Throughout the years, the role of an accountant has transformed from simple to advanced. Most businesses and institutions seek the skills of an accountant to manage their finances, including dealing with books, computing for returns and investments, etc. Luckily, there are a lot of accountants available for immediate hiring, but recently companies look for technical abilities, innate talent, and soft skills as well.
For instance, a few years back, an accountant’s job was to sit at his desk, and he would be able to do everything from there. But now things can be unpredictable for him. His job entails him not only to work from the office but also outside – in the business world – where he needs a great personality and a lot of self-esteem to succeed.
People who lack confidence in their abilities may negatively compare themselves to others and may refrain from trying new things out of fear of failure. — Wendy Salazar, MFT
If you are one of the many accountants who are lining up to be hired by lucrative businesses, here are four vital skills that will get you to the top of the list.
Self-Esteem/Leadership Skills
Hiring managers know full well that a confident accountant has a strong and assertive personality. So whether you’re fresh out of college or a seasoned accountant with years of experience, interviewers will look into that confidence level because they know that if you have it, you’ll have the ability to lead, discuss findings, or defend arguments of his clients. Step up and prove your leadership skills, and surely your future is brighter than the rest.
When you feel your blood pressure rising in response to a comment – or when you hear your disagreement with someone escalating or getting “stuck” in one of those endless loops, PAUSE and take a deep breath. Do not say the next thing on your mind. — Elaine Shpungin Ph.D.
Communication Skills
An accountant who is looking to stand out in his career would have to be an effective communicator, one who is capable of listening as well as conveying statements in a way that his clients and colleagues will be able to understand very well. This means that he is verbally and orally proficient so that all types of messages go across. This also means that he has a keen attention to detail and is not satisfied with a document that is left unedited or a verbal statement that is not prepared.
Self-Determination
Work won’t always be smooth and easy, and while you must be a good communicator, you must also be able to decide for yourself which situations you need to focus on and which ones you need to let go. If you are given near-hopeless circumstances, you must have the initiative and enthusiasm to do the best that you can to finish a project that you were tasked to start and succeed in the end. To show this to the interviewer, you can recall an experience where you faced a dilemma, and you successfully pulled it through.
Self-determination is not something that can be bestowed by people in positions of sufficient power to make decisions such as this. In fact, self-determination can’t be granted or taken away. — Timothy Carey Ph.D.
This one is the last but certainly not the least. The field of accounting today requires you to be responsible to your clients, and you will struggle with this responsibility if you don’t possess skills for it. Today’s competitive market needs accountants who are proficient in explaining to clients who do not have your qualifications to be able to comprehend. An employer will truly be impressed if you can win over someone and decide to transfer to your side.
Conclusion
You may have what it takes to be a potential candidate, or perhaps your skills need polishing. Either way, possessing these skills are crucial to succeeding in your career. Start learning them today.