Many businesses in the financial services industry, as well as those with in-house finance and accounting teams, are struggling to fill open roles.
Older professionals are retiring faster than new finance and accounting graduates are entering the workforce, resulting in an estimated 340,000 fewer accountants today than in 2020. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the industry faces a 40 percent labor force shortage, and Robert Half Talent Solutions reports that 61 percent of finance and accounting leaders say finding skilled professionals is more challenging than it was a year ago.
If you’re pursuing a role in finance or accounting, your resume needs to demonstrate the skills employers value most. Below are the top finance skills for a resume, why they matter, and how you can develop them.
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What Are Finance Skills?
Finance skills include technical and soft skills that enable a professional to analyze financial data, inform decision-making, and support organizational performance.
While these skills are often associated with accountants, financial analysts, managers, underwriters, and chief financial officers (CFOs), they’re valuable across industries. Even non-finance professionals can benefit from understanding core financial concepts to make data-driven decisions.
Finance Skills You Need on Your Resume
1. General Accounting Skills
One of the best finance skills to include on your resume is general accounting knowledge. You don’t need prior experience as an accountant, but employers expect a working understanding of basic accounting principles, such as:
Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), including how they differ and when it’s appropriate to use each
Calculating return on investment (ROI)
Understanding and knowing how to speak the language of finance, even without a deep financial accounting background
“Accounting is a tool that opens doors to key information, provides useful insights, helps gain perspective, and aids in decision-making,” says Harvard Business School Professor V.G. Narayanan in the online course Financial Accounting. “It’s how we represent, in a concrete way, the past performance, future potential, and even the values of an organization. Accounting is a bedrock of modern capitalism.”
Employers look for evidence of general accounting expertise through experience preparing financial statements, applying GAAP or IFRS standards, or analyzing organizational performance.
2. Financial Analysis
To make informed business decisions, employers need professionals who can perform financial analysis. At its most basic, this might involve reading and understanding financial statements, including balance sheets, income statements, cash flow statements, and annual reports.
At a deeper level, it involves analyzing a company’s financial statements and performance ratios. Some important ratios to understand include:
Current ratio, which measures a company's ability to pay off its short-term commitments
Quick ratio, which calculates whether a company can pay off its short-term obligations with liquid assets
Debt-to-equity ratio, which evaluates a company's financial efficacy by dividing a company's total liabilities by shareholder equity
Knowing how to interpret these ratios is essential to effective financial analysis.
In the online course Strategic Financial Analysis, HBS Professor Suraj Srinivasan explains how ratio analysis works: “It involves using financial statement numbers to assess how a company is performing. Just like you can ‘peel open the onion’ to uncover different layers, we'll use ratio analysis to uncover layers of a company’s performance.”
According to Robert Half Talent Solutions, financial analysis is the top skills gap area for financial professionals, with 32 percent of leaders indicating a shortage. This capability is often reflected in experience interpreting financial statements, calculating key performance ratios, or building forecasting models.
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3. Data-Driven Decision-Making Skills
Data-driven decision-making involves using financial data to guide business strategy. In finance roles, this often includes forecasting—analyzing past performance to model future outcomes. Professionals use forecasting to inform hiring, budgeting, and strategic planning decisions.
In Strategic Financial Analysis, Srinivasan explains that forecasting plays a critical role across finance functions—from helping managers set performance goals to enabling investors and creditors to assess risk and evaluate expected returns. He notes that, without forecasting, meaningful economic decision-making would be nearly impossible.
Candidates can demonstrate this expertise by showcasing experience building financial forecasts, conducting scenario analyses, or using data to guide strategic recommendations.
4. Management Skills
Many finance positions require a certain degree of management skills. While this includes job titles like financial or operations managers, it also includes roles that don’t traditionally fall under the umbrella of management, such as:
Financial and investment analysts
Financial risk specialists
Financial specialists
Securities sales agents
Commodities sales agents
Financial services sales agents
Anyone who might be responsible for leading a team, preparing a budget, managing payroll, deploying resources, or spearheading an initiative can benefit from having strong management skills. You can strengthen your management capabilities through structured learning experiences, such as those offered by HBS Online.
5. Soft Skills
Technical expertise alone isn’t enough. Employers increasingly prioritize soft skills in finance roles, particularly as teams become more global and business decisions grow more complex.
According to Robert Half Talent Solutions, financial leaders emphasize the importance of soft skills, such as:
Critical thinking and problem solving
Adaptability and continuous learning
Creativity and innovation
Communication
Finance professionals must communicate complex financial concepts clearly—often to non-finance stakeholders. Strong written and verbal communication can differentiate your resume from others with similar technical backgrounds.
On a resume, soft skills can be demonstrated through examples of cross-functional collaboration, stakeholder communication, leading complex projects, or driving initiatives that required adaptability and strategic thinking.
6. Investing Skills
Many organizations pursue growth through capital allocation strategies, including investing. Professionals with investing expertise, particularly in areas aligned with company priorities, are in demand.
“Companies are known to invest in other firms,” Narayanan says in Financial Accounting. “One of the key questions to consider when purchasing an equity investment is the level of control or influence likely to be obtained. A significant stake provides greater control, but with greater stake comes greater risk.”
Employers often look to hire individuals with demonstrated investing skills—ideally, those that align with the specific mode of investing that the business is interested in pursuing.
A company interested in alternative investments, for example, will prioritize hiring individuals with experience in these unique asset classes. Likewise, a company interested in sustainable investing or purpose-driven investing may prioritize new hires who understand environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors.
On a resume, investing skills can be demonstrated through experience in valuation modeling, portfolio analysis, alternative asset evaluation, or ESG assessment.
7. AI Fluency
Organizations of every size are starting to embrace an AI-first mindset, rolling out AI solutions across departments and positions. With many financial business processes now supported by AI, professionals with demonstrated AI fluency are in demand. In fact, Robert Half Talent Solutions reports that 27 percent of financial leaders identify a skills gap around AI fluency.
Increasing your AI fluency can empower you to:
Confidently discuss AI applications with stakeholders
Understand AI’s capabilities and limitations
Use AI tools and solutions as they become available
Demonstrating AI fluency signals that you’re prepared for the future of finance.
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How to Improve Your Finance Skills
Whether you’re already working in a financial role or looking to transition from another field, high-demand finance skills can strengthen your resume. While it’s possible to learn many of them on the job, an online course focused on financial topics—like those offered by HBS Online—can offer a quicker and more structured approach.
According to a recent survey of past HBS Online learners conducted by City Square Associates, 91 percent gained immediately applicable skills, 71 percent improved their performance at work, and 66 percent enhanced their qualifications for a new job. An HBS Online finance or accounting course can help you build in-demand skills and apply them immediately in your role.
Are you looking to strengthen your finance resume? Explore our finance and accounting courses to acquire the skills needed to land an interview. If you aren't sure which course is the right fit, download our free course flowchart to determine which best aligns with your goals.
This post was updated on February 27, 2026. It was originally published on June 7, 2022.