How To Become An Accounting Executive Assistant: What It Is and Career Path

What is an accounting executive assistant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Janet Tarase,

Jodi Olson

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an accounting executive assistant. For example, did you know that they make an average of $23.74 an hour? That's $49,383 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -5% and produce -77,200 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to an accounting executive assistant?

Janet Tarase

Lead Accounting Faculty / Accounting Department Chair, Red Rocks Community College

Create a vision board to set your yearly objectives and a long-term strategic plan that includes your professional and personal goal aspirations; be prepared to modify both of these guides as things change in your life. Join LinkedIn, if you haven't already, update it and make sure it is current. Make connections with a local professionals' group and create a network of like-minded, goal-oriented individuals. Also find a mentor or ask senior employees for their advice and counseling. Clean up your social media accounts or at the very least mark your questionable content as private so you are not sharing it publicly; become the professional you want to be. Continue your professional development, either through your employer, free online programs, or by furthering your education. Keep track of your accomplishments and continue to update your biography and resume. Finally, be appreciative and modest - thank those that help you and make sure to acknowledge those who participated in your successes.

ScoreAccounting Executive AssistantUS Average

Salary

3.9

Avg. Salary $49,383

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.0

Growth rate -5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.63%

Asian 6.52%

Black or African American 6.74%

Hispanic or Latino 14.34%

Unknown 3.96%

White 67.81%

Gender

female 88.14%

male 11.86%

Age - 53

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 53

Stress level

6.0

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.4

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.3

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an accounting executive assistant

Explore accounting executive assistant education requirements

Most common accounting executive assistant degrees

Bachelor's

55.7 %

Associate

24.7 %

High School Diploma

7.6 %

Start to develop specific accounting executive assistant skills

Skills	Percentages
Vendor Invoices	9.47%
Reconciliations	7.96%
Bank Deposits	6.15%
Expense Reports	6.13%
Purchase Orders	5.96%

Complete relevant accounting executive assistant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New accounting executive assistants learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an accounting executive assistant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real accounting executive assistant resumes.

Gain additional accounting executive assistant certifications

Accounting executive assistant certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific accounting executive assistant certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for accounting executive assistants include Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and Medical Assistant.

More About Certifications

Research accounting executive assistant duties and responsibilities

Manage daily cash application of payments make to lockbox and receive in form of ACH.
Manage revenue ledger including other subsidiary ledgers and responsible for the reconciliation of various income accounts to ensure accuracy of postings.
Initiate electronic payments in the form of wire transfers and ACH.
Prepare financial reports for evaluation by CPA consultant and reconcile 17 bank accounts monthly.

Get accounting executive assistant experience

Generally, it takes 4-6 years to become an accounting executive assistant. The most common roles before becoming an accounting executive assistant include administrative assistant, executive assistant team lead and office manager.

Prepare your accounting executive assistant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your accounting executive assistant resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an accounting executive assistant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable accounting executive assistant resume templates

Build a professional accounting executive assistant 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 executive assistant resume.