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December 6, 2021

How to Become a Professional Bookkeeper in Canada?

Bookkeeping is a continuously growing profession in Canada and provides fantastic career opportunities for those who have a mind for numbers. If you are planning on working in bookkeeping, there are a wide range of attributes and professional skills you will need to prepare yourself for a bookkeeping job. 

A bookkeeper’s duties are to be across all accounts, including tracking the comings and going of money, paying bills on time on behalf of the business, and keeping track of accounts received. As a bookkeeper, your role is to ensure all employees get paid regularly and ensure the business's financial records are accurate and up-to-date. If you are interested in knowing how to become a bookkeeper we have prepared all you need to know.

Should I Become a Bookkeeper?

Some of the character traits required to become a bookkeeper include:

  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
  • Good organizational skills
  • Numeracy accuracy and diligence
  • Good computer skills
  • Strong attention to detail
  • Patience and dedication

For individuals who like solving problems and enjoy mathematics will be perfect for this profession. When it comes to bookkeeping there are two main types of bookkeepers, contract bookkeepers who work from home and workplace bookkeepers who work in an office environment. Therefore being able to work both independently and as part of a team is an important skill.

Tasks Performed by a Bookkeeper

Bookkeepers usually work in small to medium-sized businesses across various industries, and the variety of tasks will be dependent on the size of the business. In larger companies, these responsibilities may be divided among several bookkeepers. Whereas, in a small business, a bookkeeper may be required to provide a wider range of activities. Daily tasks may include:

  • Recording the financial transactions of a business in bookkeeping software such as QuickBooks or spreadsheets and databases.
  • Arranging payments of accounts.
  • Receiving and processing invoices for payment and receipts to debtors.
  • Processing payroll and maintaining employee records.
  • Calculating profit and loss.
  • Carrying out bank reconciliations.
  • Checking figures and reporting for accuracy.
  • Reporting any irregularities in data to management.
  • Producing balance sheets, income statements, and other financial documents.

Work Experience

Work experience is a great way to get a better understanding of what a bookkeeper does every day and it is also a great way to expand your industry networks too. Obtaining work experience or an internship as a bookkeeper with a local business to gain work experience that, combined with your certification, will make you highly competitive in today’s job market. This can also be a great opportunity to help you find an area you are interested in. Work experience will give you the confidence and knowledge when it comes to speaking with potential employers and clients.

Whilst you are looking for a full-time position as a bookkeeper you should sign up with a temp agency. They will be able to find you work with an employee quickly and if the employer likes you working for them, they may hire you for a permanent role.

Research the Industry

Your first step in finding out if a career in bookkeeping is for you is to take some online testing to see if this career suits your personality. Next, have a look at the job opportunities to see what is currently available. Research your local accounting and bookkeeping companies and see what contract work is available.

Get Certified


Certifications will teach you how to work with different accounting and payroll systems, prepare financial reports and maintain inventory records, giving you the practical skills you will need to apply for bookkeeping roles with accuracy and confidence.

Final Words

If you would like a challenging and diverse role, consider a career in bookkeeping. You can get your foot in the door by enrolling with Get Trained Get Hired which will open up a world of new career opportunities for you.

Reach out to Get Trained Get Hired to book a free 30-Minute career counseling meeting. 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 647-275-7150.

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.

Author

Salman Rundhawa

Salman has a strong desire to help others succeed and believe in passing on the knowledge. He likes to mentor others and wish to play part in other people success.
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