Choose from a wide range of NEWCV resume templates and customize your NEWCV design with a single click.
Use ATS-optimised Resume and resume templates that pass applicant tracking systems. Our Resume builder helps recruiters read, scan, and shortlist your Resume faster.
Use professional field-tested resume templates that follow the exact Resume rules employers look for.
Create Resume
Use professional field-tested resume templates that follow the exact Resume rules employers look for.
Create ResumeA strong finance resume in Singapore does not simply list accounting tasks, finance duties, or software names. It must show that you can protect financial accuracy, support business decisions, manage reporting deadlines, work with stakeholders, and handle the level of ownership expected for the role. Recruiters and hiring managers look for evidence of scope, complexity, systems exposure, regulatory awareness, and measurable results. If your resume reads like a job description, it becomes forgettable. If it shows how you improved reporting, reduced errors, supported audits, managed cash flow, strengthened controls, or influenced business decisions, it becomes much easier to shortlist.
That is the real difference between a finance resume that gets glanced at and one that gets interviews in Singapore.
A finance resume in Singapore has to do two jobs at the same time. It needs to pass the applicant tracking system, and it needs to make a human recruiter believe you are worth presenting to the hiring manager.
This is where many candidates get it wrong. They focus only on keywords, then wonder why nobody calls. Keywords may help your resume surface, but they do not convince anyone that you can do the job. A recruiter still has to read your experience and think, “Yes, this person understands the finance environment we are hiring for.”
For finance roles in Singapore, the strongest resumes usually show four things clearly:
What type of finance work you have handled
What level of ownership you had
What systems, reporting standards, and processes you used
What business impact your work created
A junior finance executive does not need to sound like a CFO. A finance manager should not write like an accounts assistant. A financial analyst should not bury analytical work under generic “prepared reports” language. Your resume must match the level and nature of the role.
When I screen finance resumes, I am not only asking whether the candidate has finance experience. I am asking whether the experience is relevant to the business problem the company is trying to solve.
Someone searching for “finance resume Singapore” is usually not looking for abstract resume advice. They want to know how to write a resume that works for finance roles in the Singapore job market.
The practical goal is simple: get shortlisted for roles such as finance executive, accountant, financial analyst, finance manager, FP&A analyst, accounts executive, regional finance analyst, financial controller, or corporate finance professional.
The hidden concern is usually deeper. Many candidates are asking:
Why is my finance resume not getting responses?
How do I show finance achievements when my work feels routine?
What do Singapore recruiters expect to see?
Should I write my resume differently for accounting, FP&A, audit, banking, or corporate finance?
How do I make my resume ATS friendly without making it robotic?
This guide focuses on that exact intent. Not broad career advice. Not interview coaching. Not generic CV theory. Just how to write a finance resume for Singapore that recruiters and hiring managers can actually use.
That is the part candidates often miss. Hiring is not a school exam where the longest list wins. It is a risk decision. The employer is deciding whether you can handle their numbers, deadlines, stakeholders, systems, audit pressure, and reporting expectations without creating problems.
Recruiters do not read finance resumes like inspirational life stories. We scan them for risk, relevance, and evidence.
That sounds harsh, but it is useful to understand. A recruiter often has a role brief from a hiring manager, and the brief usually contains non negotiables. These may include SAP experience, full set accounts exposure, financial reporting, audit support, consolidation, budgeting, forecasting, MAS reporting, banking operations, stakeholder management, regional coverage, or specific industry experience.
The resume has to make the match obvious.
The first thing I look for is scope. “Finance” can mean many things in Singapore. It can mean accounts payable, accounts receivable, general ledger, financial reporting, management reporting, FP&A, treasury, tax, audit, fund accounting, investment operations, compliance reporting, business partnering, or corporate finance.
Do not assume the reader will understand your scope from your job title. Job titles in Singapore can be very inconsistent. One company’s “Finance Executive” may handle full set accounts. Another company’s “Finance Executive” may only process invoices. One “Finance Manager” may lead regional reporting. Another may be a standalone accountant in an SME with a manager title.
