Career opportunities for finance professionals can be found in any business sector. Whether you’re looking to be a CFO or controller, financial analyst or planner, portfolio management or investment counselor, the requisites for the resume are the same.

When developing your finance resume, focus on skills, areas of expertise, certifications and specific accomplishments. The resume must convey what you can do for the companies you are targeting. This can be accomplished by illustrating how you contributed to previous employers’ or clients’ fiscal health.

identify your goal
Before you develop your resume, you need to have a clear job target. Do some preliminary research, review job postings, see what types of positions are available and which companies are hiring, and get a good feel for the desired qualifications. This research will help you determine which skills and experience you should emphasize on your resume.

summarize your key qualifications
When constructing your resume, it is crucial your strengths and key qualifications are summarized within the top half of the first page. This can be accomplished with Professional Profile and Areas of Expertise sections. Here is an example of an opening paragraph for an individual seeking a CFO position:

"Chief Financial Officer with 15 years of corporate accounting and management experience. Hands-on manager with expertise in accounting systems development, fiscal management and financial reporting. Proven record of developing and implementing financial and operational controls that improve P&L scenario and competitively position firm."

In reading this brief paragraph, a prospective employer or recruiter will immediately grasp the scope of this candidate’s professional experience. Follow your Profile section with an Areas of Expertise, a listing of keywords pertinent to your career choice. In the case of the above candidate, the section might include the following terms:

• Financial and strategic planning
• P&L management
• Auditing and compliance
• Operating and working capital
• Budget development and management
• Merger and acquisition negotiations
• Cash-flow management and modeling
• Business valuations

The Areas of Expertise should highlight your specific skills and knowledge base. You should also include your industry certifications and licenses, such as CPA, CFA, and Series 7, 63 and/or 64.

emphasize your accomplishments
The rest of the resume delves into your professional background. Under each employer, present a brief paragraph describing your basic job responsibilities, followed by a bulleted list of accomplishments. Show quantifiable results of your work. For example:

• Instrumental in revenue and income growth of 76% over a 15-month period, through both organic growth and acquisitions.
• Increased cash flow by $15 million by consolidating credit analysis function, reducing outstanding receivables from 48 to 15 days, and minimizing risk from marginal customers.

keywords to include in your resume
staff accountant, financial planner, cost accountant, portfolio manager, finance manager, financial reporting analyst, international controller, financial analyst, VP of finance, CFO, chief financial officer, treasurer, assistant controller, bookkeeper, accounts payable clerk, accounts receivable clerk, collections specialist, mutual fund analyst, credit analyst, payroll clerk, payroll manager, financial assistant, director of investor relations, procurement specialist, purchasing manager, fixed asset accounting, business process reengineering, risk management, value added analysis, SAP, GAAP, financial projections, general ledger, trial balance, financial statements, expense analysis, tax reporting, tax planning, payroll, benefits administration, portfolio management, cross functional team leadership, financial and strategic planning, P&L management, auditing and compliance, operating and working capital, budget management, mergers and acquisitions, cash flow management, business valuations, data warehouse reporting, audits and compliance, A/P, A/R, regulatory accounting, CPA,CFA, MBA, MS Excel, bank reconciliations, Crystal reports, Hyperion, spreadsheets

by Kim Isaacs, Monster Resume Expert

#1: too focused on job duties
One of the most prevalent resume blunders is to turn a resume into a boring listing of job duties and responsibilities. Many people even use their company job descriptions as a guide to developing their resumes. To create a resume that is a cut above the rest, you should go beyond showing what was required of you, and demonstrate how you made a difference at each company. Provide specific examples of how the company benefited from your performance. When developing your achievements, ask yourself the following questions:

• How did you perform the job better than others would have?
• What were the problems or challenges that you or the organization faced? What did you do to overcome the problems? What were the results of your efforts? How did the company benefit from your performance?
• Did you receive any awards, special recognition or promotions as a result of your performance

#2: objective statement that is flowery or too general
Many candidates lose their readers from the very beginning of the resume—the “objective statement.” The worst objective statements start with, “A challenging position that will enable me to contribute to organizational goals while offering an opportunity for growth and advancement.” This type of statement is overused and too general, and therefore wastes valuable space. If you are on a career track, consider replacing the objective with a tagline, which is a statement of what you do or what your area of specialty is.

