If you’ve been working in the field of accounts payable and believe you’re ready for a position in management, then an Accounts Payable Manager position may be just the role you’re seeking. These managerial professionals oversee financial payments for their companies that range from payroll transactions to invoice management for vendors, contractors, and other stakeholders. Of course, to land this job, you’ll need a compelling Accounts Payable Manager resume.
The good news is that we’ve created this Accounts Payable Manager resume guide to help you learn how to craft a resume that effectively highlights your most relevant skills, experiences, and accomplishments. In this guide, you’ll find vital tips for composing a convincing resume, a stellar resume example that you can use as inspiration, and invaluable insight into the best ways to distinguish yourself from the competition and make the best possible impression on prospective employers.
How to write a resume
To reach your career goals, you need an Accounts Payable Manager resume that can speak directly to a prospective employer’s needs. That will require more than just a list of your main skills and work experience, of course. To achieve those goals and capture a hiring manager’s attention, you’ll need a resume that illustrates the tangible benefits you can provide as an employee.
In addition, that resume will need to be formatted and structured in a way that makes it easy for employers to quickly identify your qualifications. The following guidance will help to explain the type of format you should use, how to properly structure your resume details, and the best way to emphasize your ability to provide real value for the employer.
Use the reverse-chronological resume format
Though there are three main resume formats that you could use – the chronological, functional, and hybrid – we recommend the chronological option. Of course, that option is also commonly known as the reverse-chronological format since it lists your work experience in reverse order. To use it, simply start with your most recent job and then list other jobs in reverse chronology, going back about ten years.
Choose a simple structure
All resumes adopt a similar structure, separating certain types of information into sections that make it easy for employers to scan the document. This is important, since very few employers will ever sit down and read every word of each resume they receive. They just scan through the document until they see something that catches their eye. Only then will they take the time to thoroughly review a resume.
So, what sections should you include in your resume?
Contact details. This section should be right at the top of your resume to ensure that employers can quickly find the information they need to contact you for interviews and employment offers. Include your first and last name, a working phone number, a professional-looking email address, and LinkedIn URL if you have it – and you should have it.
Resume headline: The resume headline includes the job title, along with descriptive language that can help you stand out from the crowd. For example, “Experienced Accounts Payable Manager Focused on Accuracy and Efficiency.”
Summary statement: The summary statement should be a brief, three to five-sentence summarization of your key skills and achievements. This section is designed to showcase value and entice the employer to continue reading your document.
Core competencies: This is your skills section. To learn more about how you should handle this part of your resume, check out our discussion about skills later in the guide.
Professional history: In reverse-chronological order, list each job you’ve held for the last 10 to 15 years – beginning with your most recent position. Include the name of the company, your job title, dates of employment, and several bullet point examples of quantifiable achievements.
Education: Include the name of your school and course of study, degree earned, and graduation date. You can also include certifications, continuing education, seminary, and other relevant training details.
Use quantifiable achievements to showcase real value
Quantifiable achievements are the best way to demonstrate your value as an employee. Use achievements statements in your summary paragraph and work history sections, to showcase your ability to provide substantive benefits for an employer. Always try to use real numbers that illustrate how your actions increased profits, reduced inefficiencies, expanded markets, or sparked innovation. The goal is to help the reader quickly see how you might be able to add value to their enterprise.
Accounts Payable Manager resume example
By now, your mind is probably starting to picture the type of resume these tips can help you create. To help solidify that image, we’ve created an Accounts Payable Manager resume example that you can refer to for further guidance. You can even use it as a template, customizing our example by substituting your own career details into the appropriate resume sections.
Name
Title
City, State or Country if international
Phone | Email
LinkedIn URL
ACCOUNTS PAYABLE MANAGER PROFESSIONAL
A highly motivated Accounts Payable Accountant-Specialist with demonstrated experience in providing exceptional service to key clients significantly increasing productivity while ensuring accurate documentation and reporting. Expertise in the areas of Accounts Payable/Accounts Receivable, Analysis, Reporting and departmental best practices. Exceptional academic and hands-on qualifications including my XX degree combined with XX years of hands-on experience in the industry. Excellent communicator and presenter who works well with individuals at all levels of a corporation. Superior technical and multitasking skills with the ability to integrate technology to increase accuracy and efficiency of accounting practices.
