Sharp Consultancy's Salary Survey 2025/26:

How to Write a Winning CV as a Part-Qualified Accountant

Whether you’re halfway through your ACCA, CIMA, or ACA qualification, being a part-qualified accountant is a valuable position that opens doors to numerous opportunities...However, capitalising on those opportunities starts with one critical tool: a well-crafted CV. Your CV isn't just a list of previous roles — it’s a strategic marketing document. It's your chance to demonstrate to employers that although you're not yet fully qualified, you already deliver tangible value and have the potential to grow into a fully-fledged finance professional. Based on experience within the demanding and fast-growing part-qualified market, here are five essential elements your CV must include to stand out.1. Lead with a Powerful Personal StatementThis is the first impression — and one of the most important parts of your CV. A strong personal statement should make hiring managers want to read more. Your personal statement should cover: Your current qualification status (e.g., “ACCA part-qualified with 7 out of 13 exams completed”). Your professional ambitions and what drives you. Key strengths developed so far (e.g., process improvement, analytical thinking, stakeholder collaboration). Areas you’re eager to grow in. Tailor this section for each role you apply to. Show your enthusiasm for the specific opportunity and highlight relevant experience. Crucially, mention where you've added value — perhaps by streamlining a process, supporting a new project, or exceeding performance targets.2. Showcase Your Professional Experience with ImpactThe experience section is your chance to back up your personal statement with evidence. Avoid vague job descriptions. Instead, go into detail: Describe key processes you’ve worked on (include figures or financial details where possible). Highlight your role in cross-functional teams or collaboration with senior stakeholders. Focus on contributions you've made — especially in process improvements, efficiencies, or data-driven decisions. Rather than just listing duties, emphasise achievements. What did you deliver? What changed as a result? Who benefited from your input? Remember: employers in the part-qualified market want to see your potential and how you've already added value. 3. Highlight Transferable Skills and Tailor for Each JobIt’s easy to fall into the trap of sending the same CV to every job. Don’t. Tailoring your CV to each opportunity shows initiative and relevance. Start by thoroughly reading the job description. Identify what the employer is really looking for — and match that to your skills and experience. For example, if the role emphasizes SOX compliance, IFRS, or UK/US GAAP reporting standards, and you’ve had exposure to these, make it clear. If a job involves partnering with non-finance departments, highlight any experience communicating with cross-functional teams or presenting financial insights. Mention transferable skills such as: Problem-solving Analytical thinking Use of ERP systems Forecasting and budgeting support This shows you’ve not just read the job description — you understand what the company needs and the transferable skills and experience you have.4. Don’t Just List Technical Skills — Demonstrate ThemHiring managers don’t just want to see a list of accounting systems and tools you’ve used — they want to understand how you’ve used them. For each system (e.g., SAP, Sage, Excel, Power BI), include: What you used it for (e.g., “automated monthly reporting using Excel macros”). Any efficiencies or improvements achieved through its use. If you implemented or helped roll out a system or process, explain your role and the outcome. Example: "Developed a reporting dashboard in Power BI that reduced manual month-end reporting time by 30%, allowing the team to focus on variance analysis and forecasting." This showcases your technical ability and your contribution to the wider team.5. Include Key Achievements or Case Studies Using STAR In a competitive job market, including 2–3 concise achievements or mini case studies can elevate your CV. Use the STAR Method to structure them: Situation – What challenge or context were you working in? Task – What was your role or responsibility? Action – What steps did you take? Result – What was the outcome? Quantify it if possible. For Example: Situation: Month-end reporting was consistently delayed due to data inconsistencies. Task: Identify the bottlenecks and improve the workflow. Action: Collaborated with the data team to build an automated reconciliation process. Result: Reduced reporting time by 2 days and improved data accuracy, enabling earlier board review. Including achievements like this gives your CV personality and provides excellent talking points during interviews. Final ThoughtsBeing a part-qualified accountant isn’t a limitation — it’s a launchpad. The right CV will not only reflect your current abilities but also show employers your drive, value, and potential. To recap: Craft a compelling personal statement tailored to each role. Highlight achievements and value-adds, not just responsibilities. Tailor your CV to every application — make your skills match the role. Showcase your technical experience with real examples. Include 2–3 achievements using the STAR method to give your CV depth. With these elements, your CV won’t just get you through the door — it will set the tone for your progression toward full qualification and a thriving finance career. Visit Our Candidate Advice Pages HereLooking for your next career move in finance or accountancy? At Sharp Consultancy, our expertise lies in matching your potential with the perfect temporary, interim, or permanent position. With a well-established presence in Leeds and Sheffield, our seasoned team of consultants extends their services across Yorkshire and beyond. Don't wait for opportunity to knock, reach out to us TODAYand let's chart your career path together.