#3: too short or too long
Too many people try to squeeze their experiences onto one page, because they’ve heard that a resume should never be longer than one page. When formatting the resume to fit on one page, many job seekers delete their impressive achievements. The reverse is also true. Take the candidate who rambles on and on for pages about irrelevant or redundant experiences–the reader will easily be bored. When writing your resume, ask yourself, “Will this statement help me land an interview?” Only include information that elicits the answer “yes” to that question. The rule about the appropriate length of a resume is that there is no rule. Factors that go into the decision regarding length include occupation, industry, years of experience, scope of accomplishments and education. The most important guideline is that every word in the resume should sell the candidate.

#4: use of personal pronouns (“i” and “me”) and articles (“an” and “the”)
A resume is a form of business communication, which should be concise and written in a telegraphic style. There should not be any mention of “I” or “me” and only minimal use of articles. Here is an example:

The statement: I developed a new product that added $2 million in sales and increased the gross margin of the market segment by 12%.
Should be changed to: Developed new product that added $2 million in sales and increased gross margin of market segment by 12%.

#5: listing personal or irrelevant information
Many people include their interests, such as reading, hiking, snowboarding, etc. These should only be included if they relate to the job objective. For example, if a candidate is applying for a position as a ski instructor, he should list cross-country skiing as a hobby.

Personal information, such as date of birth, marital status, height and weight, should normally not be included on the resume. There are several exceptions, however, such as some entertainment professionals and job seekers outside of the United States.

by Kim Isaacs, Monster Contributing Writer

Challenging job markets call for unique approaches to attract an accounting and finance employer. One strategy some accounting recruiting firms and finance recruiting agencies recommended is to create an interactive, multimedia resume that aligns with Web 2.0.

An interactive accounting or finance resume can include audio, video, graphics and links to online portfolios of work. This type of professional accounting resume is an excellent way to show an employer more of your personality, while also selling your capabilities in a visually appealing manner.

More online sites are offering platforms that enable you to upload a multimedia accounting or finance resume. Social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn are also great platforms for marketing your skills. Be wary, though, of posting personal information on these sites. Keep your information professional, as employers often use social networking sites to find potential candidates or check on those they are considering.

Various jobs in accounting and finance call for different resume format styles, so it is a good strategy to have more than one version of your accounting or finance resume on hand. But how do you know which style provides the additional leverage in a challenging job market?

• Chronological: This is the most traditional style of all the accounting and finance resume examples. It is ideal for those candidates who have a substantial employment history and relevant work experience with no large time periods without a job.
• Functional: This style focuses on your finance skills and downplays gaps in job history or irrelevant position titles that may detract from your potential.
• Alternative: This style focuses on speaking directly to a specific firm in a letter format that highlights unique capabilities.
• Targeted: This style aligns work experience with objectives and skills and is useful for those with a limited job history.
• Combination: All the styles can be mixed together for a hybrid finance resume that offers the best of all the approaches for greater marketability.

Accounting and finance employers and recruiting agencies use the Internet with great skill to find the top accounting and finance employees for their firms. To gain greater attention online amongst hundreds—if not thousands—of resumes, you must know how to optimize your resume for online use.

A successful accounting or finance resume format includes current search engine optimization features. Your resume must utilize the right keywords to ensure that it lands at the top of employer search results listings. Use frequently, but within reason, specific terms that define the accounting and finance industry, plus related skills and job titles. Be sure to vary the terms by using a range of synonyms, since accounting and finance staffing agencies will focus on similar, yet different, search terms when perusing accounting and finance resumes online.

You may find it beneficial to have an accounting or finance recruitment agency review your current resume to see if you can enrich it with more keywords to enhance the hits you receive through an Internet resume posting.

The accounting and finance industry runs on figures, so your resume should reflect this connection to numbers by quantifying your accomplishments. If you peruse sample accounting or finance resumes, you will see that the best and brightest candidates offer up exactly what they can do for employers. They also define past work through dollar amounts, percentages and numbers. Winning resumes expand on past jobs through a specific project, scope of work or strategic objective that resulted in cost savings or profitability.

Also, consider using the metric system to quantify your accomplishments on your accounting resume or finance resume. By doing this, an employer can easily translate your contributions as a return on investment. To be a successful, potential employee, you must clearly state your potential benefit, which is a measure of success vital to landing jobs in finance and in the accounting industry.

