Organizations will always need financial controllers to ensure they comply with government regulations.
But that doesn’t mean that landing these positions is a given. As you’ll play such a vital role in the future of the business, only the top candidates will be invited in for an interview.
Therefore, you need to prove your qualifications and financial record on your resume, and we can help you to do this with our detailed guide and financial controller resume example below.
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Financial Controller Resume Example
This example Financial Controller resume is well-structured to provide a pleasant reading experience for recruiters, and contains all of the crucial information they want to see.
The rest of the guide will show you exactly how you can achieve this in your own resume.
Financial Controller resume layout and format
The format and layout of your resume can make or break its success.
Sure, it’s great to pack your resume with lots of impressive skills and knowledge, but if the page is not structured clearly, hiring managers will struggle to find the important stuff!
Above all, your resume should be easy-to-read and professional looking.
Follow these formatting tips to get noticed.
Formatting your resume for success
- Length: Keep your resume to 2 pages or under. You’ve probably heard that recruiters and hiring managers don’t have lots of time to read every resume, so keep yours brief if you want to ensure that they read all of the important info in yours.
- Font & readability: The key to a good resume is readability. To make your resume easy to read, use a clear and uncomplicated font, and break up the text with bullet points and short paragraphs.
- Layout & Structure: Your resume should look appealing – but don’t overlook functionality when it comes to design. Organise the page into clear sections using bold headings and borders.
- Photos: While adding a photo to your resume is not mandatory in the USA, it can be beneficial if you are applying to organizations in creative industries.
Quick tip: Achieving a professional look for your resume can be difficult and time-consuming. If you want to create an attractive resume quickly, try our quick-and-easy Resume Builder and use one of their eye-catching resume templates.
Resume layout
Add the following sections when you write your resume.
- Name and contact details – Add to the very top of your resume to introduce yourself and make it super-easy for recruiters to get in touch.
- Resume summary – Reel hiring managers in with an “elevator pitch” style paragraph which sums up your suitability for the job.
- Skills section – A short and sharp list of your most important skills, that can be quickly skim-read.
- Work experience – List your previous jobs (from newest to oldest) detailing the skills learnt and applied in each.
- Education – List your qualifications and professional training.
- Additional info – If it helps your application, you can add an extra section for things like hobbies and interests.
Here’s what to include in each part of your resume.
Contact Details
Add your name and contact details to the very top of your resume, making it easy for recruiters to get in touch
- Name and profession title
- Cell phone number – or another number you can answer quickly
- Location – Add your local area such as San Diego or New York – not your full address as that will take up too much space.
- Email address – Use your name or close variation – no nicknames from high school.
You can add a link to your LinkedIn profile if you have one – you do not need to include personal details like date of birth or marital status.
Financial Controller Resume Summary
Start your resume with a bang by adding a powerful summary to the top, summarizing your most valuable skills and experience.
This short paragraph is your chance to show recruiters why you are a perfect fit for the job and encourage them to read more of your resume.
How to create a resume summary that will get you noticed:
- Keep it short: To capture a recruiter’s attention and keep them interested in your resume, limit your summary to 4-7 lines as you only have a few seconds to make an impression
- Tailor to target jobs: Ensure your profile makes an impact by matching it closely to the requirements of the job description, copying as many key terms as possible.
- Avoid using cliches: You may be a “team player who always give 110%” but generic phrases don’t tell employers much about you in reality – stick to factual information.
Example resume summary for Financial Controller
What to include in your Financial Controller resume summary?
- Summary of experience: Provide an overview of the type of work you have done in the past and the impact you have made at previous employers.
- Relevant skills: Incorporate your highly relevant skills for Financial Controller jobs to exhibit your suitability as soon as your resume is opened.
- Qualifications: Showcase your level of education with a quick mention of any qualifications that are essential for the Financial Controller roles you are applying to.
Quick tip: Choose from hundreds of pre-written summaries across all industries, and add one to your resume with one-click in our quick-and-easy Resume Builder. All written by recruitment experts and easily tailored to suit your unique skillset and style.
Core skills section
Underneath your summary, write a core skills section to make your most relevant skills jump off the page at readers.
It should be made up of 2-3 columns of bullet points of your relevant skills.
