Employers hiring trainee accountants know you may have little paid experience. A clear, accurate CV shows your potential. These tips are general and not a guarantee of a job.
What employers look for
The National Careers Service lists skills for an accounting technician role, including being thorough, paying attention to detail, thinking clearly using logic and reasoning, working well with others, maths knowledge, administration and customer service skills, and being confident with a computer and the main software packages. It also says that experience of using accounting software and spreadsheets could help when looking for work, and that employers may look for GCSEs including English and maths, and that office or finance experience helps. Use that list to decide what to show.
A simple structure
- Contact details: your name, a professional email address, a phone number and your town. Leave out your date of birth and photo.
- Short profile (two or three lines): what you are applying for and what you offer. Make it specific to the role.
- Education and qualifications: list the most recent first. Include GCSE English and maths, and any accounting units you have passed or are studying. Say which body and level.
- Work experience: include any job, paid or unpaid. Customer service, retail or admin jobs show reliability, accuracy and working with money or data.
- Skills: software you have used (spreadsheets, accounting packages) and how you used it.
- Interests (optional): only if they say something useful, such as running a club's accounts.
Make each line count
- Start with a verb: "Reconciled", "Checked", "Prepared", "Organised".
- Show the result: "Balanced the till each day with no unexplained differences" tells more than "Handled cash".
- Be honest with numbers. Use a figure only if it is true and you can explain it in an interview.
- Show you are studying. A line such as "Studying AAT Level 3 Diploma in Accounting, expected completion 2027" is clear and factual.
Before you send it
- Check spelling and numbers twice. Accountancy employers notice mistakes.
- Tailor it to the role and use the words in the advert where they are true for you.
- Keep it to one or two pages, in a plain font that is easy to read.
- Ask someone you trust to read it.
- Prepare to explain why you chose your route; see routes.
The covering email or letter
Keep it short. Say what role you are applying for, why that employer, and one or two examples that match the job. Mention your study plans and any dates you are available.
General information only, not professional or financial advice. This guide does not recommend any course, employer or product, and does not give tax, accounting or financial advice.
Sources
Every fee, pay or exam figure on this page comes from the pages below. We read each one on 13 November 2026. Fees and rules change, so check the body's own page before you pay or decide.
- National Careers Service: Accounting technician job profile, checked 13 November 2026.