Bookkeeper Skills for a Resume
Small businesses and accounting firms hire bookkeepers who keep the books accurate, current and ready for the accountant. Show the software you use, the clients or accounts you handle and the problems you fixed.
Updated
13 skills at a glance
Hard skills
What the work takes, how a hiring manager judges each skill, and a bullet point that shows it.
Accounting software (QuickBooks, Xero, Sage)
Name the software and any setup, cleanup or migration you did.
Example bullet pointMoved a client's books from desktop QuickBooks to QuickBooks Online with all history intact.
Bank reconciliations
Show the volume and how quickly you finish them.
Example bullet pointReconciled 25 bank and card accounts each month for eight small-business clients.
Accounts payable and receivable
Show the volume, and any improvement in cash flow.
Example bullet pointSet up automatic payment reminders that cut the average time to collect an invoice by 12 days.
Payroll processing
Give the number of employees and your accuracy.
Example bullet pointRan biweekly payroll for 45 employees in Gusto with no late payments.
Sales and payroll tax filings
Show the filings and the deadlines met.
Example bullet pointFiled quarterly payroll tax returns for four businesses on time every quarter.
Financial reports
Show reports owners used to make decisions.
Example bullet pointPrepared a simple monthly cash report that helped an owner plan inventory purchases.
Excel
Mention the trackers or summaries you built.
Example bullet pointBuilt an Excel tracker of unpaid invoices that owners reviewed every Friday.
Basic accounting principles
Show that you understand accruals and categories, not only data entry.
Example bullet pointCorrected a year of miscategorized expenses before tax season, saving the accountant hours of cleanup.
Soft skills
Shown through what you did, never claimed as adjectives.
Accuracy
Show clean books and few corrections.
Example bullet pointKept client books clean enough that the accountant's year-end adjustments were minor.
Confidentiality
Mention the financial and payroll data you handle.
Example bullet pointHandled payroll and owners' finances for several businesses in strict confidence.
Reliability
Show that you close the books on time every month, for every client.
Example bullet pointClosed every client's books by the tenth of the following month.
Organization
Show systems that kept records in order.
Example bullet pointFiled receipts and statements by month in a shared folder for every client.
Clear communication with owners
Show how you explained the finances to owners.
Example bullet pointExplained monthly results to owners in plain language, with one or two things to watch.
Licenses and certifications
Give them a section of their own, with who issued each one and the year or expiry date.
- Certified Bookkeeper (AIPB)
- Certified Public Bookkeeper (NACPB)
- QuickBooks Certified User or ProAdvisor
Keywords from bookkeeper job postings
Use the ones that are true for you, in your bullet points as well as your skills list.
- QuickBooks
- Xero
- reconcile
- payroll
- invoices
- month-end
- profit and loss
- balance sheet
- clients
Each posting has its own words. Our guide to tailoring your resume to a job description shows how to find them and where to put them.
Where to put your skills
- In a skills section: a short list of the hard skills the posting names, in its words.
- In your bullet points: every skill that matters should show up in something you did, with a result. That is where a hiring manager believes it.
- In your summary: two or three of the skills the job asks for most.
More on choosing them in how to choose and prove the skills on your resume.
Questions
What skills should a bookkeeper put on a resume?
Accounting software, bank reconciliations, payables and receivables, payroll, sales and payroll taxes, financial reports, Excel and basic accounting principles, plus accuracy, confidentiality and reliability.
Should I list QuickBooks certification?
Yes. QuickBooks or Xero certifications help, especially with firms that use them. Put them in a section of their own.
How do I show results as a bookkeeper?
Mention the clients or accounts you handle, how quickly you close each month, collections improved and backlogs cleared.
Put them to work
Start from a bookkeeper resume that already uses these skills, for an invented person, and make it yours in the builder.