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Contents
Summary
Certified public accountant with twelve years across public audit and corporate finance, the last six in industry for manufacturers and SaaS companies in Seattle. Owns the close, the financial statements and the audit relationship, and is the person leadership turns to when the numbers and the regulations get complicated. Led a finance team through a clean first-year SOX implementation and shortened the monthly close by several days. Handles GAAP technical accounting, tax coordination, internal controls and FP&A support, and translates all of it into decisions executives can act on. Precise where it matters and pragmatic where it counts. Looking for a controller or senior-accounting role with a company that wants both clean books and real financial partnership.
Work Experience
Senior Accountant / CPA
Cascade Precision Industries, Seattle, WA
May 2018 – Present
- Own the monthly and annual close, producing GAAP financial statements and the supporting schedules leadership and auditors rely on.
- Led a clean first-year SOX implementation, designing the control framework and walkthroughs that passed external audit without findings.
- Shortened the monthly close by several days through reworked reconciliations, automation and a tighter cutoff calendar across the team.
- Manage the external audit relationship end to end, preparing schedules and resolving technical questions so fieldwork runs smoothly.
- Research and document technical accounting positions on revenue, leases and equity, keeping the company compliant as standards evolve.
- Partner with FP&A and operations on budgets and analysis, turning the numbers into guidance executives can actually act on.
Audit Senior
Brennan & Holt CPAs, Portland, OR
Aug 2011 – Apr 2018
- Planned and led financial-statement audits for mid-market clients, supervising staff and reviewing workpapers across multiple engagements each season.
- Tested controls, evaluated estimates and resolved technical accounting issues, delivering audit opinions that stood up to partner and regulatory review.
- Learned GAAP, auditing standards and client management on the job across seven years of progressively senior engagements.
- Earned the CPA license and the promotion path that led into a senior corporate-accounting role in industry.
Education
Master of Accountancy, Accounting
University of Washington
Sep 2010 – Jun 2011
- Master's in accountancy covering advanced financial reporting, auditing and taxation, completed to qualify for CPA licensure. The programme deepened the technical accounting judgement the designation demands. It led directly into public audit and a career in corporate finance.
BBA in Accounting & Finance, Accounting & Finance
University of Oregon
Sep 2006 – Jun 2010
- Undergraduate degree in accounting and finance covering financial statements, cost accounting and corporate finance, with an internship in audit. The training built the foundation in reporting and controls. It set up the path toward CPA qualification and public practice.
Highlights
Clean first-year SOX
- Designed and implemented the SOX control framework that passed external audit without findings in its first year. A clean first SOX cycle is rare and signals genuinely well-run financial controls.
Faster, tighter close
- Shortened the monthly close by several days while improving accuracy through reworked reconciliations and automation. A faster, cleaner close gives leadership reliable numbers earlier in the cycle to act on.
Licensure
Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
Washington State Board of Accountancy
Jan 2013 – Present
- Active CPA license covering financial reporting, auditing, taxation and professional ethics to the state board standard. It is the credential that authorises signing and attesting work and underpins every technical accounting judgement made on the job.
ERP Implementation
ERP Implementation
Mar 2021 – Feb 2022
- Led the accounting workstream of a company-wide ERP migration to NetSuite, redesigning the chart of accounts and close process, which improved reporting accuracy and cut manual reconciliation work across the finance team.
Languages
- English (US) — Full Professional Proficiency
- Korean — Native or Bilingual Proficiency
Technical Skills
- US GAAP
- Financial Reporting
- Month-End Close
- Audit Management
- SOX & Internal Controls
- Technical Accounting
- Tax Coordination
- FP&A Support
- NetSuite & Excel
- Reconciliations
Personal Skills
- Accuracy
- Analytical Thinking
- Integrity
- Composure
- Communication
Activities & Interests
- Ice Hockey
- Horse Riding
- Painting
- Music
- Tennis
Key Takeaways for a CPA Resume
The licence opens the file, but these decide what happens next:
- State licence status and jurisdiction plainly, including whether it is active and where you are licensed.
- Declare whether your experience is public, industry or both, since the two tracks value different evidence.
- Translate audit experience into operating terms if you are moving into industry, rather than listing engagements.
- Show the close you own, covering timetable, scope and whether the result holds up under audit.
- Evidence controls work, as internal controls experience is frequently the reason a CPA is hired into industry.
- Give the technical accounting you handled, because that is what distinguishes a CPA from an experienced accountant.
Why This CPA Resume Works
This sample uses the licence as a starting point rather than as the whole argument.
