The Forensic Accounting CV Guide

“Preparing a Forensic Accounting CV is not rocket science,”

…said the rocket scientist whose CV we prepared.

We’ve put together an example Forensic Accounting CV and a preparation guide which you can use to check yours or as a helpful proforma. During the past 10 years of professional services recruitment we’ve advised numerous forensic accountants (and qualified astrophysicists) on what they should include and omit from their forensic accounting CV. Having recently provided several forensic accountants with CV advice, we thought it might be handy to provide a short summary of it for Big and Magic. It should be useful for forensic accountants, managers and directors – and other client facing advisory accountants. Have a look and let us know what you think?

Have a look at your CV:

• Is it factually accurate? Are the employment dates correct, with any gaps honestly explained?
• Do you possess the certificates for your stated qualifications?
• Are your professional memberships live and current?
• Could your stated achievements be corroborated via background checks?
• Does it comprehensively cover the skills and attributes you profess to possess?
• Does it include case studies demonstrating the size and scope of your technical expertise, your budget, your management responsibility and personal accountability?
• Does it express your features as benefits for a potential employer?
• Is it a sales pitch or a historical record? If it is a sales pitch, is it relevantly targeting a specific position?

Notes and caveats:

1. Everybody has an opinion and a preference for CV content, structure and style; there is no universally correct format. This document specifically relates to CVs that are drafted for the purpose of applying for a forensic accounting position in an accountancy practice or boutique firm. Such a CV would be easily adapted to apply for similar positions in a law firm or corporate organisation.
2. UK CVs are expected to be 2 to 3 pages long but as long as the information that a CV contains is relevant, clear and accurate, it will not be rejected. Poor writing, repetition and ‘deviation from relevance’ are CV killers.
3. 21^st century CVs must be ‘searchable’.  Imagine what somebody might type into a search engine if they were looking for a candidate with precisely your skills and expertise; then ensure that your CV contains this variety of industry specific terminology, i.e. use both longhand and shorthand versions of phrases such as AML / FCPA / KYC etc.
4. A forensic accountant is expected to be numerically and verbal gifted, highly articulate with an innately rigorous attention to detail. The quality of your CV will, in itself, indicate the quality of your work. Typos, numerical and grammatical errors, or obvious inaccuracies will fail your application.
5. General tips: Do not include a photograph of yourself. Do not use too many colours or stylistic emphases. Do print your CV off and read it before you press send. Some formats and colours look great on screen but not so good on the page.
6. Regardless of whether you are actively seeking a career move, update your CV every 6 months to take into account new projects and achievements whilst they are still fresh in your mind. The information you collect for your (bi) annual appraisal, such as emailed praise from colleagues and clients should also be included if appropriate and non-confidential.
7. If you would like to compare your skills and experience to a current live Forensic Manager position, view one here: /
8. Although preparing a CV is not rocket science, we have helped rocket scientists with theirs and would be happy to help you. If you do not need a recruiter but do want to polish your CV and/or your LinkedIn profile, we can still help – visit our www.pin-capital.com site for additional assistance.

For more detail on how you should layout your information CLICK  and read this our PDF guide:

What do you think should be included in a Forensic Accountant’s résumé? Have we missed anything?