Methodology
The goal of this guide is to give you real data what the “must haves” of bookkeeper resumes are.
To do that, we compiled and analyzed data from bookkeeper resumes and 44 bookkeeper job listings to get the data used for this our bookkeeper resume guide.
In addition to bookkeeper-specific resume data, we built a database of nearly 1 million resumes and job listings, and we use a propriety machine learning model to understand the anatomy of the best resumes in general.
Quick note: using the data below can help you build a competitive resume, but it’s always important to be creative, unique, and personal to stand out.
If you want more info on our methodology, you can check it out here.
Bookkeeper resume objective data + bookkeeper objective examples
Pop quiz: do bookkeeper’s really need to use an objective?
In general, whether or not you need an objective or professional summary can depend a lot on your personal career level (check out our article on resume objectives), but this is what our analysis found for bookkeeper’s specifically:
- 33% of bookkeeper’s included an objective section
- 26% of bookkeeper’s included a professional summary
- 48% of bookkeeper’s included neither an objective nor a summary
Bookkeeper objective examples
A highly motivated bookkeeper who aims to make use of their interpersonal skills to achieve goals of a company that focuses on customer satisfaction and customer experience.
Seeking a bookkeeper position where I can utilize my extensive experience in accounting, finance, and data management to support the success of the company
Driven individual with a strong passion for accuracy and efficiency, seeking a bookkeeper role to apply my skills in financial analysis, reconciliation, and record-keeping
To secure a bookkeeper position in a dynamic and growing organization where I can contribute my knowledge in QuickBooks, financial reporting, and problem-solving to enhance the company’s financial stability
Skills for bookkeeper resumes
These are the skills that occurred most frequently in in bookkeeper resumes, which means they tend to be core competencies or highly desired skills.
Of course, you should only list skills that you actually have, and you should prioritze skills most relevant to the job you're applying for. But these are good core skills to include on your resume.
To get more detail on building a powerful skills section, take a peek at our article on resume skills.
*Note: to find skills our machine learning model basically looks for common words, so take these with a grain of salt and use your best judgment.
Most common bookkeeper resume skills
Most common hard skills for bookkeeper resumes: integrity, general ledger, debits and credits, financial statements, and financial analysis.
Most common soft skills for bookkeeper resumes: communication skills, customer-service skills, interpersonal skills, listening skills, and patience.
Other good bookkeeper resume skills
- Microsoft Dynamics NAV
- Salary
- Xero
- Tax preparation
- Financial reporting
- Accounting
- Accounts receivable
- Data entry
- Quickbooks
- Payroll accounting
- MS Office
- Accounts payable
- Multitasking
- Attention to detail
- Invoicing
- Error detection
Bookkeeper skills section examples
Note: these examples are formatted the same here just because it’s simple, but we have more detailed formatting advice (and examples) in our guide to resume formatting.
Bookkeeper skills example 1
Microsoft Dynamics NAV | general ledger | xero | tax preparation | financial statements | financial analysis | financial reporting
Bookkeeper skills example 2
Salary | communication skills | accounting | customer-service skills | accounts receivable | interpersonal skills | data entry
Bookkeeper skills example 3
Attention to detail | quickbooks | patience | listening skills | ms office | customer-service skills | accounts payable
Work experience for bookkeeper resumes
Your work experience section is almost always the most important part of your resume. Because it’s difficult to pull trends from this kind of section, this section is mostly just examples.
For some advanced strategies for writing about work experience on a resume, refer to our article on building a strong work experience resume section. We also have a guide on writing a resume with no experience if you’re just starting your career.
For now, it’s good to remember that the most important experience for any bookkeeper resume is the most relevant experience.
A couple examples for you:
Bookkeeper work experience examples
WORK EXPERIENCE
Sr. Associate Bookkeeper
Hooli, 2021-2022
Responsibilities
- Monitor financial markets and the performance of individual securities
- Contact prospective clients to present information and explain available services
- Manage the finances of the facility, such as patient fees and billing
- Oversee the maintenance and repair of machinery, equipment, and electrical and mechanical systems
- Address complaints regarding food quality or service
WORK EXPERIENCE
Associate Bookkeeper
Astonishing Studio, 2017-2022
Responsibilities
- Repair or replace malfunctioning components, parts, and other mechanical or electrical equipment
- Bathe animals, trim nails, clip hair, and attend to other grooming needs
- Prepared and processed payroll information
- Submitted tax forms and returns, workers’ compensation forms, pension contribution forms and other government documents
- Operated computers programmed with accounting software to record, store and analyzed information
WORK EXPERIENCE
Bookkeeper Intern
Stark Industries, 2012-2012
Responsibilities
- Complied with federal, state and company policies, procedures and regulations
- Classified, recorded and summarized numerical and financial data to compile and keep financial records, using journals and ledgers and computers
- Calculated, prepared and issue bills, invoices, account statements and other financial statements according to established procedures
- Calculated and prepared checks for utilities, taxes and other payments
- Prepared bank deposits by compiling data from cashiers, verifying and balancing receipts and sending cash, checks and other forms of payment to banks
Education for bookkeeper resumes
For most positions, work experience is more important than education, although it can be important for new grads or for fields in which specific classes are industry-standard.
