Writing a Resume – 1.0
As an accountant or a finance professional your resume should not only be an accurate representation of your experience, qualifications and suitability for a role but also you as a professional and your soft skills. Ensuring that you thoroughly review your resume before sending it prospective employers can, in some cases, make the difference between you being selected for an interview and being overlooked for the role. So how do you create a winning resume?
Make the most of the space you have
While finance professionals applying for senior roles are likely to have reams of experience, it’s important to remain succinct. Try to keep your resume under 2 pages. For professionals in the latter stages of their career that can appear to be quite a feat, so how can you find the balance between informative and punchy? Firstly, make sure to place emphasis on directly relevant experience and only briefly mention less significant roles. While it is also important to highlight all your professional qualifications, there is little need to list individual modules or grades – they aren’t likely to swing things in your favor but will take up valuable space that could be used more efficiently.
Write your resume for the job you want, not the job you have
Every time you apply for a role you should specifically tailor your skills and experience to relate to the position’s specific requirements. Try to view your ‘standard’ resume as a framework for you to build upon, rather than a finalized product. Given the need to be concise, the version you submit for one role may not necessarily cover all the requirements of another, even if they have the same job title. For example, one organization may stress the need for experience in a leadership position, while another may favor creative decision-making skills. So, it is important to make sure you adapt your resume to include relevant skills and examples to meet each role’s individual specification. It will likely be obvious to a prospective employer, or indeed a recruitment agency, if you send out a generic resume and, generally speaking, suggests you aren’t particularly interested in a role.
Show Achievements
Broadly speaking we know what a Controller does and so will your potential employer, so a list of responsibilities may not be that useful. A good resume is a marketing tool and should highlight what distinguishes you from the pack. A strong set of achievements under each role could therefore really paint the picture of your contribution and your potential. A strong recommendation would be to include some bullet points of responsibilities along with some specific, tangible, measurable achievements.
Getting the basics right is fundamental
Formatting is also crucial. Your resume should look both professional, and attractive, so keep the font and text size consistent throughout. Make sure that all the most important information is at the top of the first page, and improve readability by breaking up long sections of text by using bullet points where possible. The remits of a Controller role mean that employers are unlikely to be looking for creatively designed CVs, but ensuring that its layout is engaging is still important.
Perhaps the most important, if slightly obvious, tip is to thoroughly check your resume for any grammatical errors. Basic spelling errors and typos are incredibly easy to make, however, they look highly unprofessional and will harm your chances of being considered for a role, so ensure that once you’ve checked it, you get someone else to read it through thoroughly. It’s also important to make sure that your resume uses concise language and avoids long complex sentences which aren’t particularly engaging.
Author: Ben Westwood
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