What does a general accountant do?
A general accountant is responsible for evaluating account statements, conducting data analysis with financial transactions, and generating reports on revenues, expenses, and sales forecasting. These accountants manage discrepancies on the company and clients' profiles, including bank reconciliations and processing of account receivables and payables. They also handle the release of invoices and petty cash, analyzing balance sheets, and updating accurate financial information on the database. A general accountant must have excellent analytical skills, as well as extensive knowledge of the accounting principles and disciplines.
General accountant responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real general accountant resumes:
- Manage payroll functions, financial statements, accounts payable, basic job cost, account analysis, accruals, year-end audits.
- Manage and monitor accounting procedures for compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley and coordinate and facilitate external audit requirements.
- Assist manager with cash flow, preparing financial statement, BBC, and report to CPA.
- Create budget at beginning and coordinate CPA firm's audit at the end of year.
- Assist in any kind of audit engagement (internal control, external, SOX, etc . )
- Provide support for the controller with period-end close accruals and journal entries and assist in various duties and responsibilities.
- Perform require SOX control procedures and maintain relate documentation.
- Reconcile inventory between warehouse management reporting system and ERP system.
- Analyze and evaluate various financial and operational business controls and GAAP.
- Implement new system that dramatically improve financial reporting compliance with GAAP standard.
- Reconcile complex general ledgers accounts, verifying accurate GL balances and ensuring proper and relevant support documentation.
- Assist with return goods process using ERP system and streamline process that accurately code physical inventories saving time/money.
- Project accountant for gas processing and pipeline partnerships, which include distributions, invoicing, reconciliations and financial statements.
- Review and analyze sales executive's daily sales and accountability reports & inventory movements including goods-in-transit with inventory ledgers.
- Introduce invoicing process improvements that enhance accounts receivable/ invoicing functions, reduce errors and significantly reduce time spend on monthly reconciliations.
General accountant skills and personality traits
We calculated that 11% of General Accountants are proficient in Financial Data, Reconciliations, and Cash Handling. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Detail oriented.
We break down the percentage of General Accountants that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Financial Data, 11%
Administered payroll and benefits, coordinated monthly closings and collaborate with other departments regarding financial data compilation.
- Reconciliations, 10%
Introduced invoicing process improvements that enhanced accounts receivable/ invoicing functions, reduced errors and significantly reduced time spent on monthly reconciliations.
- Cash Handling, 9%
Demonstrated my trustworthiness by being in charge of all hotel cash handling and other sensitive company assets.
- Vendor Invoices, 6%
Tracked vendor invoices and payments based on contract requirements Prepared and initiated wire transfers and issued checks to vendors.
- General Ledger Accounts, 6%
Reconciled general ledger accounts on a monthly basis to guarantee accurate financial information.
- Account Reconciliations, 5%
Maintain monthly balance sheet account reconciliations and accounts receivable collection calls.
"financial data," "reconciliations," and "cash handling" are among the most common skills that general accountants use at work. You can find even more general accountant responsibilities below, including:
Communication skills. Many general accountant duties rely on communication skills. "accountants and auditors must be able to listen to and discuss facts and concerns from clients, managers, and other stakeholders," so a general accountant will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways general accountant responsibilities rely on communication skills: "improved and organized hr department and internal company communications during company transition under new ownership. "
Detail oriented. general accountants are also known for detail oriented, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to general accountant responsibilities, because "accountants and auditors must pay attention to detail when compiling and examining documents." A general accountant resume example shows how detail oriented is used in the workplace: "interacted with many departments within the institution in preparing accurate, detailed financial reports. "
Math skills. A big part of what general accountants do relies on "math skills." You can see how essential it is to general accountant responsibilities because "accountants and auditors must be able to analyze, compare, and interpret facts and figures." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical general accountant tasks: "assisted in providing financial data and statistics required for filing the medicare & medicaid cost reports. "
Organizational skills. Another crucial skill for a general accountant to carry out their responsibilities is "organizational skills." A big part of what general accountants relies on this skill, since "strong organizational skills are important for accountants and auditors, who often work with a range of financial documents for a variety of clients." How this skill relates to general accountant duties can be seen in an example from a general accountant resume snippet: "uncover cost savings by reviewing lease agreements, vendor invoices, and organizational structure. "
The three companies that hire the most general accountants are:
- Marriott International69 general accountants jobs
- Delek US Holdings8 general accountants jobs
- The Ritz-Carlton Hotel7 general accountants jobs
Choose from 10+ customizable general accountant resume templates
Build a professional general accountant resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your general accountant resume.
