Accounting Skills
If you are thinking of a career in Accounting it may be useful to have an appreciation of the skills and personality traits that will make you more successful.
Deductive Reasoning
Accounting deals with complex problems that present incomplete, missing and incorrect nformation. Deductive reasoning skills need to be employed to hunt down errors and piece the puzzle together.
Neatness and tidiness
Accounting requires neatness and tidiness in writing figures (numbers). Messy handwriting or lack of neatness tends to cause errors in working with numbers. Workings need to be set out clearly to ensure people can read and understand.
Continual checking
Accounting requires great accuracy. It is necessary to constantly check your work as you go and ask yourself "Did I read that figure right?", "Did I write the figure correctly?", "Did I put the figure in the right place?". It is much easier to check as you go to avoid errors, than race ahead and then have no idea where to look when things go wrong.
Method and discipline
Accounting requires people to be very methodical in their approach. You have to ensure that all financial transactions are recorded, all money is banked, all accounting books are kept up-to-date, and all records are appropriately filed. If something goes missing or you forget something, it will likely cost you large amounts of time.
Therefore get good at developing and keeping to a routine way of doing things. Sorry folks, but that's just the way it is.
Computer Skills
Accountants need to have an apptitude for working with computers. Accounting requires the everyday use of accounting software such as MYOB. Furthermore, accounting is a very important business function and therefore accountants need to have an understanding of information security.
Leadership Skills
Accountants generally have a position of respect and authority in any organisation. Therefore they must also have an ability to use their authority wisely and show leadership within the organisation.
Accounting and the law
Accounting requires compliance with law. If it's your responsibility to manage the accounting and financial management systems of an organisation, then you will have to deal with laws in regard to employment, taxation, and statutory reporting.