Senior Accounting Manager Skills: Add to Improve Your Resume!

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Does your resume include the Senior Accounting Manager skills employers expect to see?

When you’re ready to advance your career in accounting and take on a senior management role, it’s important to make sure your resume delivers the right message to prospective employers. To make a powerful impression, you’ll need to focus on ensuring you include the key Senior Accounting Manager skills hiring managers will be looking for as they review candidate resumes.

But which of the many Senior Accounting Manager skills should you highlight to demonstrate you’re the most qualified person for the job? Moreover, what’s the right way to add those core competencies to your resume?

In this Senior Accounting Manager skills guide, we’ll explain why these core competencies are so vital for your resume and examine some examples of the types of skills you should consider. We’ll also provide some helpful tips you can use to add these skills in a way that improves your resume.

What are Senior Accounting Manager skills?

Senior Accounting Managers play a vital role in a company’s financial operations and may be responsible for everything from overseeing financial department activities to supporting the executive team and offering advice for strategic planning. These professionals are tasked with guiding their teams in the creation of vital presentations, financial reports, and strategies. They also review revenue and expenses, conduct audits, and make sure that financial regulations and laws are followed at all times.

Obviously, that wide array of duties and responsibilities can only be fulfilled by those who possess the right skill set. To compete for that role, you’ll need to showcase a balanced mix of essential hard skills and soft skills. The Senior Accounting Manager skills you choose to include in your resume will help convince employers that your core competencies can add real value to their company’s bottom line.

Why are Senior Accounting Manager skills important for your resume?

They say you only get one chance to make the right impression. When it comes to the job search process, your resume is the vehicle used to introduce yourself to employers and make a lasting impression. Without the right Senior Accounting Manager skills in your resume, there’s almost no chance you’ll be offered an interview – which means you’ll never get the opportunity to convince them you’re the right person for the job.

Just remember this: when hiring managers skim your resume, they’re looking for those key qualifications to determine whether it’s worth their time to read the rest of the document. If they don’t see those vital Senior Accounting Manager skills, they’ll likely toss your resume onto the rejection pile and move on to the next candidate.

Which Senior Accounting Manager skills do employers prioritize?

So, how do you figure out which types of Senior Accounting Manager skills employers expect to see? First, you should always check with the job posting to see which skills the company has listed as qualifications. Once you’ve done that, you should consider the core functions of the job, paying attention to the role’s specific responsibilities – and any key skills you’ll need to possess to fulfill those job requirements.

Senior Accounting Manager’s responsibilities include:

Managing corporate accounting activities, including ledgers, reconciliations, and monthly close processes

Overseeing regulatory and legal compliance

Establishing and implementing accounting policies and procedures

Analyzing compliance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP)

Collaborating with auditors

Leading and participating in strategic financial projects

Periodically improving efficiencies in systems and business practices

Preparing regular financial reports

Providing advice and guidance to executive teams

Assist with and oversee tax return preparation

Develop, review, and communicate complex projections for cash flow, revenue, and profitability

Supervise and motivate accounting team, providing needed support to achieve their common goals

Key Senior Accounting Manager skills for your resume

As you select the right Senior Accounting Manager skills for your resume, always remember your goal is to emphasize the value you can bring to the firm. By listing both hard and soft skills in your resume, you can demonstrate you have the technical proficiencies needed to perform your duties and the interpersonal skills that will enable you to successfully interact with others.

To help you decide which core competencies to include, we’ve created a list of some of the most popular Senior Accounting Manager skills job seekers highlight when they’re seeking this role.

Hard skills for a Senior Accounting Manager Skills resume

1. Certified Public Accounting (CPA)

Employers will want to know that you have passed your CPA exam, which demonstrates you have the expertise needed to conduct and oversee a wide array of accounting duties. Regardless of whether you see this particular hard skill listed in a job description, it should have a prominent place in your resume.

2. GAAP standards expertise

GAAP is an acronym for Generally Accepted Accounting Principles – a term that encompasses a variety of industry best practices and standards. Senior Accounting Managers rely on these and other standards to guide them in the performance of many duties, including the preparation of financial statements, departmental reports, audits, and the monthly closing report process.

3. Data and statistical analysis

Your resume may also include data and/or statistical analysis as a hard skill. Senior Accounting Managers need to be skilled in these analytical abilities to research, examine, and interpret data involving everything from revenue and expenses to waste, financial loss, and potential opportunities. These skills are also essential for identifying risks, possible rewards, and strategies that can be implemented to mitigate potential downside or maximize opportunities.

4. Forecasting

While Senior Accounting Managers may not be oracles in the traditional sense, they are expected to possess skills that can help them anticipate future financial possibilities. These forecasting abilities involve the use of an array of analytical and critical thinking skills to forecast everything from potential future sales to revenue trends and changes in the industry.

5. Regulatory compliance

Great candidates for the Senior Accounting Manager role should also be experts in regulatory compliance. The modern regulatory state is complex, with a host of laws and bureaucratic regulations that tightly govern the financial responsibilities of many industries. Expertise in regulatory compliance continues to be one of the most important Senior Accounting Manager skills, as they are responsible for making sure their company’s finances are managed and reported in accordance with government mandates and standards.