CORE COMPETENCIES
Account Payable
Balance Sheet
Team Management
Technical Analysis
Accounts Receivable
Training
Payroll
Cash Flow Projections
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Accounts Payable Manager
ZipJob, New York NY | Year to Year
Responsibilities
Direct management of 3 AP Specialist, invoice payment processing, vendor management, certain general ledger close activities, resolution of external and internal customer inquiries and operational improvement initiatives.
Worked with senior leadership to review issues/discrepancies and managed projects through conclusion.
Built and developed junior accounting team members into skilled professionals, working cohesively as a department to maintain high quality work.
Reviewed all invoices for documentation and approval prior to payments.
Printed and obtained signatures for AP checks.
Acted as a liaison between corporate office and branch departments.
Answered all vendor questions and inquiries.
Maintained all accounts payable reports, spreadsheets and corporate AP files.
Assisted corporate financial officers and branch personnel as needed.
Managed monthly closing procedures and prepared analysis of accounts.
Accounts Specialist
ZipJob, New York NY | Year to Year
Responsibilities
Managed the AP/AR and weekly billing; followed-up on collections and general ledger postings.
Responsible for all cash disbursements, journal entries, bank reconciliations, and credit cards accounts.
Developed monthly closing statements/d__eveloped policies and procedures to improve the efficiency of accounts receivable, accounts payable, and other accounting tasks
Increased efficiency of payroll management by developing a procedure for organizing and maintaining payroll records for hourly and salaried employees; maintained record of absent and tardy employees daily
Reconciled and paid all voluntary and involuntary deductions and benefits; print payroll checks and stubs.
Posted debits and credits to relevant ledgers and spreadsheets; prepared and processed bank deposits.
Created invoices and tracked overdue accounts. Reconciled bank accounts.
EDUCATION
Complete School Name, City, St/Country: List Graduation Years If Within the Last Ten Years
Complete Degree Name (Candidate) – Major (GPA: List if over 3.3)
Relevant Coursework: List coursework taken (even include those you are planning on taking)
Awards/Honors: List any awards, honors or big achievements
Clubs/Activities: List clubs and activities in which you participated
Relevant Projects: List 2-3 projects you have worked on
Key hard & soft skills for an Accounts Payable Manager
You don’t become an Accounts Payable Manager without mastering a specific set of job-related and interpersonal skills. Your resume should include a balanced mix of both hard and soft skills to demonstrate that you can not only handle accounts payable activities and other financial matters but can also effectively manage a team of other professionals. But which types of skills should you include in your resume?
Begin by examining the job posting and role description to identify the listed qualifications for the position. Take note of the exact wording the company uses to describe those abilities, since those terms are likely to be keywords that you’ll need to get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) used by the company to screen resumes. In addition to those required skills, there are many other relevant abilities you should consider for your resume.
Hard skills for your Accounts Payable Manager resume
Hard skills include technical abilities like accounting, software expertise, and similar capabilities that are typically acquired through formal training and education. They can also include various industry or job-based knowledge that you acquire through experience and on-the-job training. Below, we’ve listed several of the most common Accounts Payable Manager skills that job seekers like you often cite in their resume’s skill section.
Proficiency with CRM systems
Bookkeeping and financial account management
Account management software expertise
Data analysis
Reconciliation
Invoicing best practices
Soft Skills for your Accounts Payable Manager resume
In addition to those hard skills, employers will be looking for useful soft skills in your resume. Soft skills include interpersonal abilities that help you interact with and lead your team, as well as other talents that you use to execute your duties. Below are just a few of the many vital soft skills that could help separate you from rival candidates and convince employers to schedule you for an interview.
Negotiation
Attention to detail
Time management
Customer service
Effective written and verbal communication
Organization
Summary & last words
As you craft your Accounts Payable Manager resume, remember that it needs to be more than just a dry regurgitation of your skills and experiences. Employers want to read about the things that make you qualified for the position and a good fit for their company culture. Focus attention on your achievements by highlighting real quantifiable results so that they can quickly identify all the ways that you can add value to their organization.
Introduction to ZipJob: Professional resume writers
As an Accounts Payable Manager, you understand the importance of focusing on the right details in an organized and compelling way. The same principles apply to your resume. That’s why so many professionals opt for a reliable resume-writing service to create the stellar resume they need for career advancement and long-term success. ZipJob’s team of experienced resume writers have the deep industry insight and expertise you need to craft a resume that generates more interview opportunities.
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