Accounts Payable resume example & writing guide
- What should your accounts payable resume include?
- Why use this accounts payable resume example?
- Which key skills are relevant to an accounts payable resume?
Keeping track of the bills and debts is a tough job, but if that’s your thing, then your accounts payable resume has to show your accounting skills and all the hard work you’ve done in the field. We’ll help you write an impressive and standout resume by giving you some guidance and a great example to inspire you.
What should your accounts payable resume include?
Since accounts payable is an integral part of the overall accounting processes for a business, your resume needs to focus on your accounting, bookkeeping, and financial management skills. This should be included in your resume introduction or summary, as well as providing specific terms and keywords in a separate section. This example accounts payable resume makes good use of both. Notice the callouts of general ledger reconciliations, bookkeeping, and accounting processes in the summary section. The areas of expertise table also includes key skills related to accounts payable like expense tracking, month-end close, and sales tax accrual.
Why use this accounts payable resume example?
When you’re starting to create your account payable resume, the first thing to consider is the overall style or format of your document. A resume should be very clean and easy to read. The example resume is in a very standard and well-accepted resume style, with a single-column format and experience listed in reverse chronological order. Another thing to keep in mind when you create your resume is to keep it short. One page is perfect, and two pages is a best practice maximum.
The largest section of your resume is going to be your professional experience. Depending on how many jobs you’ve had, it may be a challenge to summarize your job history into very short paragraphs and fit onto one or two pages. The key is to include only descriptions of your most important tasks and responsibilities. You don’t need to explain what an accounts payable professional does. The hiring manager already knows that very well. What did you do the best? What was unique about your job experiences? Those are things that will get your potential new boss’ attention.
It’s also crucial that you include things to demonstrate how you were successful and contributed to the business. The example resume has “selected contributions” listed for each role. This is excellent because they explicitly point out how their work benefited the company. Your accomplishments don’t have to be specific to accounts payable, anything you did that directly helped the company count.
Accounting professionals are typically well-educated and highly trained. Include all of your relevant education and training in a separate section, usually near the end of the resume. You should also include any professional certifications you’ve earned, associations you’re a member of and computer knowledge you have. These demonstrate your level of expertise and involvement in the field.
Which key skills are relevant to an accounts payable resume?
If you’re an accounts payable professional, then you have a balance sheet filled with excellent skills. Which ones should you include on your resume? It depends on the job and organization you’re going for. Read the job posting and look for specific skills and tasks. Then identify the ones that match your skill set and put those on your resume. This will ensure that you’re a good fit for the role.
Below is a list of some of the best skills for an accounts payable resume:
Communication
Bookkeeping
Leadership
Problem-solving
Customer Service
Data analysis
Professional
Computer proficiency
Budgeting
Summary example
Experienced and effective accounts payable professional with 10+ years of experience performing and supervising full-service accounts payable functions. Well versed in vendor relationship management and customer service with the ability to positively impact any team. Dependable and versatile with a strong foundation in general ledger reconciliations, bookkeeping, implementing accounting processes, and maintaining accounting compliance. Assertive and diplomatic, with the ability to enforce policies and maintain relationships.
Employment history example
Accounts Payable Analyst at Williams Construction, Houston, TX 2019 - Present
Direct a team of three accounts payable clerks to coordinate on-time close to month-end. Ensure corporate guidelines are met for invoice payment by researching requirements and performing final checks on all processed and batched invoices. Regularly communicate with vendors and suppliers to maintain relationships while continuing to enforce compliance with requirements and finalize corrections. Track and process all expense reimbursements and ensure all requests are compliant with policy. Interface with the Treasury Department to request funds for three corporate entities and ensure all funding is coded and allocated correctly.
Selected Contributions:
Substantially decreased late fees and disconnections by reconciling past due balances and communicating with vendors.
Ensured compliance with corporate expense policy by verifying all expenses and escalating non-compliant expenses.
Consistently applied correct accrual codes to bring greater accuracy to sales tax accrual process.
Accounts Payable Supervisor at Martine Energy Services , Houston, TX 2015 - 2019
Oversaw the correct processing and coding of invoices and expenses company-wide to ensure timely and accurate month-end close, productive vendor relationships, and effective communication with management.
Selected Contributions:
Decreased department labor by resolving past due bills, reducing phone calls, and maximizing resources.
Dramatically cut costs through elimination of inactive or unused utility, phone, and cable service contracts.
Trained and supervised three Accounts Payable clerks in company policy, software and vendor relations, and problem resolution.
Tracked recurring monthly utilities and expenses across several locations and ensured proper coding on invoices.
Reorganized AP procedures to prevent penalties for late payments and to reduce monthly accruals.
Accounts Payable Associate/Bookkeeper at Accountemps Temporary Staffing, Houston, TX 2012 - 2015
Worked with a variety of clients to provide accounts payable expertise, vendor relationship management, 1099 management, bookkeeping services, and general ledger and bank reconciliation as well as other special projects.
Selected Contributions:
Transitioned three separate entities from QuickBooks to MS Navision with one client.
Maximized productivity and efficiency by setting up vendor files and instituting vendor communication processes.
Ensured accurate and timely payroll, AP/AR, financial statements, and bank reconciliations.
Additional experience as Bookkeeper at Baker’s Best Inc., Houston, TX
Education example
Bookkeeper Certification at the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers
Accounting / Office Specialist Certification at Spencer Draughn Business College, Baton Rouge, LA
Accounting, Human Resources, Core General Studies at Houston Community College, Houston, TX
Skills example
QuickBooks Pro, Peachtree, MS Office Suite, Lawson 9.0 Accounts Payable
Vendor Negotiation and Management
Expense Tracking and Reimbursement
Timely Month-End Close Procedures
General Ledger Coding
Training and Development
Sales Tax Accrual
Problem Resolution
