CIMA s prescribed CV format / functional specialisms All submitted CV's must meet CIMA's prescribed CV format. CVs that are not in this format will not be accepted. Also see CIMA's example CV on the below pages CIMA's CV guidance contains information regarding functional specialisms. Skills gaps There is a free text box to outline any skills gaps that the CV may show with regards to working in practice and what CPD is being undertaken to address this. The plans for the practice (practice venture) should also be set out here.
CIMA prescribed CV structure and content Your CV will be used to assess your ability to work as a CIMA practising accountant. You must use the structure as outlined below in your CV (sections 1 6) as this will ensure you include all the necessary information and greatly assist CIMA s Practising Certificate Assessors when assessing your application. Please pay particular attention to the requirements of section 3 (work experience). 1. Personal details Please only supply your name and email address. 2. Education Please list dates and titles of your qualifications including membership of any professional bodies. 3. Work experience When listing your work experience put your most recent first. Please pay particular attention to the last five years. Important To ensure your CV meets CIMA s requirements you must highlight your experience of working within the functional specialisms below. It is essential that you show competency in all of the basic competencies listed and any of the advanced competencies you wish to practice in, although a minimum of five is required by CIMA. Please be as thorough as possible when outlining your duties and responsibilities for each role as one or two lines is not acceptable. The assessor will use this information to assess your suitability to work in practice. Applications will be refused that do not meet CIMA s CV requirements. Basic competencies (your CV must show experience in all of these) Statutory and regulatory reporting I.T desktop skills Systems and procedure development Preparation of management accounts Working capital content Product and service costing Information management Advanced competencies (your CV must show experience in at least 5 of these) Book keeping / accounting Business planning / budgeting (nontax) Business tax planning / advice Business process improvement Cash flow management / treasury Company secretarial matters Contribution / profit analysis Cost reduction Expert witness External financial reporting Funding to business Interim management Internal audit / risk analysis Management performance reports Payroll / NI/ PAYE Project appraisal / project management
4. Core competency You must outline your core strengths that you feel will be relevant to running your practice. 5. I.T skills 6. Courses / training undertaken (past 3 years only) Please list any that you think may be relevant to working in practice (include course title, dates, the training organisation and any qualifications awarded). You are not required to list any hobbies or interests in your CV unless you feel they are directly relevant to the Practising Certificate application. Presentation The assessors will also take into consideration the overall presentation of the CV you submit as this will be a reflection of the standards of quality that you intend to offer your clients. Preferred length of the CV should be between 3 and 6 pages, if your CV is longer than this, you may be asked to consolidate your work experience.
(Sample) Curriculum Vitae Personal details Mr Joshua Smith Email: joshua.smith@yahoo123.com Education and membership of professional bodies 1976 1979, Warwick University, B.A International Business and Economics, Degree class 2.1 Associate Member, Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA),1983 Fellow, Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), 1992 Member of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) Work experience Financial Controller (Head office) - ABC Furnishings Ltd, Oxford (08/2008 present) ABC Furnishings has been trading since1998 and has three offices nationwide. The head office is based in Oxfordshire and supplies office furnishings to trade, having 25 employees and a 4.3 million turnover end Q4 2009. Responsible for the day to day management of financial services including bought ledger, financial and capital accounting, income, credit control, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable and other financial controls. Treasury management and Trust funds, statutory accounts and audit. Management of the paymaster function and transaction processing SLA s. Ensuring all financial statements are accurate, complete and in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and other industry standards. Responsible for risk and contingency analysis and identifying areas of potential risk threatening assets, earning capacity and organisational success. Setting and meeting targets for organizational growth. Monthly preparation of financial reports, budgets, cost reports and financial forecasts to aid strategic decision making. Ensuring all financial data is well documented within the department and all records are accurate and up to date. In 2007 I introduced a new strategic growth initiative that that increased ABC Furnishing competitive standing. Profitability was up by 11% and 15% in 2008 and 2009 respectively. Overseeing a team of ten accounting staff and four financial analysts to ensure their accounting duties meet organisational objectives. Working across departments to enable joined up decision making based upon financial data. Ensuring that the decision makers in the firm understand the financial implications of the missions they set for their company in a specific period. Training and coaching accountants for purposes of ensuring that their accounting and analysis duties are done well.
Senior Financial Analyst - Brookes and Brookes Haulage Ltd, Oxford (02/2006 08/2008) Brookes and Brookes Haulage Plc was established in 1976. It has a fleet of 35 trucks that distribute fast moving consumer goods nationally and internationally. It has approximately 180 employees with an annual turnover of around 7.6 million. Preparation of financial analyses and models to assist in the evaluation of business initiatives, capital investments, new services and programs within Brookes and Brookes business units. Analysis includes pricing, cost-benefit analysis, forecasting and expense analysis based on identifying expense drivers and allocations, net present value analysis. Produce timely and effective financial analysis of SME, Corporate and Institutional customers to support the credit decisioning process. Pricing for new and existing products and services. Selecting and create appropriate pricing models based on client's desired asset mix, selection of plans, fee schedules, payroll services and size. Whilst there I developed new and effective techniques for financial planning which rendered better service to the clients and contributed to key client management and retention. Development of financial and non-financial measures of business performance for evaluation and control of projects and investments. Assisting business units in their budgeting and planning process. Preparing and disseminating timely and accurate financial information to allow for efficient use and control over financial resources of a business unit, project or service. Cross train as back-ups for other staff in the case of emergencies Finance Manager Boots Ltd, London (05/2000-01/2006) Boots Ltd, London has a finance department of 20 staff. It is divided into small teams who manage the finances of particular products and services. Managing a team of four accountants in the finance department for Boots healthcare range. Develop financial reports for trending, forecasting and results analysis. Providing financial advice and support to the Director of purchasing and sales to enable sound business decisions. Ensuring all financial practices are in line with all statutory legislation and regulations and formulating strategic and long term business plans. Reporting to the Head of Finance with the responsibility to review the monthly management accounts ensuring they are delivered in an accurate and timely fashion. Fully responsibility for both the budgets and forecasts and working closely with the Cost Controllers and General Managers. Taking the finance lead in ad-hoc projects and project managing one major project in particular to identify cost reduction activities. The project was delivered on time and under budget and the final result saved Boots an average of 50K per annum. Recruiting, training and conducting staff appraisals.
Core competency Financial accounting, business planning and budgeting Staff management (up to and including middle management level) Implementation of financial systems and controls Management of internal / external auditors Project management / project finance Cost reduction I.T skills Microsoft Office Access and PowerPoint (competent user) Advanced Excel skills (pivot tables Vlookups and spreadsheet creation) Business in house accounting systems (Sage, SAP) SPSS statistical analysis software Courses / training undertaken Developing team management skills, Boots Plc, 2005 PRINCE2 Project Management, Intouch Media, 1995