Are you an accounting professional specializing in Audit? If you are, and you’re starting your job search, you want to make sure you showcase the right skills on your audit resume for you to stand out.

It’s no secret that your resume is a crucial part of the job-seeking process; often, it can be the difference between securing an interview and not. Hiring managers and recruiters scan to see if you have the core experience and skills needed for whatever role they’re currently hiring for, so it’s vital to include information and experience that shows you’re the best fit.

This is no different when it comes to audit, so what should you include on your audit resume to ensure that the hiring team feels confident they need to speak with you?

Essential Items to Highlight on your Audit Resume

In this blog, I’m focusing specifically on how to highlight and showcase your audit experience in a meaningful way; for more tips on how to set up your resume in general, feel free to check out some of our more broad-topic articles.

I also have another blog in this series dedicated to what you should include on an insolvency resume, feel free to check that out if this is more closely aligned to your experience and career goals.

Qualifications:

First, you should clearly state your accounting qualification (e.g., ACA, ACCA, CA, CPA).

If you have not completed your qualifications, including the expected completion date is important. For many of the firms we work with offshore, an accounting qualification is a requirement, so you may not be able to be offered a role until you have completed the full qualification. Ensure this information is easily discerned from your resume at first glance, ideally near the top of the page.

Reporting Standards:

Next, you should ensure that you state on your resume which reporting standards you have experience with (e.g., US GAAP, UK GAAP, IFRS etc.). This will give added clarity around your experience and the type of work you have been involved in.

Your Audit Client Portfolio:

Finally, it should come as no surprise that on your audit resume, you will need to highlight your relevant audit experience and we would recommend doing so by highlighting your client portfolio.

List out the industries you have experience within with special emphasis on those that are relevant offshore (e.g., funds, insurance, banking etc.) and revenue size of clients where possible.

Showcasing your Audit Experience

Now that you understand what offshore hiring managers/recruiters are looking for, let’s look at how you can showcase this information. You want it to be easy for the hiring team to see how you could transition your prior experience to their team’s work.

Executive/Profile Summary:

There is no requirement to include a profile summary on your resume, however, it may help to make a clear statement of your relevance to the role in question.

1. State your current level, how much experience you have, and within which sectors. Keep it clear, to the point, and simple.
2. Where possible, include revenue sizes of clients and the reporting standards here.

Example:

Audit Senior working at XX. Gained exposure to a vast range of general industry clients, including companies with large turnovers, up to £28.5 million. Experienced reporting under IFRS and UK GAAP.

Work Experience Section:

1.  When structuring your experience, we would recommend you list out the client portfolio under your roles and then under each client you include a detailed summary of your duties related to the assignment. You want to include as many numbers, facts and figures as possible, as well as examples of your experience.

1. Involved in the audit of X client/types of clients with revenue/turnover/assets under management of X $value

2. If you are looking for a role with management responsibilities, under your assignments, you should also mention any management/leadership associated.

Example:

• XX Client, turnover £XX million – XX Client is a large international real estate agency situated in London, UK. It is part of the XX group, whose turnover in 2019 was over £XX billion.
• Held interviews with client teams from all areas of the business to understand and document their revenue, payroll, and fixed assets processes and the related internal controls. Identified any risks associated and documented this in the risk assessment.
• Day-to-day management of an audit team of 4, balancing helping and guiding the junior members of the team with technical aspects of the job whilst completing own tasks.
• Other relevant assignment duties, etc.
• Other relevant assignment duties, etc.

Work with a Recruiter

Our team has helped hundreds of audit professionals with their job searches offshore, and a big part of that process is helping our candidates to showcase their skills as best as possible. We have long-standing and trusted relationships with our clients, with a deep understanding of their work; this understanding puts us in an ideal position to best advise you on what experience should be highlighted on your audit resume so that you have the best chance of securing an interview.

If you are an audit professional looking for a new position offshore, our team is here to help. Reach out to tiara.armitage@cml.ky today for a confidential conversation.