Personal and professional qualities of an accountant

Every good leader tries to recruit a team of highly qualified specialists. Particularly important for the success of the company is the accounting department. The person who controls the financial flows of the company bears a great responsibility, because mistakes in this matter can have serious consequences. About what qualities an accountant should have, our article will tell.

Financial issues are one of the most important in any business. Therefore, the choice of accountant is approached responsibly. First of all, the specialist in this position, must have all the necessary knowledge and skills, because it will be the management of the company's income and expenses, tax issues.

Of course Only a person with an analytical mindset capable of concentrating on numbers and possessing organizational abilities is suitable for such a position. An accountant often deals with auditors, tax officials, and sometimes prosecutors. Therefore, sociability, courtesy, tact are obligatory for him. Such work is not suitable for gentle natures, because stress can not be dispensed with.

It is worth noting that getting a position does not mean staying at the enterprise. As a rule, employers monitor the work of experienced employees very carefully, evaluating how suitable a person is for a given vacancy.If the applicant does not yet have experience, they usually take him for a trial period. During this period, an assessment is made of the quality of a person’s work in three main aspects.

• Individual qualities. The leader assesses whether the employee easily copes with the tasks, how he manifests himself in the profession, behaves in the team.
• Home Maintenance. It is assessed whether documents are filled out correctly, whether reports are submitted on time, and whether all management instructions are fully implemented.
• Interaction with external bodies. This includes various checks, tax payments, etc. Moreover, the accountant should easily resolve disputes.

Typically, a job ad contains a list of characteristics of interest to the employer. You can highlight the main points.

• Higher education. Of course, the accountant must have an appropriate diploma. This is a guarantee that a person has the knowledge required from such a specialist. The availability of documents on completing additional courses regarding work in this area will be only a plus.
• Experience. Large companies usually only accept employees with experience in the relevant field and good recommendations from past workplaces. This is easily explained. Practical skills help you quickly adapt to a new company, easily understand the process, and avoid reporting errors. Therefore, specialists who can not be called new to accounting, can claim higher pay.

However, this does not mean that university graduates have no chance. You can get into a small company without experience. The main thing is to convince the future boss of the presence of a theoretical base and the desire to prove himself. It may be necessary to start with a small salary, but over time, an employee may ask for an increase or move to another, larger company with some experience.

• The ability to use a computer and other office equipment (printer, fax, scanner, etc.). Knowledge of 1C and some other programs is also required.
• Personal and professional qualities. This item will be discussed in more detail below.

In professional activities, a person’s character traits are no less important than his qualifications.

• Honesty. The accountant must be decent, because he is trusted with a lot of money. Of course, from the first impression it is difficult to judge the honesty of a person, but in the process of work, this point will certainly become clear. If an employee is caught stealing or other fraud, dismissal will be the most lenient punishment. It is possible that a criminal case will be instituted against the employee.
• Accuracy. Only a person with such quality will observe accuracy in the calculations, keep the documentation in perfect order. Attention to detail is also important.
• Organization and responsibility. Working with numbers requires discipline and attention. In addition, other duties may be assigned to an employee in this area. For example, the issuance of wages, the transfer of funds to partners of the company, the management of lower-level employees (if the person works as a chief accountant), etc. Therefore, these qualities are very important.
• Discipline. This character trait is appreciated in any position. Such people always arrive on time, comply with the specified timelines in the implementation of tasks.
• Stress resistance. Earlier it was said that working with money can exert strong psychological pressure.

Of course, ignore business qualities, which should have a good accountant, too, is impossible.

• Intelligence. Smart and diverse people can not only correctly count, draw up wiring and use a computer.They monitor changes in tax legislation, quickly adapt to any situation and can quickly find the right solutions, which is also important in the field of finance.
• Operability. Often the amount of work in accounting is large. In reporting periods, it may increase. Stamina, perseverance and the ability to concentrate in such conditions are simply necessary.
• Literacy. Despite the fact that the main part of the accountant’s work is related to numbers, he has to work with different documents. Errors in such matters are unacceptable.

At the interview, a smart job seeker tries to show himself on the positive side. He lists all his advantages, does not focus on what he does not know or does not know how. It is important to show a desire to work in a particular company, a willingness to quickly penetrate into the workflow, commitment. However, often in the very first working days, all the shortcomings of an employed employee become apparent.

• Tardiness will tell about human irresponsibility. Usually in such cases, the employee is fired.
• Frequent delays at work will not be a plus either. The manager will understand that the employee simply can not cope with the tasks assigned to him.
• Conflicts with colleagues or complaints will indicate that a person does not know how to work in a team and find a way out of difficult situations.
• Desktop clutter - not such a trifle as it might seem at first glance. Although the employee can organize his space in a way that suits him, from the point of view of psychology, this is not too good.