Friday, April 11, 2008

Career Confidential: Accounting, Auditing, and Bookkeeping

by Robyn Tellefsen

Do you have a knack for numbers? Are you detail-oriented? Can you keep your work confidential? If so, you may be privy to the particulars of an accounting, auditing, and bookkeeping career.
Classified Information
Here's a breakdown of the financial record keeping occupation:

Bookkeeping clerks handle all financial transactions and record keeping. As a bookkeeper, you'll record transactions, post debits and credits, produce financial statements, and prepare reports and summaries for supervisors. You'll prepare bank deposits by compiling data from cashiers, verifying and balancing receipts, and sending payment to the bank. You may also handle payroll, make purchases, prepare invoices, and keep track of overdue accounts.

Accounting clerks have more specialized tasks, such as accounts payable or accounts receivable. Entry-level accounting clerks post details of transactions, total accounts, compute interest charges, and monitor loans and accounts to ensure that payments are up to date. Advanced accounting clerks may total, balance, and reconcile billing vouchers; ensure the accuracy of account data; and code documents according to company procedures.

Auditing clerks verify records of transactions posted by other workers. They check figures, postings, and documents to ensure that they are correct, mathematically accurate, and properly coded.

Covert Training Operations
An associate degree in business or accounting is required for some bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerk positions. In a degree program, you'll master essentials such as word processing, spreadsheets, databases, and other specialized accounting software. You'll also hone your communication skills, which you'll need for letter writing and phone calls to clients.

Once you have at least two years of bookkeeping experience, you may take the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers' exam to become a Certified Bookkeeper. More than 100 colleges and universities offer preparatory courses for certification, and another 150 offer courses online.

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