Find the Perfect Accounting Career for You

Are you planning to develop a career in accounting? It is worth considering it because the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is projecting that approximately 280,000 new accounting jobs will be added between now and 2018. However, to land good entry level accounting jobs you need a bachelor’s degree in accounting. Of course, you can further advance your career by getting certified as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). Entry level accounting jobs are available in public accounting firms, large and small businesses all over the United States and in government departments.

The requirements and complexity of accounting jobs vary a great deal. There is a chance that you may land some entry level accounting jobs that may not require you to have a degree, but you stand to get better paid jobs if you have a college degree in accounting. You need to complete four years of study at a college or university to obtain a bachelor’s degree in accounting. Further, it is essential to have a college degree if you want to become a certified public accountant.

Typically, entry level accounting jobs involve maintenance of financial records such as journals, ledgers, etc. They also assist in the preparation of financial reports including profit and loss, balance sheet and tax liabilities. These jobs involve extensive use of the computer and as an entry level accountant you must feel comfortable with using accounting software.

Entry level accountants generally work in an office kind of an environment, spending a large amount of time inputting data into computer systems as part of their bookkeeping requirements and report generation. Though you may work from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Monday to Friday, you may be required to put in extra hours of work during tax time during week days and sometimes you will have to work on weekends as well.

On completion of the bachelor’s degree in accounting, you have the option to choose from many entry level accounting jobs that are thrown open to you. These include jobs with banks, manufacturing and processing firms, accounting firms and finance companies. Though a certain level of experience may be required for some entry level positions, generally employers accept education in lieu of experience. A brief description of some of the entry level accounting jobs is given below:

•Accounting Clerk: As an accounting clerk you may have to work within one of the many departments in an accounting firm, performing secretarial work for managers and supervisors. Extraction of data from charts and spreadsheets, analysis of extracted data, customer service, attending incoming calls, etc., will also be part of your duties. An accounting clerk may also be assigned to work on various projects within the firm as per requirement.

•Accounting Associate / Teller: A bank or a credit union employs an accounting associate. Some of their responsibilities are supervision of tellers, checking daily reports of tellers, reconciliation of general ledgers, generating financial reports and audits of records.

•Accountant: You have to analyze data on a daily basis. You also keep track of the financial records of customers, looking for discrepancies. As an accountant you are required to prepare daily reports, prepare and file income taxes and evaluate records to ensure optimum tax deductions.

There is intense competition for entry level accounting jobs in any field. However, if you take into consideration some of the suggestions given below you may land a paying accounting job:

•You can visit and register with job sites such as monster.com and careerbuilder.com that list down entry level accounting jobs. You can also check out message boards, websites of associations and societies in the industry or in any section within the accounting field. It is also a good idea to post your resume at the local society of CPAs.

•Networking with people who can hire you for an entry level accounting job or those who can support you in your search will be of great help. You can attend meetings of local accounting societies, join organizations that can help you in developing your career and get references from accounting managers and controllers that you know of to get an entry level position in any one of the different types of organizations that require accountants

•You can spread the word around through your neighbors and friends that you are on the lookout for an accounting position.

•You should write your resume well, with professional help if required. Also, be professional when you attend interviews. Jobs may be referred to you, but if your resume is not in order you may not get interview calls. When you are called for an interview, be punctual and organized and give short answers. Employers look for accuracy and an eye for detail when it comes to entry level jobs. .

•Consider working in an accounting firm on a temporary basis. When people get to know you better, they may offer a full-time job to you. Anyway, some amount of experience will come in handy on a future date.

Accounting jobs are popular because salaries are higher – even at entry level positions. As in the case of other jobs, having an internship or some kind of experience will definitely be helpful. Additionally, there are also different types and levels of certifications in accounting that will help you to earn higher salaries.

In entry level accounting jobs, you may be paid around $30,000 to $45,000 a year. As a public accountant, you may be paid about $60,000 a year on an average at the entry level. If you get selected as a staff accountant in a company, you can expect to get salaries in the range of $30,000 to $45,000 per year at the entry level. The entry level accounting jobs that do not require you to have some kind of certification or experience pay you much less; in the range of $20,000 to $30,000 per year. The salaries of entry level accountants are more or less similar within the private sector, but slightly higher compared to government jobs. You may get higher salaries if you choose to work in major cities.