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Resume example

Chartered accountant resume example

An expert-comptable in France is a regulated professional registered with the Ordre des experts-comptables, usually working in or running an accounting firm (cabinet).

Your clients are mostly small and mid-sized businesses, craftsmen, liberal professions and associations. You sign off the annual accounts you present, oversee their tax returns, and act as the business owner's first adviser on questions such as which legal structure to choose, how to pay themselves, whether to buy a vehicle through the company or how to prepare a sale. In a firm, you supervise chefs de mission and collaborators who do the bookkeeping, review their files, meet clients and sign engagement letters. Many experts-comptables also handle payroll, legal housekeeping, business plans and, increasingly, advisory work on financial management and the e-invoicing transition.

Resume example

[First name Last name]

Expert-comptable (DEC) | SME and Liberal Profession Clients, Tax and Advisory

[City] · [phone] · [email]

Profile

Expert-comptable registered with the Ordre since [year], partner in a regional firm. I supervise a team of [x], sign the annual accounts of a portfolio of SMEs and liberal professions, and advise owners on structuring, remuneration and business transfers.

Experience

Expert-comptable, associate, [Firm], [City]

[month year] to present

  • Supervised a portfolio of [x] clients, mainly craftsmen, retailers and liberal professions
  • Reviewed files prepared by [x] chefs de mission and signed the annual accounts
  • Advised owners on legal structure, remuneration and the sale of their business
  • Developed a payroll and HR advisory offer for existing clients
  • Trained trainees and supervised two DEC traineeships

Resume headlines

  • Expert-comptable (DEC) | SME and Liberal Profession Clients, Tax and Advisory
  • Chartered Accountant | Partner in a Regional Firm, Portfolio of [x] Clients
  • Expert-comptable stagiaire | DSCG, Final Year of Traineeship

Summaries for your profile

Entry level

Expert-comptable stagiaire in the final year of my three-year traineeship at a [x]-person firm in [City]. DSCG holder, I manage a portfolio of small business clients up to the annual accounts and tax return, and I am writing my DEC thesis on [topic].

Experienced

Expert-comptable registered with the Ordre since [year], partner in a regional firm. I supervise a team of [x], sign the annual accounts of a portfolio of SMEs and liberal professions, and advise owners on structuring, remuneration and business transfers.

Career change

Former finance manager in industry who completed the DSCG and DEC traineeship to move into practice. I bring a business owner's view of figures and want to advise SMEs on management and financing, not only compliance.

Tips

  • State your registration with the Ordre and the year, or your traineeship stage if you are not yet qualified.
  • Describe the client portfolio: number, sectors, size. Firms recruit to match their client base.
  • Highlight advisory work alongside compliance, as firms want to grow it.
  • Mention management of collaborators and trainees.
  • Include the topic of your DEC thesis if relevant to the firm's specialty.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Using the title expert-comptable without being registered with the Ordre, which is prohibited.
  • Listing compliance tasks without any advisory examples.
  • Leaving out the type of clients served.
  • Ignoring management experience.

Working as a chartered accountant in France

Expert-comptable is a protected title in France. You must hold the Diplôme d'expertise comptable (DEC), obtained after the DCG and DSCG, a three-year professional traineeship and a thesis, and you must be registered with the Ordre des experts-comptables. Foreign accountants (ACCA, ICAEW, CPA and others) cannot use the title without recognition by the Ordre, which may involve an aptitude test. Statutory audit (commissariat aux comptes) is a separate regulated activity. Search for 'expert-comptable', 'expert-comptable stagiaire', 'expert-comptable associé' and, for profiles who do not yet hold the DEC, 'chef de mission expertise comptable'.

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Frequently asked questions

Can I call myself expert-comptable with a foreign qualification?

No, not until you are registered with the Ordre des experts-comptables. Holders of foreign qualifications can apply for recognition, which may involve an aptitude test depending on their background. Until then, describe your qualification by its own name, such as ACCA or CPA.

How do I present the DEC traineeship?

Write 'expert-comptable stagiaire' with the firm, the start date and the year of traineeship you are in. Add the DSCG and the subject of your thesis if you have chosen it. Firms read this as a commitment to stay through qualification.

Should I mention commissariat aux comptes?

If you also hold the statutory auditor qualification or carry out audits, yes. It is a separate regulated activity with its own registration, and some firms combine both. Make clear which missions you sign as expert-comptable and which as auditor.

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