Accounting Internship Resume

Accounting internships are a great opportunity for students and fresh grads to acquire hands-on experience and training to advance their careers in finance and accounting.

But accountants must be able to prepare financial reports and give reliable financial advice based on close examination, analysis, and interpretation of accounting records. When looking at your resume, hiring managers want to see how you demonstrate these skills.

Follow these three tips to write an accounting internship resume that lands you an opportunity to gain some hands-on experience:

1. Highlight your accounting internship resume skills

Because accounting interns are generally responsible for compiling research, analyzing data, and preparing financial reports, it’s important to assure employers you have the right skill-set for the job.

Show employers you’re the perfect person for the internship by showcasing your communication skills, analytical thinking, attention to detail, ability to work under pressure, and familiarity with accounting software in your resume.

To prove you can assist with accounting and other office-related tasks, list essential accounting internship hard skills in the resume skills section. Be sure to also highlight these skills in the work experience section of your resume.

Here are some other important accounting internship technical skills to include in your resume:

• Data entry
• Business administration
• Financial reporting
• Financial analysis
• Account reconciliation
• Accounts receivable
• Asset management
• Invoicing
• Tax preparation
• Vendor management
• Accounting software (Inuit QuickBooks, Sage 50 Accounting, and Fund accounting software)
• Tax preparation software
• Payroll software
• IBM SPSS Statistics
• SAS
• Project management software (Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft Project, and Oracle Primavera Enterprise Project Portfolio Management)

Despite the importance of these accounting hard skills, your technical background isn’t everything. Ultimately, employers seek a good balance of hard and soft skills.

To show them you’re a perfect match, emphasize important accounting intern soft skills in your work experience, such as problem-solving skills, accuracy, and adaptability.

Here are other key accounting internship soft skills to feature in your resume bullet points:

• Active listening
• Time management skills
• Organizational skills
• Multitasking
• Critical thinking
• Prioritization
• Decision-making
• Interpersonal skills
• People skills
• Teamwork
• Language skills
• Ability to follow instructions

Here’s an example of how to include some of these skills in your resume bullet points:

• Managed a variety of accounting tasks, such as preparing vouchers for all transactions, maintaining books of accounts, and formulating daily and weekly reports
• Advised clients in financial planning, communicating clearly to ensure their full understanding

The first point demonstrates the candidate’s hard accounting skills while the second showcases their relevant soft skills.

2. Open with a strong accounting internship resume summary

To ensure your job application is shortlisted, show employers what makes you uniquely qualified for the job by summarizing your qualifications in a compelling resume summary. Even if you don’t have much work experience, knowing how to write a persuasive resume introduction will catch an employer’s attention.

Here’s a great example of an effective accounting internship resume summary:

Recent graduate in Accounting aspiring to combine educational background with progressive experience to excel as a Professional Accountant. Solid expertise in managing accounts payable and receivable functions, verifying vendor accounts, reconciling financial statements, and checking payments and receipts.

In this example, the applicant succinctly states their goals while providing a brief snapshot of their skills and experience. Very concisely, they list their strengths in accounting while highlighting job-specific skills, such as vendor management and account reconciliation.

3. Add hard numbers to your achievements

With a sea of aspiring accountants competing for the same internship, simply stating your qualifications won’t be enough to stand out to hiring managers. To make yourself a more exceptional candidate, use real numbers in your work experience to prove your value.

Here are some examples of how to use numbers in your resume bullet points:

• Conducted reconciliation of income statement and balance sheet accounts for newly acquired $10M subsidiary of $40M services company
• Perform monthly bank and account reconciliations to ensure 100% accuracy of company and bank records
• Process 400+ AR cash application transactions on a daily basis
• Prevented catastrophic accounting errors through close attention to detail and consistent willingness to double and triple check work to ensure 100% client satisfaction

Ultimately, quantifying your skills and accomplishments in your resume bullet points will make your contributions sound more impactful while providing employers a solid grasp of what they can gain from hiring you.