CV Accountant: Example and Template
How to structure your CV as an Accountant (Comptable) for the Swiss labour market - with qualifications, standards and measurable results.
Currently 19 open Accountant positions in Switzerland, across 5 cantons, 2 of them from the last 7 days. Swissroc Group 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.
What qualifications do Swiss employers expect from an Accountant?
The baseline qualification is the Commercial EFZ with practical accounting experience; the real career step is the Federal Professional Certificate in Finance and Accounting.
State your qualifications using the correct Swiss designation: "Kaufmann/-frau EFZ, Profil E" (Commercial EFZ, E profile), "Sachbearbeiter/in Rechnungswesen edupool.ch" (Accounting Specialist edupool.ch), "Federal Professional Certificate in Finance and Accounting" or "Certified Expert in Accounting and Controlling (Advanced Federal Diploma of Higher Education)". These titles are protected and are immediately recognised by HR staff and trust companies - an imprecise description such as "training in accounting" will cost you credibility. Add the year of the exam and the training provider so recruiters can gauge the level of your expertise.
Also list relevant further training: VAT seminars with FTA practice content, Swiss GAAP FER, IFRS fundamentals, payroll administration and social insurance, or courses on financial reporting under Art. 957 ff. CO. For trust company positions, tax returns for individuals and legal entities also count. If you are still completing an Advanced Federal Diploma or the Federal Professional Certificate programme, state the expected qualification transparently, for example "Federal Professional Certificate in Finance and Accounting, exam autumn 2026".
For foreign qualifications, explain how they compare in a short sentence and emphasise the Swiss connection: knowledge of the CO, the VAT Act, AHV/IV/EO, UVG, BVG and withholding tax is essential, because Swiss financial reporting and payroll differ significantly from EU systems. An addition such as "Recognition requested from the SBFI" or "Postgraduate course in Swiss financial reporting, 2024" removes uncertainty for the employer.
How do I describe my professional experience as an Accountant convincingly?
For each position, show the size of the mandate or company, your area of responsibility in the subsidiary ledgers, and measurable results.
Precede the bullet list with a short context line: industry, number of employees, revenue, type of audit (ordinary or limited statutory audit) and accounting standard. This lets the reader immediately understand whether you were responsible for a single set of books with 300 documents per month or for financial statements consolidating 5 companies. For trust company experience, state the number of mandates, their legal forms, and whether you managed them independently or under the dual-control principle.
Quantify consistently: posting volume per month, number of accounts payable and accounts receivable invoices, number of payroll recipients, duration of the monthly and annual close in working days, DSO in days, and the amount of payment runs in CHF. Phrase achievements as changes: "shortened the monthly close from 12 to 6 working days" or "increased early payment discount income by CHF 26'000 per year". Such figures are verifiable for an accountant and set you apart from applications that merely list "managed financial accounting".
Make your interfaces visible, as these distinguish roles more than the job title does: preparing the audit file, correspondence with the auditor, FTA audits, contacts with the compensation office, the BVG collective foundation and the cantonal tax administration. Add your system experience with the modules used, for example "Abacus G4: general ledger, AR, AP, payroll, AbaScan" - employers frequently search for exactly these keywords.
How long should the CV be, and should it include a photo?
Two pages is the standard; a businesslike portrait photo is still customary in Switzerland and is expected for trust company and SME positions.
Keep the CV to two pages, or a maximum of three if you have more than 15 years of experience. The last two positions should each get 3 to 4 bullet points, while older positions can be summarised in two lines. Complete dates with month and year matter, because gaps in accounting careers are viewed critically - it is better to explain a break yourself, for example due to maternity leave, further training towards the Federal Professional Certificate, or a temporary assignment through a staffing agency.
A professional photo in business attire is the norm for Swiss applications; selfies or holiday pictures appear unprofessional. In the header, state your place of residence, citizenship or permit type (for example a C or B permit, or a G cross-border commuter permit), a phone number in the format 079 000 00 00, and a professional email address. Date of birth and marital status are optional but still welcomed by many SMEs. State references as "available on request" unless the job posting requires otherwise.
Observe Swiss language practice: adapt the CV to the language of the job posting and state your levels according to the CEFR (C1, B2). For positions in the Romandie or in bilingual regions such as Biel/Bienne or Fribourg, the French/German combination is a genuine asset and belongs in your profile text. Attach reference letters, copies of diplomas and, for cross-border commuters, the work permit as a separate PDF attachment, and name the file clearly, for example "CV_Vuilleumier_Accountant.pdf".
Where Accountant are hired in Switzerland
How the 19 open positions are spread across the cantons.
Figures as a table
| Canton | postings |
|---|---|
| Waadt | 6 |
| Genf | 4 |
| Freiburg | 4 |
| Jura | 1 |
| Wallis | 1 |
Which languages the postings require
Of 16 postings that state a language — in brackets, those requiring professional level.
Figures as a table
| Language | postings |
|---|---|
| French | 16 (16) |
| German | 8 (0) |
| English | 7 (1) |
Who hires Accountant in Switzerland
Employers with the most open positions. Staffing agencies are excluded.
Figures as a table
| Employer | postings |
|---|---|
| Swissroc Group | 2 |
| Tertianum | 2 |
| Etat de Fribourg - Staat Freiburg | 2 |
| Forvis Mazars in Switzerland | 2 |
| Vipa Group | 1 |
| Paul Cramatte S.A. | 1 |
Full-time or part-time?