Your resume must explain the actual scope.
A hiring manager wants to know whether you executed tasks, owned a process, reviewed work, led a team, advised stakeholders, or influenced decisions.
These are not the same.
For example, “prepared monthly reports” is very different from “owned month end closing for three Singapore entities and reviewed variance analysis for leadership reporting.” The second version tells me scope, ownership, and business relevance.
In finance hiring, ownership matters because mistakes are expensive. A weak resume makes everything look like basic admin. A strong resume shows where you were trusted with accuracy, deadlines, decisions, and controls.
Singapore finance employers often care about systems because systems reveal the environment you have worked in. SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, Workday, Xero, QuickBooks, Hyperion, Power BI, Tableau, advanced Excel, Bloomberg, SQL, and ERP migration exposure all tell a story.
But do not just dump system names into a skills section. Show how you used them.
Weak Example
Good Example
The good version is stronger because it connects the tool to the work and the outcome.
Finance roles in Singapore can vary greatly depending on the industry. A finance professional in a bank, fund manager, technology company, logistics firm, healthcare group, retail business, or manufacturing environment may deal with very different reporting expectations.
If you have relevant exposure, say it clearly. Banking, insurance, fintech, asset management, shipping, commodities, real estate, professional services, and regional headquarters environments can all matter.
For regulated sectors, hiring managers often pay closer attention to accuracy, controls, compliance, audit readiness, and reporting discipline. They are not just hiring someone who can “do finance”. They are hiring someone who understands what happens when numbers are wrong.
For most finance professionals in Singapore, the best resume format is a clean reverse chronological format. That means your most recent role comes first, followed by earlier roles.
This works because finance hiring is usually experience led. Recruiters want to see your latest scope, current level, industries handled, and career progression.
A strong Singapore finance resume should include:
Name and contact details
Professional summary
Key finance skills
Professional experience
Education
Certifications
Systems and technical skills
Additional information if relevant
Keep the format clean. Avoid heavy graphics, icons, columns that confuse ATS systems, photos, long personal statements, and decorative templates. A finance resume should feel precise, structured, and easy to verify.
This is not the place for design gymnastics. Finance hiring managers usually care more about clarity than creativity. If your resume looks like a brochure but does not explain your reporting scope, it is not doing its job.
For most finance candidates, one to two pages is enough. Senior finance managers, controllers, CFO track candidates, or regional finance leaders may need two to three pages if the scope is complex.
The issue is not page count alone. The issue is density and relevance.
A two page resume filled with strong finance evidence is fine. A one page resume that hides important scope is not. A three page resume full of repeated task lists is painful. Nobody in hiring has ever said, “This candidate repeated accounts payable duties six times, I am deeply moved.”
Use the space to show progression, ownership, systems, reporting complexity, leadership, and measurable outcomes.
Your resume summary should quickly explain who you are, what finance scope you bring, and why your background fits the role.
Avoid generic phrases like “hardworking finance professional with excellent communication skills.” That tells me nothing. Everyone says that. The summary should feel specific enough that it could not belong to ten thousand other candidates.
A strong finance resume summary may include:
Your finance specialisation
Years or level of experience if useful
Industry exposure
Reporting scope
Systems experience
Key strengths such as month end closing, FP&A, audit, controls, consolidation, or business partnering
Regional or stakeholder exposure
Weak Example
Finance professional with strong analytical skills and good attention to detail. Able to work independently and as part of a team.
This is technically fine and practically useless. It gives no hiring signal.
Good Example
Finance professional with experience in financial reporting, month end closing, variance analysis, and audit support across Singapore and regional entities. Strong exposure to SAP, advanced Excel, and Power BI, with a track record of improving reporting accuracy, reducing manual reconciliation work, and supporting business leaders with clearer cost and margin insights.
This works because it gives the recruiter something to match against the role brief.
Finance professional with experience in [finance area], [reporting scope], and [industry or entity coverage]. Skilled in [systems], [technical finance skill], and [stakeholder or business partnering skill]. Known for [measurable strength or outcome], with exposure to [audit, controls, budgeting, forecasting, compliance, consolidation, or regional reporting].