- Licence status and jurisdiction appear immediately, which is the first thing a recruiter verifies.
- The public to industry move is made explicit rather than left for a reader to infer from employer names.
- Audit experience is translated into operating terms, which is what makes it useful to an industry employer.
- The close is described with timetable and scope, giving a concrete picture of the finance function run.
- Controls work appears prominently, since that is frequently the specific reason a CPA is brought in.
- Technical accounting judgement is evidenced, which separates a CPA from a capable unlicensed accountant.
How to Write a CPA Resume
Put the licence where it is seen, then make the rest of the page do real work.
State the licence properly
Jurisdiction, status and licence number where appropriate, plus any additional states. Active versus inactive matters, and a reader should not have to work out from your employment history whether your licence is current.
Declare your track
Public practice, industry, or a move between them. These value different things, and a resume that does not signal which one you are in reads as though it was written for nobody in particular.
Translate audit experience
If you are moving to industry, describe what you learned about how finance functions work rather than listing clients. An employer wants somebody who can run a close, not somebody who can inspect one.
Own the close
Working days, entities, systems and whether it is clean. The close is the recurring product of a finance function, and how you run one tells a hiring manager more than any statement about attention to detail.
Show controls work
Controls designed, tested or remediated, and any compliance programme you implemented. CPAs are frequently hired into industry specifically for this, and it is work unlicensed accountants rarely get to describe.
Evidence technical judgement
The accounting questions you resolved and how. Revenue recognition, leases, business combinations or equity: the hard questions are where the licence earns its premium rather than in routine preparation.
Licence status, the public to industry story and the close you own are what a hiring manager reads first. You can build a free CPA resume and keep your licence detail, technical work and operating results in one place.
What to Include in a CPA Resume
Beyond the standard sections, hiring managers screen for these:
Licence jurisdiction, status and any additional states held, placed near the top of the page.
Track declared as public practice, industry or a transition between the two.
Close ownership covering working days, entity scope, systems and audit outcome.
Controls and compliance work including design, testing, remediation and any first year implementation.
Technical accounting resolved, naming the standards and the transactions rather than the areas generally.
Team and stakeholder scope covering people managed and the executives you reported to.
Extra tips
Put jurisdiction, active status and any additional states on one line near the top of the page.
Recruiters verify this before reading further, and an ambiguous line creates a question you do not want asked.
CPA Resume Summary Examples
Two summaries, one in public practice and one after a move into industry:
Entry-level resume summary example
Certified public accountant licensed and active, with three years in audit at a national firm covering manufacturing and technology clients from planning through completion. Tests internal controls and substantive balances, and has led fieldwork on smaller engagements including the direct relationship with client finance teams. Resolved revenue recognition questions on contracts where the arrangement did not match the standard fact pattern. Prepares workpapers to a standard that has passed internal quality review without findings, and supervises junior staff on smaller engagements. Seeking a move into industry financial reporting or technical accounting.
Senior-level resume summary example
Certified public accountant licensed and active, with twelve years split between public audit and corporate finance, most recently owning the close, financial statements and audit relationship for a manufacturing group. Led the finance team through a first year controls implementation that passed without a material weakness, and shortened the monthly close from eleven working days to six by removing rework rather than compressing review. Resolves the technical accounting questions leadership escalates, including revenue and lease treatment on non standard contracts, documenting each position in writing so it can be defended later. Seeking a controller or senior accounting leadership position.
CPA Work Experience Examples
Three sets covering the licence in practice, since public, industry and technical work differ.
Public practice and audit
- Planned and led audit fieldwork across manufacturing and technology clients, including the direct relationship with finance teams who were producing the evidence under their own reporting deadlines.
- Tested internal controls and identified deficiencies with practical remediation rather than a finding written in a way that told the client what was wrong without indicating what to do about it.
- Resolved technical questions where a transaction did not match the fact pattern in the guidance, documenting the reasoning so the conclusion could be reviewed rather than simply accepted.
- Prepared workpapers that passed internal quality review without findings, since review comments on documentation consume engagement hours that had been costed for audit procedures instead.
- Supervised junior staff on engagements, reviewing their work and explaining why a procedure existed rather than only confirming that the procedure had in fact been performed as the programme scheduled it.
Industry finance and the close
- Owned the monthly and annual close including the financial statements, shortening the timetable by removing rework and waiting time rather than by compressing the review that catches errors.
- Managed the audit relationship from the company side, preparing supporting files before fieldwork so that the engagement ran against prepared evidence rather than a sequence of urgent requests.
