Accountants are responsible for financial calculations for businesses in many different areas. They are typically responsible for preparing reports on cash flow and sales as well as managing payroll, maintaining balance sheets, executing billing tasks, managing budgets and storing inventory. The accountant could also be accountable for filing taxes for the business, as well in reviewing reports from the past to create income forecasts.
Sometimes, internal audits have to be conducted to ensure that the different areas of the business are operating as planned The accountant should also ensure that employees adhere to the company's policies and applicable laws. The accountant must be able to produce accurate and detailed reports that illustrate the data. Sometimes the reports must be presented to the management. The accountant can supervise the financial transactions of a department or several departments within the organization.
An accounting degree with a bachelor's level is necessary for this job and also a status as an accredited public accountant (CPA). Experience in accounting is usually recommended or required. Experience with accounting software like Quickbooks as well as Microsoft Excel is needed. In addition, a lot of accounting tasks are done by the accountant on their own therefore it is important to be self-motivated. However collaboration is essential for accountants, and they should be able to work in a group.