How to Write an Accounting Intern Resume (+ Examples)

What To Highlight in an Accounting Intern Resume

Most accounting firms stick to a competitive recruitment process, so to stand out from the crowd when looking for an accounting intern job, you’ll need to highlight the following in a professional resume: 

• Accounting skills
• Extensive financial information knowledge
• Understanding of financial initiatives
• Hold the right certifications

This article will show how to format your information to increase your chances of securing an interview.

Structure of an Accounting Intern Resume

The structure of your accounting internship resume will depend on the resume format you choose. There are three resume formats:

• Chronological: This is the most popular resume format that focuses on work experience. This format is best for those with an extensive work history of 10 years or more.
• Functional: Functional resume formats focus on transferable skills. As an accounting intern, you probably have minimal to three years of work experience, so this may be the best option for you.
• Combination: Combination resume formats showcase both skills and experience. It is best suited for candidates with three to eight years of experience who can highlight accomplishments and a job-acquired skill set.

Once you have selected the resume format that is best for you, fill out each of the resume sections with your information.

Header

Your resume header contains your contact information; it should be clearly displayed so hiring managers can contact you easily to schedule an interview. In this section, you can include your:

• Full name
• Email address
• Phone number
• Location (city and state)

You can also include your professional social media links, like your LinkedIn profile. This is a good way to provide the hiring manager with more information about your key accomplishments and previous roles.

Resume summary or objective 

When applying for an internship, it’s likely that you don’t have lots of accounting experience. To counteract this, you can use a resume objective that explains your career intentions. This two to three-sentence paragraph is designed to hook the recruiter. In this section, you should explain why you believe an internship is beneficial to your career goals. Reference some of the main accounting skills you have, as well as your industry knowledge.

Skills

Your accounting intern skills section might be the most important part of your resume. To increase your chances of success, you should include a combination of hard skills and soft skills. Hard skills, also known as technical skills, are accounting specific and gained through your qualifications and certifications. Soft skills are transferable across many industries.

Here are some bullet points with accounting skills to consider adding to your resume:

• Interpersonal skills
• Time management
• Knowledge of accounting software (e.g. QuickBooks)
• Preparing income statements
• Bookkeeping software and accounting systems (Oracle)
• Financial accounting theory
• Analytical skills
• Spreadsheets
• Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel)
• Preparing tax returns
• Data entry
• Budgeting and pricing
• Balance sheet account management
• Working cross-divisionally and with accounting departments
• Problem-solving
• Journal entry
• Analyzing financial statements
• Accounts receivable and accounts payable
• Financial report writing
• Communication skills
• Financial forecast
• Reconciling general ledger and month-end closing
• Resolving discrepancies
• Following generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP)

Work history

If you’re applying for an internship, even if you may be a recent graduate with little work experience, you can still include work history information such as extracurricular and volunteer activities. If you have previous job titles that are relevant to the role in terms of duties and skills, you can include these positions.

You can list your experience in reverse-chronological order, starting from the most recent example. You can include brief bullet points summarizing your primary duties and key responsibilities.

Education

The education section is an important part of your resume as employers typically expect candidates to have select qualifications. To become an accounting intern, you might require a bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance. You can also include this information if you’re in further training and are studying for a certification, such as a Certified Public Accountant.

Do’s and Don’ts for an Accounting Intern Resume

Here are some do’s and don’ts for an accounting intern resume:

Do:

• Use a resume template or resume builder. This is a good way to structure your resume professionally.
• Proofread your resume before you submit it. Since accounting interns must be detail-oriented, spelling, punctuation or grammatical errors will reflect poorly on you.
• Read the job description to select keywords related to required skills and experiences, match them to your own qualifications and add them to your resume. This helps you navigate applicant tracking systems (ATS) that employers use to scan resumes for keywords.

Don’t:

• Include your high school GPA unless stated in the job description. Most recruiters aren’t interested in your GPA.
• Use long sentences. This might make it too long and a busy recruiter won’t read your entire resume.
• Forget to use an accounting intern resume sample. Looking at resume samples can inspire your content.