Rajesh Pathak Jan 25, 2024
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Entrance Tips

Essential Accounting Skills To Include On Your Resume

An accountant often serves as the financial backbone of a company, providing critical advice and guidance on financial matters. Any business, whether large or small, will have financial transactions and records. An accountant helps to make business decisions by recording, classifying and summarising these transactions.  

Solid accounting skills allow accountants to perform their job effectively and climb the career ladder. As such, an accountant ensures that a business runs smoothly and efficiently. With the skills and knowledge of an accountant, it is easier for a business to manage its finances effectively. 

Check Out: Accounting Career Outlook and Salary

Top 8 Accounting Skills to Include in Your Resume

No matter what your future career aspirations are, it’s important to have strong accounting skills on your resume. Accounting jobs cover an incredibly wide range of areas, from helping small companies with basic bookkeeping to working in the finance department of a major corporation. If you want to excel in the accounting field, here are the essential accounting skills that will get you off to a great start;

  • Record Keeping
  • Accuracy 
  • Accounting software skills
  • Soft skills
  • Critical thinking skills
  • Multi-tasking skills
  • Data Analysis Skills
  • General business knowledge
  • Record Keeping

As an accountant, one of your most important responsibilities will be keeping accurate records. This includes financial statements, ledgers, and tax documents. You must have strong attention to detail and stay organised to keep track of all the information. Most people who work as accountants work in desk-bound jobs, so you’ll need good hand-eye coordination.

In a large corporation or organisation, budgets are created and tracked regularly. It is, therefore, essential that their employees attend training classes or workshops to update their skills. For instance, accounting software such as Microsoft Excel or QuickBooks is used by many businesses. Knowing to use these accounting tools will be an added point if you are looking forward to pursuing a career in finance. You can achieve proficiency in these with QuickBooks training or attending a Ms Excel course from a reputed training institution.

  • Accuracy 

Inaccurate financial reports can lead to legal trouble or even worse, cause damage to a company's reputation. As an accountant, you must have a keen eye for detail and produce error-free work. Accuracy is a must-have skill in accounting. Financial accounting skills can help you achieve accuracy in financial data. 

With accurate reporting comes accurate forecasting and budgeting, which means businesses will have greater financial visibility. The Advanced budgeting and forecasting course will help you acquire the skills needed to perform advanced forecasting and high-quality budgeting. Accuracy reduces the time spent reconciling accounts by creating more accurate documents. 

  • Accounting Software Skills

To be a successful accountant, you must be proficient in using accounting software. This includes inputting data, generating reports, and troubleshooting any issues. Some popular accounting software programs include QuickBooks, Sage 50, and Xero. Many employers require applicants to have at least one year of experience with these systems. All business professionals should have basic computer skills, which is essential when working as an accountant. 

Technology is also increasingly important in accounting, so you must be proficient in using accounting software. You’ll need to master Excel, including some of its more advanced features such as VLOOKUP, Pivot Tables, and Charts. Learning QuickBooks or other accounting software would be a big plus as well.

  • QuickBooks: Knowing how to use this program will enable you to maintain accounting records and get insights into day-to-day operations that help a company be more profitable. 
  • Microsoft Excel: Spreadsheets are very popular in today’s business world, and Excel is the program that companies use more than any other. You’ll need a lot of knowledge about this program to do well in your accounting career.
  • Soft Skills

An accountant must possess soft skills, such as good communication skills or the ability to work under pressure. For example, quickly creating professional reports is important for meeting deadlines while still meeting company standards. Accounting skill encompasses the sense of urgency necessary for meeting deadlines and ensuring that all transactions are correctly recorded. 

Good communication skills are crucial in any profession, especially concerning finance-related topics like budgets and forecasting. Being articulate about these concepts can make a big difference for your employer by saving them time and resources. Soft skills training is the best way to develop the necessary interpersonal skills to succeed in the future. 

Read More: How to Improve SoftSkills in Workplace?

  • Critical Thinking Skills

As an accountant, you need to be able to analyse data and information to make sound decisions. This means being able to identify patterns, discrepancies, and trends. You also need to be able to see the big picture while still paying attention to the details. In short, you need strong analytical skills to help guide your decision-making process.

A good way to show these skills in your resume is to include a project summary from a previous job on your resume. For example, if you had helped a company analyse their expenses for two months, you would include this work experience under relevant work experience or work experience. Listing specific tasks related to this project would give potential employers more insight into how you might handle their business problems.

  • Multi-tasking Skills

Being able to juggle multiple tasks at once is an essential skill in accounting. You often have to keep track of many different deadlines and details simultaneously. Multitasking lets you stay organised and efficient, ensuring that nothing falls through the cracks. On a typical day as an accountant, you’ll likely need to:

  • Input data into your computer
  • Answer phone calls from clients about their business transactions and concerns
  • Create reports for customers or other employees
  • Collect invoices from vendors
  • Check financial statements against company budgets and generate sales reports. 

With so much going on at any given time, accountants must multitask effectively without getting distracted or missing anything important.

Also read, What are the Advantages of An Accounting Career?

  • Data Analysis Skills

Data analysis is an essential skill for any accountant. The ability to collect, organise, and interpret data is crucial in making sound decisions and providing accurate information to clients. Many software programs can help facilitate data analysis, but it is important to understand the underlying principles to be truly effective. With practice, any accountant can develop strong data analysis skills and use them to their advantage.

Read: Top Analytics Skills Required To Become A Data Analyst 

As an accountant, you will analyse financial data and provide insights to help inform business decisions. To be successful in this role, you must be comfortable working with numbers and be able to communicate your findings. Additionally, you should have strong problem-solving skills and be able to think critically. 

Also read, Top High-Paying Accounting Careers 

  • General Business Knowledge

As an accountant, you should have a general understanding of business. This includes knowing how businesses are structured, their goals, and how they operate daily. By understanding these things, you’ll be able to provide better support and advice to your clients.

For example, if you’re helping someone start a small business, knowing the different legal structures will help them decide how they want to structure the company. Many aspects of running a business can affect its bottom line: production costs, marketing campaigns, hiring strategies, etc. The more knowledgeable you are about all aspects of the business world, the more effective you’ll be at providing valuable assistance to your clients.

Conclusion

Employers will always value specific skills no matter what industry you work in. If you want to boost your accounting career, make sure your resume includes these eight essential skills to help you find your success and help you meet your career Aspirations. 

You May Also Interested In: Top Skills Required for Finance Professionals

IT Trainer

Rajesh is a Microsoft certified trainer with more than five years of experience. He plays a vital role in streamlining our enterprise software training programs. As a continuous learner with an unrelenting drive to refresh his IT skills, Rajesh always keeps an eye on the latest software releases.

His adaptable approach to learning navigates the efforts of his students in the right direction, leveraging maximum results with efficiency. Moreover, he is enthusiastic about nurturing the students' skills in a collaborative learning environment. 

He has helped hundreds of professionals hone their skills in Microsoft Office Suite, Tally, Advanced Excel Formulas, VBA, Busy Accounting Suite, Quickbooks, Power B I, and Zoho Books. In addition, he has the expertise in training individuals from global institutions like Parul University, Techno India University, GD Goenka University and Sharda University.

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