An accounting manager develops and supervises systems and employees who collect, analyze, verify and report on an organization’s finances. If you’re interested in such jobs, what exactly might be expected of you? Here are some guidelines from accounting headhunters.
- Bachelor’s degree: At a minimum, accounting managers must have bachelor’s degrees in a field such as accounting or business administration. Many employers require a higher degree such as an MBA, and some prefer CPA certification.
- Two to four years of experience in accounting: Employers also like to see candidates who have at least a couple of years in accounting or business administration. Some employers express preference for experience in a specific field such as healthcare or nonprofit work.
- Managerial experience: Candidates should have worked in some capacity that gave them supervisory or managerial experience.
- Soft skills: Skills such as communication, collaboration, customer service and even bilingualism are in high demand. So are attributes such as patience, flexibility and high ethical standards.
- Technical knowledge: Accounting managers should be proficient in programs such as Microsoft Excel, Intuit QuickBooks or various tax preparation software programs. They may also need to know several financial analysis programs, database user interface and query software, and business analysis and data analysis software.
Going past job requirements, flexibility is expected of many candidates. That is, they may have to work occasional evening, weekend or holiday hours. This may be especially true when the business is working to collect data for a financial report. Travel could be part of the job as well, as could supervision of remote or telecommute employees.
Accounting managers must be able to work well independently and on teams. They often oversee several projects at the same time and so must delegate efficiently and possess superb organizational skills.
If you’re wondering, “Are there accounting staffing agencies near me?” so you can research accounting manager jobs, contact an executive recruiter with Beacon Resources today.