Compare different general accountants
General accountant vs. Accounting internship
An accounting internship is a trainee who reports to an organization's accountant in order to learn about the accounting field, complete financial projects and files taxes, and financial reports. An intern should be a graduate of a Bachelor's or Master's in Accounting and should have an aptitude for mathematics and proficiency with computers. In order to prepare financial reports, an intern should possess knowledge with bookkeeping software. An intern must also know how to handle sensitive information with honesty and integrity.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a general accountant are more likely to require skills like "cash handling," "ledgers," "payroll taxes," and "accruals." On the other hand, a job as an accounting internship requires skills like "data entry," "payroll," "first hand," and "work ethic." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Accounting interns earn the highest salaries when working in the telecommunication industry, with an average yearly salary of $34,961. On the other hand, general accountants are paid more in the automotive industry with an average salary of $63,004.accounting interns tend to reach similar levels of education than general accountants. In fact, accounting interns are 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.General accountant vs. Account auditor
The account auditor is the person tasked to conduct audits in sales accounts handled by the company. As with an auditor, this person checks all financial statements, investigates each entry, making sure everything is accounted for correctly. The auditor checks all receivables, attachments, and liquidation to ensure the financial report is accurate, which is vital for strategies that affect company expenses, calculate revenue, gains, and losses, and use those information to file taxes.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, general accountant responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "cash handling," "ledgers," "gaap," and "balance sheet accounts." Meanwhile, an account auditor has duties that require skills in areas such as "audit reports," "audit procedures," "payroll," and "audit findings." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Account auditors may earn a higher salary than general accountants, but account auditors earn the most pay in the professional industry with an average salary of $84,961. On the other hand, general accountants receive higher pay in the automotive industry, where they earn an average salary of $63,004.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Account auditors tend to reach similar levels of education than general accountants. In fact, they're 0.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for general accountants in the next 3-5 years?
Terri Walsh
Professor/Program Manager, Accounting, Seminole State College of Florida
General accountant vs. Accounting analyst
An accounting analyst is responsible for supporting the accounting operations of an organization, analyzing financial transactions and financial statements, and resolving account discrepancies. Accounting analysts interpret financial data by consolidating account transactions, performing account reconciliation, and managing account receivables. They also assist in preparing and releasing invoices, issuing billing statements, and creating comprehensive financial reports on the company's budget and expenses. An accounting analyst must have excellent knowledge of the accounting principles and disciplines, as well as extensive analytical and communication skills to perform duties and meet deadlines under minimal supervision.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, general accountants are more likely to have skills like "cash handling," "payroll taxes," "cpa," and "income statement." But a accounting analyst is more likely to have skills like "customer service," "strong analytical," "payroll," and "pivot tables."
Accounting analysts make a very good living in the finance industry with an average annual salary of $66,550. On the other hand, general accountants are paid the highest salary in the automotive industry, with average annual pay of $63,004.accounting analysts typically earn similar educational levels compared to general accountants. Specifically, they're 0.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.General accountant vs. Accountant/consultant
Accountants/consultants perform accounting tasks for organizations or companies. The accountants improve accounting practices and prepare financial statements at the end of every year. They analyze financial data and offer advice on regulatory compliance issues to the finance department. It is their job to make sure that the online system is secure. Most of the day, they organize invoices, prepare statements, and supervising systems. They should be equipped with analytical skills, industry knowledge, critical thinking, and interpersonal communication.
Types of general accountant
Updated January 8, 2025
