How To Become an Accounting Analyst
Summary. We reviewed real candidate profiles to learn the best path to become an accounting analyst. We'll guide you through the education, experiences, and skills hiring managers look for in an accounting analyst.
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Most companies require a accounting analyst to have a bachelor's degree degree in a related field, such as accounting or business.
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It's important to have relevant work experience, with typical job requirements ranging from 2-4 years in related fields.
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Common job titles before becoming an accounting analyst include staff accountant, accountant, and accounts payable clerk.
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Hiring managers expect an accounting analyst to have soft skills such as analytical skills, communication skills, and organizational skills.
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Once you have all the required skills and experience, it takes an average of 1-3 months of job training to become an accounting analyst.
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Getting a certification as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) will help you to earn more as an accounting analyst.
Before becoming an accounting analyst, 73.9% earned their bachelor's degree. When it comes down to graduating with a master's degree, 11.3% accounting analysts went for the extra education. If you're wanting to pursue this career, it may be possible to be successful with a high school degree. In fact, most accounting analysts have a college degree. But about one out of every nine accounting analysts didn't attend college at all.
Those accounting analysts who do attend college, typically earn either a accounting degree or a business degree. Less commonly earned degrees for accounting analysts include a finance degree or a economics degree.
How to become an Accounting Analyst in 6 steps:
- Step 1: Explore accounting analyst education
- Step 2: Develop accounting analyst skills
- Step 3: Complete relevent training/internship
- Step 4: Get accounting analyst certifications
- Step 5: Research accounting analyst duties
- Step 6: Prepare your resume
Key Steps To Become an Accounting Analyst
Explore Accounting Analyst Education
If you're interested in becoming an accounting analyst, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 73.9% of accounting analysts have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 11.3% of accounting analysts have master's degrees. Even though most accounting analysts have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become an accounting analyst. When we researched the most common majors for an accounting analyst, we found that they most commonly have accounting, business and finance.
Accounting Analyst Major Percentages Accounting 40.40% Business 29.00% Finance 13.90% Economics 4.00% Other Degrees 12.70% Develop Accounting Analyst Skills
It'll be a good idea to develop accounting analyst skills before applying for a job. Here are some skills commonly requested in accounting analyst job descriptions:
Skills Percentages Reconciliations 12.39% Customer Service 6.61% Account Reconciliations 5.60% GAAP 5.25% Strong Analytical 3.94% Complete Relevent Training/Internship
Accounting analysts spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. During this time, new accounting analysts learn the skills and techniques required for their specific job and employer. The chart below shows how much time it takes to gain competency as an accounting analyst based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real accounting analyst resumes.
Average Amount Of Time At Training
Get Accounting Analyst Certifications
Certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for this position. They can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a certification, having one may help you stand out in an application. Plus, the process of getting a certification can teach you new skills that you can bring to your work. We determined the most common certifications for accounting analysts. The most common certification is Certified Public Accountant (CPA), but Certified Management Accountant (CMA) is also frequently seen in accounting analysts resumes.
- Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
- Certified Management Accountant (CMA)
- Certified Resume Specialist: Accounting and Finance (CRS+AF)
- International Accredited Business Accountant (IABA)
- Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)
Research Accounting Analyst Duties
When you decide to become an accounting analyst, It's important to know what duties and responsibilities are required for this position. Some common responsibilities are a part of most accounting analyst jobs. Here is a list of the main duties that define the role:
- Manage and process all ACH, EFT and wire transfer transactions daily (debit or credits).
- Manage reconciling monthly discrepancies between ERP transfers.
- Manage budget submissions by subsidiaries in Europe/AFNE region in Hyperion.
- Establish investment objectives to efficiently manage IPO proceeds within state risk parameters.
- Maintain accounting controls by following GAAP and internal accounting policies; maintain financial security by following internal controls.
- Review and approve monthly general ledger and bank account reconciliations for special condition accounts to ensure procedural consistency and compliance.
Prepare Your Resume
Finally, when you already have checked the skills and responsibilities for this role, you can start creating your resume. Everything that goes into creating a perfect resume can take hours, days, or even weeks. No worries, we created a resume builder to make this process as easy as possible with tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and a summary.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Accounting Analyst Resume templates
Build a professional Accounting Analyst resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Accounting Analyst resume.Apply For an Accounting Analyst Job
Accounting Analyst Jobs