6. Risk management

There’s more to accounting leadership than just gathering, analyzing, and reporting financial data. Senior Accounting Managers also need to possess keen risk identification and mitigation expertise so that they can quickly identify risks before they become problems. These skills include the ability to identify trends, potential challenges, and emerging risks so that solutions can be created and implemented to avoid or minimize any potential obstacles.

7. Financial reporting

No manager can effectively oversee other accountants without a deep understanding of the best practices for financial reporting. As a Senior Accounting Manager, you’ll need to be well-versed in those practices and skilled in creating accurate financial reports that are consistently maintained and managed in alignment with compliance standards. You’ll also need to be proficient with a variety of accounting software technologies used in crafting these reports.

8. Account reconciliation

Account reconciliation is another of the core Senior Accounting Manager skills you will likely want to add to your resume. Reconciliation skills are used to audit and verify accounting records, manage ledger systems, verify transactions and documentation, and approve expenditures. This expertise is vital for maintaining accurate records and managing an organization’s broader accounting systems.

Soft skills for a Senior Accounting Manager Skills resume

1. Communication

Senior Accounting Managers also need to be adept communicators to interact with their teams, superiors, and other stakeholders. It’s important to highlight these vital skills in your resume so that hiring managers can see you possess those core qualifications.

2. Collaboration

Like other high-level employees in every industry, a great Senior Accounting Manager must be able to work well with others. Whether it’s leading the accounting team in data analysis, financial reporting, and forecasting or interacting with executives and clients, these accounting experts rely on effective collaboration to achieve the best results for their companies.

3. Problem-solving

Every skilled Senior Accounting Manager needs to be able to understand and analyze problems to devise workable solutions that benefit their company, teams, and clients. Whether it’s problematic data forecasts, complex tax issues, or breakdowns in financial processes, great managers have the skills needed to quickly resolve any challenge.

4. Critical thinking

Critical thinking is a skill that all good accountants and finance professionals need to possess. These skills include the ability to examine and consider available facts, objectively identify core issues that need to be addressed, and apply relevant knowledge to solve problems.

5. Organization

Without organizational skills, no accountant or manager can ever succeed in their job role. Organization includes the ability to compartmentalize tasks, set priorities, oversee subordinates, and establish and meet deadlines for projects. Hiring managers will always want to know that a job candidate possesses these vital skills.

6. Adaptability

Adaptability is quickly becoming one of the key Senior Accounting Manager skills, as the economy continues to become ever more complex. Regulations, financial processes, and technology are advancing at breakneck speed, and today’s managers need to be flexible enough to adapt to any changes.

How to add Senior Accounting Manager skills to your resume

To win an interview, your resume will need to be written for two audiences: the company’s applicant tracking system, or ATS, and the hiring manager or team that reviews your candidacy. To help you create a resume that can achieve those twin goals, we’ve gathered some of the industry’s top tips.

Find vital keywords in the job description

It’s critical to identify specific keywords that can help your resume get past any ATS scan. Many of the most critical keywords can be found in the job description for the role you’re seeking. Review the description and take note of any specific words or phrases that relate to skill requirements. You’ll want to use those exact terms in your resume to make sure the ATS screening sees you have the right qualifications for the job.

Add skill keywords in your resume headline

Once you’ve found those keywords, you can start incorporating them into your resume. Begin by including one or two of those terms in your resume headline – that one-line job title headline that goes right below your contact information. For example:

Organized Senior Accounting Manager and Proven Financial Forecast Expert

Related reading: 27 Great Resume Headline Examples to Stand Out

Include keywords in your resume profile

Your resume profile should appear below your headline. This is another great place to include Senior Accounting Manager skills while focusing on the type of value you can bring to the organization. For example:

Senior Accounting Manager with five years of experience in team building, departmental organization, process revitalization, and financial forecasting. Skilled in client management, stakeholder engagement, innovative tax strategies, and profit-driven solutions. Reorganized ABC Corp financial department, eliminating $2 million in annual waste, streamlining processes, and contributing to a 12% boost in annual revenues.

Related reading: Resume Profile Explained (with Examples)

Focus on relevant skills in your skills section

Obviously, you will need to include many of these key skills in your core competencies section. We recommend a skills section that includes at least nine and no more than fifteen relevant, value-driven skills. List them using bullet points and format the section into columns to maximize your use of space.

Add skills to your work experience achievement statements

Don’t forget to also include some of these skills in your work experience bullet point achievement statements. These examples of your accomplishments can provide a powerful opportunity for you to demonstrate how you use skills to achieve real value. Here are some examples:

Spearheaded quarterly audits that reduced waste by roughly $250,000 per quarter

Oversaw and presented monthly, quarterly, and annual reports to executive team and other relevant stakeholders

Identified emerging technological challenges and devised solutions that prevented more than $3 million in additional company expenditures

Separate yourself from the crowd with the right Senior Accounting Manager skills

Without the right Senior Accounting Manager skills in your resume, you’ll struggle to get past the ATS or human hiring managers. However, if you can successfully identify and highlight the skills employers are looking for, you can increase your chances of landing the interview you need to prove you’re the right candidate for the job.

Make sure you stand out from the competition when you submit your resume to an employer by showcasing the most important Senior Accounting Manager skills. Get your free resume review today and let our team of trusted experts help you make the right impression.

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