An accounting graduate application does not need a long employment history to contain useful evidence. Coursework, part-time work and student activities can show how you handle information, check accuracy and communicate. The key is to describe what you actually did.
Replace skill labels with evidence
Instead of writing only “good at Excel”, explain the task, the tool and the check you performed. Name functions only if you can use them and explain why they helped.
| Vague wording | More informative illustrative example |
|---|---|
| Excellent Excel skills | Used SUMIFS and a pivot table to summarise a fictional sales dataset, then reconciled totals to the source records. |
| Strong teamwork | Coordinated the data-checking section of a group assignment and explained unresolved differences before the final presentation. |
| Finance experience | Recorded a student society’s approved expenses and checked receipts against its budget under the treasurer’s supervision. |
These are examples of wording, not claims to copy into your CV. Replace them with your own truthful experience.
Explain your contribution to a project
A project entry should answer four questions: what was the problem, what did you do, how did you check the work, and what did you learn or deliver?
For group work, distinguish the team’s result from your personal contribution. If the exercise used fictional transactions or publicly available company accounts, say so. Academic analysis should not be presented as professional client work.
Make part-time work relevant
Retail, hospitality and administrative work can provide evidence of organisation and responsibility. Describe a specific task, such as checking a handover, resolving a record discrepancy or prioritising requests during a busy period.
You do not need to invent a percentage improvement. If no reliable measurement exists, describe the outcome plainly: a corrected record, an agreed schedule, a completed reconciliation or a clearer explanation.
Tailor the evidence to the role
Read the vacancy’s responsibilities and select examples that relate to them. An audit application might emphasise careful checking; a technology-focused role may benefit from an example of cleaning or organising data. Avoid adding tools you have only heard of to match keywords.
A final application check
- Make study dates, employment dates and qualification names consistent.
- Use clear descriptions of your level of responsibility.
- Remove confidential employer, customer and financial information.
- Check work-rights, location and start-date requirements in the actual vacancy.
- Keep a copy of your submission and prepare to explain every example at interview.
The strongest next step is practical: choose one CV bullet today and rewrite it so that a reader can see the task, your action and the evidence behind it.
Explore the KPMG UK graduate programme guide
Original applicant guidance by Opportunities Feed, 1 October 2026. Examples are illustrative and do not represent employer assessment rules.
Keywords: accounting graduate applications, Excel skills CV, accounting graduate CV, academic projects, graduate interview examples
