Paragraph by paragraph
I am applying for the Assistant Financial Controller role at Severn Trent (reference FIN-2611). I am a Chartered Certified Accountant and have worked in practice since 2018, first in audit at BDO and for the last five years as a Senior Accountant at Grant Thornton in Birmingham. I would now like to work inside one business, and a listed company that reports to Ofwat as well as to its shareholders is the kind of finance team I want to join.
Why industry, said in the first paragraph
In three sentences the reader gets the role and reference, his qualification and where he has worked, and his reason for wanting to move. The reason is specific to this employer: a listed company with a regulator, which means two sets of reporting. That is more convincing than a general wish for "a new challenge".
At Grant Thornton I look after 25 SME clients with a combined turnover of about £180m. For each of them I prepare the statutory accounts, the corporation tax return and the VAT submissions, so I spend a lot of every year chasing the same reconciliations that a proper month end would have caught.
Client work, seen from the client side
Practice accountants often describe their work in practice language: portfolios, engagements, deliverables. James describes it the way his clients would experience it, and ends on the reconciliations a proper month end would have caught, which is the part of the job he is applying to do. No client is named.
I have also led audit teams of four on larger engagements worth up to £2m. Earlier, at BDO, I helped bring in data analytics tools that cut our audit completion time by 20%. I enjoyed that more than anything else at BDO, because it saved time for the whole team.
Leadership and improvement
Leading audit teams shows he can manage people and deadlines. The BDO result shows he has improved a process for a whole team, which is a large part of an assistant controller's role. The last sentence tells the reader what kind of work he enjoys.
In 2023 I found £340k of potential R&D tax relief across my clients. Most of the work was getting engineers to keep proper records during the year, so I am used to working with people outside finance to get the numbers right.
A careful number
He says "potential" relief because relief identified is not the same as cash received; HMRC still has to accept the claim. Accountants notice when someone rounds that up into savings. The useful part for an employer is the second half: he is used to getting people outside finance to keep proper records.
My notice period is two months. I would be glad to talk about the move from practice to industry, since I expect it is the first question you will have.
Notice period and the obvious question
Two short sentences. Notice periods matter to finance teams planning around year end, and raising the practice to industry question himself shows confidence without overselling.
Get your professional title right
Accountancy titles are protected, and a finance director will notice if you use the wrong one. The most common slip is an ACCA member calling themselves a chartered accountant. ACCA members are Chartered Certified Accountants; "chartered accountant" belongs to members of the institutes in the table below.
| Body | What members are called | Letters after your name |
|---|---|---|
| ACCA | Chartered Certified Accountant | ACCA, or FCCA for fellows |
| ICAEW (England and Wales) | Chartered Accountant | ACA, or FCA for fellows |
| ICAS (Scotland) | Chartered Accountant | CA, which only ICAS members may use in the UK |
| CIMA | Chartered Management Accountant | ACMA or FCMA, usually with CGMA |
Put the letters after your name in the signature, as James does, and use the full title once in the first paragraph. If you are part qualified, say which exams you have passed and when you expect to finish, rather than using letters you are not yet entitled to.
A few lines for a finance recruiter
Many finance roles go through specialist recruiters, and they want the essentials quickly. This version works as an email to a recruiter or in a form's personal statement box.
Saying it in industry language
Not every hiring manager in a company's finance team trained in practice, and some of the words you use every day can sound like someone who sends invoices rather than someone who closes the books. A few swaps help.
| In practice you might say | An industry reader understands better |
|---|---|
| I manage a portfolio of 25 clients | I prepare the year end accounts and tax for 25 businesses |
| Delivered statutory accounts | Produced the annual accounts and dealt with the auditors' questions |
| Raised audit findings on controls | Found weak points in how payments were approved and suggested fixes |
| Engagement lead | Ran the project, the team and the deadline |
| Billable hours targets | Leave this out; it describes your firm, not your work |
You are not hiding where you have worked, just showing the reader that your skills already fit their month end, their budgets and their board reporting.
Applying from somewhere else in accounting
Newly qualified
Say when you qualified and which body, then give one piece of work you did largely on your own. Newly qualified roles care about how quickly you will need less supervision.
I qualified as a Chartered Accountant with ICAEW in July after three years in audit, and your newly qualified financial accountant role is the move into industry I have been planning for.
