entry level accounting jobs

entry level accounting jobs

Entry Level Accounting Jobs: A Guide to Success

1. Introduction

To crack open the great door of an accounting career, you need the right combination of personal skills and professional knowledge. Notice that I did not mention those top qualifications like CPA, master’s degree, or great experience. While those end up in your bag after your hard work, they do not guarantee your professional prosperity no matter how perfect they may seem. To provide a high-quality service to the company you work for and lead a happy future life, you need to be great in interactions, have a free-standing personality, demonstrate exceptional professional skills in managing financials, and the soft skills that will help you navigate with ease through the challenges of the accounting sphere. While those are natural-born skills to some of us, most need to invest time and money to acquire them in the future. What better time to start building those skills than when you are an intern or a junior accounting staff.

Entry-level accounting jobs could be the door to a great accounting career. But, it all starts with what you do in this job. Whether you know it or not, how you perform as an entry level accountant will widely influence your future successes in this career. This is why it is important to take the right actions when you start your entry level job. If you are hoping to earn a Champions Trophy in the future, you would need to grab your success on the very first day. But do not panic yet. I got your back. With my several years of experience navigating through the route of entry level accounting work, I discovered the tricks and understand what accountants look for in an entry level employee. Based on personal experiences, here is the list of those important tips that could make you stand out in a company and set you up for future successes in the accounting field. I hope that this guide will help you achieve what I have been able to achieve in my career. Keep reading!

2. Essential Skills for Entry Level Accounting Jobs

Organization skills – Entry level accounting jobs on the payroll board require people to work with substantial quantities of data in the best possible context. It is significant to have people in this field who have proven themselves to work well in order to meet deadlines and submit documents in a planned and reliable manner.

Ethical standards – As trusted advisors to others in the organization, accountants must act appropriately so that stakeholders are properly preferred when evaluating information and data. Teaching ethical practices is important for building a solid reputation for the company and also to develop a long-term successful profession at entry level accounting jobs.

Analytical skills – A good accountant must have a strong base of analytical skills and the ability to recognize the financial consequences of their recommended strategies and procedures on their performance. A new accountant learns how to properly focus on his staff when evaluating their analytical abilities to acquire information into the performance of the entity.

To get entry level accounting jobs, candidates can brush up on their skills and knowledge through professional training. However, having certain qualities is also important to pursue a brilliant career in this field. These attributes will not only make the initial hiring process easier but will also be influential for a long-term successful career. Regardless of what type of industry they work in, below are the basic prerequisites that a successful accountant must possess.

3. Finding and Applying for Entry Level Accounting Jobs

Also, ask around for opportunities. Ask your professors if they know of any opportunities, as they have likely built relationships with employers through research and other methods. You can also team up with classmates and friends to look for job openings. These steps may lead to an informal discussion then an interview when an opening becomes available. Do online research on your prospect employer’s policy on hiring students directly out of school, as you want the employment relationship with your future employer to be long-term. Finding an employer that takes an active interest in the development of their employees long-term career aspirations is crucial since some firms retrench, furlough, or layoff during an unexpected financial downturn. Due to the time, costs, and resources involved in recruiting accounting professionals and to preserve institutional knowledge, very few accounting firms do this, but you must verify if you wish to pursue a long-term career with your first employer.

Heavily network. A first professional job is commonly found through networking. Meet with professionals in your chosen accounting field and get your face and name known. Networking is by far the most successful method in landing a job. Sometimes you might not find professionals to network with in your immediate vicinity. In this case you can volunteer for organizations to meet people and network with, such as Not-for-Profit (NFP) organizations, student associations, or for taxation organizations, you can volunteer free work to internally generate referrals to work with a firm. Use LinkedIn or your college career center. Managing your online reputation is critical as accounting professionals are usually vouched for by someone in the firm for each position that opens. Use LinkedIn to make connections by reaching out to former and current employers, clients and coworkers. Maintain these connections by updating people of your activities and work experience. Use LinkedIn Contacts app to remind you via email if you begin to lose touch during busy schedules. You should also use your college career center to post your resume and find accounting-specific career fairs in your area.

Use job boards as a search tool. Websites such as Indeed and Monster provide job postings and can be a great tool in locating entry level jobs. This is a great place to start, as job boards are among the most common job search resources. The postings typically contain information about the job, so you can quickly glance at the details and decide if you are interested. You’ll potentially have to sift through numerous job posts, but they can be very helpful.

Finding and getting a job does not have to be an arduous process. There are several steps you can take to help speed up the process of finding entry level accounting jobs and landing a job you’ll love. It won’t happen overnight, but by staying persistent and putting forth dedicated effort, you’ll find that the right opportunity will come along.

4. Excelling in Entry Level Accounting Positions

Seek opportunities to step out of your comfort zone. Welcome challenges and difficult situations that might come and the learnings that will be a part of the experience. Instead of thinking about increasing responsibilities that you believe are months or years away, focus on increased productivity and efficiency with each step forward in your career. Initially, productivity and efficiency are about avoiding errors and finding new solutions to problems. Ultimately, it should be about creating best practices and enforcing these practices in others that follow. For example, when reconciling accounts, it’s important not just to fix errors discovered in the course of the reconciliation process. Rather, efforts should be made to find the root cause of why this occurred and put plans in place to fix the root cause.

It is necessary to embrace the opportunity that comes with entry-level accounting jobs, as these roles are gateways to greater things. Imbibe a good work ethic. Not only will you be productive, but you may also learn other skills or find a passion which could lead to a career change. Invest a good portion of your time in real learning/training and developing transferable skills. Build a wide network of people with varying backgrounds and expertise, both internal and external to your organization. Work with these things in mind, and you will gradually grow out of entry-level positions and be ready to take on other challenging roles.

5. Advancing Your Career in Accounting

Articulate your career goals. Whether these goals are long or short term, get them on paper or share your career goals with a supportive coach or manager. For those of you not really sure about your long-term goals, no worries. While working and progressing in your career, they will start to develop and change. It’s always better to start with some vague goals than to start with none. You’re then just working your way up from there. Without having goals, you might end up moving from job to job without any level of satisfaction.

Embrace new opportunities. In your first two to three years, it’s important to understand that every new project, every new person you meet, and every new experience you have in your firm or company is a learning opportunity. Did you just get staffed on a project within a division that you know nothing about? Awesome! This is a perfect time to learn about that division and how it adds to the overall business of your company. It’s a great way to demonstrate growth within your first few years, especially with the added challenge of different services or industries being your everyday life. In summary, take advantage of the opportunities that come your way and these experiences that will help develop your technical and business acumen. In return, they’ll have a positive effect on your future career path.

You’ve completed your degree and you’ve landed your first job in your exciting new career in accounting. It’s now time to start thinking of the long term and how you plan to advance in your ever-growing accounting career. We’re here to set you up for success with a few easy ideas you can think about now to get the most out of your early calendar years, not just in your accounting job, but in your long-term career.