Mar 07,2022      BY   Mithun Chakkaleri

Top 10 Skills You Need for a Career in Accounting

Accounting is one of the firm bases on which any business or institution lays its foundation. It is not only recording and analysing the financial transactions of a business, but also forms the backbone of the institution or business. Accounting of a company means making a summary of the company's financial transactions over an accounting period, summarising a company’s operations, financial position, and cash flow.

Accountants track a company’s profits and losses and ensure that clients comply with the prevailing tax laws and regulations. In addition, they prepare taxes and returns, examine financial records for accuracy, and prepare financial reports for businesses and individuals.

Accounting is a very competitive field where you need to update your skills quickly. To pursue a successful career in accounting, you will have to acquire a list of skills. In addition, your skills should be built according to the changing practises to be on top of the accounting industry. 

There are a lot of specialised courses available in the field of accounting. Some of the accounting courses that are highly in demand include:

  • ACCA

  • CMA

  • Excel Accounting

  • Financial Accounting

  • Tally

  • VAT training and much more.

Top 10 Accounting Skills for Your Accounting Career

Anyone who dreams of becoming a professional accountant has many options. You can build a successful career and become an expert by continuous learning and practice. In addition to exceptional financial skills, one needs to have a combination of interpersonal and professional skills to be on top of this industry. Whichever accounting course you decide to study, here are some of the top tips to build a career in accounting

  • Mathematical Skill

  • Technical Skills

  • Business Awareness

  • Innovation and understanding

  • Accounting Training

  • Spreadsheet proficiency

  • Good Communication Skills

  • Credibility and Resilience

  • Time management and Organisational skills

  • Constant Learning


1. Mathematical Skill

Mathematical skill is the essential skill required for an accountant to become successful in his/her career. Most accounting programs provide you with an excellent introductory maths class to bring you up to speed. The debit and credit recording skill is essential for an accountant to the minutest level. In addition to mathematical skills, an accountant should have soft skills like:

  • Strong command over the language, both written and oral.

  • Organising skills.

  • Analytical and problem-solving skills.

  • Time management. 

  • System analysis. 

  • Mathematical reasoning.

  • Critical thinking and 

  • Active learning. 

2. Technical Skills

Much mathematical work these days is handled by computers and technology. Staying abreast of current and emerging technology will be beneficial in building up a successful career in accounting. Decent working knowledge about different accounting software is quintessential for a successful accounting career. A wide array of accounting tools get updated very often, and one needs to be up to date in this regard.

Knowledge and working proficiency in various accounting softwares is essential for a good career in accounting. Everything runs through technology these days and so is accounting. Some of the most widely used accounting softwares are:

  • Tally ERP9

  • QuickBooks

  • Zoho Books

  • MargERP9+

  • My books

  • Busy accounting

  • Logic 

These are some of the accounting softwares a smart accountant can make use of if he wants speed and accuracy in his profession. Knowledge in these softwares makes you well equipped in technical accounting skills.

3. Business Awareness

Expanding your knowledge about the business is very important to know how it gets affected by accounting strategies. To have an up to date knowledge about the business scenario plays a significant role in building the business. When you learn about the business, other abilities like dealing with co-workers, presenting accounting information to managers and connecting with the stakeholders, and presenting accounting information to business partners automatically become very impressive.

4. Innovation and Understanding

Recruiters are always searching for innovative candidates with new ideas because the business world evolves day by day. An enthusiastic entrepreneur always welcomes fresh ideas that impact the future of the accounting universe. Hand in hand with innovation is the need to have a good and quick understanding of different forms of accounting.

5. Accounting Training

Apart from the essential degrees in accounting, there are many accounting courses you can choose to study to keep you on top of the accounting industry. Accountants and non-accountants can choose from several courses and training like ACCA, CMA, Financial Accounting, Peach Tree, Quickbooks, and Tally to build their accounting skills based on accounting jobs and domains. Accounting Training can help you become an expert in the accounting domain you prefer.