How the positions are advertised.
Figures as a table
| Workload | postings |
|---|---|
| Vollzeit / plein temps | 18 |
| Temporär | 1 |
The CV in full
To read through and reuse.
Sandrine Vuilleumier
Accountant with Federal Professional Certificate in Finance and Accounting
Accountant with 9 years of experience managing the financial and operational accounting of SMEs with 40 to 220 employees. I am responsible for monthly, quarterly and annual financial statements under the Code of Obligations (CO) and Swiss GAAP FER, VAT reporting under the effective method, and payroll accounting including withholding tax and the Swiss salary standard (ELM). Bilingual French/German, experienced with Abacus and SAP FI, and used to acting as the point of contact for the auditor and the tax administration.
What sets me apart
Reliable financial statements under the CO and Swiss GAAP FER: I prepare stand-alone financial statements under Art. 957 ff. CO and convert them into Swiss GAAP FER reporting including cash flow statement, notes and segment information - 4 consecutive annual financial statements without any auditor findings.
VAT specialist for complex cases: Effective reporting method, input tax adjustments and reductions, acquisition tax on imported services and reverse-charge cases. In 2022, I cleanly resolved a voluntary disclosure under Art. 59 VAT Act, with a back payment of only CHF 3'400 and no penalty.
Payroll accounting with withholding tax and ELM: Monthly payroll runs for up to 220 employees across 6 cantons, withholding tax statements for 34 cross-border commuters, year-end work including AHV salary declarations, UVG, BVG changes and Swiss salary standard submission via swissdec.
Digitalisation of accounts payable processes: Introduced Abacus AbaScan with OCR recognition and a digital approval workflow: reduced accounts payable invoice processing time from 11 to 3 days, increasing early payment discount income by CHF 26'000 per year.
Key achievements
Halved closing time. Introduced a fast-close concept with standardised accrual templates and checklists: shortened the monthly close from 12 to 6 working days, with the 2023 annual financial statements audit-ready by 22 January.
Reduced accounts receivable losses. Redesigned the 3-stage reminder process with debt collection referral after 75 days: reduced DSO from 58 to 39 days and lowered the allowance for doubtful accounts from CHF 145'000 to CHF 61'000.
Led migration to Abacus G4. Project lead for the switch from Sage 50 to Abacus G4 for 3 clients with a migration volume of 14'000 posting entries, go-live on schedule as of 1 January, project budget of CHF 78'000 undercut by 6 percent.
Experience
Accountant / Head of Financial Accounting — Vallonia Précision AG, Grenchen, Since 03/2020
Watch industry supplier, 220 employees, revenue CHF 46 million, ordinary audit, Swiss GAAP FER reporting.
- Responsible for the general and subsidiary ledgers with around 3'800 posting entries per month, and management of 2 employees in accounts payable and accounts receivable.
- Shortened the monthly close from 12 to 6 working days and ensured the management reporting package was delivered by day 7.
- Prepared VAT returns (effective method) for 4 quarters plus finalisation, correctly implemented an input tax reduction due to subsidies, and passed the 2023 FTA audit without any back payment.
- Payroll accounting for 220 employees including withholding tax for 34 cross-border commuters, BVG changes and swissdec submission, with an error rate below 0.3 percent.
Accountant for Client Mandates / Trust Administrator — Fiduciaire Seeland Treuhand GmbH, Biel/Bienne, 08/2016 - 02/2020
Trust company with 11 employees, SME mandates in the cantons of Bern, Solothurn and Neuchâtel.
- Independently managed 23 mandates (sole proprietorships, LLCs, corporations) including annual financial statements under the CO, corporate tax returns and VAT returns.
- Reduced time spent per standard mandate by 22 percent through bank interfaces and recurring posting templates.
- Restored a mandate's accounting with a 14-month backlog within 9 weeks, catching up on 5 VAT returns without any late-payment consequences.
- Set up payroll accounting for 7 mandates with a total of 96 payroll recipients, completing AHV/UVG/BVG year-end work fully on schedule.
Financial Accounting Administrator — Emmenpark Immobilien AG, Solothurn, 09/2013 - 07/2016
Real estate company with 34 properties, property accounting and ancillary cost statements.
- Managed accounts payable with around 1'900 invoices per year and payment runs averaging CHF 1.4 million per month.
- Prepared 34 annual heating and ancillary cost statements, reducing the complaint rate from 9 to 2 percent.
- Reconciled 12 bank accounts and 3 rent accounts, and monitored rent receipts for 410 tenancy agreements.
- Contributed to 3 annual financial statements under the CO, preparing the fixed asset schedule for properties worth CHF 187 million.
Education
Federal Professional Certificate, Finance and Accounting — Bildungszentrum Bern (BZB) · 2019
Trust Administrator, Trust and Accounting — veb.ch Bildungszentrum · 2016
Commercial Vocational Baccalaureate, Business and Services — Berufsfachschule Biel/Bienne · 2013
Certificate in Swiss GAAP FER Application, veb.ch (2022) · Advanced VAT Seminar, FTA Practice (2021) · Certificate in Payroll Administration and Social Insurance, KV Bildungsgruppe (2020) · Abacus G4 User Certificate for Financial and Payroll Accounting (2020)