Accountant CV example
When an employer reads an accountant's CV, they look for accuracy and reliability: closing the month on time, knowing the tax rules and having hands-on experience with accounting software. So the parts of the CV that matter most are the software you use, the reports you prepare, the size of the companies whose books you keep and where your responsibility starts and ends.
The example suits chief accountant, accountant and bookkeeper roles. Adjust the scope of responsibility to match yours. It is written for an English-language employer in Lithuania: taxes go by their English names (VAT, personal income tax), Lithuanian systems such as i.SAF and EDAS keep theirs, and institutions are spelled out once: the State Tax Inspectorate (VMI) and Sodra (State Social Insurance Fund).
CV example
Accountant independently running the books of two private limited companies (turnover up to €4m, 45 employees), from source documents to the annual financial statements. No tax penalties in 10 years; month-end close in 5 working days.
- Keep the company's full set of books (turnover €4m, 45 employees): VAT, personal income tax, Sodra contributions, i.SAF invoice registers, i.VAZ e-waybills, annual financial statements.
- Cut the month-end close from 12 to 5 working days by standardising the document flow and implementing Rivilė GAMA.
- Prepared the documents for 4 VMI tax audits: no additional tax assessed.
- Kept the books of 12 small companies (trade and services); ran payroll for 90 employees.
- Prepared VAT and corporate income tax returns and annual financial statements in Finvalda.
Vilnius University, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration: BSc,Accounting and Auditing, 2016
Professional accountant qualification course, Lithuanian Association of Accountants and Auditors (LBAA), 2021
What to put in an accountant CV
Name the exact programs: Rivilė, Finvalda, Agnum, Directo, SAP. Next to them, give the size of the companies you handled: turnover, number of employees, number of companies. If the recruiter may be based outside Lithuania, explain local software in a few words: “Rivilė GAMA (Lithuanian ERP)”.
Tax audits with no additional tax assessed, your month-end close deadline, returns always filed on time: for an accountant, these are the “results” that count most.
Say clearly whether you ran the books on your own or handled only part of them (for example, only payroll or only source documents). The employer will find out at the interview anyway.
Tax laws change every year, so courses and seminars listed with dates show that you keep up with the changes.
Most common mistakes
- Writing “experience with accounting software” without naming which: applicant tracking systems (ATS) cannot match that to the software in the ad.
- Describing the role in job-description language (“kept the books, prepared reports”) with no scale and no results.
- Not saying whether your experience is in-house at one company or at an accounting firm. The skills differ, and the employer wants to know which you have.
Frequently asked questions
Does an accountant need a cover letter?
Usually not, but it helps when you change sector (for example, from an accounting firm to a manufacturer). Use it to explain why.
How do I describe work at an accounting firm where I handled many companies?
Give the number of companies, their sectors and size (“12 companies, trade and services, turnover up to €1m”). This shows the breadth of your experience.
What should I write if I have no accounting experience yet?
Your internship, the accounting software you trained on (Rivilė, Finvalda), courses with dates, your Excel level and any experience with documents or figures.