Top 12 Accounts Payable Assistant Skills to Put on Your Resume

In today’s noisy job market, an Accounts Payable Assistant has to show sharp tools and steady judgment. Not just software familiarity, but rhythm. Accuracy that sticks. Communication that unclogs bottlenecks. Spotlight the strengths that keep invoices flowing and vendors calm, and you’ll signal you can protect cash flow and keep operations humming.

Accounts Payable Assistant Skills

1. QuickBooks
2. SAP
3. Excel
4. Oracle
5. Data Entry
6. Invoicing
7. Reconciliation
8. NetSuite
9. Vendor Management
10. ERP Systems
11. Financial Reporting
12. Accounts Payable

1. QuickBooks

QuickBooks is accounting software that helps track expenses, code and post vendor bills, manage approvals, and schedule payments. It reduces manual grunt work and centralizes payables so nothing slips.

Why It's Important

For an Accounts Payable Assistant, QuickBooks streamlines vendor bill entry, speeds up accurate payments, and produces clear reports for aging, cash needs, and spend trends.

How to Improve QuickBooks Skills

Lean into automation, structure, and visibility:

1. Automate data capture: Use Receipt Capture and bill scanning to pull in details and cut keystrokes.

2. Batch and schedule payments: Set vendor-specific terms, early-pay options, and batch runs to avoid late fees.

3. Integrate AP tools: Connect with reputable AP automation platforms for approval workflows and payment rails.

4. Tune reports: Customize aging, unpaid bills, and expense-by-vendor reports; schedule them to hit inboxes before close.

5. Track by project/class: Use Projects or Classes to tag spend to departments or jobs for cleaner budgets.

Sharper setup means fewer errors, faster close, and cleaner cash forecasts.

How to Display QuickBooks Skills on Your Resume

2. SAP

SAP is enterprise resource planning software that unites finance operations—invoice capture, approvals, vendor master data, payments, and reporting—inside one system of record.

Why It's Important

It automates invoice workflows, enforces controls, and ensures timely, accurate payments—strengthening vendor relationships and audit readiness.

How to Improve SAP Skills

1. Targeted training: Take courses focused on Financial Accounting and the AP submodule.

2. Use the help resources: Read module docs for posting rules, payment runs, and tolerance settings.

3. Practice in a sandbox: Simulate invoice entry, three-way match, and payment proposals safely.

4. Community learning: Join SAP user groups and forums to trade tips and transaction codes.

5. Attend webinars: Track new features and best practices from SAP user communities.

6. Specialize: Master invoice processing, vendor master controls, payment runs (F110), and GR/IR clearing.

Hands-on repetition wins—focus on the few transactions you’ll use daily and nail them.

How to Display SAP Skills on Your Resume

3. Excel

Excel organizes, analyzes, and reconciles financial data. It’s the quick scalpel for aging schedules, vendor analytics, and month-end tie-outs.

Why It's Important

It boosts speed and accuracy when handling high volumes—clean lists, sharp filters, and formulas that catch errors before they sting.

How to Improve Excel Skills

1. Core functions: XLOOKUP or INDEX/MATCH for lookups; SUMIFS for conditional totals; TEXT/DATE functions for cleanup; IFERROR to tidy results.

2. PivotTables: Summarize spend by vendor, terms, due date buckets. Slice and drill fast.

3. Data validation: Dropdowns, input rules, and locked ranges protect data quality.

4. Macros: Record simple macros for repeat tasks like formatting imports or refreshing reports.

5. Shortcuts and power tools: Master keyboard shortcuts, Flash Fill, Power Query for cleaning large invoice files.

6. Practice real scenarios: Rebuild an AP aging, create an accruals schedule, and reconcile vendor statements to ledger.

The more live datasets you tackle, the faster your instincts sharpen.

How to Display Excel Skills on Your Resume

4. Oracle

Oracle’s financial suite centralizes payables—invoice ingestion, coding, approvals, payments, and reporting—across complex organizations.

Why It's Important

It enforces controls, scales with growth, and supports accurate, timely payments while maintaining audit trails and compliance.