Before you do this, look over the job description and make a list of any specific skills, specialisms or knowledge required.
Then, make sure to use your findings in your list. This will paint you as the perfect match for the role.
Best skills for your Financial Controller resume
Financial Reporting – Creating accurate and timely financial reports, including balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow statements.
Budgeting – Preparing and managing budgets, including forecasting revenue and expenses, and monitoring actual results against budget.
Accounting – Maintaining strong knowledge of accounting principles, including GAAP, IFRS, and tax laws, as well as proficiency in accounting software.
Risk Management – Maintaining detailed knowledge of risk management techniques, including identification, analysis, and mitigation of financial risks, such as credit risk and market risk.
Financial Analysis – Analyzing financial data, including financial statements, market trends, and competitor data, to make informed business decisions.
Compliance – Maintaining detailed knowledge of regulatory compliance, including tax laws, SEC regulations, and financial reporting standards.
Strategic Planning – Developing and executing a long-term financial strategy for the organization, including financial modeling and scenario analysis.
Mentoring and Leadership – Leading a team of financial analysts, accountants, and support staff, including hiring, training, coaching, and supervising staff.
Financial Systems and Technology – Using financial systems and technologies such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, business intelligence tools, and financial modeling software.
Stakeholder Communication – Communicating effectively with senior leadership, board members, and financial staff, including active listening, clear and concise communication, and effective presentation skills.
Quick tip: Our quick-and-easy Resume Builder contains thousands of in-demand skills for every profession that can be added to your resume in seconds – saving you time and greatly improving your chances of landing job interviews and getting hired.
Work experience
Once you’ve got recruiters interested with your impactful summary, your work experience is where the real detail will lie.
Lay out your previous jobs from current to oldest, detailing what you contributed and achieved in each one.
If you’re highly experienced you can cut this section down to your most recent few years of work, but if you are junior you can bulk this up with voluntary work and college placements.
Structuring your jobs
Without a good structure, your job description can look messy and overwhelming to anyone reading them.
Make it easy for recruiters to read your work experience by structuring your roles like this.
Job outline
Kick off each role with a high-level overview to summarize the focus of the job, what the organization/department does, and how you fit into the bigger picture.
Key responsibilities
Next, write up a punchy list of your daily duties and responsibilities, using short bullet points.
Describe how you apply your skills and contribute to the running of the employer’s business – highlighting skills which are applicable to your target jobs.
Key achievements
Show employers the value you can bring to them by adding a few achievements to your jobs.
Whether you’ve saved the company money or improved an internal process, let recruiters know
Add some numbers to give readers a real scale of the impact, e.g. “reduced call wait time by 10%”
Example job for Financial Controller resume
Outline
Execute accounting, reporting, tax, estate, philanthropic, and personal financial planning initiatives for a company that provides HR and business management services to 200+ privately held retail automotive dealerships throughout Southern California, Florida, and Texas.
Key Responsibilities
- Develop accounting, performance reporting, and benchmarking tools to manage investment and income-producing real estate portfolios, startup ventures, and trust entities.
- Enable the CEO and executive group to master complexities of their assets through summarization and compiling monthly/quarterly, and annual communication packets.
- Facilitate estate planning strategy with specialists to preserve and legally protect assets.
- Operate with a high degree of autonomy when proactively creating effective structures, processes, and safeguards based upon business insights.
Quick tip: Create impressive job descriptions easily in our quick-and-easy Resume Builder by adding pre-written job phrases for every industry and career stage.
Education section
Nearing the end of your resume, your education/qualifications section should be added.
In a well-structured list, add all of your qualifications and certifications that qualify you to perform a typical Financial Controller role.
If you have plenty of work experience, keep this section brief – if not, add lots of detail to make up for your lack of experience.
Additional information
If you have anything else to add which is relevant to the jobs you are applying for, the additional info section is the place to add it.
Perhaps you have a hobby which involves relevant skills, or maybe you have some awards or publications worth mentioning.
Writing your own Financial Controller resume
Following the steps in this guide will help you to create a winning Financial Controller resume and bag lots of interviews.
If you want some more help through the process, try our quick-and-easy Resume Builder for expert guidance and tons of pre-written resume content.
Good luck with your job search!