Accounting Clerk Resume Example

Anybody can key a clean invoice. The accounting clerk's real work is everything that does not match: the short payment nobody explained, the duplicate that arrived under a slightly different vendor name, the cash receipt that will not apply, the invoice with no purchase order behind it. How you handle exceptions is what separates a clerk a controller trusts. The sample above works accounts payable and receivable in a mid sized company.
Written by Charlotte Bennett
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Herbatt Vane

Accounting Clerk
[email protected] | 447712345678

Summary

Accounting clerk with five years handling the transactional accounting and record-keeping for a distribution company in Toronto. Keeps the records accurate — entering and coding transactions, processing invoices and payments, filing and reconciling, and supporting the accountants. Cleaned up the filing and coding process so transactions were easier to find and reconcile. Manages data entry, accounts payable and receivable processing, basic reconciliations and document control, and helps prepare reports and audit files. Strong on both the accuracy and the steady, organized work that keeps a finance office running. Reliable, numerate and good with the accounting system. Looking for an accounting-clerk or finance-clerk role with a company that values accurate, well-kept records.

Work Experience

Accounting Clerk
Toronto Distribution Co., Toronto, Canada
Apr 2016 – Present
  • Handle transactional accounting, entering and coding transactions accurately.
  • Cleaned up the filing and coding process so transactions were easier to find and reconcile.
  • Process accounts payable and receivable, invoices and payments.
  • Carry out basic reconciliations and maintain document control and filing.
  • Help prepare reports and audit files for the accountants.
  • Resolve transaction and coding queries with internal teams.
Finance Office Clerk
Ontario Trading Services, Toronto, Canada
Aug 2014 – Mar 2016
  • Entered transactions and processed invoices and payments.
  • Maintained filing, records and basic reconciliations across the office.
  • Learned accounting software and bookkeeping basics on the job.
  • Gained certification and progressed into an accounting-clerk role.

Education

Diploma in Business & Accounting, Accounting
Seneca College, Toronto
Sep 2012 – Jun 2014
  • Diploma in business and accounting covering bookkeeping, office systems and finance basics, with a placement. The placement led directly into a finance-clerk role. Built the numerical foundation the role requires.
Bookkeeping & Accounting Software Certification, Bookkeeping
Industry Training Provider
Jan 2016 – May 2016
  • Certification in bookkeeping and accounting software covering ledgers, reconciliation and reporting. It sharpened the systems skills used daily. Applied directly to transaction processing and record-keeping.

Highlights

Tidier records
  • Cleaned up the filing and coding process so transactions were easier to find and reconcile. Well-kept records quietly save the whole finance office time and frustration.
Accurate and steady
  • Keeps transactional records accurate and current so the accountants can rely on them. Steady, accurate clerical work is the foundation a finance team builds on.

Certifications

Bookkeeping & Accounting Software
Industry Training Provider
May 2016 – Present
  • Certification in bookkeeping and accounting software covering ledgers, reconciliation and reporting. It sharpened the systems skills used daily. Applied directly to transaction processing and record-keeping.

Excel & Data Entry Accuracy

Excel & Data Entry Accuracy
Industry Training Provider
Jan 2017 – Mar 2017
  • Completed an Excel and data-entry course covering formulas, validation and efficient, accurate keying. It improved both the speed and accuracy of the transactional work the role depends on every day.

Languages

  • English — Native or Bilingual Proficiency
  • French — Professional Working Proficiency

Technical Skills

  • Data Entry
  • Transaction Coding
  • Accounts Payable
  • Accounts Receivable
  • Basic Reconciliation
  • Document Control
  • Invoicing & Payments
  • Accounting Software
  • Excel
  • Record Keeping

Personal Skills

  • Accuracy
  • Organization
  • Reliability
  • Numeracy
  • Attention to Detail

Activities & Interests

  • Ice Skating
  • Cycling
  • Partying
  • Dreaming
  • Badminton

Key Takeaways for an Accounting Clerk Resume

The exceptions are the job, so write about them:
  • Give transaction volume, since invoices or receipts per week is the first thing a controller checks.
  • Show exception handling, because the mismatches are where a clerk adds genuine value.
  • Evidence the three way match, as invoices without a purchase order behind them are a control issue.
  • Include reconciliation work, covering statements, unapplied cash and ledger differences.
  • Name the accounting system, since ERP familiarity considerably shortens how long training takes.
  • Show accuracy with a figure, because error rate is measurable and almost nobody states it.

