
- Filed 64 quarterly VAT returns a year through MTD-compatible software for a client portfolio, with no late submission penalty points.
- Reviewed partial exemption calculations for a charity client, recovering £18,500 of input VAT that had not been claimed.
- Prepared R&D tax relief working papers for two software clients, with both claims processed and no HMRC enquiry opened.
Budgeting, forecasting and analysis
- Built a driver-based budget model linking headcount, pay awards and pension costs, cutting the budget round by three weeks.
- Analysed profitability across 300 customer accounts, showing that freight and rebates erased the margin on six large customers.
- Prepared a rolling 18-month cash flow forecast that helped the directors time a £2m warehouse investment.
Audit, controls and systems
- Mapped the purchase-to-pay process and introduced segregation of duties, closing two points raised in the auditors’ management letter.
- Prepared the audit file and lead schedules for a first-year audit, halving the auditors’ information requests.
- Tested the chart of accounts mapping for a Xero to NetSuite migration covering 18,000 historical transactions.
Action verbs for a accountant CV
Start each bullet with a precise verb instead of “responsible for”.
- Analysed
- Appraised
- Audited
- Automated
- Budgeted
- Calculated
- Coached
- Consolidated
- Costed
- Filed
- Forecast
- Identified
- Implemented
- Investigated
- Modelled
- Negotiated
- Optimised
- Posted
- Prepared
- Presented
- Prioritised
- Reconciled
- Recovered
- Reduced
- Restructured
- Reviewed
- Streamlined
- Supervised
- Validated
Find more by category with the free action verb finder.
Best CV format for a accountant
Use a single-column, reverse-chronological accountant CV: personal profile, key skills, employment history, then qualifications. Put your qualification status near the top. School leavers, trainees and AAT-qualified accountants with under five years fit one side of A4; chartered accountants and anyone with five or more years usually need two.
| Your situation | Format | Length | Lead with |
|---|---|---|---|
| School leaver or apprenticeship applicant | Skills-led: profile, skills, education, part-time work | 1 page | Maths grade, A-levels or AAT level, Excel skills |
| Graduate trainee (ACA, ACCA or CIMA) | Education-led, then reverse-chronological experience | 1 page | Degree, internships, treasurer roles, target qualification |
| Career changer into accounts | Hybrid: profile and transferable skills first | 1 page | AAT progress, budgets, cash and stock experience |
| Assistant or part-qualified accountant | Reverse-chronological | 1 page (2 with 5+ years in finance) | Month-end, VAT, systems and exams passed |
| Practice senior or supervisor | Reverse-chronological with portfolio detail | 2 pages | Client numbers, accounts and tax returns, software |
| Management accountant or financial controller | Reverse-chronological | 2 pages | Turnover, team size, close speed, audits and decisions |
Every example above follows these rules, on A4 and without a photo, date of birth or full address.
How to write an accountant CV that gets interviews
An accountant CV gets interviews when it shows your qualification status, the systems you use and the results you deliver. Finance managers and recruiters skim, so put your strongest evidence in the personal profile and the first bullet of each role.
Give scale and numbers: entities closed, invoices processed, clients managed, close days cut or tax saved. ‘Cut month-end close from eight days to five’ beats ‘responsible for month-end’. Name the setting too, such as practice, industry or the public sector, because duties and keywords differ.
Job titles vary. England’s National Careers Service lists chartered management accountant as another title for a management accountant, and entry adverts mix accounts assistant, assistant accountant and finance assistant. Use the exact title from the advert under your name.
Accountant CV with no experience
You can write a strong trainee or graduate accountant CV with no experience by leading with qualifications, numeracy and any work involving money or records. Open with a personal profile naming the route you want, such as an AAT apprenticeship or a graduate ACA or ACCA training role.
In England, the National Careers Service lists apprenticeships including Assistant Accountant Level 3 and Professional Accounting or Taxation Technician Level 4, plus college routes such as the T Level in Accounting. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run their own apprenticeship programmes.
Turn part-time jobs into evidence: cash-ups balanced, stock counted, refunds logged. Society treasurer posts, internships and spring weeks deserve full entries with numbers. Career changers from retail, hospitality or operations should lead with budgets, payroll hours, supplier invoices or stock results, plus any AAT study in progress.
How to show AAT, ACCA, CIMA or ACA status on your CV
State your qualification status precisely, because recruiters filter on it. Give the body, the level or exams passed and the date, such as ‘CIMA Management level complete’ or ‘MAAT, 2025’, rather than a vague ‘part-qualified’.
