Accounts Payable Jobs in the United States

Accounts Payable Jobs Overview

When working as an accounts payable professional, you'll manage the process by which your employer disburses payments that they owe to creditors and suppliers. Your day-to-day tasks will involve handling billing disputes, ensuring efficient invoice payment, and verifying transaction records. Accounts payable jobs require good organizational skills and meticulous attention to detail.

If you land a job as an accounts payable professional, expect to work 40 hours per week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each weekday.While these jobs are available in a wide range of settings and industries, you'll likely work in a standard office setting. If your employer has an entire financial team, you may work alongside other accountants and bookkeepers.

Salary for Accounts Payable Jobs

The median salary is $43,851 for an accounts payable professional. However, what you take home will depend on your experience and even where you’re based. Some high-demand job locations with competitive salaries for accounts payable professionals include the following:

• New York, NY - $46,520
• Houston, TX - $40,902
• Little Rock, AR - $36,459
• Los Angeles, CA - $48,639
• Dallas, TX - $40,902

You can find more information about accounts payable salaries by using our Salary Calculator. Enter the job title and location to find the median salary in your area.

How to Find Accounts Payable Jobs That Suit You

Before you start searching for accounts payable jobs, define your career goals and interests. If your goal is to eventually become a CFO, does this job help you get there?

To find the right job for you, determine what you want from the position. What are your strengths and weaknesses? Do you prefer a more flexible schedule or opportunities for growth? While accounts payable roles usually don't allow for flexible hours, most of them provide growth opportunities.

Review the Job Description and Consider Your Qualifications

When you find a job description that interests you, assess whether your experience level and skills match the job requirements and responsibilities. For example, do you meet the education requirements?

While entry-level accounts payable jobs might accept applicants with a high school diploma or GED, others are only available to people with a bachelor's degree in finance or accounting. If you like a job but don't meet the requirements, seek additional education or training.

Research the Company

Before applying for a job, make sure the company's values and mission align with yours. It's great to work for a company that you like. Accounts payable jobs aren't industry-specific, but you should easily discover information about the company’s focus on its website.

Check the "About" section of their site to locate their mission statement. You can also read online reviews from current and previous employees, follow the company on social media, and seek employee feedback when possible. If you can speak with current employees, ask about the company's management style.

Look for Additional Growth Opportunities

Accounts payable roles usually offer room for growth. Look at other job openings that the employer has to make sure that they have numerous financial positions.

For example, you could eventually receive a promotion and become an accounts payable manager at the same company. If career advancement is important to you, make sure the job allows for it. The job should also fit well into your long-term career goals.

How to Apply for Accounts Payable Jobs

Once you find the right job description, begin the application process by reviewing it. Identify key skills and qualifications that you can emphasize in your application. For example, most employers who are hiring for this position want a candidate who understands accounting principles and knows how to use them for accounts payable tasks.

If you have the skills that the job description lists, include them in your resume and cover letter. Follow any specific instructions that the employer provides.

Create an Effective Resume

Arguably the most important component of your application is a resume. Creating an effective resume requires placing the right information in the appropriate order.

Your first order of business is to find keywords that you can include in your resume to effectively navigate the employer's applicant tracking system (ATS). This system streamlines the hiring process by screening resumes to identify qualified candidates.

Go over the job description with a fine-tooth comb to find keywords that you can place in your resume. For accounts payable jobs, some keywords that might boost your resume include:

• problem-solving skills
• analyzing accounts
• invoice processing
• Microsoft Office proficiency
• verify financial transactions

You can write resumes for accounts payable jobs in the reverse-chronological format. This format places your work experience front and center. It also lists your most recent experience first to effectively highlight your career path.

When listing skills on your resume, don't include more than six. The skills you list should match the ones shown in the job description. The most important skills to place in an accounts payable resume are:

• understanding of basic accounting and bookkeeping principles
• proficient in PowerPoint and Excel
• ability to manage financial records
• strong data entry skills
• knowledge of how to manage vendor relationships
• excellent time-management skills

Use this accounts payable resume example to determine if yours is well-written and properly formatted. If you want help writing this document, consider the Monster Professional Resume Writing Service.

Write a Compelling Cover Letter

When applying for accounts payable jobs, you must include a cover letter. Customize this letter to the specific job and company you're applying to.

A good cover letter builds on the skills and experiences covered in your resume and lets the hiring manager know why you are particularly suited for the position. Include the most important details from your resume, which might extend to your achievements, relevant skills, and qualifications.

The cover letter should fit on a single page. To get a better idea of what you should write, read this cover letter example.

Submit Your Application

After filling out your application, you can quickly apply via Monster. All you need to do is create a free Monster account. Once you do, you'll receive recommendations for similar jobs as well as a free review of your resume.

Double-check your entire application for errors before submitting it. Read your resume and cover letter out loud to determine if you made any grammatical mistakes. If possible, have a friend look it over, too.

