Personal and professional qualities of an accountant

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

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

Of course only a person with an analytical mindset, able to concentrate on numbers and having organizational skills is suitable for such a position. The accountant often deals with auditors, tax officials, and sometimes with the prosecutor's office. Therefore, communication skills, politeness, tact are obligatory for him. Such work is not suitable for gentle natures, because you cannot do without stress.

It should be noted that getting a position does not mean staying at the enterprise. As a rule, employers monitor the work of experienced employees very carefully, assessing how much a person is suitable for a given vacancy.If the applicant does not yet have experience, he is usually accepted for a trial period. During this period, the quality of a person's work is assessed in three main aspects.

• Individual qualities. The manager assesses whether the employee easily copes with the assigned tasks, how he manifests himself in the profession, behaves in a team.
• Internal affairs... It is assessed whether the documents are filled in correctly, whether reports are submitted on time, whether all orders of the management are being carried out in full.
• Interaction with external organs. This includes various checks, payment of taxes, etc. In this case, the accountant should easily resolve disputes.

Typically, a job posting contains a list of characteristics of interest to the employer. The main points can be highlighted.

• Higher education... Of course, an 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 for completing additional courses related to work in this area will only be a plus.
• Work experience. Large companies usually only accept employees with experience in the relevant field and good references from past jobs. This is easy to explain. Practical skills help to quickly adapt in a new company, easily understand the process, and avoid mistakes in reporting. Therefore, specialists who cannot be called newcomers to accounting can qualify for a higher salary.

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

• 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 point will be discussed in more detail below.

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

• Honesty. An accountant must be decent, because he is trusted with a lot of money. Of course, it is difficult to judge the honesty of a person by the first impression, but in the process of work this point will certainly become clear. If an employee is caught stealing or other fraudulent activities, dismissal will be the most lenient punishment. It is possible that a criminal case will be opened against the employee.
• Accuracy... Only a person with such quality will observe accuracy in calculations, keep documentation in perfect order. Attention to detail is also important.
• Organization and responsibility... Working with numbers requires concentration and care. In addition, other responsibilities may be assigned to an employee in this area. For example, salary payment, transfer of funds to partners of the company, management of subordinate employees (if a 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 come on time, adhere to the specified deadlines in completing the assigned tasks.
• Stress tolerance. Earlier, it was said that working with money can exert strong psychological pressure.

Of course, to ignore the business qualities, which a good accountant should have is also impossible.

• Intelligence. Smart and versatile people know how not only to count correctly, 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.
• Efficiency. Often, the amount of work in the accounting department is large. During the reporting periods, it may increase. Endurance, perseverance and the ability to concentrate in such conditions are essential.
• Literacy. Despite the fact that most of the work of an accountant 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 from a positive side. He lists all his merits, does not focus on what he does not know or is not able to do. It is important to show the desire to work in a particular company, the readiness to quickly delve into the work process, and commitment. However, quite often in the very first working days, all the shortcomings of the employee hired become obvious.

• Lateness will tell about the irresponsibility of a person... Usually, in such cases, the employee is fired.
• Frequent delays at work will not be a plus either. It will become clear to the manager that the employee is simply not coping with the tasks assigned to him.
• Conflicts with coworkers 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 an employee can organize his space in any way that suits him, from the point of view of psychology, this is not very good.