Controller Resume Examples: Templates & Examples

Controllers oversee the accounting operations of a company and commonly have the final say on every financial decision, such as budgeting, reporting, investing and risk management (for small companies).

In larger companies, typical duties are more specialized, with certain financial decisions shifted to the chief financial officer (CFO).

If you’re pursuing a career in this field, make sure you have solid communication, technology, analytical, and management skills. It’s a must to obtain a relevant educational background and work experience.

Most importantly, present all these key points on your controller resume to impress the potential employer and land the interview. 

Let us show you how with a 10-step guide and a professional corporate controller resume sample!

Let's check out the basic layout rules when formatting a controller resume.

1. Your resume should not be more than 2 pages. 

A resume should be one page most of the time, except for those with long-standing experience in the field. For example, a senior controller resume can be 2 pages as the extra page is necessary to fully convey the qualifications and work history.

2. Standard fonts are preferred throughout a resume for a controller job. 

The two most important factors are readability and professionalism. Stick to standard fonts for formal documents, such as Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman, Georgia, Roboto, or Helvetica. 

The ideal font size is 10-11pt for normal text and bigger for your name and section headings.

3. Choose an appropriate line spacing and margin size.

Go for 1-1.5” on all sides for resume margins and 1.0-1.15 for line spacing on your controller resume. You can adjust accordingly to balance white space and text. 

4. Hiring managers expect to read a PDF file. 

Most job search experts recommend PDFs instead of Word. The formatting won’t get messed up when employers open your file on different devices. Also, if you use a controller resume template on online resume builders like Cake, you can easily save it as a PDF. 

The most common resume formats are chronological, functional, and hybrid (combination). The selection of your controller resume format determines how effectively the content reaches the employer.

📝 Chronological resume format

This is the most common resume format preferred by both recruiters and applicants. 

A chronological controller resume presents the employment history in a timely-reversed order: the latest job at the top, followed by earlier jobs. As it focuses on work history, it’s a great choice for job seekers with plenty of work experience. 

📝 Functional resume format

A functional resume is a “skill-based resume”, which puts a focus on the candidate’s skills and abilities instead of employment history and career progression. You won’t only list out your skills by bullet points, but also elaborate them further in a specific context. 

Fresh grads, entry-level candidates, and career changers prefer to pick this resume format as they can de-emphasize their lack of work experience. 

📝 Combinational resume format

As the name suggests, this is the hybrid version of the chronological and functional resume format. You can highlight all of the key points regarding work experience, skills, and qualifications to impress the hiring manager. 

Hence, it will be great for professionals with both career history and skills worth showcasing. 

The list below shows what you should and should not include in the Personal Information section of your financial controller resume. 

A resume headline (also known as “resume title”) is a short statement that introduces yourself and summarizes your entire resume content. Based on that, hiring managers can tell who and where you are in the field at a glance and will be more excited to read on your controller resume. 

A summary statement (also known as “professional summary”) summarizes key qualifications about you and the content of your entire resume. It’s important to get it right so it can impress employers and motivate them to dive into your controller resume.

Everyone knows how to list out skills on their resumes - but not everyone can get it right and effectively. 

First, keep in mind to go over the controller job description and identify what skills are required and preferred. Next, combine those skills with what you actually possess and use bullet points to make the section easy to read. 

Here comes the most critical part of your controller resume - key responsibilities and achievements in former jobs. 

For controller positions, a bachelor's and/or master’s degree in finance, business administration, accounting, or a related area is usually a requirement. 

To make your resume stand out from other applicants, give it a boost with additional information such as: 

• Certifications
  (Certified Professional Controller, Certified Financial Controller, The CPA Alberta Controllership Executive Program Certificate, etc.)
• References (with full name, job title, and email address)
• Awards in the career 

Even though most job ads show “Cover Letter (optional)’’, it's highly recommended to include a cover letter alongside a controller resume. A sincere and well-written cover letter can spark the hiring manager’s interest and land you the interview.

It’s no big deal if you probably find it struggling to write a controller resume. 

--- Originally written by May Luong ---