Accountant CV: Example and Template
A complete two-page example, with what Swiss employers look for first in an accountant: the federal diploma, Swiss GAAP FER or IFRS experience, and figures rather than duties.
Currently 172 open Accountant positions in Switzerland, across 10 cantons, 46 of them from the last 7 days. Vontobel advertises the most.
CV example — two-page template
This template is editable straight away — or upload your existing CV and it is carried into this layout automatically.
Check your CV against real Swiss job adverts
The check compares your CV with what Swiss adverts actually ask for — structure, language level, missing evidence.
Check my CVWhat qualification do Swiss employers expect from an accountant?
The federal certificate in finance and accounting is the baseline; the federal diploma is what separates a senior accountant from a bookkeeper.
Put the qualification in the top half of page one. Swiss recruiters look for it first, and a CV where it only appears on page two reads as vague.
Name the awarding body and the year. "Federal Diploma of Higher Education, Finance and Accounting, 2020" is checkable; "accounting qualification" is not.
With a foreign qualification, state the recognition status explicitly — "SBFI equivalence recognition applied for, March 2026" is far better than silence.
What belongs in the experience section?
State the reporting framework, the entity size and what you owned — not the duties, which are the same for every accountant.
"Responsible for bookkeeping" says nothing. "Owns the monthly close for four legal entities, shortened from 12 to 6 working days" says everything.
Distinguish fiduciary work from in-house accounting, and Swiss GAAP FER from IFRS or OR-only reporting. Employers hire against exactly that distinction.
Name the system you actually worked in. Abacus, Sage and SAP experience are screened for directly, and an unnamed "ERP" is read as none of them.
How long should the CV be, and is a photo expected?
Two pages is the Swiss standard; one is enough below five years of experience. A photo is conventional and is not held against you.
Summarise older roles in a single line: title, company, period. The detail belongs to your last two positions.
Unlike the UK or Germany, a professional photo is a Swiss convention rather than a risk.
Leave out religion, marital status and number of children — these are not expected in a Swiss CV.
Where Accountant are hired in Switzerland
How the 172 open positions are spread across the cantons.
Figures as a table
| Canton | postings |
|---|---|
| Zürich | 20 |
| Zug | 2 |
| Luzern | 1 |
| Tessin | 1 |
| Bern | 1 |
| Waadt | 1 |
| Schwyz | 1 |
| Wallis | 1 |
Which languages the postings require
Of 117 postings that state a language — in brackets, those requiring professional level.
Figures as a table
| Language | postings |
|---|---|
| English | 86 (74) |
| German | 81 (52) |
| French | 22 (16) |
| Italian | 5 (3) |
Who hires Accountant in Switzerland
Employers with the most open positions. Staffing agencies are excluded.
Figures as a table
| Employer | postings |
|---|---|
| Vontobel | 6 |
| PwC Switzerland | 5 |
| EY | 4 |
| Lexius Search | 2 |
| Danaher | 2 |
| Roche | 2 |
Full-time or part-time?
How the positions are advertised.
Figures as a table
| Workload | postings |
|---|---|
| Vollzeit / plein temps | 126 |
| Teilzeit / partiel | 7 |
| Temporär | 6 |
The CV in full
To read through and reuse.
Nadine Zwahlen
Senior Accountant, Finance and Accounting Specialist with Federal Diploma of Higher Education
Senior accountant with nine years in Swiss SMEs and one listed group, four of them owning the monthly close. Federal Diploma in Finance and Accounting. Comfortable across Swiss GAAP FER and the Swiss Code of Obligations, with hands-on VAT and payroll accounting.
What sets me apart
Close ownership: Runs the monthly and annual close end to end, from accruals to the reporting pack, without supervision.
VAT confidence: Handles both the effective and net tax rate methods, input tax correction and reverse charge on foreign services.
System migration: Led a move from Sage to Abacus without a missed reporting deadline.
Audit-ready files: Working papers structured so the external auditor's queries drop year on year.
Key achievements
Close shortened from 12 to 6 working days. Introduced a cut-off calendar and standing accruals; management reporting now lands in the first week.
Sage to Abacus migration delivered on time. Chart of accounts mapped, two years of history carried over, no reporting deadline missed.
Audit adjustments down 70%. Restructured the working papers and reconciliations, measured across two consecutive audits.
Experience
Senior Accountant — Industrial group, Zurich, 2021 – present
Listed group, 4 Swiss entities
- Owns the monthly close for four legal entities
- Shortened the close from 12 to 6 working days
- Led the Sage to Abacus migration
- Prepares the annual accounts under Swiss GAAP FER
Accountant — SME, Zug, 2018 – 2021
Manufacturing, 90 employees
- Full accounts payable and receivable, roughly 400 invoices per month
- Quarterly VAT returns and reconciliation
- Payroll accounting for 90 employees with Swissdec certification
Accounting Clerk — Fiduciary, Lucerne, 2016 – 2018
First role after the KV apprenticeship
- Bookkeeping for 15 SME mandates
- Prepared VAT filings for review
Education
Federal Diploma of Higher Education, Finance and Accounting, Accounting — Controller Akademie, Zurich · 2020
Federal Certificate, Finance and Accounting Specialist (2018) · Swiss GAAP FER course (2022) · VAT update seminar, annual
Common questions
- What language should I write my CV in as a Accountant?
- 62% of adverts are in German, 34% in English. In this occupation two versions earn their keep.
- Where in Switzerland are Accountant most in demand?
- Spread out, Zurich first at 12%, then Zug and Lucerne. Across a language border, apply with the matching version.
- What language level do Accountant adverts ask for?
- English in 74% of adverts that state a requirement, 86% of them at professional level. "Good knowledge" will not do — give A2 to C2.
- Are Accountant roles offered full or part time?
- 95% full time, only 5% part time. If you need part time, say so early rather than leaving it open.
- Who hires Accountant in Switzerland?
- Currently Vontobel, PwC Switzerland, EY, among others. Their adverts are the best word list for your own CV.