Use this as a structure, not a script. The best summary still needs to sound like your actual background.
A finance resume skills section should not be a keyword graveyard. It should help the recruiter quickly understand your technical fit.
The mistake I see often is candidates mixing everything together: accounting, Microsoft Office, teamwork, leadership, communication, problem solving, SAP, budgeting, forecasting, payroll, tax, admin, and “positive attitude” all in one messy block.
That does not help screening.
Group your skills logically.
Relevant technical finance skills may include:
Financial reporting
Management reporting
Month end closing
Full set accounts
General ledger
Accounts payable
Accounts receivable
Bank reconciliation
Budgeting and forecasting
Variance analysis
Financial modelling
Cash flow management
Cost analysis
Revenue recognition
Audit support
Internal controls
Tax compliance
GST reporting
Consolidation
Treasury support
FP&A
Business partnering
Financial planning
Management accounts
Statutory reporting
Relevant systems and tools may include:
SAP
Oracle
NetSuite
Workday
Xero
QuickBooks
MYOB
Hyperion
Anaplan
Power BI
Do not claim advanced Excel if your strongest Excel skill is changing font colour. In finance hiring, technical exaggeration gets exposed quickly, sometimes during interview, sometimes during the first week of work. Neither is a great look.
Soft skills should be used sparingly and backed by evidence in your experience section.
For finance roles, useful soft skills include:
Stakeholder management
Business partnering
Communication with non finance teams
Team leadership
Process improvement
Deadline management
Attention to detail
Problem solving
But again, do not just list them. Show them through work examples.
Weak Example
Good Example
That is stakeholder management with proof.
Finance resume bullet points should not read like your employment contract. They should show what you handled, how complex it was, and what changed because of your work.
A strong bullet point usually has four parts:
Action
Scope
Method or responsibility
Outcome
You do not need every bullet point to have a number, but you do need substance. Finance is a measurable function, so vague language is especially damaging.
Weak Example
Responsible for monthly closing
Prepared reports
Assisted with audit
Handled invoices
Used Excel
These bullets are common, but they are too thin. They describe activity, not value.
Good Example
Managed month end closing for three Singapore entities, including accruals, prepayments, reconciliations, and variance review, ensuring timely submission to regional finance leadership
Prepared monthly management reports covering revenue, gross margin, operating expenses, and cash flow, helping department heads identify cost overruns and forecast gaps
Supported external audit by preparing schedules, resolving documentation gaps, and coordinating responses across finance, operations, and shared service teams
Improved invoice matching and payment tracking process, reducing recurring vendor follow ups and strengthening visibility over outstanding liabilities
Built Excel based reporting templates to standardise variance analysis across business units and reduce manual rework during reporting cycles
These bullets tell me far more. They show ownership, scope, stakeholders, and practical finance impact.
A finance resume should be tailored to the role type. “Finance” is too broad to write one generic resume and send it everywhere.
This is where candidates lose interviews. They apply for FP&A roles with an accounting heavy resume, apply for finance manager roles with task based junior bullets, or apply for banking roles with a corporate accounting resume that does not show financial markets or regulatory context.
For finance executive and accounts executive roles in Singapore, focus on accuracy, transaction handling, reconciliations, closing support, and systems.
Show experience in:
AP and AR processing
Invoice verification
Payment runs
Bank reconciliation
GL entries
Month end support
GST support
Vendor and customer queries
ERP usage
Documentation and audit support
At this level, hiring managers want reliability. They are asking, “Can this person handle volume accurately and not create a mess for the team?”
Your resume should show volume, accuracy, deadlines, and process discipline.
For accountant roles, show stronger ownership over financial reporting, full set accounts, reconciliations, statutory requirements, tax, audit, and month end close.
Show experience in:
Full set accounts
Financial statements
Month end and year end closing
Balance sheet reconciliation
Audit schedules
GST and tax support
Management reporting
Internal controls
Stakeholder coordination
The difference between an accounts executive resume and an accountant resume is ownership. An accountant resume should show that you can take responsibility for the numbers, not only process transactions.
