Managing the financial books is always a top concern for companies to maintain compliance and optimize their systems. You know you’ll be an asset in that process with your top-notch data entry, filing, and research abilities.
But do your AI cover letter and resume template allow you to present the right qualifications for the detail-oriented accounting field?
Many accounting internship applicants who don’t have much on-the-job experience can struggle with how they can present their skills in the best way. That’s why we’ve done the research and put together accounting intern resume examples that you can use as a template for success.
Related resume examples
What Matters Most: Your Accounting Intern Skills & Work Experience
Your studies while obtaining your accounting or finance degree will have equipped you with many skills that will be needed. That said, while you know general ledgers and statements of cash flows, you’re probably wondering what you can put here if you don’t have much real-world accounting experience.
Ideally, you want to aim for a mix of skills here. First, review the job description to see what the company needs in the accounting intern role. Then, match those needs with skills gained through education or other transferable work experience like data entry or managing inventory data.
Here are some top accounting intern skills in 2024.
9 top accounting intern skills
- General Ledger
- Quickbooks
- Microsoft Office
- Data Entry
- Account Reconciliation
- Statement of Cash Flows
- Balance Sheets
- Income Statements
- Payroll
Sample accounting intern work experience bullet points
This section can also trip up many accounting interns who don’t have much work experience.
Ideally, tailor the examples you list to the needs of accounting positions as much as possible. For instance, managing a cash drawer with high levels of accuracy or streamlining spreadsheets with customer data for efficient management would be great examples.
You can also list achievements from your accounting classes, like how you received a great grade on a class project preparing annual spending reports.
Here are a few samples:
- Prepared balance sheets for end-of-year fiscal reports during a class project, receiving an overall grade of 97%.
- Counted change accurately while providing friendly customer service as a cashier, avoiding cash drawer shortages or overages for 8 months.
- Input inventory data into Excel spreadsheets using appropriate labels and headers to organize information with 98% accuracy.
- Assisted with the financial books during a fundraiser for a mental health non-profit, allocating donations to proper categories in Quickbooks to achieve 75% better spending effectiveness on community initiatives.
Top 5 Tips for Your Accounting Intern Resume
- Include metrics whenever possible
- You understand the importance of numbers in business decisions. Use your analytical abilities to create metrics-based examples of previous achievements whenever possible to showcase your skill set. For instance, you could explain how you managed customer order data with 99% accuracy.
- One-sentence examples work best
- When preparing financial reports, you know it’s best to keep your analysis concise and easy to understand. Do the same with your accounting intern resume. One sentence on how you used the recurring memorized transactions feature in Quickbooks to improve efficiency by 45% will go a long way.
- Proofread thoroughly
- When you’re an entry-level accounting applicant, hiring managers look for basic ways to ensure that you’ll accurately manage the financial books. Proofread thoroughly to ensure you submit an accurate and grammatically correct resume that will impress.
- Consider a career objective
- Accounting interns without much experience will benefit from a resume objective that immediately showcases their passion for the role and some essential skills. For example, you could write about how you’re eager to apply your two years of payroll management experience in Quickbooks to help the company accurately manage its books.
- Optimize with action words
- Accounting pros are expected to take action to ensure financial compliance is maintained. You can showcase that in your examples using action words like “calculated” or “prepared.”
Reverse chronological formatting works best for accounting interns. When you don’t have much experience, your most recent abilities in skills like Quickbooks or account reconciliation will be the most relevant and should be showcased first.
Listing hobbies & interests can work well for inexperienced applicants to showcase additional relevant skills. For instance, your time on your school’s math team and participating in the FBLA club would help showcase your quick-witted numerical management abilities and business sense.
One page will be the best length for accounting intern resumes. Aim to keep it concise and relevant to key skills like accurate data entry or managing balance sheets. If you’re struggling to fill an entire page, include more educational achievements, hobbies & interests, or a career objective as needed.