6. Spreadsheet proficiency

Acquiring good proficiency in using spreadsheets makes the accounting process much more manageable. Also, the usage of many drawing methods and charts in the spreadsheets can make your presentations professional-looking, impressive, and understandable. Integration of information from various files can also be done using spreadsheets like Excel. Easy access at any point in time is an added advantage of having proficiency in spreadsheets.

7. Good Communication Skills

Gone are the days when an accountant deals with numbers. Instead, an accountant is entitled to explain and convey the most complex information in the accounting sector most straightforwardly and understandably possible. This requires good communication skills, both written and oral. Good communication skills are required for an accountant, whether you are hired on behalf of a business or part of an internal accounting team.

8. Credibility and Resilience

Credibility in any business is the key to success, and no different is the accounting arena. Credibility is the most important criterion while selecting an accountant. With more credibility comes more opportunity. Your foundation stone is well laid by building your base on your client's trust.

Resilience is the ability to keep a cool head and trust your skill sets. The ability to cope with demanding deadlines, juggle between different types of clients and remain positive through tough challenges is a skill that will hold you steady throughout your career.

9. Time management and Organisational skills

Time means money for a successful accountant. It all depends on how well you manage your time and tasks and make money in the profession. Organising things and prioritising things is a skill you need to acquire to build a successful career in accounting. The more smartly and efficiently you schedule your tasks, the more money you make.

10. Constant Learning

Just like swimming, you cannot learn accounting just by reading textbooks. Learn by doing. Practical knowledge in accounting is a must if you want to make it a career. Constant learning in this regard is mandatory since the world of accounting is evolving. So start learning from the basics of accounting. Many publications and online courses are there to help you develop this skill of constant learning.

Best accounting certifications.

These are some of the best accounting certifications you can acquire for a better career in accounting. Certifications play a major role while a company decides on an accounting firm or an accountant.

  • Certified Public Accountant

  • Certified Fraud Analyst

  • Certified Financial Analyst

  • Certified Internal Auditor

  • Certified Management Accountant

  • Chartered Global Management Accountant

  • Enrolled Agent

Top Accounting Resume Skills to Impress Employers

In addition to the above accounting skills, you can also add the following skills to your resume to impress the employer.

  • International Work Experience

  • Stability 

  • Initiative

  • Enthusiasm

1. International Work Experience

Having international experience in your CV may seem like a distant dream, but do not give up. This is possible in the long run and leaves a plus point in your CV. Bookmark this skill for later use because many organisations are concentrating on the next phase of their growth, which is often linked to overseas trade.

2. Stability 

An appealing aspect of accounting is flexibility which is also appealing in an accountant's CV. However, along with flexibility, one must have stability in his CV to become impressive. Changing accounting jobs frequently can be a disadvantage because it lacks CV stability. Find the right balance to impress employers with your CV.

3. Initiative

The initiative is proof that you can work on your own. An independent thinker can always be entrusted with new responsibilities. This is particularly important in the latter part of your accounting career when you become a freelancer.

4. Enthusiasm 

Like any other profession, enthusiasm is the key to progress and success. Being enthusiastic and genuinely believing in what you do is crucial for a successful career in accounting. Enthusiasm is contagious and adds energy to teamwork. Therefore, a possible recruiter is always looking for an enthusiastic accounting candidate.

We are here to help you build a successful career in accounting with our Accounting Courses in Abudhabi. So explore and find out which course to study from a wide range of courses and be confident you are there!

Read More: Top Skills Required To Become A Financial Accountant

Mithun Chakkaleri

He is an expert training manager with Time Training Center Abu Dhabi. He has spent more than 12 years implementing training programs. He has worked across many departments and stakeholders to ensure that all the training programs meet organizational needs. Being passionate about interior design, he keeps himself regular at the gym and spends free time reading.

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