How to Improve Oracle Skills

1. Focus on key modules: Oracle Payables, General Ledger, and Cash Management—learn the flow end to end.

2. Refresh accounting basics: Strong fundamentals make coding and reconciliations second nature.

3. Leverage automation: Use imaging/OCR, workflow approvals, and payment batches to reduce manual touchpoints.

4. Tap support and communities: Read release notes, search knowledge bases, and join user groups.

5. Practice safely: Train in non-production environments; rehearse month-end close steps.

6. Stay current: Track quarterly updates and new AP features.

Proficiency comes from repetition across the invoice-to-pay cycle.

How to Display Oracle Skills on Your Resume

5. Data Entry

In AP, data entry means precise, timely input of invoice details, purchase order references, GL codes, and payment terms into the accounting system.

Why It's Important

It underpins everything—clean inputs drive clean reports, fewer vendor headaches, and on-time payments.

How to Improve Data Entry Skills

1. Automate capture: Use OCR and import templates to pull in invoice data and cut typos.

2. Two-step checks: Adopt a second-eye review for high-value invoices or new vendors.

3. Standardize templates: Lock cells, add dropdowns, and enforce required fields.

4. Error routines: Run daily exception reports and reconcile totals to catch drift early.

5. Keyboard fluency: Learn system shortcuts; reduce mouse clicks; batch similar tasks.

6. Ongoing training: Keep up with software updates and new import tools.

Small efficiencies compound into hours saved each month.

How to Display Data Entry Skills on Your Resume

6. Invoicing

For AP, invoicing means receiving, validating, and posting supplier invoices—matching to POs and receipts, coding correctly, and lining up approvals—so payments go out accurately and on time.

Why It's Important

It’s the heart of payables. Clean invoice handling prevents duplicate payments, late fees, and strained vendor relationships.

How to Improve Invoicing Skills

1. Adopt e-invoicing: Encourage electronic invoices to speed intake and reduce manual handling.

2. Standardize submissions: Provide vendors clear guidelines for required fields, PO references, and formats.

3. Automate approvals: Use workflow tools to route invoices by amount, department, or exception type.

4. Use OCR and 3-way match: Extract data automatically; match invoice, PO, and receipt to control spend.

5. Set firm terms: Document payment terms and dispute procedures; communicate early and often.

6. Train regularly: Refresh coding rules, tax handling, and exception processing.

7. Monitor KPIs: Track cycle time, first-pass match rate, and exceptions per 1,000 invoices.

8. Nurture vendor relationships: Create clear channels for questions, remittances, and dispute resolution.

The smoother the pipeline, the calmer month-end becomes.

How to Display Invoicing Skills on Your Resume

7. Reconciliation

Reconciliation compares internal records to vendor statements and bank data to spot and resolve differences—credits, short-pays, missing invoices, timing quirks.

Why It's Important

It safeguards accuracy, prevents duplicate or erroneous payments, and supports clean closes and audits.

How to Improve Reconciliation Skills

1. Standardize steps: Document a checklist with frequency, owners, and thresholds for investigation.

2. Automate where possible: Use software to match transactions and flag exceptions; reserve manual time for true variances.

3. Strengthen communication: Coordinate with vendors and purchasing to resolve mismatches quickly.

4. Tighten internal controls: Segregate duties, log approvals, and review adjustments.

5. Reconcile often: Don’t wait for month-end; weekly mini-recons keep surprises small.

6. Maintain audit trails: Keep clear notes and attachments for every resolved exception.

Consistency is the secret—small, regular checks beat last-minute scrambles.

How to Display Reconciliation Skills on Your Resume

8. NetSuite

NetSuite is a cloud ERP that unifies finance, procurement, and more—letting AP capture invoices, route approvals, pay vendors, and monitor cash in real time.

Why It's Important

It centralizes workflows, tightens controls, and gives instant visibility into obligations and due dates.

How to Improve NetSuite Skills

1. Automate approvals: Build SuiteFlow routes based on amount, department, or exceptions.

2. Personalize dashboards: Surface aging, holds, pending approvals, and payment calendars.

3. Vendor portal: Integrate a portal so suppliers can submit invoices and check status without back-and-forth emails.

4. Sharper reporting: Customize saved searches and reports for exceptions, duplicate checks, and accruals.

5. Improve data quality: Use CSV imports with validation to reduce manual errors.

6. Keep learning: Take NetSuite courses and refreshers; practice new releases early.

Build the environment around your process—not the other way around.