Accounting and finance recruiting requires a polished, powerful and professional resume that shows an employer that you are a standout candidate who will deliver a high-level of job performance. Making the sale with an employer requires a simple and succinct accounting resume.

Select a clean and easy-to-scan accounting or finance resume format, making good use of the white space on the page without crowding all of the content into a tiny, unreadable font. Make your resume easy to read by adhering to one font and punctuate the accomplishment-filled accounting resume with bolded section headings and bulleted lists. Keep type size consistent throughout the accounting resume format.

Two of the most important aspects of your accounting and finance resume are proper spelling and grammar. After all, you are working in an industry that requires individuals to check and re-check work, so don’t let silly mistakes on your resume be your downfall. Have someone else proofread your resume, including a professional accounting or finance recruitment agency.

A good accounting resume covers all the facts and figures, including all the specifics that a potential employer should know about the candidate. However, candidates too often omit some of the most crucial information, which can lead an employer to move on to the next resume in their in box.

Contact information may seem obvious, but it is important to include the most updated address, phone number and email address so that a prospective employer or accountant recruitment agency can easily reach you. Also important is a list of professional affiliations, licenses and certifications, post-graduate education and training courses, and computer and technical skills.

Not as crucial on an accounting and finance resume are accounting resume objectives, internships and extracurricular activities. Employers are more interested about what you can do for them rather than what you aim to do in your career. Take the time to carefully craft your resume so an employer can easily understand how you will help them and their organization succeed.

A resume can be high maintenance because it requires constant attention. Don’t expect your existing accounting resume or finance resume to deliver on demand. Periodically refreshing your resume is an important aspect of managing your finance career. Today’s jobs in accounting and finance require a great depth of skill, and your resume format should reflect that you have the ability to deliver on a potential employer’s great expectations.

Take a hard look at your existing resume, and you may discover that specific experience or technical knowledge that is missing from your own skill set, prompting you to study for more certifications, complete another degree or take classes that involve new finance, accounting, tax, audit or investment regulations. When preparing your resume for jobs in finance, it is best to look at other finance resume examples to ensure that your wording aligns with industry language and illustrates your understanding of finance terms and processes, as well as accounting principles and methodologies.

A finance resume should contain a focused list that details your areas of expertise within your field or industry. Try to use specific keywords that might be picked up by search engines when you place your accounting resume or finance resume online. Be sure to search the Internet for some excellent examples of how others constructed their resume for jobs in finance.

To get the greatest ROI in terms of job leads, the most important aspect of preparing an accounting and finance resume is formatting it to fit your career level.

While an entry-level accounting or finance resume clearly will not have many items listed under professional background, entry-level candidates can still use an accounting or finance job resume to leverage a competitive advantage. For example, candidates just beginning their career can focus on internships and education, in addition to the skills and knowledge attained in school or through general work experience. Recent graduates also have the advantage of listing academic classes and specializations that have only recently become available, such as financial forensics and e-business.

A mid-level finance or accounting resume should focus on results and length of tenure, including solutions and achievements that illustrate skills in action. These resumes may also want to emphasize any specialized knowledge, such as merger and acquisition work or audit, tax, and international finance experience.

A senior-level accounting or finance resume should be carefully written to maintain a succinct presentation even when dealing with up to 20 years of career highlights. Many of the results can be abbreviated on the resume and then expanded upon during the interview process. Spend more time highlighting achievements and leadership ability, since most finance positions at this level involve strategic decision-making and management functions.

There is no one right finance resume format, as different jobs and roles call for varied resume designs. An accounting or finance job resume has the same ingredients as a resume for most other industries, but it should be arranged differently to draw attention to the core capabilities that are specific to an accounting or finance position. It is a good idea to have a few different versions of your resume that vary in how you package and sell yourself to different employers.

You should focus your accounting resume on your skills, credentials, professional experience and academic background, limited to no more than two pages. It is good to use a finance resume format that uses a functional vs. chronological format, because this centers the content on the facts that employers want to know. This type of finance resume also works well if you have changed jobs frequently, because the format downplays your job history information by relegating it to the end of the resume.

To ensure that your accounting or finance job resume looks professional, consider using one of the many free templates available online. When building your resume, consider some of the blunders you should avoid to create the right foundation for success.