So it’s not a big section, but it’s still important, and often, bookkeeper job postings list a minimum education requirement.
Check out our blueprint for education on resumes for our full playbook on education sections.
Data from our sample of 933 bookkeeper resumes
- 9% bookkeeper resumes listed an associate’s degree
- 59% bookkeeper resumes listed a bachelor’s degree
- 27% bookkeeper resumes included a masters degree
- 1% bookkeeper resumes mentioned a doctoral degree
Bookkeeper resume education examples
EDUCATION
Master of Arts
Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 2021
Awards & Honors
- Magna Cum Laude
- Class Rank Recognition
- Salutatorian
EDUCATION
Associate of Applied Arts
Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 2017
Certifications for bookkeeper resumes
Certifications aren’t a strict requirement for every job, but there are almost always certifications you can get to boost your chances of success.
If you want to see how to build these sections, we have a guide about certifications on resumes.
We did a little research and found certifications can help bookkeeper’s specifically, according to CareerOneStop.
Bookkeeper certification examples
CERTIFICATIONS
Tax Certification
National Association of Certified Public Bookkeepers, 2021
Bookkeepers Certification
National Association of Certified Public Bookkeepers, 2017
CERTIFICATIONS
Tax Certification, Bookkeepers Certification, RICS Chartered Qualification
Bookkeeper resume action verbs
Using our database of nearly 1,000,000 publicly available resumes, we compiled an index of action verbs and cross-referenced it with our sample of 933 bookkeeper resumes and job postings to uncover which action verbs are most commonly used by bookkeeper’s and bookkeeper employers.
The most common action verbs on bookkeeper resumes are: program, process, assist, prepare, and manage.
The most common action verbs on bookkeeper job postings are: lead, plan, review, handle, and field.
Other action verbs for bookkeeper resumes:
- Perform
- Develop
- Design
- Test
- Direct
- Create
- Monitor
- Track
- Organize
- Resolve
Full bookkeeper resume example
Lastly, we wanted to give you a couple full bookkeeper resume examples..
Please note: you can write a better resume than this. This is just a quick illustration to show you how these pieces might fit together.
If you’d like to see “perfect” resumes, we have a showcase of resume examples.
Bookkeeper resume example
Ronald Vargas
Bookkeeper
3765 Wescam Court, Reno, NV
Driven individual with a strong passion for accuracy and efficiency, seeking a bookkeeper role to apply my skills in financial analysis, reconciliation, and record-keeping
WORK EXPERIENCE
Sr. Associate Bookkeeper
Hooli, 2021-2022
Responsibilities
- Accurately reconcile monthly bank statements
- Able to efficiently collect, track, and communicate financial information that is essential to running a profitable business and meeting legal and tax obligations
- Provided efficient and courteous service to customers at all times
- Supervised administrative staff, driving front office operations and continuous workflow
Associate Bookkeeper
Astonishing Studio, 2017-2022
Responsibilities
- Coordinated office workflow to maximize productivity and labor resources
- Developed departmental objectives, budgets, policies, procedures and strategies
- Resolved issues with departments regarding business office procedures
- Compiled statistical, financial, accounting, and auditing reports and tables pertaining to such matters as cash receipts, expenditures, accounts payable and receivable and profits and losses
Bookkeeper Intern
Stark Industries, 2012-2016
Responsibilities
- Reconciled and noted and reported discrepancies found in records
- Performed financial calculations, such as amounts due, interest charges, balances, discounts, equity and principal
- Monitored status of loans and accounts to ensure that payments were up to date
- Exemplified outstanding customer service and the ability to work under pressure and time constraints
CERTIFICATIONS
Certified Accounts Payable Professional
Institute of Financial Operations, 2021
Oracle Account Reconciliation 2021 Certified Implementation Specialist Certification
Oracle Corporation, 2017
SKILLS
Microsoft Dynamics NAV | financial reporting | corporate tax | interpersonal skills | communication skills | integrity | quickbooks
EDUCATION
Master of Arts
Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 2021
Associate of Applied Arts
Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 2017
What experts say about bookkeeper resumes
Before we wrap it up, we want to leave you with some advice from other experts we admire.
“You should be including in your accounting resume is any accounting organizations that you’re involved in or a part of, it has to be stuff that you’re really involved. Don’t just list the organization list your role, they want to know what did you contribute.” – Five Things to Include on Your Accounting Resume
“List out all the work that is relevant so even when I like with my resume because I had a lot of background in tax accounting. I listed out the types of tax returns that I worked on; specifically list out the tax forms. You needed to be as detailed as possible.” – Five Things to Include on Your Accounting Resume
“Include any accounting certifications that you have that are relevant to whatever role you’re going for, and honestly I think if it’s an accounting role any accounting certification should be included even if it’s not specifically relevant to that particular role.” – Five Things to Include on Your Accounting Resume
