The Bookkeeping jobs involve maintaining the financial information. The bookkeepers are mainly employed to perform the duties of a financial accountant. They are required to record as well as review the payments, expenditures and sales of the company to ensure that the financial records are accurate.
Firms hire bookkeepers to perform the roles of accountants, collectors, billing clerks, controller, auditors, brokerage clerks, analyst, payroll clerks, credit authorizer etc. However, the two main areas of employment that a bookkeeper normally opts for are large businesses or self-employment.
A career in bookkeeping offers various types of jobs and opportunities:
Controller:
Controllers work for firms and manage their finance. They are responsible for documenting the firm痴 financial information. A controller handles the firm痴 expenditures and keeps a record of the payroll statements. They also keep a track of the money owed to the firm and take necessary actions when the dues are in arrears.
Accountant:
Accountants mainly records and analyze financial statements, proposes budgets and suggests methods to efficiently handle the firm痴 finances. Additionally, they are responsible for filing taxes as well as generating and submitting financial statements. They possess enough knowledge to forecast the company痴 future standing.
Internal Auditor:
As an internal auditor, they are required to validate the accuracy of financial reports. They manage the firm痴 monetary business activities and ensure that the business functions in accordance to the policies and guidelines of the firm.
External Auditors:
As an external auditor, bookkeepers review financial transactions, offer guidance in relation to the financial dealings and keep a track of the entire financial transactions of an organization.
Financial Analyst:
A financial analyst examines and interprets fiscal records. They also prepare monetary strategies, propose financial plans and offer resolution for financial issues. Moreover, a financial analyst is expected to possess up to date knowledge about the current financial developments in their field of business.
Government Accountant:
A bookkeeper employed as a government accountant has to investigate or audit the financial reports of government and private agencies. They also ensure that the financial statistics of these agencies are in compliance with the pertinent rules and laws.
Forensic Accountants:
They examine unlawful activities pertaining to money laundering, fraud or other related activities associated with illegal acquirement and utilization of money.
Accounting Clerks:
Accounting clerks carries out the ledger work in the account payable and receivable areas.
The accounts payable clerks ensure that the finances owed by the firms are repaid on time and updates information in the financial catalogs, accurately. They are also responsible for communicating with third parties, such as dealers, to promote financial relations. Furthermore, they help in closing the monthly and yearly financially matters for the firm.
The accounts receivable clerks deal with similar types of duties, but the only difference is that they ensure that the firm receives the money they owe, from other companies.
Management Accountant:
They help the firm in making financial decisions. A management accountant manages and evaluates the firm’s financial information and prepares financial reports, such as balance sheets and income records.
A bookkeeper can also choose to become an independent bookkeeper, freelance bookkeeper, virtual bookkeeper and part-time bookkeeper or take up home-based bookkeeping jobs.
Education required for bookkeeping jobs:
The bookkeepers are required to obtain an associate痴 degree. In addition to the associate痴 degree, aspirants can acquire a certification in bookkeeping for career advancement.
Skills needed for bookkeeping jobs:
Bookkeeping clerks need to have good communication skills. Also, they should be detail-oriented as they manage financial records. Moreover, they are expected to possess sound knowledge of accounting software and computer system.
Bookkeeper’s salary:
Bookkeeping is a flexible job and is estimated to grow by 10 percent in the coming years. The median salary for a bookkeeper job is $38,780. The top 90 percent earns around $46,020 whereas, a new bookkeeper can expect to earn around $15,000-$20,000.
