The role of a professional accountant is an important one as the qualities of an accountant are hard to find in a person. They perform a number of tasks within the role such as bookkeeping, Provisional Tax, financial statements and business plans etc. Education and accounting skills are the foundation of any accounting professional and there are number of additional characteristics that are required for a professional accountant.
Accountants work in an array of environments which include government, non-profit, manufacturing, banking and education. However, the accountants personal characteristics, skills sets, traits needed are the same.
Qualified accountants are often thought as extremely precise, with keen eye for details and vast amount of practical knowledge. Also, accounting books provides a basis for business decisions as well as evaluate the financial health of the company. Hence, it is natural that they boast of high degree of precision ad expected to have great organization skills. Some of the additional characteristics and traits are discussed below.
- Skills, knowledge and expertise
One of the most critical traits of accounting professional is education which inculcates in them broad range of skills, knowledge and expertise within the various branches of accounting services. The education system takes into account the rigorous training that a qualified accountant should be subjected to make them capable of facing any challenges in the future, It is also important that training and education go hand in hand without which they would not be able to provide high level of service excellence to clients.
- Commitment to Strong Values
Integrity, accountability, ethics, trustworthiness, reliability, moral reasoning, honesty and confidentiality are some of the values that qualified accountants need to hold, They play an important role as they ensure accountants follow a strong set of internal rules that govern the way they do their business on a day to day basis.
- Maintaining Professional Standards
They have to maintain professional standards and approaches within the disciplines of recording, analysing, reporting, forecasting and offering advice and support in management decisions. Hence, professional conduct are linked to strong values which plays an prime role in maintaining professional standards.
- Registered with Accountancy Body
Accountants should be registered with an accountancy body that ensures they are subject to disciplinary powers of that body, In this era of globalization and combined with the presence of multiple accountancy bodies in a country it is important that the accountants are subject to checks so as to maintain discipline in their work.
Thus, it is important that qualified accountants are committed to continuous professional development. It should not be limited to broadening their skills but also further qualifications within the industry or any other professional accomplishments. It is vital that professional accountants are committed to improving their skills on a continuous basis. Working in accounting is good career choice and for many it is a comfortable way of making a living. Being an accountant requires a lot of effort but also key personality traits that make up for a prudent, creative and an eye for detail individual who every company wants to hire.