Who Is An Account Officer And What Do They Do- An account officer is a personnel in charge of the financial records/ affairs of an organization. On a daily basis , account officers are involved in payment processing, , recording of payments and tracking of organization’s expenditures.
Roles Of An Account Officer
- He/She manages the financial records of an organization or business.
- An account officer processes invoices
- He/She promptly records payment
- An Account officer contacts clients when necessary about transactions and invoices
- Handles queries relating to accounts
What Skills Do An Account Officer Need?
1. Ability to work in a team
As an account officer, you will be working with different kind of people (both in senior and junior category). You must master well how to work with people with a team spirit. This is because results are achieved better and faster when done by a strong team than an individual. You must ensure that you are not the weak link in your team
2. Strong Analytical Skills
To function effectively as an account officer, you must have strong analytical skills. With analytical skills , you will be able to resolve data and information given to provide solution to certain problems. Examples of analytical skills include problem-solving skills, creativity skills, critical thinking, research, etc.
3. Attention to details
As an account officer, you will be dealing with figures a lot. A little mistake in computation of figures will lead to inaccuracy which can bring a lot of loss. So you must be very meticulous as an account officer
4. Strong interpersonal skills
Interpersonal skills is the ability to communicate and relate well with other people. To function effectively in the role and other job roles, you need to have strong interpersonal skills. One of the ways of developing strong interpersonal skills is to read books on effective communication relating with people. Also surround yourself with good and effective people that you can learn from.
5. High Proficiency in Ms Excel and Quickbooks
Accounting role requires working with a lot of figures. To make work easier , there are some basic tools that are usually employed such as Excel, Quickbooks, etc. You must be sound in the use of these tools to function effectively in the role of an accounting officer.
6. Organization Skills
You must be well-organized, starting from the way your office is arranged to the arrangement of files and data on your laptop. Shabbiness is not allowed as an account officer.
7. Strong Mathematical Skills
You must have a strong flare for mathematics as an account officer. If you hate mathematics, then you shouldn’t be thinking of taking up a career as an account officer.
Requirements of An Account Officer
1. Educational Requirements
You should have minimum of bachelor degree in related field (preferably account or business management). Although some companies take high school diploma.
You should have a professional qualification related to the accounting field e.g CPA (Certified Public Accountant).
2. Work Experience
For you to land an account officer job faster, you should have some work experience. Employers prefer to employ someone with some level of work experience than those with none. One quick and smart way to get some work experience as a fresh graduate is to volunteer to work in organizations for free. You can add such work experience to your resume
Tools Used By An Account Officer
It is not enough to use paper, pen and calculator in an Accounting role. You wont be effective and you wont also achieve much. There are modern tools that gives your work as an Account officer precision, accuracy and impact. Some of these tools include :
- Book-keeping tools
- Financial Tools
- Organizational Tools
- Social Media Management Tools
- Communication Tools
- Other Tools
Now lets look at some of these tools in detail:
Communication Tools
Examples of communication tools include remote presentation/ video conferencing, project management platform
Remote Presentation/ Video conferencing
You will need this to communicate with clients abd preospects remotely . Tools will allow you to do video calls, make presentations, talk to multiple people at the same time. Some of these tools include zoom , skype, google hangouts, screenshares, etc. Some of these tools have both paid and free and paid version.
Project Management Platform
This tool helps you relate with your team members, assign tasks, send reminders, etc. Examples of the tools include Asana, Trello, Basecamp, Microsoft project, etc.
Financial Tools
The tools are great for making financial decisions and forecasts. When you need to offer financial advice to your clients, these tools come in handy . Examples include financial dashboard , budgeting tool , accounting reports, etc.
Organizational Tools
These tools helps to save time and energy while increasing your efficiency. Examples of these tools include file-sharing solutions, online scheduling , etc.
Social Media Management Tools
With the advancement in communication, I mean the global space, it is expedient that as an account officer, you should be able to use SMM tools to advance your career. Infact, a number of these tools are free. Examples include Buffer, Hootsuite, Raven, Tweet Deck, etc.
Other Tools
These include Quote & proposal creation tools, sales forecasting software
Quote and proposal creation tools
This tool will help you create quotes and proposals automatically. You don’t have to go through stress using spreadsheet to create quote and proposal each time. Some of the tools are free while some will require you make some payments. Examples of these tools include Qwilr, Proposify, PandaDoc, Salesforce CPQ and SeProposals
Sales Forecasting Software
Sales forecasting can really be time-consuming and cumbersome. The tool helps to make the process faster. Examples include Insightly, Accelo, Copper pipedrive, Adaptive Insights, etc.
The job of an account officer is a very critical one in any business or organization. Every penny that leaves or enters a company is being monitored by the account officer. It is a sensitive role that requires a lot of attention of details. In this article , we would discuss in details who an account officer is and what they do.
Final Note
I believe this article has been able to open your eyes to the definition of an account officer and what they do. If you think you got what it takes to be an account officer, then you should get an education along that line if you don’t have one yet and start up your career today.
Frequently Asked Questions
What careers can I pursue in accounting?
Below are some of the career path you can pursue in accounting:
- Chartered management accounting
- Finance Manager
- Financial Analyst
- Cost Controller
- Cost Clerk
- Cost Accountant
What training do I need to become an account officer?
- You must have a bachelor degree in accounting
- You must understand how to use different accounting and book-keeping tools
- You must possess skills like analytical, organizational, problem-solving , research skills, etc.
- You must have a strong flare for mathematics
Reference
- www. freshbooks. com- 10 Essential Accounting & Book-keeping tools to set up your clients success
- www. closeriq. com- Tools every Account Executive should have
- www. glassdoor. com – Account Office Job Description
- www. betterteam. com Account Officer Job Description
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