Essential Skills and Qualifications for an Accountant Job Role

This report analyzes the essential qualifications, skills, and experience required for an accountant job role. It emphasizes the importance of educational qualifications such as a degree in commerce, AAT, ACCA, or CIMA, along with key skills like proficiency in MS Excel, Tally, and knowledge of finan...Read More

Running head: ACCOUNTANT
ACCOUNTANT
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

ACCOUNTANT 1
Table of Contents
Introduction:...............................................................................................................................2
Qualification:..............................................................................................................................2
Knowledge of specific products and services:...........................................................................3
Experience and additional training courses needed:..................................................................3
Skills required:...........................................................................................................................4
Merit criteria:.............................................................................................................................4
Conclusion:................................................................................................................................5
Bibliography:..............................................................................................................................6

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Introduction:
The major task of an accountant is to examine and prepare the financial records and
prepares capital, liability and assets accounts entities by analysing and compiling the account
information. The accountants will have to prepare documents, excel sheets of the financial
transactions from the account information. For the job in a post of an accountant, the
candidate needs preferred educational qualification, required skills and experience. The
purpose of this study is to find the required qualification, key skills needed to apply for the
post of an accountant.
Qualification:
As an accountant will manage the finance related issues, the person has to be good
with the numbers, which is the first priority. In addition, the person needs good knowledge in
computer and good command over Tally and MS excel. The basic educational qualification
that is required for a post of an accountant is as follows:
 Pass in higher secondary examination or any equivalent examination with economics,
mathematics and accountant as the preferred subjects.
 The most preferred qualification for the post of an accountant is Graduation in
commerce stream.
 Any Post Graduate degree related to accounting will be given an extra advantage.
Typically, the qualification in AAT is the expected minimum level for the post of an
accountant. But to become an accountant the candidate will have to complete courses like
ACA, ACCA or CIMA.
 AAT- Association of accounting Technicians.
 ACCA- Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.

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 ICAEW- Institute of chartered Accountants in England and Wales. Also known as
ACA.
 CIMA- Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.
Knowledge of specific products and services:
A thorough knowledge of the relevant regulations and laws is required for the
position. The accountants needs to have a strong analytical string as well as required a good
command over computer software such as MS excel, Spreadsheet programs, Tally to report
and organize the financial data. As the account will be required to make spreadsheet for the
organization and all the work will be related to money, a very good command over MS excel
is required. As well as knowledge in Tally is also needed for the calculation of all transaction
to discover the profit and loss of company. In addition, knowledge about the taxation is also
needed, as the company have to pay tax to the government as per rules of specific countries.
Basically, There are two parts in accounting one is finance accounting and another is
management accounting. The difference between these two is that management accounting
provides data or information only to the people who are working within the company, but
finance accounting provides information to the people those who are outsize of the company.
The finance accounting covers the whole organization while the other only manages one
particular product. Most of the graduates choose finance accounting at the time of entering
into the accounting field that will also provide a variation in career prospects like auditing,
corporate finance, taxation, forensic accounting and business insolvency and recovery.
Experience and additional training courses needed:
It is always helpful for getting the job in the post of an accountant, to take some
formal summer internships in accounting with the larger financial organizations such as

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Deloitte or PwC. Depending on the firm size; candidate may assign to work on some real
projects and will manage his own workload to develop the major accounting skills. It will be
highly competitive for the candidates but any kind work experience in relevant financial
companies will boost the chance of landing full time job in the role of an accountant, as many
of the employers will support only those trainees who have undertaken relevant experience in
work previously at the time of their study period. It will be given an worthy addition to the cv
and will help the candidate to become a qualified accountant.
Skills required:
Generally, the accountants are expected to have some other key skills alongside their
professional qualifications in order to get success in the role of an accountant. The first
requirement is the candidate needs to be interested in business. The person need to be
professional and always to be committed to the given task, willing to have a problem solving
attitude, willing to learn new things and study during working time. As well as honesty is the
major issue of the post, the candidate will be applied for. In addition, the person who will
apply for the post of an accountant needs a very good knowledge in English communication
both in verbal and written. As an accountant will manage all the finance related issue, the
person also required very good knowledge in math. For success in accounting some
additional skills are required too such as, the person needs an ability to handle a good number
of people with a personality of leadership, self-confidence is required also the person needs a
smart personality. In addition, the main important thing is time management for the
organization as there will be deadline for every given work and to finish the task within the
time can be challenging.

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Merit criteria:
The company that is chosen is KFC, which has a huge fan base in all around the
world. As KFC is a restaurant base company and sells a huge number of various food
products too, everyday so many customers visits the stalls. The food that KFC offers is a little
bit expensive so a huge amount of money transaction happens every day. The accountant
needs to be very active and professional as well as needs to be expert in mathematics, as the
person will have to maintain, calculate and note down daily expenses of the company. A very
good communication skill is also required to handle the customers and the staffs who are
within the company as well as he have to handle the vendors too who supplies the products
to the company and have to submit the daily report to the manager actively.
Conclusion:
Thus, it can be concluded that, to apply for the post of an accountant person need to
be very active and having the required qualification and the key skills can apply for the job in
the post of an accountant.

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