Top 5 Accounting Skills Graduates Need for Career Success

Based on the market trend and research on what employers are requesting in the job advertisement, there are the top 5 common but important accounting skills that recent accounting graduates should have in order to gain employment and make an immediate contribution to the company.

1. Up-to-date Knowledge of Accounting Software

The exponential growth of software advances in recent years has highlighted the importance of technology use. Cloud accounting is the latest technological breakthrough in the industry. The increased focus on digitization and automation has encouraged more employers to look for candidates with the right IT skills to grasp new financial systems.

As the use of cloud accounting heightens, the efficiency of business is further dependent on the software. It is in the company’s best interest to take in candidates that will be the most beneficial to the productivity of the business, meaning taking in candidates with sound knowledge of various software. Mastering the theory and how to pull insightful data out of a report are critical to an accountant’s success. However, if you can’t use the software and other tools necessary to do your job – advancing in your career will be tough.

Candidates who can demonstrate knowledge and proficiency in different accounting software applications can find themselves more at an advantage. Some examples of in-demand accounting software include the following:

MYOB
Xero
QuickBooks
Reckon One
Sage
Cashflow Manager
Saasu
Rounded
Nominal

If you want to maximize your employment opportunity or to advance in your current position, consider enrolling yourself in some accounting training courses to enhance your accounting skills in one of these areas.

2. Don’t Negate the Soft Skills

In 2017, Google announced the findings from an internal study of all teams to determine the most innovative and productive groups within the company. They found that their best teams were employees who brought strong soft skills to the collaborative process.

Employers usually look for two types of skills in prospective candidates – hard skills and soft skills. Hard skills include the practical and theoretical qualities of accounting. However, as everyone graduating with you would have the same level of knowledge and skill, this makes soft skills a vital trait for recruitment as it is something not everyone has mastered.

A simple thing such as communication for example can help you convey your ideas and present yourself well in a job interview. Being able to communicate well in writing in person can display the hard skills you have acquired. Engaging with improving soft skills such as teamwork, problem-solving, and time management set can you apart from the sea of candidates causing hard skills pointless to be without soft skills. Soft skills are the difference between adequate candidates and ideal candidates.

3. Desire to Gain CPA or CA Qualification

Both CPA and CA are great qualifications. They can provide your accounting career with a competitive edge in the job market. Especially for any accountants looking to make the next step in their accounting career, the ones with a CPA or CA certificate have a more competitive edge compared to those without one.

Not only can these qualifications give you the ability to work for many different organizations around the globe, but also because the accounting skills that you have gained from the study are transferable to other industries.

People consider salary potential and benefits as important factors as a passion for the job. For those considering gaining a CPA or CA license, the good news is that you will make 10-15% more than others with the same roles.

4. Customer Service Orientation

No matter you work in a public or private accounting firm, customer service skills can be crucial to your success in your role as an accountant. It is essential for you to be able to both retain current clients as well as bring in new customers.

Demonstrating good customer skills involves listening to your customers with empathy, answering their queries, and providing them with the services they need in a timely matter. If you want your customer to return to your service year after year, be sure to make them feel comfortable and appreciated.

When you are applying for jobs as an accountant, employers often consider your customer service skills as one of the top skills of candidates when deciding whether to offer you the job.

Learn more about how to Make your Accounting CV Stand Out From Crowd.

5. General Business Knowledge

In addition to accounting skills, employers are looking for job candidates who possess general business knowledge. As an accountant, contributing to the business requires more than just an understanding of the numbers.

In today’s business world, Accounting professionals are playing a broader role at work. Given the frequent interaction with other departments within the company, it is also important for accountants to be able to see the big picture and understand how their accounting skills impact the overall business.

Put Your Accounting Skills to Work

Accounting professions are in high demand and still expanding. Companies need accounting professionals who are developing their skills including but not limited to those ones mentioned above. Whether you have recently completed an accounting diploma course or certificate iv in bookkeeping course and looking to advance your career, consider taking on practical accounting training to improve your accounting skills.

We at BLC Training offer Practical Accounting Programs through supervised training with real data using various bookkeeping and tax accounting software. Through our training program, we intend to deliver an outstanding learning experience that empowers our clients to thrive and succeed as a professional in the versatile accounting industry.
To find us more or our offerings, please visit: the BAS agent course.