Accountant skills for your CV

Accountants manage financial records, prepare reports, and ensure regulatory compliance. Employers look for professional qualifications (ACCA/ACA/CIMA), attention to detail, and strong analytical skills.

  • Finance
  • Salary range £28,000 – £60,000
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Hard skills10
Soft skills6
Tools6
Certifications4

Hard skills

The technical skills for this role, grouped by how much they matter.

Essential 5 skills

  • Financial Reporting (FRS 102/IFRS)Core to all accounting roles
  • Management AccountsMonthly P&L, balance sheet, cash flow
  • Tax (Corporation, VAT, PAYE)Compliance and advisory
  • Excel (Advanced)Formulas, pivot tables, macros
  • Year-End Accounts PreparationStatutory and abbreviated accounts

Important 4 skills

  • AuditPlanning, fieldwork, reporting
  • Sage/Xero/QuickBooksPractical accounting software
  • Budgeting & ForecastingCritical for management roles
  • Cash Flow ManagementWorking capital and treasury

Valuable 1 skill

  • PayrollIncluding RTI and auto-enrolment

Soft skills

  • Attention to Detail
  • Analytical Thinking
  • Communication
  • Time Management
  • Integrity
  • Client Management

Tools

  • Sage 50/200
  • Xero
  • QuickBooks
  • Excel
  • CCH/Iris
  • CaseWare

Certifications

  • ACCA
  • ACA (ICAEW)
  • CIMA
  • AAT Level 4
TipsCV

How to show these on your CV

  • Include your qualification status clearly (ACCA Qualified, ACA Part-Qualified etc).
  • Quantify: "Managed a portfolio of 25+ clients with combined turnover of £40M."
  • List software proficiency — recruiters filter on Sage, Xero, etc.

CV examples to learn from

Finance · Mid levelAccountantAccountant CV example for UK practice roles, with an ACCA-qualified profile, audit and reporting results, Xero and Sage skills, and qualifications to list.View example Finance · Mid levelBookkeeperBookkeeper CV example for UK practices and small businesses: a profile, VAT and month-end results, Xero and Sage skills, and AAT qualifications to include.View example

More Finance examples

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