Accountancy CV Example: 6 UK Accounts CVs by Career Level

By Mustafa Tarabya, founder of CVBooster · Published 2026-10-07 · Updated 2026-10-07

9 min read

A CV for accountancy puts your qualification status in the first line under your name (AAT, ACCA, CIMA or ACA, with the level or papers passed), then shows what you closed, reconciled or reported, with the systems you did it in and how often. The constraint is that every applicant for the same job lists the same duties, so the CV wins on scale, accuracy and deadlines, not on the phrase "attention to detail". The National Careers Service puts the rule simply: "You should tailor your CV to the job or opportunity you’re applying for." Below are six complete accounts CV examples for UK jobs, checked in October 2026, tagged by level from accounts assistant to financial controller. Written by Mustafa Tarabya, who hired for his own company, read every application himself and now writes CVBooster's guides.

Every accountancy CV says "highly numerate with strong attention to detail". It is a CV for a job that is entirely numbers and detail. That is not a skill. That is the job title, said again more slowly.

The first example is the most common accountancy CV: an accounts assistant studying AAT, with two years in a finance team, applying for a step up.

Complete Entry level: accounts assistant, AAT Level 3 in progress example, 192 words, laid out as it would sit in the application form

Entry level: accounts assistant, AAT Level 3 in progress (192 words)

PRIYA SHAH Leicester | 07700 900318 | priya.shah@example.com

PROFILE Accounts assistant with two years in the finance team of a manufacturing business with a turnover of around £12m. AAT Level 3 complete, studying Level 4. Processes purchase ledger, bank reconciliations and month end journals in Sage 200. Looking for an assistant accountant role with study support.

EXPERIENCE Accounts Assistant | Brightwell Components Ltd, Leicester | Sep 2024 to present - Process around 400 supplier invoices a month and run the fortnightly BACS payment run. - Reconcile three bank accounts daily and clear unmatched items before month end. - Post accruals, prepayments and recharges for the month end close, finished within five working days. - Prepare the VAT return workings for the finance manager to review and file.

Sales Ledger Clerk | Brightwell Components Ltd | Jan 2024 to Aug 2024 - Raised sales invoices and chased overdue accounts, bringing debtor days down from 52 to 41.

QUALIFICATIONS AAT Level 3 Diploma in Accounting | 2025 AAT Level 4 Diploma in Professional Accounting | in progress, two of four units passed

SKILLS Sage 200, Excel (VLOOKUP, pivot tables), Making Tax Digital software

Tailor my CV to this job

What an accountancy employer reads first

A finance manager reading an accounts CV checks three things in the first few lines: where you are in your qualification, the size of the ledgers or entity you work on, and the system you use. Put all three in the profile. If you are moving from accounts into analysis, credit or deal work, the CV template for finance shows six finance CVs for those roles.

The qualification line matters because UK accountancy has several routes that employers read differently. The National Careers Service profile for accounting technicians describes the AAT level of the job: "Accounting technicians support financial operations by preparing accounts, filing tax returns, and balancing payments and receipts." Prospects explains the chartered designations: "ICAEW members are designated ACA (Associate Chartered Accountant), while ICAS and Chartered Accountants Ireland members use CA." Write the exact status: "ACCA, 9 of 13 exams passed", "CIMA Management Level", "ACA qualified, first time passes".

Then show scale and accuracy in the bullets:

Volume: invoices a month, entities, ledgers or payroll headcount.
Deadlines: month end close days, statutory filing dates met, audit timetable.
Accuracy: reconciliations cleared, audit findings, errors caught before posting.
Improvement: a process you automated or a report you built.

Five more CVs for accountancy jobs, by level

Each CV below is complete. The names, companies and figures are invented; replace them with your own, and keep the structure.

Complete Graduate: applying for an ACA training contract example, 151 words, laid out as it would sit in the application form

Graduate: applying for an ACA training contract (151 words)

JAMES OKAFOR Bristol | 07700 900442 | james.okafor@example.com

PROFILE Economics graduate applying for an audit training contract leading to the ACA. Completed a summer internship in audit at a regional practice and a final year dissertation on lease accounting under IFRS 16. Comfortable with large spreadsheets and explaining numbers to non specialists.

