Are you considering a career in the finance and accounting sector? Today this sector is vast, and accounting is an integral part of small to large businesses and individuals. Though anyone can introduce themselves as an accountant, the market looks for high-calibre, qualified accountants.

Here Experlu – (a leading platform for hiring auditors) are sharing how you can become an accountant and what roles you need to play in businesses.

Why choose a career in accounting?

There are several benefits of becoming an accountant today for Self Assessment Tax Return. Why?

●   The need for accountants in different industries is increasing.

●   The salary of a qualified accountant is expanding.

●   The profession offers stable jobs in the public and private sectors.

●   There are many sub-divisional career paths in accountancy

●   You can make fundamental changes and identify frauds in the market

●   You gain different workplace skills and knowledge.

●   You can start a career with a high school degree and take higher courses while being in the profession.

●       You can run your firm and hire a team of experts under you.

How can you become an accountant?

Qualification

You can become an accountant with basic numerical and analytical skills. However, to become a professional accountant, you must complete a bachelor’s or master’s degree in accounting with maths as a compulsory paper. At the minimum level, you must hold an AAT certification, and for chartered status, apply for ACCA, ACA, and CIMA.

Gather experience

You can start your video as an accountant by looking up apprenticeship or training positions in different forms. This allows you to gather real-world experience that becomes a positive sign when applying for an accounting job.

Select an area of specialisation

Accounting careers have several subdivisions: managerial accounting, cost accounting, financial accounting, tax accounting and others. Focusing on a particular area will help you distinguish yourself from the competition.

Be a tech greek

In the technological era, companies look for accountants who can support automation. Accountants need work experience with different accounting software and other latest innovations to increase business efficiency. You can join a technical course to learn more about technologies, cloud accounting software, spreadsheets, advanced Excel, and other financial tools.

Gather soft skills

Being an accountant, you will obviously be good with numbers and calculations of profit margins, cash flow, revenue generation, etc. But to be efficient, you must gather some soft skills like

●   Good communication skill

●   Problem-solving

●   Attention to detail

●   Time management

●       Leadership and organisation skills, etc.

How do you find clients as self-employed accountants?

You need to have a solid portfolio of your work. You can start your career by doing accounts for your friends, family and business associates and gather a better work understanding.

If you go a decade back, word-of-mouth was a great marketing strategy for accountants, along with traditional methods like TV and radio advertisements. Though they are conventional, you can use digital marketing strategies to reach a broader customer base. Have a website with informative blogs and articles, and showcase your qualifications and certifications. Social media has also been a great way to find clients.

Can I start a career as a self-employed accountant?

It becomes difficult to start your career as a self-employed accountant if you have no previous experience to showcase. It is better if you apply for an internship after completing your education. When you gather real-world experience, you open doors to new opportunities and secure jobs in different accounting firms or serve as an in-house accountant in a company.

When you have a different client base and enough achievements to showcase, you can change your career to becoming a self-employed accountant or a freelancer. It allows you to work remotely, be an online accountant, and have a flexible work schedule and other facilities.

What are the responsibilities of an accountant?

An accountant plays different duties in a business; some of them are:

●   Recording financial transactions and ensuring the records of correct, and maintaining government regulations

●   Checks the efficiency of existing accounting methods

●   Preparing financial statements and analysing them

●   Review the records to identify opportunities, risks or irregularities

●   Document reconciliation

●   Help in preparing budgets

●   Providing necessary advice on cost reduction, profit maximisation for more revenue generation and others

●   Recommend the essential financial tools in the company

●   Focuses on business performance and economic health of the company

●   Corporate while preparing audit reports

●       Preparing and submitting annual tax.

Conclusion

You need time and dedication to become an accountant. No profession entertains shortcuts, and hard work is the success mantra. Decide if you are ready to take the hardships and want to choose a career in the accounting domain. If yes, this guide will help you get an idea about becoming an accountant. You can discuss with experts to understand the steps you take towards becoming an accountant.