How To Write a Payroll Accountant Resume (With Example)

If you're interested in applying for a position as a payroll accountant, you may benefit from understanding how to create a clear and well-written resume. Submitting strong application documents can help you showcase your unique skills and highlight your professional and academic credentials. Understanding what information to feature can help you impress a hiring manager and receive an interview.

In this article, we discuss what to include in a payroll accountant resume, describe how to write one and provide a template and example for you to follow.

What to include in a payroll accountant resume

As a prospective payroll accountant, submitting a strong resume can help you showcase the role-related training you've received and highlight the credentials that qualify you for the position. Hiring managers typically review this application document to learn more about your professional background and the value you can bring to their organization. Here's a list of the elements you can include in your payroll accountant resume:

• Header: Include a header at the top of the document that lists your contact information, such as your full name, phone number, professional email address and the city and state where you live.

• Professional summary: Include a one to two sentence professional summary to highlight your industry experience, academic credentials and unique skills. This can help you show a hiring manager you understand and are qualified for your prospective role.

• Work history: Review your professional history and the job duties you executed in your previous roles to show a hiring manager you're prepared to handle a variety of role-related tasks.

• Skills: Add a list of your hard, soft and industry-related skills to highlight the unique value you can bring to the organization and illustrate your expertise and technical knowledge.

• Academic credentials: Include your academic credentials by listing the graduate and undergraduate degrees you hold and the colleges or universities you attended. If you graduated within the last three years, add this information as well.

• Certifications: Underneath your education, you can highlight the certifications and additional professional training you've obtained. This can help you show that you're committed to your role and professional development.

Related: What Is Payroll Accounting? (Definition and Examples)

How to write a payroll accountant resume

Here's a list of steps you can follow to write a payroll accountant resume:

1. Review the job description

Before you write a draft of your resume, consider familiarizing yourself with the employer's expectations and rereading the job description. This can help you identify the academic and professional credentials an employer is looking for and allow you to highlight these details in your application documents. You can also review the skills the role requires and add these competencies when applicable. Adding elements you know an employer prefers can help you highlight that you're a good fit for the role and the company overall.

2. Add a header

Once you've reviewed the job posting, begin the document by adding a header to the top right, left or center of the page. Include details such as your full name, phone number, professional email address and the city and state where you live. Listing these contact details is important because they allow a hiring manager to understand how to reach you if they want to schedule an interview or follow up regarding the status of your application.

Related: Payroll Journal Entries: Definition and Examples

3. Write a professional summary

Beneath your header, add a brief professional summary to introduce yourself to the reader and highlight the credentials that qualify you for the role of payroll accountant. In this one to two sentence statement, discuss the number of years of industry experience you possess and the degrees you've earned. You can also list some of the role-related skills that make you a strong candidate and demonstrate you're right for the position.

4. Include your work history

After adding a professional summary, include your work history to provide a hiring manager with an overview of your industry experience. For each position you include, add the job title and the dates of your employment. On the following line, list the name of the organization and the city and state where it's located.

Beneath each role, add a bulleted list of the job duties you performed and begin each statement with an active verb to engage the reader and highlight the value of your contributions. As a payroll accountant, you may be familiar with tasks such as creating and evaluating employee paperwork, documenting payroll expenses and filing taxes.

5. List your role-related skills

In addition to your professional experience, an employer may want to know about the hard, soft and industry related skills you possess. Include a list of these competencies to showcase the value you can bring to the company, and highlight that you're prepared for the responsibilities the position involves. Here's a list of some payroll accountant skills to include:

• Database management

• Interpersonal communication

• Strategic planning

• Teamwork and collaboration

• Critical thinking

• Budget analysis

Related: 11 Accounting Resume Skills To Impress Employers

6. Highlight your academic training and certifications

After reviewing your skill set, add your education and professional training to your resume. Although it may depend on the employer, payroll accountants typically possess a bachelor's degree in a related field, such as accounting or finance. You can also add any professional designations you possess, such as certified public accountant (CPA), as employers may require these credentials or prefer candidates who possess them.

Related: A Step-by-Step Guide to Payroll Processing (With Tips)

Payroll accountant resume template

Here's a template you can refer to when writing a resume for a position as a payroll accountant:

[Full Name]
[Phone number] | [Professional email address] | [City, State] | [Professional website]

Professional Summary

[Brief summary that mentions your core competencies, work experience and career achievements]

Work Experience

[Job Title], [Start date–End date]
[Company Name], [Location]

• [Strong verb] + [job duty] + [impact]

• [Strong verb] + [job duty] + [impact]

• [Strong verb] + [job duty] + [impact]

• [Strong verb] + [job duty] + [impact]

• [Strong verb] + [job duty] + [impact]

[Job Title], [Start date–End date]
[Company Name], [Location]

• [Strong verb] + [job duty] + [impact]

• [Strong verb] + [job duty] + [impact]

• [Strong verb] + [job duty] + [impact]

[Job Title], [Start date–End date]
[Company Name], [Location]

• [Strong verb] + [job duty] + [impact]

• [Strong verb] + [job duty] + [impact]

• [Strong verb] + [job duty] + [impact]

Skills

[Relevant skill] | [Relevant skill] | [Relevant skill] | [Relevant skill]

Education

[Degree earned]
[Institution name], [Graduation year if you graduated within the past three years]

Certifications

• [Certification Name], [Host organization] - [Year completed or expiration date]

• [Certification Name], [Host organization] - [Year completed or expiration date]

Related: FAQ: What Is a Payroll Service?

Example of a payroll accountant resume

Here's an example of a payroll accountant resume for you to review:

James Geller
343-556-9843 | James.Geller@email.com | Taos, NM

Professional Summary

Detail-oriented and motivated Payroll Accountant with over five years of industry experience. Highly-skilled in strategic planning and familiar with creating user-friendly and accurate financial documents for a variety of organizations.

Work Experience

Payroll Accountant, March 2019–Current
NewPath Management, Taos, NM

• Identify and assessed payroll amounts

• Process internal paperwork, including PTO, termination and new hire documents

• Ensure all payroll activity adheres to governmental accounting rules and requirements

• Review employee data and ensure details are up to date

• Streamline payroll operations and conduct operational reviews

Payroll Accountant, January 2017–February 2019
Sunrise Tech Solutions, Albuquerque, NM

• Ensured departmental payroll accounts were accurate and properly recorded

• Created reports for each payroll cycle

• Developed new scheduled payroll reports for managers to improve cross-departmental communication

Skills

Interpersonal communication | Strategic planning | Database management | Budget analysis

Education

Bachelor of Science in Accounting
Great Plains University

Certifications

• Certified Public Accountant (CPA) - 2017