Finance

Financial controller CV: example and template

This example is for financial controllers and controlling specialists at manufacturing, retail and service companies, and for financial analysts and accountants moving into controlling.

The finance director is looking for someone who will prepare the budget, explain variances and help the board make decisions. We show you how to describe this on your CV.

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Example CV: financial controller

All the details in this example are fictional. Treat it as a model of layout and wording, and replace the content with your own experience.

Paweł Głowacki

Financial controller

Krakow +48 123 456 789 pawel.glowacki@example.com

Professional profile

Financial controller with 7 years of experience at a foreign-owned manufacturer. I coordinate the budget and forecasts, analyse variances and product profitability and prepare reports for the board and the group. My profitability analysis led to a price change that raised the margin by 3 percentage points.

Work experience

Financial controller

02.2021 - present

Foreign-owned manufacturer, Krakow

  • Coordinating the annual budget and quarterly forecasts for 12 departments.
  • Analysing cost and revenue variances, commentary for the board and the group.
  • Product profitability analysis; a price change raised the margin by 3 percentage points.
  • Power BI reports replacing 20 Excel workbooks, saving about 2 days of work a month.
  • Cost accounting and costing of new products.

Financial analyst

07.2018 - 01.2021

Shared services centre, Krakow

  • Monthly reports for companies in Central Europe.
  • Reconciling data between systems.
  • Supporting month-end closes.

Education

Finance and accounting, master's degree

2013 - 2018

Krakow University of Economics

Skills

  • Budgeting and forecasting
  • Variance analysis
  • Cost accounting
  • Management reporting
  • Advanced Excel, Power BI
  • SAP CO

Certificates

  • ACCA, Strategic Professional exams in progress
  • Power BI course, 2022

Languages

  • English: C1

Additional information

  • Experience of group reporting under IFRS

I hereby consent to the processing of my personal data for the purposes necessary to carry out the recruitment process, in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 (GDPR).

How to write a financial controller CV

Professional summary

Give the industry, years of experience, the scope of controlling and your tools. Add one analysis that influenced a board decision, with its result. A controller who changes decisions is worth more than one who only reports.

Financial analyst with 3 years of experience at a shared services centre. I prepare monthly reports, analyse variances and work in Excel and SAP. I want to develop in controlling at a manufacturer.

Experience: duties and achievements

Describe the processes you own, who receives your reports and the effects of your analyses. Add automation, because it shortens reporting time and shows that you think about improvements.

Weaker: Preparing the budget.

Better: Coordinating the annual budget and quarterly forecasts for 12 departments.

Weaker: Analyses for the board.

Better: Product profitability analysis; a price change raised the margin by 3 percentage points.

Weaker: Reports.

Better: Power BI reports instead of 20 Excel workbooks, saving about 2 days of work a month.

Skills worth listing

List the areas of controlling and your tools. Under personal skills, show that you can explain numbers to managers outside finance.

Professional skills

  • Budget and forecasts
  • Variance analysis
  • Cost accounting
  • Management reporting
  • Excel and Power BI
  • ERP systems

Personal skills

  • Analytical thinking
  • Turning numbers into decisions
  • Working with departments
  • Accuracy
  • Coping with deadline pressure

Certificates

List ACCA, CIMA or courses in controlling and analytics tools. Give certificates in progress with their stage.

Controller CV for a first role

Analysts and accountants move into controlling. Describe the reports and analyses you already prepare and the tools you know.

Show one analysis with a conclusion for the business. It is the best proof that you think like a controller.

Tailoring your CV to the job offer

A manufacturer looks for cost accounting and costing, a retail chain for sales and margin analysis, and a company in an international group for reporting to head office. Move what the offer is about to the top.

The most common mistakes on a financial controller CV

Questions and answers

What should a financial controller put on a CV?

The industry, budget and forecasts, variance analysis, cost accounting, reports, the effects of analyses, tools, certificates and English.

Which tools should a controller know?

Usually advanced Excel, an ERP system such as SAP and a reporting tool such as Power BI.

How do I move from accounting into controlling?

On your CV, show the analyses and reports you prepare, Excel and a wish to work with management data. Aim for a junior controller role.

How is a controller different from a financial analyst?

A controller is more often responsible for the budget, costs and management reports, an analyst for investment analysis and models. The roles overlap.

Create a financial controller CV in the builder

In the CV Majster builder you enter your details step by step and see right away what the document looks like. You can copy the wording from this page and adapt it to yourself. The finished CV as a PDF costs a one-off PLN 5, with no subscription, and you see the preview before you pay.

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See also

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