- Led a first year controls implementation through to a clean opinion, which requires documenting how the business actually operates rather than how a process narrative says it should.
- Built reporting that executives could act on, translating accounting outcomes into the operating picture rather than circulating a statement pack and leaving the interpretation to its readers.
- Coordinated tax compliance with external advisers, making sure the positions taken in the accounts and the returns were consistent and supported by the same underlying analysis rather than quietly diverging.
Technical accounting and leadership
- Resolved the accounting questions leadership escalated, including revenue recognition and lease treatment on contracts written without any thought for how they would ultimately be reported.
- Advised on the accounting consequences of commercial decisions before they were made, which is considerably cheaper than explaining an unwelcome reported outcome after the contract is signed.
- Documented technical positions in writing so that the judgement was examinable, since a conclusion held only in somebody's head cannot be defended once that person has left the business.
- Managed and developed accounting staff, including supporting team members working toward their own licence, which is both retention and succession in a field with a persistent shortage.
- Kept continuing education current and tracked changes in standards early, so that adoption was planned across a reporting cycle rather than handled in the weeks before it became mandatory.
Top CPA Skills
What hiring managers screen for once the licence is confirmed:
Hard skills
- US GAAP
- Financial Statement Preparation
- Month End & Year End Close
- Audit Management
- Internal Controls Design & Testing
- SOX Compliance
- Revenue Recognition
- Lease Accounting
- Business Combinations
- Technical Accounting Research
- Tax Coordination
- Consolidation
- ERP Systems
- Account Reconciliation
- Variance Analysis
- Budgeting & Forecasting Support
- Process Improvement
- Staff Supervision
Soft skills:
- Technical Judgement
- Pragmatism
- Explaining to Executives
- Deadline Discipline
Certifications Alongside a CPA
The licence is the main event, but these widen where it takes you:
-
Certified Public Accountant licence
— AICPA and state boards of accountancy Examination through the AICPA, licensure through a state board with its own education and experience requirements. State your jurisdiction and whether the licence is active, since both are verified.
-
Certified Management Accountant
— Institute of Management Accountants A useful pairing for CPAs in industry, weighted toward planning, analysis and decision support rather than external reporting. It signals interest in the operating side of a finance function.
-
Certified Internal Auditor
— Institute of Internal Auditors Relevant where your work is controls and assurance focused. It is the recognised credential on the internal side, and pairs naturally with a CPA for compliance and risk positions.
-
Continuing professional education
— State board of accountancy Not optional. Requirements and reporting periods are set by your state board, and letting them lapse puts the licence at risk, which is the one credential doing the most work on your resume.
CPA Salary
The licence carries a measurable premium, and the track sets the ceiling:
USD 75,000 – USD 110,000 · CPA, early to mid career · US
The O*NET median across accountants and auditors is around $83,680, a figure that includes a large unlicensed population and therefore understates licensed roles.
USD 120,000 – USD 200,000 · Controller or senior accounting leadership · US
Close ownership, controls responsibility and team leadership move compensation well above staff accounting, with public company roles at the upper end.
Common CPA Resume Mistakes
These waste the advantage the licence gives you:
- Leading with the credential and describing the work vaguely, which wastes the attention the letters earn.
- Omitting licence status, since active against inactive is material and a reader should not have to guess.
- Listing audit clients when moving to industry, rather than translating the experience into operating terms.
- Leaving out the close, when that is the recurring product of any finance function you would be running.
- Ignoring controls work, which is frequently the specific reason a CPA is hired into an industry role.
- Naming standards without transactions, which evidences familiarity rather than the judgement you are paid for.
CPA Resume FAQs
The questions licensed accountants most often search, answered directly:
Near the top, with jurisdiction and status. Many recruiters screen for it before reading anything else, and placing it at the foot of the page delays the one fact that gets your resume read.
Translate the experience. Describe what you learned about how finance functions operate, controls and technical accounting, rather than listing engagements. Employers want somebody who can run a close, not inspect one.
Yes, but say so accurately. Describing an inactive licence as active is a verifiable misstatement in a field built on integrity, and the reputational cost far outweighs any benefit from the ambiguity.
Technical judgement and controls work. Routine preparation looks similar either way, so the resume should concentrate on the hard questions you resolved and the compliance responsibility you carried.
Yes where you hold more than one, since it widens the roles you can be considered for and matters to employers operating across state lines or hiring for a remote position.
It is the clearest evidence of how a finance function is run. Pair the number of working days with the audit outcome, since a fast close that produces adjustments is not an achievement worth claiming.
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