For those considering a career path in accounting, it’s important to understand the job requires more than just punching numbers into a spreadsheet.
In fact, in today’s business world, it’s requiring you to think outside the box and come up with solutions and smart decisions for business owners.
So, how can you be a great accountant in today’s high-tech, fast-paced world? Here are some tips:
Attention to detail:
This is extremely important. In a job where you might be looking at thousands of different numbers and stats in a short period of time, understanding what you’re looking for and making sure everything is appropriately lined up is very important. This is an obvious tip: stay organized and on-task.
Think beyond spreadsheets:
A good accountant loves the whiteboard. Get excited about your plan of attack when delving into a business’ finances. Conceptualize what you hope to get out of the audit and review. Don’t be afraid to draw on a whiteboard and map out your ideas.
Be open to technology:
Long gone are the days of Excel spreadsheets… for the most part. Today’s accountants are working in the cloud. Longtime industry standard QuickBooks now offers a cloud solution, and up-and-coming rivals, like Xero, were actually built from the ground up with the cloud in mind. This allows accountants to work flexibly from anywhere with a connection, on any device. It also allows for greater collaboration with clients.
Don’t be afraid of research:
You should understand what your clients do and figure out how you can help them as an accountant. Do as much research on any client. This makes you more fully-invested in their operation, ensuring you do an excellent job on their review.
Be a team player
Accountants often work in teams, which could mean some late nights of number crunching. Like any job, this is going to require some patience every so often. Be a team player. Simple.
Always think revenue
You might think your job is to make sure the expenses don’t outweigh the revenue, but you should simply just be thinking about revenue. Every part of a budget you look at should be examined with the idea of growing revenue. At the end of a review, if you can give even five areas where the business owner can cut costs, you’ll be in good shape.