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June 22, 2023

Skills and Qualities of a Good Bookkeeper in Canada

Every small business needs a good bookkeeper. The finances of any business, regardless of size, can quickly get complicated, and it’s the bookkeeper’s job to ensure efficient accounting and tax compliance. If you’re a small business owner, you may very well want one on your team as soon as possible, whether you employ them directly or hire a freelancer.

Bookkeeping is a secure and rewarding career path that paves the way for you to work in any industry across the world. Although responsibilities will vary from job to job, there’s a wide range of core skills that all bookkeepers need to master.

Here’s a whistle-stop tour of the most desirable bookkeeping skills and traits:

  1. Professionalism:

As mentioned with the nature of the work, every bookkeeper is obliged to be proficient with a certain level of accounting knowledge. Bookkeeping includes managing repetitive and routine financial tasks timely. A bookkeeper needs to require adequate technical skills and carry out his duties professionally while saving valuable time and capital.

However, before hiring one, you must consider your niche industry and make the selection accordingly. Professional competence should be your priority, and it will also ensure your partners and investors that you have chosen the right individual for the job.

  1. Proficient with accounting software:

When bookkeeper utilizes the latest accounting software, it’s an indication that they are committed to enhancing efficiencies and providing more brilliant services. Suppose your bookkeeper perceives how to leverage accounting software to streamline invoicing, payments, and payrolls. In that case, you’ll understand how every aspect of your business coordinates with one another, financially and operationally.

  1. Organizational skills:

Having stellar organizational skills is imperative to becoming a bookkeeper. A bookkeeper should manage their workload and time in a manner whereby they are responsive to every customer’s needs and can retrieve information and accounts immediately when required.

There are moments when a bookkeeper has to carry out multiple financial operations at a time, and an ideal one will keep calm and manage every task with dignity and smartly.

  1. Honesty:

An ideal bookkeeper is utterly honest about finances and cash transactions. An honest bookkeepers won’t consider manipulating their customer’s confidential information, but if they do, they’ll be facing severe consequences in the form of lawsuits and hefty penalties. A reputable bookkeeper will never get involved in illegal or unethical activities.  Always consider a credible and trustworthy bookkeeper who can effortlessly carry out accounting tasks with utmost honesty for accounting and financial tasks.

  1. Transparency:

Transparency is of pivotal importance when it comes to business finances. A bookkeeper must be crystal clear with his dealings and must be very responsive. No one likes suspicious individuals, especially if you’re working with them. If your bookkeeper isn’t glassy with the management of billing and pricing, and if you constantly have to question them about what kind of value they are adding to your business, maybe it’s the right time to call off the agreement with them.

  1. Discipline:

Discipline comes in several forms, including stress management and working under pressure, and staying composed and calm in a professional environment. A company’s financial situation can rely on your morality and integrity in dealing with their money. For bookkeeping to be successful, you need to show exceptional discipline in handling the company’s accounts.

  1. Productiveness:

Financial problems and challenges are a part of business, but a valuable bookkeeper is the problem-solver. For accounting and tax purposes, your bookkeeper must be the first one to provide you with informative advice. It might not possess the best answers instantly all the time but grants you worthy options promptly. Fortunately, you’ll be given the details of the arisen issues and the substitutes for sorting them out.

Over the years, the demand for professional bookkeepers has highly intensified. Hiring a bookkeeper has become an obligation for businesses that need to manage their cash flow properly and achieve financial stability to flourish their businesses. Additionally, online accounting services are a priority for many businesses because they are highly flexible, and credible and help them grow their companies’ core areas

  1. Commitment

Bookkeeping is the start of a solid career path in the accounting industry and provides a good foundation with which to begin. For this career to succeed, you need to showcase good commitment levels to complete the job at hand, with minimal costs and use of resources to your employer or client.

  1. Problem-Solving and analytical

If you find any irregularity or anomaly in a system or a set of accounts, it will be down to you to discover where the problem lies. Identify it and how you can act without compromising the output the data will provide you. This will also test your judgment as you work out the best way to solve the issue.

  1. Attention to detail

Data entry and detail-orientated often go hand in hand. So it’s no surprise to see the attention to detail make it onto our list.

Bookkeepers must process invoices, bills, and reports within a set timeframe. To complete these tasks, you’ll use a range of financial documents. You’re responsible for ensuring these records are accurate and error-free.

  1. Communication

Communication is a core skill for most job roles, and it’s no different when it comes to bookkeeping.

Each day you’ll need to communicate with your team as well as colleagues from other departments. The type of communication will vary depending on the size of your organization. Whether via email, instant message, or in-person meetings, you’ll need to present information in a clear and coherent format.

  1. Customer service and relationships

From customers to senior management, bookkeepers work with a wide range of stakeholders.

You must be able to manage these complex relationships. Effective communication, timely responses, and excellent customer service will help you meet and exceed expectations.

Kickstart your bookkeeping career

Now that you’ve had a sneak peek at what employers look for when hiring bookkeepers, are you ready to kickstart your bookkeeping career? Learn more about how you can gain the skills that can bring your career to the next level by enrolling with Get Trained Get Hired. If you need any assistance in preparing your resume or you need more specific interview guidelines that best suit your personal requirements to have a breakthrough in the Canadian job market reach out to Gettrainedgethired.com to book a free 30-Minute career counseling meeting. At Gettrainedgethired.com 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 Randhawa 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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