How To Write an Accounts Receivable Resume

Create an accounts receivable (AR) resume with the same focus on detail you bring to your work as an AR professional. Start by making a list of facts. Include your experience, such as leading AR teams, tracking payments, and results you’ve achieved for employers, along with relevant education and certifications. Then choose a template that lets you organize those facts to tell a cohesive story about your qualifications for the position. Learn more about creating an AR resume with the tips and examples below.

  • Entry-level
  • Mid-career
  • Senior-level
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1. Write a dynamic profile summarizing your accounts receivable qualifications

Open your resume with a short summary of your career highlights. Focus on how your experience, education, and skills meet specific needs listed in the employer’s job posting. Highlight anything that sets you apart from similar applicants. For example, you could mention your in-depth experience with Xero or other accounting programs or highlight your ability to work in a fast-paced environment.

Senior-Level Profile Example


Senior AR specialist with over 11 years of advancement and experience. Skilled at leading, training, and motivating AR team members. Draw on deep knowledge of Microsoft Office software and specialist accountancy programs, including Xero and Sage Business Cloud. Maintain high precision and efficiency in dynamic and fast-paced work settings.

Entry-Level Profile Example


Motivated AR clerk with over two years of experience tracking payments for various company departments. Provide timely, accurate billing to help businesses raise efficiency and profit. Equally effective working solo or on a team. Quickly adapt to new work challenges and industry conditions.

2. Create a powerful list of your accounts receivable experience

The professional experience section must do more than list your past employers and job duties. Use this section to give examples of your success and indicate the value you’ll generate in your next role. Include bullet points on your past results, and quantify the information whenever possible. For example, rather than just saying you reduced AR, give details such as the type of accounts, the time span, and the amount you reduced them.

Senior-Level Professional Experience Example


Senior Accounts Receivable Specialist

ARAG North America, Des Moines, IA | February 2017 to present

  • Audit accounts to ensure correct setup and premium application
  • Oversee AR files and prepare 5500 forms
  • Investigate and reconcile any account discrepancies, offering suggestions to prevent recurrence
  • Liaise with clients to obtain necessary files and resolve underpayment issues
  • Train new hires on AR principles and processes

Highlight:

  • Streamlined various AR processes, raising overall billing efficiency 35%

Entry-Level Professional Experience Example


Accounts Receivable Clerk

Electrical Designs Limited, Omaha, NE | July 2020 to present

  • Maintain financial reports, bank reconciliations, and other documentation
  • Quickly and accurately enter and code all invoices to accounts waiting for payment
  • Help department manager process biweekly checks
  • Research and resolve any account discrepancies
  • Create customer accounts and enter data in central database

3. Include accounts receivable-related education and certifications

Always review job listings carefully so you know what education and certifications the employer is looking for. If you have those credentials, feature them in a concise, easy-to-scan format on your resume. Also include any credentials that relate to your target job and may help you stand out. For example, a Certified Billing and Coding Specialist credential might be relevant if you’re applying to AR jobs in health care.

Education

Template

  • [Degree Name]
  • [School Name], [City, State Abbreviation] | [Graduation Year]

Example

  • Associate of Science in Business Administration
  • Franklin Community College, Atlanta, GA | 2014

Certifications

Template

  • [Certification Name], [Awarding Organization], [Completion Year]

Example

  • Accounts Receivable Specialist (ARS), Institute of Finance & Management, 2017

4. Outline your most useful accounts receivable skills and proficiencies

Often, before you can impress a hiring manager with your resume, you have to get it past an applicant tracking system (ATS). One way to do that is by emphasizing those of your skills the ATS is likely coded to look for. Consider the list below and whether any of these skills align with your AR experience — when they do, incorporate them with your resume.

Key Skills and Proficiencies
Account reconciliation Accounting
Bookkeeping Budgeting
Collections Customer service
Data analysis Data entry
General accounting software General ledger
Invoicing Microsoft Excel
QuickBooks Ten-key
Time management Vendor relations

How To Pick the Best Accounts Receivable Resume Template

Choose a simple resume template that keeps the focus on your relevant information. Avoid fancy templates with expressive fonts or flourishes, and stick with basic formatting to ensure a clean, concise document.

Accounts Receivable Text-Only Resume Templates and Examples

  • Entry-level
  • Mid-career
  • Senior-level

Daphne Rogers
(123) 456-7890 | [email protected] | 555 Third Street, Atlanta, GA 09876

Profile

Dedicated Accounts Receivable (AR) Specialist with 8+ years of advancement and experience. Thrive in dynamic and fast-paced work settings. Bilingual: Fluent in English and Spanish.

