Accounting, Tax & Payroll Skills You Must Learn to Get Hired in Canada

A career in accounting, payroll, and tax would be a great fit for you if you have strong math skills, are comfortable working with computers, and enjoy working in a business setting. But it takes more than these fundamental skills to stand out excel and land a job with a reputable company.

If you have ever considered a career in  Accounting, Payroll, and Tax, following are the top skills employers look for when hiring for these positions. If these ring a bell for you, chances are good that you will work well within the accounting, payroll, and tax sectors.

You must explore what employers really want most in new accounting and payroll hires. What specific combination of skills are most in demand? What will you need to learn during training to compete for top jobs? And would you be comfortable digging into those topics and building those new skills?

 Below are some foundational skills for anyone pursuing a career in accounting, tax, and payroll.

1. Business Knowledge

In general, roles in accounting, payroll, and tax coordinate and collaborate with professionals across departments within a business. That’s why they need to have general business knowledge and understand how their finance functions affect different departments.

2. Accounting Software and Applications

This is a self-evident (but crucial) skill for accounting, payroll, and tax professionals. There are numerous software programs available, including QuickBooks, FreshBooks, Sage, and Simply Accounting, and the more you learn, the better!

Each organization has its own preferences, so training programs typically focus on teaching one or two of the most popular tools. Once you gain experience with one program, it's fairly simple to transfer these skills to another.

3. Microsoft Office Knowledge

If you want a career in payroll and accounting, knowing your way around the Microsoft Office suite is key. That means knowing much more than how to format a basic Word document or put together a simple PowerPoint presentation.

You need to be comfortable working with Excel, Word, Outlook, and Access.  You'll need to know how to use these programs to create spreadsheets and reports, schedule appointments, manage databases, and analyze data.

4. Compliance & Legislation

The laws that govern payroll and tax are constantly changing. The minimum wage, tax filings, and how workers are classified as part-time and full-time workers depend on the legislation and the political party in power.

 It is essential that you understand and keep up to date on changing regulations to be recruited in this sector. This information is required to calculate holiday pay, overtime, sick leave, income tax, bonuses, employee benefits, and pensions accurately.

If companies do not comply with these rules and follow every other law that impacts payroll, they can get into serious legal trouble (fines, penalties, and even lawsuits).

Your accounting, payroll, and tax courses will provide a detailed breakdown of federal and provincial employment standards related to payroll and tax. You'll study the legislation that impacts accounting, payroll, and tax procedures for the province you live in, so you'll know exactly which rules to follow at work.

5. Attention to Detail & Organization

Being well-organized is a must-have skill for anyone just getting started in accounting and payroll. Payroll schedules, new legislation, accounting receipts, cash flow, tax deadlines, and a slew of other details must all be tracked.

You will need to organize your time carefully so that you stay on track and accomplish your tasks on time, but also make sure you pay attention to details to ensure you don't make any mistakes as you rush to meet deadlines.

6. You are Willing to Work Your Way Up

The best way to start a career in  Accounting, Payroll, and tax is to begin from an entry-level position. Remember, as a novice in this field you have a lot to learn from your experiences. Real job experience is one of the best and fastest ways to learn the most about this field. Take it slow, but aim high. Climb the steps towards success slowly and steadily.

7. Problem-Solving Skills

If the accounts do not balance at the end of the month, it is your responsibility to figure out why and resolve the problem. And if you compute an employee's wages improperly, you'll need to figure out where your numbers went wrong and correct the situation as soon as possible.

 Even the most experienced accounting and payroll professionals make errors sometimes. What matters is your ability to analyze data, identify the source of the problem, and devise a solution.

8. Communication Skills

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a job that doesn’t require strong communication skills. But, when it comes to accounting, payroll, and tax professionals they have to work directly with various departments, stakeholders, government agencies, and/or business executives.

They’re responsible for translating (or using automation solutions and sharing) data in a visualized and easy-to-understand format. This means that from verbal communication to written communication to presentation abilities, this skill shows up in many ways.

9. Flexibility & Adaptability

Regulations are constantly changing, as is the technological environment in which accounting, payroll, and tax professionals function. As such, the best professionals are open to change and remain adaptive and flexible in approaching their day-to-day activities.

10. Time Management

Time management is essential for accounting, payroll, and tax professionals to possess because, once again, deadlines don’t wait on anyone. Additionally, these professionals often work on multiple projects at once which requires the ability to balance tasks, expectations, and processes.

That being said, an automation solution can greatly alleviate the burden on a professional's shoulders by executing many timely processes automatically and reducing manual errors in the process.

Want to Learn More About Accounting, Payroll, and Tax Training?

Accounting, Payroll & Taxation are always in demand and these skills are not industry-specific. 

 If you're interested in this training, your next step is to reach out to Get Trained Get Hired to book a free 30-minute career counseling meeting. From interactive tutorials to recorded lectures, and a host of e-learning and revision resources, you’re fully supported throughout the program. At Get Trained Get Hired we provide you with the necessary training to learn practical skills to become an accountant. Our training is based on practical real-life cases. After the training, we work on your resume and try to place you in accounting firms through our network. You will also get access to like-minded individuals who are looking for jobs through our WhatsApp group. Please feel free to contact us at [email protected]. Or call us at 647-276-7150.

Disclaimer: The information provided on this page is intended to provide general information. The information does not consider your situation and is not intended to be used without consultation from professionals. Salman Rundhawa and Gettrainedgethired.com will not be held liable for any problems that arise from the usage of the information provided on this page.