Payroll Resume Sample

Writing a strong and interesting resume will be essential to obtaining the job of your dreams. During the writing process, it can be immensely helpful to look at a variety of resume samples before starting your own. By referencing the payroll resume sample below, you can learn how to structure your own document in a professional manner.

When writing your resume, it is important to remember the payroll industry is quite competitive. This means you will need to underscore your skills and market yourself in a way that makes you stand out from other candidates. In the payroll industry, you certainly want to emphasize your financial prowess, and the resume sample can show you how to do this in a manner that appeals to readers. If you have difficulty achieving this, the resume builder can offer you further guidance.

Sample Payroll Accountant Resume

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PAYROLL / ACCOUNTING PROFESSIONAL

More than 15 years of demonstrated success in timely and accurate payroll processing for high profile organizations in the engineering and manufacturing industries.Recognized by senior management for bringing team members and ideas together for achieving department goals and deadlines.

SKILLS

• Full-Cycle Payroll Processing
• G/L Account Reconciliations
• Employee Training / Follow-up
• Data Compilation / Analysis
• Regulatory Compliance
• Customized Management Reports
• Database and Personnel File Maintenance
• Employee Relations / Problem Resolution
• Benefits Administration / New Enrollments

CAREER PROGRESSION:

Payroll Accountant  2003-2007

Garry Struthers Associates, Inc.Bellevue, WA

• Processed weekly and bi-weekly payrolls, vacation payouts and payroll adjustments for all Washington and Virginia employees
• Reconciled payroll and benefits related g/l accounts and resolved any discrepancies
• Streamlined internal process for reviewing and posting all timesheets and related payroll entries
• Prepared month-end accrual reports and insurance census reports
• Reviewed and maintained Paid Leave and Vacation accrued hours for all employees
• Oversaw Benefits Administration, new enrollment, and Open Enrollment for Medical, Dental, Vision, 401k, and Long Term Disability plans
• Designed customized Report Writer reports for senior management staff
• Created and submitted bi-weekly 401k file contributions to third party provider

Payroll Specialist 2001-2003

Earth & Ocean Sports, Inc.Redmond, WA

•  Prepared and processed payroll for 250 Washington and California employees
• Utilized ADP PC/PW Payroll for Windows and Report Smith report writer
• Determined weekly payroll totals and 401k wires
• Prepared and posted month-end journal entries and accruals
• Reconciled payroll g/l accounts and resolved any discrepancies
• Created ad-hoc reports for accounting, HR, and senior management staff
• Prepared Quarter-end and Year-end reports

Payroll Specialist 1993-2001

Oldcastle Precast, Inc.Auburn, WA

•  Prepared and processed multi-state payrolls for over 1000 employees
• Utilized an in-house payroll system to process payroll
• Processed all garnishment payments through A/P system
• Reviewed weekly A/P entries, posted, and processed A/P checks
• Prepared and posted all month-end journal entries for production accruals
• Reconciled payroll related g/l accounts
• Prepared monthly 401k reports

 

Senior Payroll Specialist (1989-1991); Payroll Specialist (1988-1989)

 Paychex, Inc.Renton, WA

•  Maintained and updated personnel records for more than 3000 employees
• Processed weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, and monthly payrolls for more than 200 client accounts
•  Updated employee wage information, deductions, direct deposit, and insurance changes
•  Prepared Quarterly and Year-end payroll tax adjustments when requested by clients
•  Acquired extensive knowledge and experience in preparing payroll tax returns
•  Completed 3 week intensive corporate training program in payroll taxes and returns

TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES

• Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel
•  ADP PC / PW, Paychex Preview 6.7, Report Writer
•  Deltek Vision 4.12 and Deltek SEMA 4
•  Scotland Yard

EDUCATION

BACHELOR OF ARTS, Western Washington University

Why Is This a Good Payroll Resume Sample?

The payroll resume sample is a wonderful example of a cohesive and informative resume. The summary section starts off strong and provides the reader with important information about the applicant’s professional background. It uses active language, and it is the appropriate length for a summary statement. The statement also markets the applicant by using a reasonable mixture of hard and soft skills. After reading this summary, the hiring manager has a strong understanding of the applicant’s skill set and work history.

The skills section follows the summary, and it serves to emphasize traits and abilities essential to performing payroll duties. It uses short, concise phrases and bullet points to make the section readable, and although the phrases are short, they provide a significant amount of information. The section also includes a diverse range of professional skills any hiring manager in the payroll industry looks for when reading a resume. There are no generic job skills, and the writer shows knowledge of the industry in general.

The next section of the payroll resume sample is work history. To make the section more captivating, the applicant employs active language and begins each sentence with the proper tense. Instead of just listing generic job duties, the applicant is sure to describe accomplishments in great detail. The section also shows how the applicant contributed to the overall success of the company, and there are numerous metrics throughout. The section is also correctly formatted in reverse chronological order and uses bullet points to make the information easily readable.

Finally, the resume concludes with a technical capabilities section and educational section. The education section provides information about the applicant’s college background and is neatly formatted. The technical competencies section also lists technical skills that would not fit into the regular skills section.

Why You Need a Strong Payroll Resume

It is in your best interest to write a strong resume like the payroll resume sample. With a two percent decline in job growth, many payroll professionals have difficulty finding work, so it is imperative that you market yourself to hiring managers. Since the field is actually shrinking, you may find you have more competition than usual when job hunting.

The vast majority of hiring managers only skim the main sections of your resume, and even the smallest flaw can jeopardize your chances of receiving an interview. For this reason, you need to craft a strong resume that convinces impatient readers to spend more time examining your credentials.

Despite the negative job growth in your industry, you can land the job you want by utilizing the advice above and taking pointers from the resume sample.

Costly Payroll Resume Mistakes To Avoid

The writer of the payroll resume sample manages to avoid making many common mistakes. Simple mistakes such as misspelled words can jeopardize any resume, but in the payroll industry, there are other types of mistakes that can be just as detrimental to your job search.

As a payroll specialist, you want to avoid including a variety of unrelated skills, abilities, and jobs. Payroll specialists are essentially financial workers, so you want to emphasize your ability to manage money. Many workers list a variety of generic skills and job duties, which prevents them from standing out from other applicants. Always be specific and provide in-depth career details in a concise manner.

When writing a resume, you also want to avoid using boring, trite words and phrases. Instead of beginning a statement with “responsible for,” you could use a more interesting, active phrase such as “entrusted to.” You should also avoid leaving out metrics.

Conclusion

The payroll resume sample manages to incorporate the applicant’s career information in a single, well-formatted document. If you apply for a job in a competitive industry, you must follow best writing practices if you want to get noticed. Only include relevant information, and double-check your resume for mistakes before submitting it. By keeping these tips in mind, you can write a winning resume with ease.