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In last year’s commentary I said that a ‘degree of normality’ had returned to the economy and solid GDP growth had finally ‘rid us of the word recession’.

Before I chastise myself horribly, I suspect I wasn’t the only one that couldn’t have forecast what a difference two changes in governments could make (UK first and US second).

The former immediately created a change in business sentiment which changes to the tax regime further dampened. The word recession reappeared. The latter led to worldwide economic flux for reasons we are all now very familiar with – tariffs anyone?

Lee Sweeney, Executive Director at Sharp Consultancy standing in the Sharp Consultancy office in Leeds in-front of our word wall.

What does this mean for employment? Employers don’t like uncertainty because it is errr, so uncertain. Some hiring is by necessity, but some is investment; the former continues and the latter reduces.

The market is however not ‘dead’. We’ve seen ‘dead’ before (think credit crunch and early Covid). We believe that the market has remained surprisingly resilient. I believe that is because businesses have suffered enough shocks over recent years to have become more resilient. Whether I’m right or wrong, the jobs market (for accountants at least) is somewhere between OK and reasonably good. If you have skills, experience and sensible expectations you are very likely to find what you are looking for in relatively short order.

"If you have skills, experience and sensible expectations you are very likely to find what you are looking for in relatively short order."

Looking through the employer’s lens, good accounting professionals can be found – but they’re not ‘ten-a-penny’. As I discussed in last year’s commentary, employers continue to try and force the issue on increased office-based working and generally (though our survey suggests this is beginning to soften), employees continue to resist. I think we’re still a year or two away from some kind of equilibrium. Salary increases have flattened but job seekers haven’t fully embraced that yet (though again one of our salary survey questions suggests it is softening) and so there is still a need for a degree of generosity to entice potential employees – there is enough choice for them to wait a little longer for the next opportunity if your package isn’t quite attractive enough.

It appears that private equity firms still have funds to invest and lenders still have appetite to lend and so, perhaps slightly counter intuitively, the deals market still seems to be moving at a reasonable pace with optimism for a better year ahead.

I like to conclude by turning to my crystal ball and predicting the future. Last year I utterly failed (though as mentioned above, I can perhaps be forgiven). The resilience of the economy (recession didn’t happen) and the employment market gives me hope – economic disaster aside caused by tariffs or some other huge shock, I suspect job seekers and employers will see a reasonably good jobs market. There is definitely some uncertainty in the year to come, but there is a very strong desire in the business community to find a way through or around whatever lies ahead (and experience from shocks gone by to steer a safe course), so the odds of a stable year outweigh the odds of a poor one.

Sharp Consultancy's Salary Survey 2025/26: Resilience in the Face of Change: The Evolving Jobs Market by Lee Sweeney

In last year’s commentary I said that a ‘degree of normality’ had returned to the economy and solid GDP growth had finally ‘rid us of the word recession’.

"If you have skills, experience and sensible expectations you are very likely to find what you are looking for in relatively short order."

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​In last year’s commentary I said that a ‘degree of normality’ had returned to the economy and solid GDP growth had finally ‘rid us of the word recession’.

"If you have skills, experience and sensible expectations you are very likely to find what you are looking for in relatively short order."

In last year’s commentary I said that a ‘degree of normality’ had returned to the economy and solid GDP growth had finally ‘rid us of the word recession’.