For financial analyst and FP&A roles, your resume must show analysis, not just reporting.
This is a common problem. Many candidates say “financial analysis” when they actually mean “I prepared a report.” A report is not automatically analysis. Analysis means you interpreted the numbers, found drivers, explained variance, challenged assumptions, supported decisions, or improved forecasts.
Show experience in:
Budgeting
Forecasting
Variance analysis
Financial modelling
Cost analysis
Margin analysis
Scenario planning
Business partnering
Performance reporting
Power BI or dashboard reporting
The hiring manager is asking, “Can this person help us understand what the numbers mean and what we should do next?”
Your resume must answer that clearly.
For finance manager roles in Singapore, task based resumes are a problem. At this level, employers expect ownership, leadership, controls, business partnering, and decision support.
Show experience in:
Leading month end closing
Reviewing financial statements
Managing finance teams
Budget and forecast ownership
Audit and tax coordination
Cash flow planning
Internal controls
Process improvement
Senior stakeholder reporting
A finance manager resume should show that you can manage through others, review work, influence stakeholders, and protect financial integrity.
If your resume still says “prepared invoices” and “assisted with reports” as the main story, it will look too junior even if your title says manager.
For banking, asset management, fintech, insurance, or financial services roles, context matters. Employers may look for regulatory awareness, controls, risk discipline, product knowledge, client sensitivity, and data accuracy.
Show experience in:
Banking operations
Financial products
Fund accounting
Investment reporting
Risk and controls
Compliance reporting
KYC or AML support if relevant
MAS related reporting exposure if applicable
Reconciliation of high value transactions
Do not casually throw in regulated finance keywords unless you can explain them in interview. In financial services hiring, vague keyword stuffing is easy to spot.
Below is a realistic finance resume example for Singapore. Use it as a quality benchmark, not as something to copy blindly. Your own resume should reflect your actual scope, level, systems, and achievements.
Name
Amanda Tan
Contact
Singapore | amanda.tan@email.com | +65 9XXX XXXX | LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/amandatan
Professional Summary
Finance professional with experience in financial reporting, month end closing, management reporting, budgeting, and variance analysis across Singapore and regional entities. Strong exposure to SAP, Power BI, and advanced Excel, with a track record of improving reporting accuracy, strengthening reconciliation processes, and supporting business leaders with clearer cost and margin insights. Experienced in audit coordination, internal controls, stakeholder reporting, and process improvement within fast paced corporate finance environments.
Key Finance Skills
Financial reporting
Month end closing
Management reporting
Budgeting and forecasting
Variance analysis
Full set accounts
Balance sheet reconciliation
Audit support
Internal controls
Cash flow reporting
Cost analysis
Business partnering
Process improvement
Regional reporting
Systems and Tools
SAP
Power BI
Advanced Excel
Oracle
Microsoft Dynamics
Tableau
Professional Experience
Senior Finance Analyst, Meridian Consumer Group, Singapore
Jan 2022 to Present
Own monthly management reporting for Singapore and Malaysia business units, covering revenue, gross margin, operating expenses, working capital, and cash flow movement
Partner with sales, operations, and supply chain teams to explain monthly variance drivers, challenge forecast assumptions, and improve cost visibility for leadership reviews
Built Power BI dashboards for sales margin and operating expense tracking, reducing manual report preparation and improving visibility for commercial stakeholders
Support annual budgeting and quarterly forecasting cycles by consolidating business inputs, reviewing assumptions, and preparing analysis packs for regional finance leadership
Lead month end variance review across key cost centres, identifying recurring accrual gaps and improving alignment between finance and department owners
Coordinate audit schedules and supporting documentation for assigned entities, working with external auditors and internal teams to close queries within reporting timelines
Improved balance sheet reconciliation templates across several accounts, reducing review issues and strengthening month end control discipline
Finance Analyst, Straits Technology Solutions, Singapore
Jul 2019 to Dec 2021
Prepared monthly financial reports covering revenue, project costs, operating expenses, and department level performance for Singapore headquarters
