Résumé Help: Accountant Lacking Details and Order
Résumés for candidates in certain professions and industries will be judged with greater scrutiny. For example, a résumé for a designer will be evaluated for creativity. A résumé for an accountant will be scrutinized for organization, details, and accuracy. This particular accountant, Jordan, is lacking details in critical areas, such as the Professional Experience section. She also has ordered her résumé in a way that is not logical and does not support the goal of gaining an interview. The good news is that these are common issues that can be resolved quite easily.
In Jordan’s new résumé, we suggest that she start with a profile summary because it will put the entire résumé into context. A profile answers the question, “What does Jordan offer my company and why is she right for the job at hand?” The next section (that is also missing from Jordan’s first draft) is a Core Competencies section. This is a neatly organized chart that serves as a checklist for the major competencies an employer is seeking. This is where Jordan could list things such as, General Ledger, Accounts Payable, Financial Reporting, etc.
Next we get to the Professional Experience section. Jordan needs to clean up some of those formatting, spacing, and capitalization errors to show that she has attention to detail. Consistency is also important, otherwise the content looks haphazard. Each line should begin with a strong verb. To sell Jordan as an accountant, she should show the scope of her responsibilities and quantify all results. Going beyond the functions and showing accomplishments is paramount. This is not a section to use passive statements broadly describing skills.
Do you wonder if your résumé is hitting the mark? Email us your résumé and I will happily critique it for you. To see other blogs on résumés, follow these links:
Résumé Help: Senior Technology Consulting Manager
Résumé Help: Structure is the First Step
Résumé Help: Adding Impact to the Top Third of Your Résumé
To see additional résumé suggestions that will help you as you create your own résumé, please click on the image below.
If you would like a résumé critique, please contact Debra Wheatman at debra@careersdonewrite.com or visit us at http://careersdonewrite.com. The Résumé Help blog appears weekly on Mondays.
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