Why This Accounting Clerk Resume Works

This sample shows judgement on exceptions rather than describing data entry.
  • Volume appears first, which gives a controller the scale everything else should be read against.
  • Exception handling is central, since clean transactions are not where a clerk earns their value.
  • The three way match is explicit, because an invoice with no purchase order is a control weakness.
  • Reconciliation work is specific about statements, unapplied cash and the differences chased down.
  • The accounting system is named, which materially affects how quickly somebody becomes productive.
  • An accuracy figure is given, which is measurable and distinguishes this from most clerk resumes.

How to Write an Accounting Clerk Resume

Volume first, then exceptions, then systems.
Give the volume
Invoices processed, payments applied or receipts posted weekly. A clerk handling four hundred invoices a week is in a different operation from one handling sixty, and the scale frames everything.
Lead with exceptions
Short payments, duplicates, unapplied cash and invoices without a purchase order. Keying a clean document is routine, and what you do with the ones that do not match is the actual job.
Show the three way match
Matching invoice, purchase order and receipt before payment. An invoice paid without that match is a control weakness, and a clerk who holds it rather than processing it is protecting the company.
Include reconciliation
Vendor statement reconciliation, customer account cleanup and chasing differences to a cause. A difference written off because nobody could explain it is a problem postponed rather than solved.
Name the system
The ERP or accounting package and any workflow tooling. Experience in the same platform shortens training considerably, and many postings screen on the system before anybody reads further.
State accuracy
Error rate, coding accuracy or audit findings. This is measurable in accounts work and very few clerk resumes give a figure, so stating one separates you immediately from the pile. Volume, accuracy and what you do with the exceptions are what a controller reads. You can build a free accounting clerk resume and show the judgement that sits behind the keying.

What to Include in an Accounting Clerk Resume

Beyond the standard sections, controllers and finance managers look for these:
Transaction volume processed weekly or monthly, split by payable and receivable where relevant.
Exception handling, covering short payments, duplicates, unapplied cash and missing orders.
Three way match practice and what you do when an invoice has no purchase order behind it.
Reconciliation work on vendor statements, customer accounts and ledger differences.
Accounting system or ERP used, named specifically, plus any workflow or scanning tooling.
Accuracy, coding error rate or audit results where you have the figure.
Extra tips
A duplicate caught under a varied vendor name is a concrete save a controller understands.
Processed invoices accurately and on time describes every accounting clerk ever employed.

Accounting Clerk Resume Summary Examples

Two summaries at different stages, both exception led:
Entry-level resume summary example
Accounting clerk processing around two hundred payable invoices weekly, coding to the correct account and cost centre rather than copying whatever was used last time. Matches invoices to purchase orders and receipts before payment and holds anything without an order behind it. Investigates duplicates arriving under varied vendor names. Applies customer receipts and chases what will not apply rather than leaving it in suspense. Works in the company ERP daily and keeps supporting documentation attached and retrievable. Holds invoices arriving without a purchase order rather than processing them regardless. Seeking a position with reconciliation responsibility.
Senior-level resume summary example
Accounting clerk with seven years across payable and receivable, processing around four hundred invoices weekly with a coding error rate consistently below half a percent. Handles the exceptions that make up the real work, including short payments, duplicates and unapplied cash that nobody else wanted to trace. Reconciles vendor statements monthly and chases differences to a cause rather than writing them off. Supports audit sample requests by producing documentation promptly. Maintains vendor and customer master data, since duplicate records are where duplicate payments quietly originate. Respects segregation of duties rather than taking shortcuts when somebody is away. Seeking a senior clerk or assistant accountant position.

Accounting Clerk Work Experience Examples

Three sets covering the role, since volume, exceptions and controls differ.
Exceptions and investigation
  • Investigated short payments and deductions rather than leaving them on the ledger, since a customer paying less than invoiced is communicating something that nobody has yet written down.
  • Caught duplicate invoices arriving under slightly varied vendor names, which is the category of error that passes a casual review and is discovered only when somebody is paid twice.
  • Traced unapplied cash receipts to the correct customer and invoice, because cash sitting in suspense makes a receivable ledger look worse than it is and distorts every collection call.
  • Chased invoices arriving without a purchase order back to the person who ordered the goods, as paying them regardless simply teaches the business that the control does not really apply.
  • Escalated genuine discrepancies with the evidence assembled rather than passing on a question, since a controller receiving an unexplained difference has to do the whole investigation again.
Volume and accuracy
  • Processed around four hundred payable invoices weekly with a coding error rate consistently below half a percent, which is measurable and almost never stated on a clerk resume anywhere.
  • Coded to the correct account and cost centre by understanding what had actually been bought, rather than copying whatever coding happened to be used on the previous similar invoice.
  • Completed the three way match between invoice, purchase order and receipt before releasing payment, since an invoice paid without it is a control weakness rather than merely a shortcut.
  • Met payment runs and period close deadlines consistently, because an invoice missing a run sits an extra fortnight and the supplier calls somebody considerably more senior about it.
  • Kept supporting documentation attached and retrievable, as an auditor asking for backing on a transaction from eight months ago expects to receive it within minutes rather than days.
Reconciliation and controls
  • Reconciled vendor statements monthly and resolved the differences, which is how missing invoices and misapplied credits surface before a supplier escalates to a stop on the account.
  • Chased ledger differences to an actual cause rather than writing them off, since a difference nobody could explain is a problem postponed rather than a problem that has been resolved.
  • Maintained the integrity of vendor and customer master data, because a duplicate vendor record is where duplicate payments and misdirected remittances quietly originate in most systems.
  • Supported audit sample requests by producing documentation promptly, which keeps an audit moving and avoids the follow up questions that a slow response reliably generates afterward.
  • Respected segregation of duties rather than taking shortcuts when somebody was away, as a clerk who both sets up a vendor and pays it has removed the control the process exists for.