Part qualified
Give the exams you have passed and your expected finish date. Many employers pay for the rest, so show you are on track.
I have passed nine of the thirteen ACCA exams, with the last four booked for next year, and for two years I have produced the management accounts for a group of three dental practices.
Big Four to a smaller firm
Explain what you want that a smaller firm offers, such as wider client contact or broader work, without criticising your current firm.
After four years on large audits at a Big Four firm, I would like to work with businesses run by their owners, where I can see the whole of a client rather than one part of it.
Bookkeeper moving up
Show the step beyond processing: reconciliations you owned, month end tasks you ran, and any AAT or ACCA study.
I have run the purchase and sales ledgers for a construction firm for three years, and since January I have prepared the monthly management accounts as well.
Applying in the United States
US employers look for a CPA licence or progress toward one. If you hold a UK qualification, say how it relates and what you are doing about US licensing.
I am a UK Chartered Certified Accountant who moved to Chicago last year, I am two exams away from my CPA licence, and I am applying for the senior accountant role in your Chicago office.
What you can say about clients
Confidentiality is one of the five fundamental principles in the ACCA code of ethics, which is built on the international IESBA code; the others are integrity, objectivity, professional competence and due care, and professional behaviour. In a cover letter that means:
- No client names, unless the work is public, such as a published audit report you signed, and even then think twice.
- Describe clients by sector and size: "a manufacturing group with £40m turnover" tells the reader all they need.
- Use totals across your portfolio, as James does with turnover and R&D relief, rather than figures that point to one business.
- Leave out anything still in progress, such as open tax enquiries or disputes.
A finance director reading your letter is also thinking about how you would treat their own figures, so being careful here helps you twice.
Five mistakes in accountants’ cover letters
Using the wrong title
Calling yourself a chartered accountant when you are an ACCA member, or using letters before you have earned them, is the kind of error finance directors spot straight away.
Check the table above and use your body’s exact title and letters.
Naming clients
It breaks your duty of confidentiality and makes the reader wonder what you would say about them.
Describe clients by sector and size, and give totals across your portfolio.
Listing software without saying what you did
"Xero, Sage, SAP, Excel" tells the reader very little. Everyone in finance lists Excel.
Mention a system only with what you did in it, like rebuilding the month end reconciliations in SAP.
Rounding up your results
Relief identified is not cash in the bank, and a reduced audit time is not a cost saving unless you can show one. Accountants notice.
Use the precise word: identified, potential, claimed, received.
Not explaining the move
If you are moving from practice to industry, or the other way, the reader will wonder why. Silence leaves them guessing.
Give a specific reason in the first paragraph, and offer to talk about it.
Figures, sign off and the reference
- Length: one page, about 300 words. Finance readers appreciate the same discipline they expect in a set of accounts.
- Figures: write money consistently, such as £180m and £340k, and give a period or a basis for each one.
- Greeting and sign off: Dear Mr Bostock with Yours sincerely; Dear Sir or Madam with Yours faithfully if you have no name.
- Signature: your name with your designatory letters, James Thornton ACCA.
- Reference: quote the job reference in the first sentence, especially when a recruiter is handling several roles for the same client.
The main points from this page
- 1Use your professional body’s exact title and letters.
- 2Describe practice work the way the client experiences it.
- 3Never name clients; give sector, size and portfolio totals.
- 4Use precise words for results: identified is not received.
- 5If you are changing sides, say why in the first paragraph.
Frequently asked questions
Should I put ACCA or ACA after my name on a cover letter?
Yes, in the signature, if you are a full member. Part qualified accountants should not use the letters; say which exams you have passed instead.
Can an ACCA member call themselves a chartered accountant?
No. ACCA members are Chartered Certified Accountants, and that title and the letters ACCA or FCCA are what they should use. Chartered accountant is the title of ICAEW, ICAS and similar institutes.
How do I explain moving from practice to industry?
Give a specific reason, such as wanting to see the results of your work inside one business, and connect your practice experience to their month end, budgeting and reporting. Then offer to talk about it, as James does.
Can I mention the clients I have worked on?
Not by name. Describe them by sector and size and use totals across your portfolio. Confidentiality is one of the fundamental principles of the professional codes.
How long should an accountant cover letter be?
One page, about 300 words. A shorter version for recruiters or application forms works well at around 100 words.