Accountancy might not seem like the path to living the high life, but stick it out a bit longer and you’ll find a wealth of opportunities that are yours for the taking. According to Ageras, there are key skills required to succeed in the accounting profession.
Skills You Need to Become a Good Accountant
To become an accomplished accountant, you should possess most, if not all, of the following skills:
1. Understanding
Working in the accountancy field means constantly absorbing new information, from new data and upcoming projects to the latest standards and scheduled client meetings. All these will comprise an accountant’s daily tasks, so you must know how to digest information quickly.
On top of that, an accountant should know the right questions to ask to get things started right away. An accountant with great understanding and initiative can save companies from a slew of challenges down the road.
2. Technological Skills
Accountancy itself is innovative, so it stands to reason that one practicing the profession is tuned to technological advancements. The technology ensures that projects get off the ground quickly, and reliable methods are applied to numbers and figures. Recruiters usually look for candidates with fresh ideas since they’re bound to make more of an impact on a company’s future.
3. Awareness of the Commercial World
It comes as quite a surprise that most people overlook this skill. While most skills stem from common sense, awareness of the commercial world is something that you must study about. It’s the kind of knowledge that gives accountants awareness on where and how a company fits into the big business picture. It deals with you knowing how an organization forges ahead amid social, political, and economic changes.
4. Initiative
Equally important for any accountant to have is initiative. It means that people or companies can trust an accountant to work on their own, think independently, and thus, be able to handle tons of responsibilities. This skill is even more essential for accountants who decide to take the freelance path later in their careers.
5. Enthusiasm
Not many individuals or companies want to work with those who don’t look like they enjoy their jobs. Enthusiasm is the quality recruiters look for in accountants or a potential member of a company team. That’s because it helps bring in positive energy and shows everyone how committed one is to a project.
6. Communication
It doesn’t matter what industry you work in; communication is essential. It is key in an accounting career where you have to constantly convey complex numbers and figures in a way that even the least-informed public can understand. That’s no easy feat, but one that most companies expect of their hires.
In most cases, accountants also become part of a team where they’ll be expected to work alongside colleagues of different professions. That makes good communication even more important.
7. Integrity
A consumer’s loyalty to a brand mostly boils down to one thing: trust. It’s trust that influences most people’s choices to choose a company. It’s also something that accountants can develop to succeed in their career. If a company considers you trustworthy, there’s a good chance they’ll hire you. It’s as simple as that.
From there, you can start working on your credibility, which further increases your chances of making a name for yourself in the industry.
8. Stability
Although stability doesn’t have direct relevance to an accounting job, it is something to consider before beginning your journey. Perhaps one thing that makes an accounting career great is that you can have more than one thing going on—you can be flexible.
However, it is also vital that you don’t take that route initially in your career. You first need to establish a solid foundation. Changing accounting jobs multiple times within a year isn’t going to look good on your résumé to employers looking for stability.
9. Resilience
Resilience is when you’re willing to put in the hard work to get to where you want to be. Like any other career, accountancy will make you work your way from the ground up. That path isn’t always going to be easy.
You’ll need to conquer tight deadlines, address various clients’ needs, and learn to overcome challenges with determination and enthusiasm. Resilience is what lets you keep a steady head despite the struggles that come with your job and rely on your skill set to make it through.
Continue to Develop Your Skills
If you’re an accountant, then it’s highly likely you possess most, if not all, of the skills above. Nevertheless, you might have a job that doesn’t allow you to hone all these skills on a daily basis. That’s why it’s important for accountants to eventually become flexible with their career, so they can develop in the various aspects that make a great, all-around accountant.