Supported month end closing activities including accruals, prepayments, journal entries, intercompany charges, and reconciliation review
Analysed project profitability and cost movement, helping project managers understand margin leakage and improve billing accuracy
Assisted finance manager with budget preparation, forecast updates, and monthly presentation materials for senior management
Worked with operations teams to resolve invoice discrepancies, improve supporting documentation, and reduce recurring billing delays
Maintained Excel based tracking files for cash flow, vendor payments, and expense movement, improving visibility over short term finance commitments
Accounts Executive, Lionbridge Retail Asia, Singapore
May 2017 to Jun 2019
Handled accounts payable and accounts receivable processes, including invoice verification, payment preparation, customer billing, and vendor reconciliation
Prepared bank reconciliations and supported month end closing through journal preparation, schedule updates, and documentation checks
Assisted with GST reporting preparation and external audit requests by compiling supporting documents and resolving transaction queries
Improved invoice tracking process by standardising follow up logs and reducing repeated payment status queries from vendors
Education
Bachelor of Accountancy, Singapore University of Social Sciences, Singapore
2013 to 2017
Certifications
ACCA, Part Qualified
Advanced Excel for Finance Professionals
Power BI for Business Reporting
Additional Information
Languages: English and Mandarin
Work authorisation: Singapore Citizen
ATS keywords matter, but they are not magic. The applicant tracking system may help filter resumes, but the real decision still comes from a human reading your experience.
Use relevant keywords naturally. Do not paste a giant keyword list at the bottom of your resume. It looks desperate, and it does not help the recruiter understand your actual ability.
Useful finance resume keywords for Singapore may include:
Financial reporting
Management reporting
Month end closing
Year end closing
Full set accounts
General ledger
Balance sheet reconciliation
Budgeting
Forecasting
Variance analysis
Financial modelling
FP&A
Business partnering
Audit support
Internal controls
GST
Tax compliance
Cash flow management
Consolidation
Revenue recognition
Cost analysis
Working capital
SAP
Oracle
NetSuite
Power BI
Advanced Excel
Hyperion
Stakeholder management
Regional reporting
The key is placement. Put the most important keywords in your summary, skills, and experience sections where they make sense. If a job advertisement repeatedly mentions budgeting, forecasting, and business partnering, your resume should show those things clearly in your actual work history.
Do not rely on a skills section alone. A recruiter trusts experience more than keyword claims.
Finance candidates are often strong technically but weak at explaining their value. That is frustrating because many good candidates lose interviews simply because their resume undersells them.
This is the biggest issue.
“Responsible for reporting” does not tell me whether you reported for one small department or five regional entities. “Handled closing” does not tell me whether you posted simple journals or owned the full month end process.
Finance resumes need scope.
Instead of writing:
Weak Example
Write:
Good Example
The second bullet gives context. Context creates confidence.
Many mid level and senior candidates write resumes that sound too administrative. They list tasks but do not show review responsibility, decision support, leadership, controls, or business influence.
At senior level, hiring managers want to see judgement. They want to know you can spot issues, challenge assumptions, manage risk, and communicate with stakeholders.
If you are a finance manager, your resume should not be dominated by transaction processing. Show team leadership, reporting ownership, process improvement, audit accountability, stakeholder management, and commercial support.
There is nothing wrong with assisting if that was your role. But if every bullet starts with “assisted”, the resume starts to sound passive.
Use more precise verbs where accurate:
Managed
Prepared
Reviewed
Analysed
Consolidated
Reconciled
Led
Coordinated
Improved
Streamlined
The verb should reflect your real level of ownership. Do not inflate, but do not shrink yourself either.
A finance resume for FP&A should not look identical to one for financial accounting. A banking operations resume should not read like a generic accounting resume. A finance manager resume should not be a longer version of an accounts executive resume.
Tailoring does not mean rewriting your life story for every job. It means choosing the most relevant evidence for the role.