EDUCATION BSc (Hons) Economics, 2:1 | University of Bristol | 2023 to 2026 A levels: Mathematics A, Economics A, Geography B

EXPERIENCE Audit Intern | Harlow and Finch LLP, Bath | Jul 2025 to Aug 2025 - Tested sales and purchase cut off for two owner managed clients under the audit senior. - Vouched fixed asset additions to invoices and recorded findings on the audit file.

Treasurer | University Economics Society | 2024 to 2025 - Managed a society budget, reconciled the bank account monthly and presented accounts at the AGM.

SKILLS Excel, CaseWare (internship), clear written reports

Complete Mid level: part qualified management accountant, ACCA example, 175 words, laid out as it would sit in the application form

Mid level: part qualified management accountant, ACCA (175 words)

SARAH WHITFIELD Manchester | 07700 900571 | sarah.whitfield@example.com

PROFILE Part qualified management accountant, ACCA with 9 of 13 exams passed, four years in retail finance. Owns the monthly management accounts for 18 stores and the budget pack for the regional director. Strong in Excel modelling and NetSuite.

EXPERIENCE Management Accountant | Northline Retail Group, Manchester | Mar 2023 to present - Prepare monthly management accounts and variance commentary for 18 stores by working day four. - Built the store labour cost model in Excel that the operations team now uses for weekly rotas. - Run the annual budget and two reforecasts with store managers and the regional director. - Reconcile balance sheet accounts monthly and hand the auditors a clean file at year end.

Assistant Accountant | Northline Retail Group | Jun 2021 to Feb 2023 - Ran month end accruals and prepayments, fixed asset register and intercompany recharges.

QUALIFICATIONS ACCA, 9 of 13 exams passed, Strategic Professional in progress AAT Level 4 | 2021

SKILLS NetSuite, Excel (Power Query, INDEX MATCH), Power BI

Complete Mid level: newly qualified ACA, audit senior moving into industry example, 153 words, laid out as it would sit in the application form

Mid level: newly qualified ACA, audit senior moving into industry (153 words)

DANIEL MORGAN ACA Leeds | 07700 900633 | daniel.morgan@example.com

PROFILE ACA qualified audit senior with three and a half years in a mid tier practice, first time passes. Ran audits for owner managed and private equity backed companies with turnover up to £80m. Looking for a financial accountant role in industry.

EXPERIENCE Audit Senior | Calder Pryce LLP, Leeds | Sep 2022 to present - Lead audit fieldwork for a portfolio of 12 clients, supervising up to four juniors on site. - Planned and completed group audits with three subsidiaries, including consolidation review. - Drafted statutory accounts under FRS 102 and agreed adjustments with client finance directors. - Reported control findings to management and followed them up at the next year end.

QUALIFICATIONS ACA, ICAEW | 2025, first time passes BA (Hons) Accounting and Finance, 2:1 | University of Leeds | 2022

SKILLS FRS 102, IFRS, CaseWare, Excel, Xero and Sage (client systems)

Complete Senior level: financial controller, CIMA qualified example, 171 words, laid out as it would sit in the application form

Senior level: financial controller, CIMA qualified (171 words)

HELEN BRADY FCMA Birmingham | 07700 900759 | helen.brady@example.com

PROFILE CIMA qualified financial controller with twelve years in manufacturing and logistics. Leads a team of six covering ledgers, payroll and reporting. Cut the month end close from ten working days to five and led a migration from Sage to Microsoft Dynamics.

EXPERIENCE Financial Controller | Meridian Logistics Ltd, Birmingham | Apr 2020 to present - Lead a finance team of six and own the monthly close, group reporting and the year end audit. - Reduced the close from ten to five working days by moving accruals and recharges to standard templates. - Led the Dynamics 365 finance implementation, on time and with no missed supplier payment runs. - Manage cash flow forecasting and the relationship with the bank for a £5m facility.

Finance Manager | Meridian Logistics Ltd | Jan 2016 to Mar 2020 - Ran management accounts and budgeting for two divisions.

