Your skills section can include up to eight different skills, including a mix of soft, hard and technical skills. All three resume formats include a dedicated skills section where you list up to eight skills in a bullet list.

However, a functional resume goes into detail about your skills in three to four descriptive bullet points. Let's look at an example of a functional’s expanded skills section:

Here are some soft, hard and technical skills you might want to include in your resume.

Find more skills for tax preparers in our Resume Builder. Use our resume-builder tool to build your resume rapidly by choosing from suggested skills and prewritten content specifically for tax preparers.

Recruiters can determine an experienced candidate's expertise by reviewing their past roles in the same industry. List your work experiences in reverse-chronological order, starting with the most recent.

Each job entry must include the following information:

Describe your past accomplishments and tasks using three or four bullet points below each entry.

Learn how to frame your work history with this example:

Poor example:

A hiring manager will find it challenging to evaluate a candidate's value and abilities from a vague description such as this one.

Good example:

In this example, the numbers and details illustrate the candidate's qualifications and caliber.

Follow these tips for a stronger work history section:

Education

A prospective employer can check your education qualifications to determine if you possess the basic qualifications required for the position. Start with your highest academic degree or diploma relevant to your field.

Make sure each entry includes the following:

A bachelor's degree in finance or accounting is often enough to qualify as a tax preparer. However, you can upgrade your career by obtaining a higher degree in the same field. Additionally, you can incorporate details of other relevant credentials, such as electronic filing identification numbers (EFIN) and Preparer tax identification numbers (PTIN).

Custom Sections: licenses, training and certifications

Create a custom section for all the additional certifications relevant to your role as a tax preparer. A tax preparer must have or consider acquiring the following credentials to excel in their career:

U.S. International Tax Certificate

This certificate teaches tax professionals how to keep up to date with the ever-changing tax laws and appropriately plan for and ensure compliance with applicable tax regulations within your jurisdiction and globally.

Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN)

Any agent who prepares federal tax returns for compensation must have a PTIN before preparing returns.

Certified Bookkeeper (CB) Program

Take the CB exam to give your bookkeeping career a head start. This program can provide you with the advanced bookkeeping knowledge needed to enhance your career.

Microsoft Office Specialist

Knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite products, particularly Excel, is essential for tax preparers. This certification can allow you to demonstrate your proficiency in Excel and other Microsoft applications.

Some additional educational options that you can consider are:

Contact information

Your personal information sits at the top of your resume and includes crucial details like your full name, city and state of residence, telephone number and professional email address. If you run a private office, consider adding a link to your professional website or LinkedIn account.