The Top 5 Key Skills You Need to Succeed in an Accounting Job

How good of an Accountant are you? If your boss was hiring for your current position, do you think they would rehire you for doing a good job? And if you are currently job searching, do you think you have the right skills to get hired in the job you are applying for? Do you, really and truly, believe you are well qualified?

Don’t say yes, just yet. Take a moment to think through these questions and understand what I am asking of you? Most job seekers miss out on great opportunities, not because they don’t have the qualifications needed, but because they can’t communicate their skills effectively.

For instance, you probably hold a Degree in Accounting and CPA K. While these qualifications make you an Accountant in Kenya, they are not enough to get you a job as an Accountant. You will need to also demonstrate your expertise by highlighting the most important skills you possess as required in that position. And for Accountants, you will need both soft and technical skills.  Below is a deeper discussion.

Top 5 Key Skills You Need to Succeed in an Accounting Job

1. Analytical Skills

You are not a qualified Accountant if you are not able to analyze figures and numbers, which is what Analytical Skills refer to. You probably already know this if you are in this profession. But the question is; does your CV include and explain this particular skill?

Recruiters want to know that you understand the most critical skill needed to perform your duties and responsibilities as an Accountant. So don’t just list Analytical skills and stop at that, expecting the recruiter to pick up on your expertise.

Mention how you gained this skill and how your past experience has molded you into an expert who can easily read, interpret and compare any data and propose recommendations based on results. This can be done in a sentence or two.

2. ICT Competence

Again, this is a very critical skill for Accountants. It might sound cliché for you when writing your CV and probably wonder why you need to include it, but don’t leave it out. Cliché or not, IT knowledge should be listed among the top skills on your CV and should not be forgotten during the interview.

Remember as an Accountant, you will need to use different computer software in your daily tasks. Assuming that this information is obvious to recruiters will not help your case. List the IT skill on your CV, then adjacent to it; include the specific application and software you are familiar with.

3. Innovation Capacity

Do you consider yourself an innovator? When was a time you introduced new software or proposed a change of systems in an organization to improve on output? Employers want to work with employees who are quick in thought and creative enough to come up with easier and more effective ways of performing tasks.

This to mean, even as an Accountant, innovation skills are very important and could help you stand out among other suitably qualified candidates.

4. Organizational Skills

While people in other professions can get away with lacking organizational skills, Accountants cannot be sloppy on this one. Recruiters already know this, and they will be expecting it from you as a job applicant. So will your employer once you are hired in the job.

Since the accounting profession entails handling sensitive data in large amounts, you will need to prove that you are a good organizer in order to succeed at the job. A lack of organizational skills would lead to mistakes that could cost the company money and clients, and would probably cost you your job.

5. Communication Skills

This goes without saying. You may think that because your job entails dealing with numbers, you don’t really need to be a good communicator. This is a common myth that is also shared among IT job seekers. The reality, though; every professional today needs to have great communication skills.

You need to have the ability to interact with other team members in your organization, clients and even when making a presentation. And it is more critical as an Accountant since you need to communicate mathematical ideas in an easy way that everyone understands.

Getting an Accounting job and succeeding will require more than your university degree and CPA K qualifications. You will need to have great skills to complement your qualifications.

Would you say you have all the above skills? Let us know below and share any other skill you believe is important.

And while at it, remember to Follow us on LinkedIn.

9 Comments

  1. Good Henry . Globalisation is a factor to be practiced, lets come out of our comfort economy and raise the GDP from diaspora inflows. Wish u well as you hit wall street.education is the weapon

  2. As a professional accountant,the points highligted above are key .what i can advise is more on communication because have seen job seekers lose jobs due to failure to convince pannel of recruiters when qstns are posed to them. Creditials are there but going beyond the CV is a big problem. Every skill should be supported emperically.

  3. Please do some articles on your website that advises Kenyans to go global with their careers. Advise Kenyans to start seeking qualifications that are recognized internationally, at this age of globalization, you can work anywhere. Kenya seems to have a lot of small and medium-sized businesses and the pay is not that good for most companies as I am seeing very small jobs of $300 or Kes $400 or $700 with few of $1500 and above. Please advise Kenyans who have spent years and years in schools to think beyond their borders before they resign to entrepreneurship – there are other good opportunities worldwide. Chinese are now flocking our estate here in Nairobi, and we have other expatriates here, if these people are coming to our country, why are few Kenyans going to seek opportunities outside the country? Off I leave my motherland to face Donald Trump with my CFA certificates, London or Wall street, here I come!!

  4. Please do some articles on your website that advises Kenyans to go global with their careers. Advise Kenyans to start seeking qualifications that are recognized internationally, at this age of globalization, you can work anywhere. Kenya seems to have a lot of small and medium-sized businesses and the pay is not that good for most companies as I am seeing very small jobs of Kes 30,000 or Kes 40,000 or Kes 70,000 with few of 150K and above. Please advise Kenyans who have spent years and years in schools to think beyond their borders before they resign to entrepreneurship – there are other good opportunities worldwide. Chinese are now flocking our estate here in Nairobi, and we have other expatriates here, if these people are coming to our country, why are few Kenyans going to seek opportunities outside the country? Off I leave my motherland to face Donald Trump with my CFA

  5. Nice one, and also the professional accounting behaviors,ie Integrity,objectivity,confidentiality etc

  6. True,also team player,ability to friend make everyone in the office because this profession needs follow of data from one point to another….the career is beyond figures indeed

Comments are closed.