For example:
For FP&A, emphasise analysis, forecasting, modelling, stakeholder support, and commercial insights
For accounting, emphasise closing, reporting, reconciliation, audit, tax, and controls
For finance manager roles, emphasise ownership, leadership, review, business partnering, and process improvement
For banking or financial services, emphasise risk discipline, regulatory exposure, controls, reconciliation, product knowledge, and stakeholder accuracy
Systems matter, but only when connected to work.
A resume that says “SAP, Oracle, Power BI, Tableau, Excel” may pass a keyword scan, but it still leaves the recruiter asking, “So what did you actually do with them?”
Show usage.
Good Example
Good Example
That is much stronger than a tool list with no context.
Many finance candidates tell me, “But my job is just normal finance work. I do not have achievements.”
Usually, that is not true. The problem is that finance achievements often look ordinary because they are part of keeping the business running. But reliable closing, clean reconciliations, audit readiness, accurate cash flow tracking, fewer errors, better reporting, and improved stakeholder visibility are all valuable.
You do not need to invent dramatic achievements. You need to explain the business value of the work.
Ask yourself:
Did I reduce manual work?
Did I improve reporting accuracy?
Did I help close accounts faster?
Did I reduce audit queries?
Did I clean up reconciliation issues?
Did I improve visibility for managers?
Did I support better budget decisions?
Did I handle higher volume than before?
Did I manage additional entities or regions?
Did I train junior team members?
Did I improve controls or documentation?
Did I support a system migration or process change?
This is where finance candidates often underplay themselves. They think only revenue growth counts. In finance, protecting accuracy and reducing risk also counts. A clean audit, a faster close, better cash visibility, fewer recurring errors, and stronger controls are all meaningful outcomes.
The trick is to write them without sounding inflated.
Weak Example
Good Example
Same work, better explanation.
Hiring managers read finance resumes differently from recruiters. Recruiters usually look for match and marketability. Hiring managers look for confidence and risk.
They ask sharper questions.
Complexity may come from entity structure, reporting timelines, regional coverage, system limitations, transaction volume, stakeholder demands, audit pressure, or messy historical processes.
Your resume should show the level of complexity you have handled.
Finance is no longer just back office number preparation. Many roles in Singapore require finance professionals to explain numbers to sales, operations, management, regional teams, auditors, tax advisors, vendors, or business leaders.
If you have business partnering experience, show it.
Some roles need stability. Others need someone who can clean up reporting, build dashboards, improve controls, support growth, or fix broken processes.
If you have improved a process, say so clearly.
This is a real hiring issue. A resume can accidentally position you at the wrong level. Too many task based bullets may make a senior candidate look junior. Too many strategic claims without hands on evidence may make a mid level candidate look inflated.
The best finance resumes show the right balance: technical credibility, practical ownership, and level appropriate impact.
Before sending your finance resume, check it against this list.
Does the summary clearly state your finance specialisation and level?
Does the resume show your actual scope, not only your job title?
Are your bullet points specific enough to show ownership?
Have you included relevant systems and tools?
Have you shown reporting, closing, analysis, audit, tax, controls, or business partnering where relevant?
Are your achievements realistic and measurable where possible?
Does the resume match the type of finance role you are applying for?
Have you removed generic phrases that add no value?
Is the format clean and ATS friendly?
Can a recruiter understand your fit in under 30 seconds?
That last point matters. Recruiters do not reject good candidates because they enjoy being difficult. Often, they reject resumes because the relevance is not clear enough. Your job is not to make the recruiter investigate your potential like a detective. Your job is to make the match easy to see.
Written by Simar Malhi, a recruiter and headhunter with international recruitment experience. I write about CVs, job applications, hiring decisions, and the reality behind recruitment processes. My goal is to help candidates understand more honestly how employers, recruiters, and hiring managers actually select candidates.
Tableau
Advanced Excel
VBA
SQL
Bloomberg
FactSet
Microsoft Dynamics
Commercial insights
Regional or entity level finance ownership
Client or stakeholder reporting
Partnered
Presented
Investigated
Supported
Upload Resume
Import from Linkedin