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Cover letter examples · Finance

Accountant cover letter example

Accounting firms look for the size of your client load, the work you sign off and whether clients trust you with the numbers. This example is from the same chartered accountant as our CV example, applying for a client manager role, and every fact comes from his CV.

Goes with Daniel Kim's Accountant CV · Checked

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The letter

What each paragraph is doing.

Daniel Kim is made up, and so is Harbour Lane Accountants, Takapuna. Every fact in the letter comes from Daniel's CV, the way a real one should: nothing new, just the parts of the CV this job cares about most.

Daniel Kim

Auckland · 021 555 0189 · daniel.kim@email.com

Rachel Ng, Partner

Harbour Lane Accountants, Takapuna

Re: Client Manager, business advisory

Dear Rachel,

I'm applying for the Client Manager role in your business advisory team. I'm a Chartered Accountant with five years at Kauri Advisory in Auckland, where I now manage a portfolio of 60 small business clients, from year-end accounts to tax returns.

A client manager needs to keep work moving and help clients understand where they stand. I prepare quarterly management reports and walk clients through them, and I review graduate accountants' work before it goes to the manager. I also moved 20 clients from spreadsheets to Xero, which cut their month-end work. Before that, as a graduate, I prepared GST returns and year-end workpapers and reconciled bank and supplier accounts, so I'm confident in both Xero and MYOB and know what good work looks like when I review it.

I'd like to take the next step at a firm that works closely with owner-run businesses. Your advisory focus is the part of the job I enjoy most: explaining the numbers so clients can make good decisions.

I'm a member of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand and a New Zealand citizen. I'd be glad to meet and talk about how I could look after your clients.

Kind regards,

Daniel Kim

  1. 1Opens with the job and the proofCA status and a portfolio of 60 clients tell a partner straight away that he's carrying a real workload and ready for the step up.
  2. 2Evidence matched to a client manager's workClient reporting, reviewing juniors and a Xero migration each map to a part of the job: client care, oversight and improving how work gets done.
  3. 3Why this firm, in their termsIt connects the firm's advisory work to what he enjoys, which he backs up in the paragraph before with reports he explains to clients.
  4. 4Membership, work rights and a closeFirms check CA ANZ membership and work rights early, so stating both removes two questions before an interview.

Opening lines

Other ways to open.

The first line decides whether the rest gets read. Each of these names the job and leads with proof. Swap in your own facts.

  • “I'm applying for your Senior Accountant role, bringing five years in business advisory and a current portfolio of 60 small business clients.”
  • “Having moved 20 clients from spreadsheets to Xero, I'd like to bring that experience to your Cloud Accounting Specialist role.”
  • “As a Chartered Accountant who prepares quarterly management reports and walks clients through them, I'm applying for your Client Manager position.”
  • “I'm applying for the Assistant Manager role, with experience reviewing graduate accountants' work before it goes to the manager.”

Common mistakes

What gets accountant letters skipped.

  • Listing technical tasks without any scale.

    Give numbers that show your load and results, such as the size of your client portfolio or how many clients you moved to Xero.

  • Ignoring the client side of the job.

    Show how you work with clients, like walking them through management reports. Advisory firms hire for that as much as for technical skill.

  • Leaving out your professional membership.

    State your CA ANZ or CPA membership, or where you are in the programme, near the start or end of the letter.

Write yours

A letter like this, for every job ad.

Paste a accountant job ad into SmartCVs and it writes your cover letter alongside your tailored CV. The free plan gives you 3 job scans a week, each with both.

How cover letters work in SmartCVs
  • Written in the same step as your tailored CV, from your profile and the job ad
  • Three or four paragraphs, in plain, professional language
  • Every fact from your profile: a number your profile doesn't have is dropped before you see it
  • Edit any line, copy it into an application, or download PDF or Word

FAQ

Questions, answered.

Something else on your mind? Email support@smartcvs.ai and a person will reply.

Do accounting firms in New Zealand read cover letters?

Many do, especially for senior and client-facing roles. A short, specific letter also shows you can write clearly to clients.

Should I mention software like Xero and MYOB?

Yes, if the ad does or the firm's clients use them. Tie it to something you did, such as moving clients onto Xero.

What if I'm still working towards my CA?

Say where you're up to in the programme and when you expect to finish. Firms hire provisional members all the time.

More cover letter examples

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