Can I copy this controller resume example?

Copy the structure, not the sentences. The layout, the ordering, and the shape of the bullets all transfer. The content does not: a recruiter who reads twenty resumes for the same role notices identical phrasing quickly, and the numbers in this sample are illustrative rather than anyone's real history.

What if I do not have numbers like these?

Most people have more than they think. Look for volume, frequency, time, cost, error rate, or a before-and-after on anything you touched. Where the number genuinely does not exist, say what changed and who noticed - "the process that used to need a weekly meeting now does not" is a real outcome without a metric.

How long should a controller resume be?

One page up to about eight years of experience, two pages beyond it. This example is one page. Length signals scope, so a long page with small-scope bullets reads worse than a short one.

Will this format pass an applicant tracking system?

Yes. One column, real text, standard headings, and no graphics or tables is the format parsers handle reliably. Most parsing failures come from multi-column layouts, text inside images, and headings the parser does not recognise.

Should the example change for a more senior controller role?

The structure stays. What changes is the scope in the bullets: more ambiguity you resolved yourself, more decisions with a tradeoff, and more effect on work that was not directly yours. Close cycle time, audit outcomes, and controls you put in.

Resume example

Controller resume example

Name: Controller: open roles and who is hiring
Creator: Refolk

Owns accounting operations, controls, and a close that lands on time. Below is a complete controller resume, written the way one has to be written to survive a first screen, with every bullet explained underneath.

open right now

companies hiring right now

25%

of those openings are remote

Mostly in

New York, San Francisco, Israel

Hiring now

Alan3
Carta3
Flow3
Hopper3
Nubank3
Stripe3
Andreessen Horowitz2
ARQ2

Counted by Refolk from the public job boards of 1,745 companies, refreshed through the day. These are live openings, not a forecast, so the numbers move as roles are posted and filled.

Alex Moreno

Controller

alex.moreno@example.com · +1 555 0134 · Berlin · alexmoreno.example

Summary

Controller with eight years of experience. Rebuilt the close process, taking it from 15 days to 6 while adding two new reporting entities. Looking for a controller role with more ownership of GAAP and the decisions around it.

Experience

Senior Controller, Northwind Systems

2022 - Present

Rebuilt the close process, taking it from 15 days to 6 while adding two new reporting entities.
Implemented internal controls that closed all prior-year audit findings.
Led the ERP migration for a 400-person company with no disruption to reporting.

Controller, Meridian Labs

2018 - 2022

Owned the Close management side of the work at a company with a six-person finance team, and documented it well enough to hand over cleanly.
Set the approach the team still uses for Internal controls.

Skills

GAAP · Close management · Internal controls · Audit management · NetSuite · Team leadership · Technical accounting

Education

BSc Finance, 2018

A sample, not a real person. The name, the employers, and the figures are invented to show the shape of a strong page - use the structure and put your own evidence in it.

How to read this controller resume example

The sample above is not a template to copy word for word - copied resumes read as copied. It is here to show the shape of a page that gets past a first screen: one column, standard headings, and bullets that end in an outcome rather than a duty. Close cycle time, audit outcomes, and controls you put in.

Every bullet opens with a verb and carries a number. That is the pattern, not a coincidence.
The summary makes a claim and then supports it in the first bullet underneath.
Skills are named tools, not adjectives, and each one appears again in the experience section.
The earlier role is short. Recent work carries the weight of the page.

The numbers in a controller resume

The most common thing missing from a controller resume is a number. Not because the work had none, but because nobody wrote them down at the time. These are the measures a controller can usually reach for, and the example uses them.

Rebuilt the close process, taking it from 15 days to 6 while adding two new reporting entities.
Implemented internal controls that closed all prior-year audit findings.
Led the ERP migration for a 400-person company with no disruption to reporting.

Before and after: rewriting a weak bullet

Most controller resumes are one edit away from being much stronger, and the edit is the same every time: replace the description of the job with the result of doing it. The pairs below are the same work, written twice.

Weak: "Responsible for gaap and related tasks." Strong: "Rebuilt the close process, taking it from 15 days to 6 while adding two new reporting entities."
Weak: "Worked on close management projects across the team." Strong: "Implemented internal controls that closed all prior-year audit findings."
Weak: "Helped improve processes and supported controller initiatives." Strong: "Led the ERP migration for a 400-person company with no disruption to reporting."

Adapting the example to your own history

Work backwards from the posting. Find the two or three things it actually screens for, then make sure the top third of your page answers them. Everything below that is supporting evidence.

Reorder your bullets so the one closest to the posting comes first in each role.
Rewrite the summary for the specific job. It is the only part a human reliably reads.
Cut any skill you would not want to be asked about for ten minutes.
Keep GAAP, Close management, Internal controls visible in context, not stranded in a list.

FAQ

Can I copy this controller resume example?: Copy the structure, not the sentences. The layout, the ordering, and the shape of the bullets all transfer. The content does not: a recruiter who reads twenty resumes for the same role notices identical phrasing quickly, and the numbers in this sample are illustrative rather than anyone's real history.
What if I do not have numbers like these?: Most people have more than they think. Look for volume, frequency, time, cost, error rate, or a before-and-after on anything you touched. Where the number genuinely does not exist, say what changed and who noticed - "the process that used to need a weekly meeting now does not" is a real outcome without a metric.
How long should a controller resume be?: One page up to about eight years of experience, two pages beyond it. This example is one page. Length signals scope, so a long page with small-scope bullets reads worse than a short one.
Will this format pass an applicant tracking system?: Yes. One column, real text, standard headings, and no graphics or tables is the format parsers handle reliably. Most parsing failures come from multi-column layouts, text inside images, and headings the parser does not recognise.
Should the example change for a more senior controller role?: The structure stays. What changes is the scope in the bullets: more ambiguity you resolved yourself, more decisions with a tradeoff, and more effect on work that was not directly yours. Close cycle time, audit outcomes, and controls you put in.

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