How to Follow Up With an Employer

You should always follow up with an employer after applying for a job. However, you need to time it correctly.

Entry-level accounts payable jobs don't come with strict requirements, which means that it shouldn't take too long for the employer to review your application. Give it around 10 business days before you follow up.

How to Follow Up

When it's time to follow up, write an email to the hiring manager. Make it concise and clear, and limit it to two or three paragraphs.

In the email, mention your most important qualifications. For accounts payable jobs, consider stating that you have excellent 10-key skills and Excel knowledge. Before ending the email, confirm your interest in the position.

Who to Follow Up With

Once you submit your application, you can follow up with the hiring manager. You can find their contact info on the company's website or in the job listing. If you can't locate this info, call the company's HR department or secretary.

Interviewing Tips for Accounts Payable Jobs

Before interviewing for a job, research the company and position to gain a more comprehensive understanding of their culture, mission, and values. If you did this research before applying, refresh your memory to prepare for the interview.

An effective way to prepare for an interview is by asking yourself questions that might come up. For example, the hiring manager might ask you to explain the strategies you use to keep track of your tasks and accounts. Practice answering these questions. You could also ask a friend to pose as the interviewer.

Here are some tough interview questions and answers that can help you prepare. If you can get through these questions properly, the more basic ones will be easier to answer.

Interview Process

The interview process for accounts payable jobs is straightforward and usually begins with an initial interview by phone or video chat. You may go through two to three rounds of interviews for an accounts payable function.

However, additional interviews are often necessary when applying to larger corporations. For example, some companies hold four to six continuous interviews on the same day for all positions, including accounts payable. The hiring manager will likely conduct your interviews.

You'll receive competency-based questions during each interview, which is why you must know how to properly explain your skills and capabilities. During the interview, you'll need to answer a combination of general questions and more in-depth ones. The questions you might encounter when interviewing for an accounts payable job include:

• What types of financial statements does a company need to track to effectively measure success?
• Can you explain what EFT and FBT mean in accounting?
• How will you apply generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) to your job?
• What steps do you take to improve an invoice?
• What documents must you fill out for invoice verification?
• Are you familiar with accounting software like QuickBooks and Zoho Books?

After providing an answer, you may receive a follow-up question. For example, if you state that you know how to use QuickBooks to perform accounts payable tasks, the hiring manager might ask you to go into more detail.

Interview Tips

To ace your accounts payable interview, focus on demonstrating your experience and skills by giving examples. The STAR technique can help you navigate behavioral and skill-based questions.

This method allows you to explain the situation and your task. You'll then describe the action you took to resolve the issue.

Let's say that the hiring manager asks you about your knowledge of Microsoft Office. You can answer by talking about a specific accounts payable task you know how to do with Office software. When you answer questions, be confident and authentic to show the hiring manager that you know what you're doing.

Follow Up

Following up after an interview is all about timing. Send a thank you message within 24 to 48 hours after your interview.

Whether you write an email or make a phone call, make sure to bring up a few of the things you spoke about during the interview to show that you took it seriously. End the email or conversation by reiterating your skills as well as the interest you have in the accounts payable job.

What to Do When You Get an Offer

First, take a moment to congratulate yourself. Then, thank the hiring manager for the opportunity, and inform them that you'll need two to three days to consider it.

When you review the offer, look for information about your salary, benefits, and responsibilities. The letter may also detail the amount of paid time off (PTO) you'll have access to. If you need clarification about your salary or the benefits, the hiring manager can answer them.

Make your decision based on your career needs and priorities. If you recently earned an associate degree in accounting and are looking to start your first job out of college, you might not be in a position to make demands.

However, it's possible to negotiate salary and benefits regardless of how much experience you have. To make a more informed argument, research compensation packages and salary ranges for the position. Speak in a calm and professional tone throughout the conversation.

Career Paths

As an accounts payable professional, you have several career paths you can take. However, choosing the right one is often challenging. You need to consider your interests and skills as well as your career goals.

For example, let's say you want to climb the ladder at your company and eventually land a job as its chief financial officer (CFO). Your career path might involve a promotion from accounts payable to staff accountant.

From here, you might receive a promotion to senior staff accountant, which can give you the experience you need to earn a job as a controller. A few years with the controller title might allow you to receive consideration for the CFO title at the company you currently work for.

To further advance your career, consider professional development and networking opportunities. For example, there are several associations you can join to build your network and foster relationships with like-minded professionals. Think about joining organizations like The Institute of Financial Operations or the Institute of Finance & Management.

If you want to improve your resume and gain more skills that can help you advance your career in the accounts payable field, there are several routes you can take. One option involves earning a master's degree in finance or accounting. You could also obtain a Certified Accounts Payable Practitioner certification.

Similar Occupations

Are you considering other jobs that require a similar skill set? Here are some career options that might interest you:

• accounts receivable specialist jobs
• accountant jobs
• bookkeeper jobs
• office manager jobs
• accounting assistant jobs