How to Display NetSuite Skills on Your Resume

9. Vendor Management

Vendor management in AP means accurate vendor master data, smooth onboarding, clear terms, timely payments, and quick resolution of disputes—relationship maintenance with a financial backbone.

Why It's Important

It prevents duplicate vendors, tax form issues, late fees, and frayed trust—while helping the business capture discounts and avoid risk.

How to Improve Vendor Management Skills

1. Centralize vendor data: Standardize W-9/W-8 collection, bank details verification, and change controls.

2. Automate intake: Use forms and workflows for onboarding and updates with clear approvals.

3. Review performance: Track on-time payment rates, disputes, and credit memos; meet regularly with key suppliers.

4. Clarify contracts and terms: Align payment terms with cash policies; document dispute steps.

5. Consistent communication: Provide a single point of contact, standard remittance advice, and status updates.

6. Modern payments: Offer reliable payment methods (ACH, virtual cards) with strong controls.

7. Continuous improvement: Periodically clean the vendor master and prune duplicates and inactive records.

Reliable vendors stick around when you’re accurate and predictable.

How to Display Vendor Management Skills on Your Resume

10. ERP Systems

ERP systems connect finance with purchasing, inventory, and more. For AP, they centralize invoices, approvals, payments, and reporting in a controlled, auditable workflow.

Why It's Important

They improve accuracy, accelerate processing, tighten controls, and deliver real-time insight into obligations and cash needs.

How to Improve ERP Systems Skills

1. Automate invoice intake: Reduce manual keying with OCR, EDI, and e-invoicing.

2. Integrate banks: Enable straight-through processing and reconciliation for payments.

3. Train continuously: Share tips, new features, and refresher sessions to lift team proficiency.

4. Customize workflows: Tailor approvals, tolerances, and exception paths to your policies.

5. Use analytics: Build dashboards for AP aging, discount capture, and cycle time KPIs.

6. Vendor self-service: Provide portals for invoice submission and payment status to cut emails.

7. Maintain diligently: Apply updates, review permissions, and audit logs to keep the system healthy.

Good configuration turns your ERP into a quiet machine instead of a maze.

How to Display ERP Systems Skills on Your Resume

11. Financial Reporting

Financial reporting compiles accurate statements and management reports. In AP, think aging schedules, accruals for unbilled/late invoices, cash requirements, and 1099/withholding support where applicable.

Why It's Important

It keeps leadership informed, supports compliance, and ensures liabilities are recorded correctly—no hidden surprises in payables.

How to Improve Financial Reporting Skills

1. Automate where you can: Schedule recurring reports and build refreshable templates.

2. Reconcile routinely: Tie subledger to GL; align vendor statements with the aging.

3. Stay current on standards: Keep up with accounting guidance impacting AP and accruals.

4. Enforce data quality: Validate vendor terms, tax setups, and coding before close.

5. Strengthen controls: Document review steps and sign-offs for reports that feed the close.

6. Cloud collaboration: Use shared workbooks or dashboards so stakeholders see near real-time data.

7. Seek feedback: Ask accounting and FP&A what would make AP reports more decision-ready.

Clear, timely AP reporting shortens close and sharpens cash planning.

How to Display Financial Reporting Skills on Your Resume

12. Accounts Payable

Accounts Payable covers the entire invoice-to-pay cycle: intake, validation and matching, coding, approvals, payments, and reconciliation—anchored by strong controls.

Why It's Important

It protects cash, nurtures vendor relationships, avoids penalties, and supports clean financial statements.

How to Improve Accounts Payable Skills

1. Automate processes: Use AP automation to capture invoices, route approvals, and schedule payments.

2. Keep vendor data pristine: Verify banking and tax info; review changes with strict controls.

3. Go electronic: Favor e-invoicing and ACH or virtual card payments for speed and traceability.

4. Capture discounts: Track and prioritize early-pay opportunities when cash allows.

5. Reconcile frequently: Vendor statements, GR/IR, and subledger-to-GL—little and often.

6. Communicate well: Clear SLAs with stakeholders and vendors; quick responses reduce friction.

7. Invest in training: Refresh policies, fraud awareness, and system updates regularly.

Disciplined AP turns into a quiet advantage—predictable, accurate, trusted.

How to Display Accounts Payable Skills on Your Resume