Listing accountant duties on a CV is not the same as describing the job. A CV needs to show the scope you handled, the systems you used and the outcomes you contributed to, in wording an employer can verify. This page gives practical accountant duties for CV examples at entry and experienced level, and shows how to turn routine responsibilities into bullet points that read as evidence rather than a job description.
How to Write Accountant Duties on a CV
Start each bullet with an action verb, then add the scope and, where you have it, the result. Scope means the numbers an employer can picture: how many accounts, what value, how many entities, which reporting deadline. A duty without scope reads as generic; the same duty with scope reads as experience.
Keep the wording honest. Interviewers routinely ask candidates to walk through the bullets on their CV, so every line should be something you can discuss in detail. Avoid claiming ownership of processes you supported rather than ran, and be careful with figures you cannot substantiate. For the underlying description of the role itself, see accountant duties.
Best Accountant Duties for Your CV
These are the duties employers look for most often. Adapt them to the systems and standards you actually worked with.
- Preparing monthly management accounts and supporting schedules.
- Performing bank, creditor and debtor reconciliations.
- Processing and reviewing journal entries and general ledger postings.
- Preparing and submitting VAT returns and other statutory submissions to SARS.
- Assisting with annual financial statements and year-end audit preparation.
- Managing fixed asset registers and depreciation schedules.
- Preparing budgets, forecasts and variance analysis against actuals.
- Reviewing and approving supplier payments and payroll journals.
- Maintaining compliance with applicable accounting standards and internal controls.
- Liaising with external auditors and responding to audit queries.
Entry-Level CV Duty Examples
With limited experience, emphasise accuracy, volume and the systems you have used. Academic and internship work counts if you describe it concretely.
- Processed supplier invoices and captured journal entries in Sage, maintaining accuracy across high monthly volumes.
- Completed monthly bank reconciliations for three accounts and escalated unmatched items for review.
- Assisted with VAT return preparation by compiling and checking supporting schedules.
- Supported year-end audit preparation by collating documentation requested by external auditors.
- Maintained the fixed asset register and calculated monthly depreciation.
- Prepared debtor age analysis reports and followed up outstanding balances with customers.
Experienced CV Duty Examples
With more experience, shift the emphasis from processing to ownership, review and improvement.
- Prepared monthly management accounts for four entities, consistently meeting a working-day-five reporting deadline.
- Reviewed and approved reconciliations prepared by two junior accountants, reducing month-end query volume.
- Managed VAT and provisional tax submissions to SARS across the group with no late submissions.
- Led year-end audit preparation and resolved auditor queries, shortening the audit cycle.
- Rebuilt the monthly reporting pack to add variance commentary, improving the usefulness of board reporting.
- Implemented a revised approval control for supplier payments after identifying a segregation-of-duties gap.
Mistakes to Avoid
- Copying a job description verbatim so the CV reads as a role definition rather than your experience.
- Listing duties with no scope, such as prepared reports, which tells an employer nothing.
- Claiming responsibility for work you assisted with; state your actual contribution.
- Quoting figures or savings you cannot explain or evidence in an interview.
- Repeating the same duty in slightly different wording across several roles.
- Using software names as a substitute for describing what you did with them.
Related Job Duties and Templates
For the full description of what the role involves, read accountant duties. If you are preparing for applications or writing an advert, the accountant job description is a useful reference. For CV wording across finance and professional roles, see Professional Duties for CV and professional job duties.
FAQs
How do I write accountant duties on a CV?
Lead with an action verb, then state the scope and outcome. Instead of performed reconciliations, write performed monthly bank reconciliations across three accounts and cleared long-outstanding items. Scope and result are what turn a duty into evidence.
What are good examples of accountant duties for a CV?
Strong examples include preparing monthly management accounts to a stated deadline, completing reconciliations across a named number of accounts, submitting VAT returns to SARS, preparing for year-end audit and resolving auditor queries, and maintaining fixed asset registers and depreciation schedules.
How many duty bullet points should I include?
Four to six per role is usually right, weighted toward your most recent and most relevant position. Older or less relevant roles can be reduced to two or three. A long undifferentiated list is harder to read and dilutes your strongest points.
How can I make duty wording sound more specific?
Add the detail an employer can picture: how many entities or accounts, which systems, which deadline, what standard, what changed as a result. Specificity comes from scope and context rather than from longer sentences.
What should I avoid when writing duties on a CV?
Avoid copying a job description, listing duties without scope, overstating your role, quoting figures you cannot substantiate, and repeating the same responsibility across multiple positions in slightly different words.