13 Ways To Become A Better Accountant in 2024

Even excellent accountants can always improve, which they can do with some of the helpful tips we highlight below. And if you’re interested in accounting as a career, you can click this link to find out about accounting scholarships.

1. Stay Organized

Every great accountant must keep all the figures, data, and paperwork straight in their daily work. It’s vital to have a system to find the information they need fast. Nothing is more frustrating than needing critical information immediately and you must search through a mess of papers on your desk!

Also, you should be able to organize your accounting work to increase your productivity. Remember, you need to have time for a lot of undisturbed analysis and research to do your job well.

2. Focus On Your Client

Being a good accountant isn’t just about the numbers. You also have to deal effectively with people, which is something some accountants find challenging. But you can soar in this area by having an obsession with meeting and exceeding client requirements.

You need to deeply understand the sector, industry, and client in as much detail as possible. Knowing this information will help you determine the economic measures or accounting rules that apply to the client’s situation. The advice that a skilled accountant provides is always vital, and knowing as much as you can about that client and their business makes your guidance more useful.

3. Improve Your Time Management

Accountants today play a vital role in companies’ strategic decision-making, so their schedules are often packed. You need to handle many tasks other than accounting and financial management, so prioritize everything and make the most of your work time.

4. Pay Attention To Detail

This is an obvious one for accountants. You need to be sure that the numbers work and are correct – always. A careful eye for the details and due diligence for high accuracy should be part of your daily mission.

5. Focus On Trustworthiness

The information you handle every day is confidential. A vital feature of a great accountant is high professionalism and never divulging personal information to third parties. This is how you conduct an ethical accounting business, so having a fantastic reputation for being trustworthy will help you find the best jobs.

6. Hone Your Communication Skills

Good accountants need to communicate and work with people in different jobs and departments. They also need to develop skills in communicating accounting information to laypeople. Fortunately, accountants can use many types of technology to help them disseminate information better and make sure that their accounting insights are understood.

7. Embrace Technology

There’s no doubt that a high level of software skill is essential to being an effective accountant today.

Companies preferred technological proficiency in their accountants in the old days, but it’s a requirement now.

You should be fluent in accounting software, including Xero and Hyperion. Also, it helps to know software used by many business professionals. So much data is based in the cloud today, so accountants who know how to use data-based applications and Enterprise Resource Planning software are in high demand.

8. Know How To Collaborate

Many accountants don’t realize at first that they won’t always be working by themselves, crunching numbers in their cubicle. These days, accountants must work effectively in teams and offer accounting support to many departments and stakeholders.

Accountants need to be able to provide their expertise to decision-makers and clients. Also, they need to feel what people need to know and give support to their team members. Working well with different personalities and professionals comes with the job of being a great accountant.

9. Analyze Data Well

It’s not enough today to use the systems that organize and manage data; you need to know how to interpret it, too. This is even more important if you’re a mid-level or senior accountant because there’s more expected from you in strategic analysis.

In other words, you should be able to relate the story to stakeholders that the data presents. This brings up the importance of being a critical thinker in accounting. When you stare at a spreadsheet, is it a mass of numbers, or do you see a deeper story?

Many in the field say that accountants who think creatively and find solutions in data will always find high-paying jobs.

Remember, even if you’re a young accountant, you’ll quickly move up the career ladder if you can analyze data and use technology to make business recommendations.

10. Become A Leader

Accountants with exceptional leadership skills will always be in demand. There is so much written about poor leadership and how it leads to churn and poor productivity. So, superior leadership skills are always valued wherever you go.
But the type of leadership abilities accountants need has evolved. Because of technology, leading effectively today is about managing teams virtually and collaborating.
Organizational structures today tend to be flatter, so it’s not only C-level managers who need to lead; almost everyone in the business needs those skills.

11. Be Flexible

Accountants who can take on significant challenges and respond effectively to change are valuable to everyone. In this technological era, workplaces change constantly, and accountants must adapt and leverage those changes to their advantage.
Also, you need to be agile to respond to legal and regulatory changes in the accounting field so you can offer the best service.

12. Think Like An Entrepreneur

Many accounting departments don’t teach this way, but the fact is, you’re an entrepreneur. So learn to think like one. Every accountant is, in some form, in business for themselves and responsible for developing their skills.
As an entrepreneur in accounting, the most vital skill is to learn how to find new clients and meet and exceed their expectations.

13. Develop Niche-Specific Experience

Many companies search for accountants with experience in their industry or niche. For example, if the company works in consumer goods, it wants accountants with several years of experience.
If you want to get ahead in a particular field, such as pharmaceuticals, make sure you gain accounting experience in that sector.
While some accountants can apply their skills to any sector, employers often value workers with experience in their industry.