A good leader seeks to select a well-coordinated team of professionals to work at the enterprise. It is especially important to have such people in accounting. After all, if the specialist responsible for the state of finance is incompetent, then the work of all other people in the company can go down the drain.
In order not to make a mistake in choosing the right employee or to remove the extra "ballast" from the team, you need to analyze the qualities of an accountant - professional and personal. It is also necessary to control the results of his work and the level of its effectiveness.
What is a professional accountant
The availability of education by profession is one of the key issues that the employer is interested in when selecting a new employee. The criterion is one of the most important, but it is not exhaustive. The concept of “professional qualities of an accountant” includes other elements. Conventionally, they can be listed by degree of importance.
- Knowledge. The requirement is binding and fair. The accountant must have a solid theoretical base, be familiar with the terms (fixed assets, current assets, balance sheet, posting, primary documents, statements, etc.), at least minimally be able to work on a computer.
- Experience. Its presence enables the accountant to apply for higher-paid vacancies or ask for an increase. However, do not forget that work experience is not just the presence of an entry in the work book, which is shown at the interview. Practical skills must actually be present. The presence of experience makes it possible to adapt more quickly to another place of work, rather to delve into the process and avoid mistakes when accounting.
- Literacy. The skill is needed for the accountant. After all, a person in this position constantly works with documents, letters, reports. The presence of errors in important papers will not be a plus in the work of the enterprise.
- Possession of special accounting programs. The ability allows you to conduct full-fledged automated accounting at the enterprise, optimizing working time.
It can be difficult for a manager to understand the level of professional skills of an accountant in 15 minutes of an interview. To do this, at many enterprises, the applicant is first taken for a trial period during which his work is secretly monitored.
What should be the personal qualities of a good accountant
If the management is satisfied with the level of professionalism of the employee, then you should pay attention to its other sides. After all, the personal qualities of an accountant are also very important.
Honesty, decency of the employee for many managers are in the first place. They are ready to close their eyes to the other shortcomings of the accountant, if they trust him completely. The capture of an employee on theft, postscripts, uncleanliness should have only one result - immediate dismissal.
- Pedantry, scrupulousness of an accountant will guarantee its accuracy in accounting. Such specialists are always accurate in calculations, attentive to details, observe the necessary requirements and rules.
- Organization, discipline are very good qualities for an accountant. Such an employee is not late. He submits all reports on time. And the rest of the employees do not complain about the delay in salary.
- Stress tolerance helps a bookkeeper to cope with psychological overloads during inspections or conflicts with counterparties. The presence of this quality is not critical for management, but is useful for the employee himself.
- Responsibility is required for the accountant. If there is no understanding of this, then the position is worth picking up another person.
- Patience. A person who quits a business in the middle should not become an accountant. If such a specialist appeared at the enterprise, then one should not be surprised at fines from the tax service and claims from dissatisfied partners for money transferred incorrectly or at the wrong time.
Intellectual qualities
For high salaries, employers are looking for employees with a fairly high level of thinking. In this case, it is worth paying attention to some intellectual qualities of an accountant. Specialists who have them are not very common.
High working capacity, the ability to concentrate attention help the accountant to identify priority issues from the general mass of problems and solve them as quickly as possible. A person with similar qualities can replace two or three who will take up work from the wrong end.
Developed logical thinking, analytical mindset allow the accountant to see the problem in dynamics. A specialist with such qualities does not need to be planted for a long time to process the primary documentation or issue invoices. Such employees are most often recommended for managerial positions.
A critical mindset is useful in accounting. After all, constant changes in legislation, tax conflicts require constant analysis.
External manifestations of certain qualities of an accountant
Some people hide their flaws quite successfully. However, there are external markers that help determine the individual qualities of an accountant:
- frequent delays - irresponsibility;
- constant delays at work - inability to organize their activities;
- complaints about other employees - a tendency to conflict;
- mess on the table - disorder.
If an employee has order at the workplace, all documents in folders, the computer is turned on, and the mobile is on a vibrating alert, then this employee will almost certainly have all the records.
What qualities should have a chief accountant
The right hand of the head and the second person in the enterprise. Such a place in the production hierarchy is occupied by the chief accountant. A mistake in choosing this person can be very expensive for an enterprise. Therefore, the qualities of the chief accountant are evaluated by management extremely strictly.
The specialist in this position must have:
- honesty;
- deep knowledge in the field of tax and accounting legislation;
- high organizational skills;
- analytical mindset;
- responsibility and discipline.
The person responsible for finances should always be extremely correct, both with management and with supervisory and controlling bodies. It’s good if he has good communication skills.
Accountant Performance Indicators
No matter how thorough the selection of the candidate for the post may be, the fruits of the employee’s labor become visible only with time. There are three ways to evaluate the quality of an accountant's work.
- Individual indicators. This is discipline, initiative, independence, innovativeness, avoiding conflict situations.
- Maintaining internal accounting. This includes the commission of errors in documents or their absence, untimely delivery of reports, diligent performance of official duties.
- External interaction. Work with fiscal authorities, prosecutors. Ability to resolve controversial situations.
The work of an accountant can be considered as qualitative if it is carried out quickly, correctly and in full. In order to determine this indicator, certifications are appointed at some enterprises, and internal audits are conducted at others.
What quality of work of the chief accountant is considered unsatisfactory
If the management has doubts about the satisfactory performance of its duties by the person responsible for finance, then the question of his suitability should be raised. Most often, claims to the quality of work of the chief accountant appear if:
- incorrect ledger registers;
- documentation is processed late;
- reports are not delivered on time or are filled out incorrectly;
- labor discipline is not respected.
No personal and professional qualities of an accountant will help if an employee is caught stealing or forging documents. In this case, it must not only be fired, but also punished in accordance with the law.
What kind of people are not recommended to take accountants
There are categories of applicants whom experts do not advise to employ. As accountants, it is not recommended to take:
- friends
- relatives;
- close people already working employees.
It is better to take a suitable person from the side.
If the personal qualities of an accountant are impressive, but he lacks professionalism, the right decision would be to formalize such a person and train him. In this case, people try hard and stay in the company for a long time.