Bookkeeper resume example

Key sections to include in resume

Before you start working on your resume, it’s a good idea to know how to structure the information you’re including. Here’s a rundown of the key elements you need to make a good impression on the hiring manager and bookkeeper resume examples to show you what each section should look like.

Start your bookkeeper resume with identifying information that lets the hiring manager know who you are and your job title or role.

Ensure that you include your complete contact information in this section, including your phone number, email address, city, and state. You can also include your LinkedIn profile address if it contains helpful information about your professional background or further showcases your skills.

Example Header Section:

Barbara Nolan
Certified Public Bookkeeper
(402) 731-7442
nolan.barbara@gmail.com
Omaha, NE 68007
LinkedIn.com/in/barbaranolanbookkeeper

Professional summary

A professional summary serves as a short description of your value as a candidate. It often begins with the personal traits that make you a good fit for the position, followed by the number of years of experience you have in the industry and a few snippets of your work experience.

Some choose to include a sentence describing one significant accomplishment they’ve made in their career and information about their professional goals.

Example Professional Summary Section:

Highly efficient and detail-oriented Certified Public Accountant with 5+ years of experience in the retail and fitness industries. Comprehensive knowledge of accounting principles, accounts payable and receivable, payroll, and bookkeeping procedures. Developed efficient workflow improvements to reduce expenditures by 15% and time spent on administrative tasks by 75% within a 90-day period. Looking to move into an Accounting Specialist role within three years.

Work experience

The work experience section is the most important part of a bookkeeper's resume. This section is where you showcase your past bookkeeping roles.

Here, you should include the name and location of the company you worked for, your job title, and the dates of your employment. Then, use bullet points to detail your professional responsibilities in each role. Make sure to put them in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent position.

Sample Work Experience Section:

Bookkeeper, Offroading Outfitters

Omaha, NE (6/2022–Present)

Maintain accounts payable and receivable, deposit preparation, workman’s compensation, and insurance compliance
Complete weekly payroll process, including retirement, wage garnishments, and health benefit deductions, for 75+ employees across five locations in the greater Omaha area
Establish tables of accounts and ensure all entries are assigned to the correct account
Post and balance monthly expense reports totaling between $250k and $500k

Education

The education section of your bookkeeper resume should be kept short. Give details of undergraduate or higher degrees you have earned. Include the name of the college or university and the degree you earned. If your graduation date was within the last 10 or 15 years, you can include your dates of attendance.

Example Education Section:

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration

Concentration in Accounting

University of Nebraska at Omaha

9/2015–5/2019

Licenses & certifications

This section gives details of any additional licenses or certifications you have obtained beyond a college degree. Make sure to include the name of the certificate or license, the year it was issued, and the certifying body that issued it.

Example Certification Section:

Certified Public Bookkeeper License (2019)

National Association of Certified Public Bookkeepers

Quickbooks Certified Pro Advisor (2020)

Quickbooks Accountant University

Professional associations

If you belong to any professional associations, ensure you list them here, as this can demonstrate your commitment to growth in the bookkeeping profession. You can list the organization, when you became a member, and any special activities you participate in.

Sample Professional Associations Section:

National Association of Certified Public Bookkeepers (June 2019)

American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers (February 2020)

Secretary of Omaha Chapter
Participated in June 2021 panel discussion on best bookkeeping practices for nonprofit organizations

Skills

The skills section should be a presentation of the relevant hard and soft skills you have gained throughout your professional career. Though not all hiring managers will expect it, you may want to separate this section into hard skills and soft skills.

Include skills-based language from the job description to ensure your resume can get past electronic application systems.

Example Skills Section:

Hard Skills:

Quickbooks Online
Cost Accounting
Financial Reports
Risk Management

Soft Skills:

Teamwork
Communication
Problem-Solving
Time Management

Hobbies & interests

This section is optional, but if you include it, limit it to relevant information only. You can use it to highlight any languages you speak that might be helpful to the employer you will be working for. You can also include any related volunteer work you do that could help the company improve its community ties.

Example Hobbies & Interests Section:

Languages: Native English speaker with full professional fluency in Spanish
Volunteer Work: Part of a community development project offering bookkeeping services one day per month to the Nebraska Humane Society

Tips for writing the role-specific resume

The financial management that a bookkeeper offers is critical to every business. For this reason, most organizations want a bookkeeper with significant experience helping businesses stay in good standing.

When creating your resume, reverse chronological format is the best to use because it helps you highlight your past work experiences and the particular ways you have assisted other businesses in managing their finances and maintaining compliance.

Whether you are starting from scratch or using an existing resume template, it’s essential to customize your resume for bookkeeping positions. Doing so gives you an opportunity to highlight bookkeeping or accounting-specific experience and skills that a hiring manager needs to see instead of just generalized categories and job descriptions.

Furthermore, tailoring your bookkeeper resume sample allows you to show a greater sense of passion, commitment, and growth in the profession.

You’ll get a chance to list professional bookkeeping or accounting associations you are a part of or special certifications you have earned. These elements will make you much more appealing as a candidate than someone submitting documents created from generalized resumes and cover letter examples.

A sample bookkeeper resume that is finely tuned for each job application also shows enthusiasm for the specific job you’re going after. With millions of businesses across the country and the world, companies appreciate knowing that a candidate specifically wants to work for them. This is because that kind of excitement is more likely to yield greater employee engagement, loyalty, and productivity once you are hired.

As you finalize your role-specific resume and cover letter, don’t forget to quantify your achievements. How much time or money have you saved the business by implementing accurate and efficient processes? Have you increased payroll accuracy? How much revenue do you handle?

Answering these questions can help you more clearly articulate the positive effects your work has had in each company.

Advance your career with the right bookkeeping resume

As a bookkeeper, it’s important to ensure your resume includes details about your relevant experience and how it has prepared you for the role you want.

Using a reverse chronological format, offer information about your training beyond the classroom, show your passion and commitment by listing the professional organizations you belong to, and tailor each part of your resume to the profession to make your resume stand out.

If you find this daunting, try using a sample resume for bookkeeper jobs as a starting point to help you build a professional resume that positions you as a qualified candidate.

Use our resume and cover letter templates to start crafting a polished application package today to help you take your bookkeeping career to the next level.