QUALIFICATIONS FCMA, CGMA (CIMA) | Fellow since 2022

SKILLS Dynamics 365, Excel, Power BI, team leadership, audit management

Complete Career changer: bookkeeper moving into a practice accounts role example, 147 words, laid out as it would sit in the application form

Career changer: bookkeeper moving into a practice accounts role (147 words)

MARK ELLIS Norwich | 07700 900864 | mark.ellis@example.com

PROFILE Self employed bookkeeper for five years, keeping the books for 14 small businesses and sole traders in Xero and QuickBooks. AAT Level 3 qualified. Looking for an accounts semi senior role in a small practice, preparing year end accounts and tax returns.

EXPERIENCE Bookkeeper, self employed | Norwich | Jun 2021 to present - Keep the books for 14 clients, from cafes to a building firm with eight staff. - Prepare quarterly VAT returns under Making Tax Digital and agree them with clients before filing. - Run monthly payroll for four clients, including pension auto enrolment. - Hand year end packs to the client's accountant with every balance sheet account reconciled.

Office Manager | Ellis Plumbing Ltd | 2015 to 2021

QUALIFICATIONS AAT Level 3 Diploma in Accounting | 2022

SKILLS Xero, QuickBooks, Dext, Excel, VAT and payroll

Tailor my CV to this job

Accounts CV skills and keywords

Accountancy jobs are often screened by recruitment agencies and applicant tracking systems before a finance manager sees them. Use the words from the advert, in the form the advert uses them: "purchase ledger" rather than "accounts payable" if that is what the job says.

Common keywords for an accounts CV:

Month end close, journals, accruals and prepayments, balance sheet reconciliations.
Management accounts, variance analysis, budgeting and forecasting.
Statutory accounts, FRS 102, IFRS, year end audit.
VAT returns, Making Tax Digital, payroll, corporation tax.
Systems: Sage, Xero, QuickBooks, NetSuite, Dynamics 365, SAP, Excel and Power BI.

Prospects is clear about one skill that will be tested rather than taken on trust: "Strong numeracy skills and mathematical ability are essential and will be assessed during selection." That is why "highly numerate" adds nothing. A close finished in five working days proves it.

What to leave off a UK accountancy CV

The National Careers Service says: "You should not include your age, your date of birth, whether you're married or your nationality." Leave off a photo as well. For more, see what not to include on a UK CV.

Keep it to two pages. A trainee or assistant fits on one; a financial controller with a long career uses two, with the older roles cut to a single line. If you are applying in the US, use the accountant resume example instead, because the format and the qualifications differ. For other UK fields, the CV examples page collects complete CVs by job, and the administration CV example suits accounts administrators who sit between the two roles. If you are moving from finance into a commercial role, the marketing CV examples show the same UK layout for marketing jobs.

Frequently asked questions

What should a CV for accountancy include?

Your contact details, a short profile with your qualification status and main system, your experience with bullets that show volume, deadlines and accuracy, your qualifications with exams passed, and a skills line with software. Put the qualification in the first line of the profile, because it decides which jobs you can be considered for.

How do I write an accounts CV with no experience?

Lead with your qualification and any course units passed, then use part time jobs, placements, volunteering or a society treasurer role to show handling money and records. Name the software you have used, even from a course. Apply for accounts assistant, purchase ledger or trainee roles that offer study support.

Should I put ACCA exams on my CV if I am part qualified?

Yes. Write the exact number passed and the current level, such as "ACCA, 9 of 13 exams passed". Employers hiring part qualified accountants want to know how close you are and whether you pass first time. Update the line after every exam sitting.

How long should an accountancy CV be in the UK?

Two pages at most. A trainee, accounts assistant or graduate CV fits on one page. Senior roles use two, with the latest jobs in full and older roles reduced to a title, employer and dates. Nobody needs your Saturday job from a decade ago on a financial controller CV.

What is the difference between an accountant CV and an accounts assistant CV?

An accounts assistant CV focuses on transactions: ledgers, invoices, reconciliations and payment runs. An accountant CV moves up to reporting and judgment: management accounts, statutory accounts, budgets, audits and advising managers. Match the level of your bullets to the job you want, not only the job you have.

Looking for a worked example for your job title? Browse the resume examples by job title.

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