The Bookkeepers or Technical Accountants play an important role in many companies, since they are in charge of maintaining, balancing, and updating the accounting books, therefore, they have the duty to record all the financial activities of the corporation.
Their work is of value to all types of organizations or businesses, whether public or private, as these individuals track the flow of money in and out of the corporation. Large companies usually have more than one Bookkeeper on their staff, while the rest prefer to have a single professional in charge of this management or, on the contrary, prefer to hire the services of an accounting firm specialized in providing its services to third parties. Likewise, there are Bookkeepers who choose to work autonomously or independently.
Bookkeepers prepare financial reports based on information collected from the books they maintain. Based on them, the shareholders, Managers, and Accountants verify the financial status of the company and determine the most suitable way to proceed in future projects.
Principal functions:
Here are the most common duties of a bookkeeper:
Manage and control the accounting books of the company in which they work or of their client:
- Set parameters for accounting books.
- Balance the accounting books.
- Take advantage of programs and systems that can simplify your work.
Keeping the ledger up to date:
- Review and record daily income and expenses.
- Balance in the asset and liability columns of the ledger.
Prepare accounting reports:
- Analyze the current and current statistics of the company.
- Verify that the expenses are duly justified.
- Verify that income is properly registered.
- Prepare a report based on the information above.
Create and maintain the company budget:
- Explain the budget to clients or supervisors.
- Provide advice on budget matters.
Prepare financial statements:
- Calculate the state of the accounts at the end of the year.
- Prepare and submit reports based on account information.
Determine the type of documentation required by the business.
- Make reports regarding the tax return:
- Comply with tax legislation.
- Determine possible deductibles.
- Provide advice on tax irregularities.
Project the company’s future statistics based on its current financial balance.
Daily tasks
- Keep the financial records of the company.
- Record income and expenses of assets in the general ledger.
- Balance the accounting books.
- Prepare checks, payroll, tax declaration, payments, among others.
- Make tax returns.
- Complete and submit tax return forms.
- Prepare financial reports and make projections based on the information provided.
- Establish and plan budgets.
Candidate Profile
Communication skills:
- Communicate clearly, both orally and in writing, to deliver financial advice effectively.
- Explain accounting procedures to their clients or superiors, simplifying complex and extensive matters, using non-technical language.
- Write detailed and concise reports and be able to explain the results to clients or superiors.
- Be able to work in a team.
Retailer:
- Analyze in detail the financial information.
- Record information meticulously in the accounting books.
- Take stock of long and complex books.
Numerical and mathematical skills:
- Be able to carry out simple and complex calculations.
- Round off the number of zeros to designate thousands and millions.
Organized and able to manage her time effectively:
- Be able to work with different clients and balance various books at the same time.
- Be able to write reports to various clients.
- Meet delivery dates.
Analytical skills:
- Analyze income and expenses to detect potential deductions.
- Have a methodical approach to analysis.
- Analyze budgets.
- Conceive ways to increase efficiency.
Excellent computer knowledge:
- Use specialized accounting programs.
- Be familiar with specialized programs.
High levels of integrity and honesty.
Although the requirements to work as a Bookkeeper are not unified, in general, companies are looking for candidates who meet a series of common qualities. On the one hand, the applicant is required to have completed high school; however, in some places, a profile is developed for those who have followed technical training in Accounting or Accounting students. In other cases, headhunting is filtered by those individuals who have a college degree in Finance, Mathematics, Business Administration, Accounting, or other related fields. Having work experience in related sectors gives added value to the candidate’s profile.
In general, this position is of the Junior type, so the individual has the possibility of training in practice under the guidance of experienced Accountants, likewise, there are companies that provide some type of training to their new employees.
As for their working hours, Bookkeepers usually work a maximum of 40 hours per week, from Monday to Friday; however, as the fiscal year approaches, they may need to spend more time on the job. Their work is normally carried out in an office environment, but those who work freelance or independent, they may be required to travel to work with their clients.
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