Bookkeeping is a rewarding and very popular profession. The demand for bookkeepers is constantly growing, with more and more businesses choosing to hire out professionals instead of sorting out their own finances. You might be wondering, what qualities do you need to become a bookkeeper, and how can you make a success of yourself in the role? In this blog, we’ll provide you with our list of top bookkeeping tips.
Top Bookkeeping Tips
Stay organised. Good organisation is absolutely fundamental for bookkeepers. Whether you are self-employed, or working for an organisation, you will need to be extremely organised in order to keep up with paperwork such as statements and invoices. You’ll also need to be able to deal with queries from customers and suppliers, and maintain your composure during audit season. The best bookkeepers have a fantastic ability to organise their time efficiently.
Training. Many new bookkeepers overlook the crucial period of training needed before getting a job. As a result, they are wholly unprepared for what is to come. Getting the right training is fundamental for new bookkeepers. One great tip is to try and gain a part-time bookkeeping role, in order to increase your knowledge and experience. The more knowledge and experience you have, the better you will be at the job, the more attractive you will be to employers. Never be afraid to take part in extra 1 day training courses and events, to broaden your skillset.
Good communication. If you are planning on becoming a bookkeeper, then good communication will be absolutely vital to the role. You will spend huge amounts of time in communication with other people, via many different forms of contact, including email, one- to-one-meetings and phone calls. Many bookkeepers will also be tasked with chasing up payment for overdue invoices. If you are uncomfortable with human interaction, then this will be very difficult for you. You need to be someone who is able to remain professional, patient and polite at all times.
Be Efficient. Efficiency is key for bookkeepers. You need to work both quickly and accurately in order to ensure that the person you are working for has a good idea of their finances. If you are too slow, then this could have negative effects on the business. Therefore, it’s really important that paperwork such as invoices are processed as quickly as possible.
Honesty. A trustworthy nature is one of the fundamental principles that a bookkeeper must adhere to. Bookkeepers have access to a wealth of important information, including salaries. Publicly discussing or gossiping about this information is highly unprofessional. Remember that your employer is putting huge trust in you, by giving you access to their finances. Therefore, if you make mistakes, you need to own up to them. It is much better to be honest, rather than attempt to hide your error. This will severely damage the trust between you and your employer.
For more amazing bookkeeping tips, tricks and secrets, please purchase How To Become A Bookkeeper. Written by Sharmell Day, an expert in the industry, it is the ultimate source of information for both aspiring and qualified bookkeepers.