Know what each route involves. ICAEW’s ACA has 15 exam modules and at least 450 days of practical work experience. ACCA currently has 13 exams, an ethics module and 36 months of relevant experience, and is renaming and restructuring its levels from 2027.
CIMA’s CGMA route runs through Operational, Management and Strategic levels with at least three years of relevant experience. AAT replaced its Level 4 Diploma in Professional Accounting with the Level 4 Diploma for Professional Accounting Technicians in September 2026, so copy the exact title from your certificate.
Many adverts ask for CCAB-qualified accountants, meaning members of ICAEW, ACCA, CIPFA, ICAS or Chartered Accountants Ireland. CIMA is not a CCAB member, so check the advert’s wording before applying.
Keywords to include on an accountant CV
Include the exact systems, standards and tasks named in the advert, because many UK employers and recruitment agencies screen CVs with applicant tracking systems. Work keywords naturally into your skills and bullets rather than pasting a list, and keep rule references current.
- Month-end close, accruals, prepayments, journals and reconciliations
- VAT returns and Making Tax Digital; for practice roles, MTD for Income Tax (from April 2026)
- FRS 102 (including the lease and revenue changes from January 2026), FRS 105 and IFRS
- Management accounts, budgets, forecasts and variance analysis
- Xero, Sage, QuickBooks, SAP, NetSuite, Dynamics 365, CCH or IRIS
- Excel (pivot tables, XLOOKUP, Power Query) and Power BI
- AAT, ACCA, CIMA, ACA, CA, CCAB, part-qualified, newly qualified
What to include and leave off a UK accountant CV
| ✓ Include | ✗ Avoid |
|---|---|
| A 3-5 line personal profile with your qualification status and target role | A photo, date of birth, age, marital status or nationality |
| Exact qualification status: body, level or exams passed, and dates | Your full home address or National Insurance number |
| Systems: accounting software, ERP, Excel functions and BI tools | Named referees (leave them off or write ‘References available on request’) |
| Scale: entities, clients, turnover, invoice volumes or team size | Client names or confidential figures from your current employer |
| Results: close days cut, debtor days reduced, tax saved, audit points cleared | ‘Chartered’ or ‘qualified’ status before your membership is confirmed |
| The UK rules you work with, such as MTD, FRS 102, FRS 105 and RTI payroll | Duty lists copied from job descriptions with no numbers |
| Right to work in the UK, if the advert asks for it | Typos or inconsistent dates, which suggest weak attention to detail |
| Tables, text boxes and graphics that some ATS cannot read |
How to write an accountant CV
- Read the advert and job description. Highlight the qualifications, systems and tasks the employer asks for, such as ‘part-qualified ACCA’, ‘Sage 200’ or ‘month-end close’. These are your keywords, and they show which experience to lead with on your accountant CV.
- Write a personal profile. In 3-5 lines, state your qualification status, years of experience, setting (practice, industry or public sector), two or three systems and the role you want. Add one result, such as a faster close or a clean audit.
- Add a key skills section. List 8-12 skills that match the advert, mixing technical tasks such as reconciliations, VAT and management accounts with software such as Xero, Sage or SAP. Keep each item short so it scans in seconds.
- List your employment history with numbers. Work backwards from your current role. Give recent jobs 4-5 bullets that start with an action verb and include a figure where you can: entities, clients, invoices, close days, savings or debtor days. Older roles need one or two bullets.
- Show qualifications precisely. Put professional qualifications first, with the body, level or exams passed and dates, then your degree with its classification and summarised school results. Add apprenticeships, AAT units in progress and relevant CPD, such as FRS 102 update training.
- Check every figure and save correctly. Proofread numbers and dates line by line, because one error on an accountant CV undermines the whole application. Save as Word or PDF as the advert asks, with a file name such as ‘Firstname-Surname-CV’.
Accountant salary in the UK
National averages for England. Use them to benchmark offers, not as a promise for any single job.
The National Careers Service puts average pay for a management accountant at £30,000 a year for new starters, rising to around £60,000 with experience. Typical hours are 37 to 39 a week (between 8am and 6pm).
Source: National Careers Service, Management accountant job profile (Department for Education), contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures are averages; pay varies by region, employer and experience.
Covering letter tip for a accountant
Open your accountant covering letter with the job title, your qualification status and one result that matches the advert, such as a faster month-end close or a VAT backlog cleared. Then match two requirements with short examples, name the systems you use, state your notice period and check every figure twice.
Start from our cover letter templates or draft one in seconds with the cover letter generator.
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