Accounts payable clerk CV

Accounts payable (AP) clerks, also called purchase ledger clerks, make sure suppliers are paid correctly and on time. That means processing invoices, matching them to purchase orders, resolving queries, running payment runs and reconciling supplier statements. It's detailed, deadline-driven work. Your CV should show accuracy, volume and an eye for problems such as duplicate payments or fraud.

What employers look for

• Invoice processing at volume. How many invoices a week or month you handle tells a reader a lot.
• Matching and approvals. Two-way and three-way matching against purchase orders and goods received notes.
• Payment runs. Preparing BACS or CHAPS payments, often weekly, accurately and on time.
• Reconciliations and queries. Supplier statement reconciliations and resolving discrepancies directly with suppliers.
• Controls. Spotting duplicates, checking bank detail changes, following approval rules.
• Systems. Sage, Xero, SAP, Oracle, Dynamics, and invoice automation tools such as Basware, Coupa or Tungsten.

AAT study is a plus but rarely required.

Keywords from accounts payable adverts

• Accounts payable, purchase ledger, P2P (purchase-to-pay)
• Invoice processing, coding, data entry
• Purchase orders, three-way matching, GRNs
• Payment runs, BACS, CHAPS, supplier payments
• Supplier statement reconciliations, supplier queries
• Expenses, credit card reconciliations
• Duplicate payment checks, fraud prevention, bank detail verification
• Month-end accruals support
• Sage, Xero, SAP, Oracle, Dynamics, Basware, Coupa, Excel

A typical advert, decoded

A paraphrased example of what accounts payable clerk adverts usually say, and what each line is really asking for.

The advert says	What it really means
"High-volume invoice processing"	Expect hundreds or thousands a month. Quote the volumes you've handled.
"Three-way matching"	Purchase orders are used. Show you understand matching against POs and GRNs.
"Weekly payment runs"	You'll prepare BACS runs. Accuracy matters most.
"Resolve supplier queries"	You'll be on the phone and email with suppliers regularly.
"Fraud awareness"	They've seen or fear bank detail fraud. Mention any checks you've followed.

Example CV profile

Accounts payable clerk with three years in a national logistics company, processing around 1,500 supplier invoices a month on SAP. I run the weekly BACS payment run, reconcile statements for our top 100 suppliers and resolve queries with suppliers and budget holders. I introduced a duplicate-invoice check that has stopped over £40k of duplicate payments.

Example achievements

Use your own figures.

• Processed around 1,500 invoices a month with three-way matching, keeping the backlog under two days.
• Ran the weekly BACS payment run for 400 suppliers with no payment errors in two years.
• Introduced a duplicate-invoice report in Excel that stopped £40k of duplicate payments in its first year.
• Followed the bank-detail verification process to stop a fraudulent change-of-bank-details request.
• Reconciled statements for the top 100 suppliers monthly, clearing £60k of long-standing disputed items.
• Helped roll out Basware invoice scanning, training six colleagues on the new workflow.

Common mistakes

• Leaving out volumes. Invoice and supplier numbers are the clearest measure of your experience.
• Not naming systems. Recruiters search for specific ones. List what you've used.
• Ignoring controls. Fraud and duplicate prevention are increasingly important. Mention them if you've done it.
• Only listing tasks. Accuracy rates, backlog reductions and query resolution times are results.

Interview questions to prepare for

• Talk me through how you process an invoice from receipt to payment.
• What's three-way matching, and why does it matter?
• A supplier emails to change their bank details. What do you do?

See all 12 accounts payable clerk interview questions, with why interviewers ask each one and what a strong answer covers.