10 Soft Skills for Accountants

Long gone are the days when accountants were known simply as numbers crunchers. It is important that accountants have soft skills in a modern world that requires more than technical expertise.

You don't need to have a degree, masters or diploma in accounting. They only help you get the job. Your soft skills will decide whether you stay at your job. These are the soft skills that accountants need.

 

INTERVIEWING SKILLS

If you want to pursue a career as forensic accountant, this skill is essential. If you lack the ability to interview well, you will be unable to access important information required for forensic accounting information.

 

COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Accounting information that is not effectively communicated to decision makers will render it useless. If the information isn't communicated in a language understood by the intended recipients, it will make the entire accounting process useless. Remember that accountants are the only finance professionals who can speak the language of business fluently. This is why accountants are often called 'business communicators'.

 

POSSESSION OF A HIGH DEGREE MORAL STANDARD

Accountants are the doctors for the business environment. Clients trust you with confidential information that is important to their business. If they want to trust their business secrets to you, they must see you as honest and trustworthy. You must guard your reputation to be a successful accountant.

 

STREET EXPERIENCE:

The expectations of small business owners are higher now that they have an accountant. As an accountant for a small business, you are not only an accountant, but also a part-owner. This expectation gap must be closed by being street-smart. Street smartness requires that you are highly skilled in business intelligence. I recommend that accountants start a small business to help them develop their entrepreneurial skills in the accounting services market.

 

ABILITY TO LISTEN to FIGURES

To be an accountant, you must be able listen to and understand numbers. This is where professional accountants often fail. Experience has shown that many business failures could have been prevented if the handwriting was clear. Accounting professionals are vital in preventing financial frauds and other irregularities. Accounting professionals will be better equipped to combat accounting fraud by learning the soft skill of understanding and listening to numbers. As auditors, accountants work to reduce audit risk and ensure that no wrong audit opinion is expressed. Soft skills are important for auditors to use professional judgment. For example, a well-organized financial statement might indicate corporate fraud or anomalies.

 

POSITIVE WORK ETHICS

Accountants must be positive in all aspects of their work. Not only must they adhere to the requirements of accounting ethics, but they should also have a positive attitude about work.

 

PEOPLE MANAGEMENT SKILLS AND NETWORKING SKILLS

Accounting is no longer an administrative function. It has become a key part of vibrant companies. Accounting is a key component of customer service in large companies. It is important to be able to manage people and networks effectively, especially in difficult situations. Professional accounting bodies such as CIMA and ACCA encourage members to join local chapters of their organizations.

 

TIME MANAGEMENT SKILLS

Every profession has to manage time. Accounting information must be presented promptly. This is an important role. To be efficient in your work as an accountant you need to have time management skills to produce high quality information within budget.

 

ABILITY TO KNOW WHEN IT IS OK TO WORK ALONE OR WITH A TEAM

Experts in recruitment will tell you to give your employer the impression you are a team player in order to be hired. However, there are times when you can do the job well alone. You must know when it is best to work in a group and when you can work solo.

 

POSSESSION OF THINK SKIN UNDER PRESSURE

Accounting can be a rewarding career, but there are also many criticisms and pressures. It is essential that you can work under pressure as well as the critical fault-spotting eyes of your partners. This ability is combined with street experience.