Top Accounting Clerk Skills

What controllers and finance managers screen for:
Hard skills
  • Accounts Payable Processing
  • Accounts Receivable & Cash Application
  • Three Way Matching
  • Invoice Coding & Cost Centre Allocation
  • Duplicate & Short Payment Investigation
  • Vendor Statement Reconciliation
  • Unapplied Cash Resolution
  • Vendor & Customer Master Data
  • Payment Run Preparation
  • Expense Claim Processing
  • Period Close Support
  • Audit Sample Support
  • ERP & Accounting Systems
  • Excel Reconciliation Work
  • Segregation Of Duties Awareness
Soft skills:
  • Chasing Differences Down
  • Accuracy Under Volume
  • Holding An Invoice
  • Clear Escalation

Credentials for an Accounting Clerk

Bookkeeping credentials and system skill both help here:
  • Certified Bookkeeper — American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers
    A recognised credential covering bookkeeping practice, adjusting entries and internal controls. Useful for evidencing knowledge beyond whatever one employer's process happened to teach you.
  • Accounting or bookkeeping coursework — Community colleges and training providers
    A certificate or associate study in accounting. Most valuable where it covered the double entry reasoning behind the work rather than only how to operate a particular software package.
  • ERP or accounting software certification — Software vendors and training partners
    Platform certification in the system a company runs shortens training considerably. Worth naming the specific product, since many postings screen on the system before a person reads on.
  • Excel or data skills training — Training providers
    Reconciliation work lives in spreadsheets. Genuine capability with lookups and pivot tables is the difference between a clerk who reconciles in an hour and one who takes an afternoon.

Accounting Clerk Salary

Volume, scope and system complexity drive the range:
USD 40,000 – USD 55,000 · Accounting clerk · US
The O*NET median for bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks is around $50,670. Larger companies and higher transaction volumes generally pay above small business bookkeeping work.
USD 54,000 – USD 70,000 · Senior clerk or assistant accountant · US
Taking on reconciliation ownership, close support and sub ledger responsibility moves a clerk toward assistant accountant, which is the usual progression from this role.

Common Accounting Clerk Resume Mistakes

These describe data entry and omit the judgement:
  • Writing processed invoices with no volume, so a controller cannot judge the scale at all.
  • Omitting exception handling, which is where a clerk genuinely adds value over a clean run.
  • Leaving out the three way match, since paying without it is a control weakness not a shortcut.
  • Not mentioning reconciliation, when chasing differences to a cause is what finance values.
  • Failing to name the ERP, which materially affects how quickly you become productive.
  • Giving no accuracy figure, when error rate is measurable and hardly any clerk resume states it.

Accounting Clerk Resume FAQs

The questions accounting clerks most often search, answered directly:

Judgement on exceptions. Keying a clean invoice is routine, so what you do with short payments, duplicates and unapplied cash is where a clerk demonstrates value worth paying for.
Yes, first. Four hundred invoices weekly and sixty invoices weekly are different jobs, and the volume frames how a reader should interpret every other claim you make on the page.
Very much so. Error rate is measurable in accounts work, and almost no clerk resume gives one, which means a credible figure separates you from the pile immediately on first read.
Because paying an invoice without it is a control weakness. A clerk who holds an invoice with no purchase order behind it is protecting the company rather than being unhelpful about it.
Quite. Platform experience shortens training considerably, and a great many postings filter on the accounting system before anybody actually reads the rest of the application at all.
Through reconciliation and close work. Taking ownership of vendor statements, sub ledger accuracy and audit support is what moves somebody toward an assistant accountant position.

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