Professional Experience

Accounts Receivable Specialist, Rental Max, Atlanta, GA | November 2017 to Present

  • Foster positive customer relationships to ensure timely payments
  • Train new AR team members on policies and procedures

Highlights:

  • Introduced procedures that raised invoice processing efficiency by 22%
  • Led company’s transition from Oracle to QuickBooks software. Completed project ahead of schedule with no disruption to accounting operations

Accounts Receivable Clerk, Roberts HVAC Systems, Atlanta, GA | November 2014 to October 2017

  • Drafted invoices, researched discrepancies, and performed various other daily AR duties
  • Organized and entered new customer data in central database
  • Completed monthly financial closing for the AR department

Education

Associate of Science in Business Administration, Franklin Community College, Atlanta, GA | 2014 

Key Skills

  • Credit & Collections Management
  • Data Entry & Analysis
  • Internal Controls
  • Microsoft Excel
  • QuickBooks
  • Task Prioritization
  • Team Collaboration

Certifications

Accredited Receivables Specialist (ARS), IOFM | 2017

QuickBooks Certification, NACPB | 2016

Languages

Fluency in Spanish | Basic proficiency in French

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Expert Advice
Advice from a Recruiter: Rebecca Finney

Rebecca Finney - Recruiter and Trainer in Financial Industries, LinkedIn

Meet our Expert: Rebecca Finney has spent over 5 years in agency recruiting, primarily in the banking, finance, and accounting industries for permanent and contract staffing

1. What are the most in-demand skills for accounts receivable that should be featured on a candidate’s resume?-

Hard Skills

  • Proficiency with Microsoft Office
  • Proficiency with accounting software (Quickbooks, Sage, SAP, etc.)
  • Customer service
  • Reports and analysis
  • Investigation

Soft Skills

  • Professional and interpersonal communication
  • Customer-service oriented
2. What work experience and other accomplishments are hiring managers looking for in an accounts receivable candidate?-

Hiring managers often prefer accounts receivable candidates with previous experience in AR and collections. Even previous experience in customer experience is worth highlighting because much of AR does have roots in customer service.

3. What else, in addition to a resume, should an accounts receivable candidate be prepared to provide hiring managers?-

It never hurts to include a cover letter as long as the grammar, syntax, and spelling are correct and the context is relevant to the job that the candidate is applying for. Sometimes, candidates may be asked to complete a Microsoft Proficiency test, so any previous certifications that a candidate can provide are recommended.

4. What advice would you give an accounts receivable candidate about their job search?-

Utilize your alumni network. Accountants know other accountants! In an interview, talk specifically about your accounting experience(s), and the systems/programs you’ve used. Be able to explain how your actions have supported other accountants.

Frequently Asked Questions: Accounts Receivable Resume Examples and Advice

What are common action verbs for accounts receivable resumes?-

Action verbs serve several purposes on your resume. They signal you’re an applicant who gets things done. When you start bullet points and sentences with strong verbs, you make it easier for hiring managers to scan your resume and remember information. Start with some of the options below, which are commonly used on AR resumes.

Action Verbs
Audit Balance
Calculate Charge
Collect Close
Coordinate Create
Credit Enter
Identify Invoice
Post Prepare
Prevent Process
Reconcile Report
Resolve Streamline
Update Write off
How do you align your resume with an accounts receivable job posting?-

Start by cross-referencing your skills and experience with what’s mentioned on the job posting. Anytime those two lists overlap, highlight that fact on your resume by using similar words and phrases. For example, if the employer seeks someone with experience using Sage accounting tools, cite them in your profile or skills section.

Job opportunities for accounting clerks of all types are on the decline, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, so aligning your resume with each job posting can help you stand out in a competitive field.

What is the best accounts receivable resume format?-

Most AR professionals should use the combination (or hybrid) format. True to its name, this format combines two important features of other resume formats: the chronological format’s experience section and the functional format’s profile section.

A combination resume offers the best of both worlds by fusing these two sections. The experience section lets you outline your recent work history – essential information for most employers. At the same time, the profile section lets you display your career highlights at the top, regardless if they’re from that work history or another part of your background. The resulting resume is straightforward yet strategic. It gives hiring managers the clearest possible view of your background and relevant skills, so they can decide to proceed with your candidacy.

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Expert Advice
Include a cover letter with your resume
A cover letter lets you elaborate on your experience and why you’re the right choice for the position. For tips on this document, see our bookkeeper cover letter guide.
Jacob Meade headshot

Jacob Meade

Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW, ACRW)

Jacob Meade is a resume writer and editor with nearly a decade of experience. His writing method centers on understanding and then expressing each person’s unique work history and strengths toward their career goal. Jacob has enjoyed working with jobseekers of all ages and career levels, finding that a clear and focused resume can help people from any walk of life. He is an Academy Certified Resume Writer (ACRW) with the Resume Writing Academy, and a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) with the Professional Association of Resume Writers & Career Coaches.

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