Automatically apply for jobs with Zippia

Upload your resume to get started.

General ledger accountant skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. Richard Hale,

Thomas King

General ledger accountant example skills

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical general ledger accountant skills. We ranked the top skills for general ledger accountants based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 14.8% of general ledger accountant resumes contained reconciliations as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a general ledger accountant needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 general ledger accountant skills for your resume and career

1. Reconciliations

Here's how general ledger accountants use reconciliations:

Performed account analysis, cost accruals, bank reconciliations, inventory reconciliation and analysis; researched and recommended transaction corrections.
Completed management reporting tool to ensure all reconciliations were tracked and reconciliation items were followed through to resolution.

2. GAAP

Here's how general ledger accountants use gaap:

Compiled and analyzed financial information to prepare financial statements including monthly, quarterly and annual accounts following GAAP and IFRS reporting.
Collaborated closely with business unit controllers regarding various projects and direction to maintain GAAP compliance especially during month-end close.

3. Balance Sheet Accounts

Here's how general ledger accountants use balance sheet accounts:

Performed month-end and year-end close of General Ledger including generating financial statements, reconciling balance sheet accounts and preparing journal entries.
Completed various month-end duties including calculations and preparations of journal entries and reconciliation of balance sheet accounts.

4. Payroll

Payroll is the sum of all the compensation that an organization has to pay to employees at a specified time. Payroll is managed by the finance or HR department while small business owners may handle it themselves. Payroll isn't fixed as it varies every month due to sick leaves, overtime, etc.

Here's how general ledger accountants use payroll:

Communicated with field contracts, external payroll processing company and third party benefits administrators as well as banking representatives.
Prepared and analyzed financial statements - Created spreadsheets streamlining payroll consolidation, weekly sales reports and cash-flow projections.

5. Accruals

Here's how general ledger accountants use accruals:

Prepared various monthly journal entries to record prepaid insurance amortization, payroll deduction liabilities and other liability accruals.
Reconciled general ledger accounts which including preparing journal entries and accruals in preparation of consolidated financial reports.

6. External Auditors

Here's how general ledger accountants use external auditors:

Audited reconciliation procedures, policies regarding payment posting, general ledger procedures and provided support to internal and external auditors.
Prepared supporting schedules for assigned areas of responsibility and interacted with external auditors as needed.

Choose from 10+ customizable general ledger accountant resume templates

Build a professional general ledger 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 ledger accountant resume.

7. Fixed Assets

Here's how general ledger accountants use fixed assets:

Formulated weekly funding reports, recurring and manual general ledger entries, periodic management reports, and maintained/reconciled fixed assets.
Reconcile various general ledger accounts including expenditures, cash balances and fixed assets account balances to subsidiary ledgers.

8. Strong Analytical

Here's how general ledger accountants use strong analytical:

Recognized as a result-oriented and solution-focused employee ready to take initiatives while possessing strong analytical and organizational skills.
Completed audit procedures, documentations and test of internal controls with strong analytical & prioritization skills.

9. General Ledger Accounts

A general ledger account is a practice to keep a record of a company's total financial accounts. The accounts included in a general ledger lists the assets, liabilities, owners' equity, expenses, and income or revenue. It forms the basis of reporting a business's financial statements.

Here's how general ledger accountants use general ledger accounts:

Executed daily operations of completing general accounting functions including research, reporting, spreadsheet preparation and analysis of general ledger accounts.
Generated journal entries, financial statements and reconciled general ledger accounts for internal reporting and compliance with external reporting requirements.

10. Asset System

Here's how general ledger accountants use asset system:

Maintained fixed asset system and reviewed reconciliation.
Maintained all reporting within the fixed asset system and worked closely with the software provider to ensure accurate reporting and calculating.

11. CPA

Here's how general ledger accountants use cpa:

Assist independent CPA audit firm in their audit and review of associations on a year-end, turnover, and/or periodic audit/review.
Prepare fiscal year end audit packages and tax packages for all properties submitted to CPA firm.

12. SOX

Here's how general ledger accountants use sox:

Gathered information requested by auditors during quarterly reviews and SOX audits.
Prepared quarterly inventory reports for approvals per SOX requirements.

13. Close Process

A close process is the necessary closing steps required to prepare the accounts for recording the transactions of the next period. Its purpose is to reset or close the temporary account balances on the general ledger, and the accounting system for a company's financial data including income statement and accounts payable.

Here's how general ledger accountants use close process:

Managed the close process for multiple domestic and international business units to include inter-company account reconciliation and analysis.
Performed month-end close process and prepared monthly financial statements.

14. ERP

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is computer software used by major corporations and organizations for conducting their management and accounting tasks efficiently. ERP systems bind different business processes with each other allowing smoother flow of data between them resulting in swift project assessment and completion.

Here's how general ledger accountants use erp:

Directed financial data conversion, functional testing and departmental training for implementation of Oracle ERP.
Assist with implementation of a new (ERP) system, deployed transaction process improvements.

15. Pivot Tables

A pivot table is a technique used in data processing to arrange and rearrange statistics to prioritize useful information. The aim of a pivot table is to summarize the findings and interpretations of the data extracted. Pivot tables take information from a database or spreadsheet to report sums, average, and other such statistics. This technique is integral to data analysis since it turns the data to view it from different lenses and perspectives.

Here's how general ledger accountants use pivot tables:

Worked extensively within Excel, using various functions, filters and pivot tables to make tasks more efficient and accurate.
Created Pivot tables in excel to write wire transfers saving the accounts payable department two hours of daily time.

5 General Ledger Accountant resume examples

Build a professional general ledger accountant resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 5+ resume templates to create your general ledger accountant resume.

Create my resume

Build a professional resume in minutes using this template.

What skills help General Ledger Accountants find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on general ledger accountant resumes?

Dr. Richard Hale

Associate Professor of Accounting, Berea College

When we meet with practitioners, the most commonly requested skills are:
-The ability to think critically about situations
-Good communications skills in writing
-The ability to speak in public and present ideas
-Working well with others
-The ability to work independently

Notice that these skills are not dependent upon any particular technology or discipline.
An advantage we have at Berea College, a liberal arts college, is that we incorporate these foundational skills into all we do.
Indeed, we also have our students master working with spreadsheets, develop skills in data analytics, and study all aspects of the business from Management, Economics, Finance, and Marketing.
As accounting is the business language, our students have more excellent business knowledge than other studies.

A key distinction for Berea College students is that all students must work for the college while they attend.
These jobs may vary from raising livestock to working in Accounts Payable. But all Berea graduates have years of practical work experience.
A core component of a Berea College education is to value the labor experience. We believe they enter the post-collegiate workforce with a significant advantage over their peers.

What soft skills should all general ledger accountants possess?

Thomas King

Department Chair, Director, Master of Accountancy Program, Professor, Accountancy, Case Western Reserve University

The ability to develop working relationships with a wide range of colleagues who have diverse skills.

What hard/technical skills are most important for general ledger accountants?

Thomas King

Department Chair, Director, Master of Accountancy Program, Professor, Accountancy, Case Western Reserve University

The ability to extract information from unfamiliar data sets and then explain conclusions reached in a clear, persuasive manner.

What general ledger accountant skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Stephen Moehrle Ph.D.

Professor and Chairman of Accounting, University of Missouri - St. Louis

In the spirit of continuing education I would recommend the following: First and foremost, successfully complete the cpa exam. This is a huge difference-maker in the marketplace. If the young professional has already accomplished that, I would consider developing expertise consistent with their long-term career goals. Potential areas of expertise include data analytics, information systems controls and security, taxation, SEC reporting, or management accounting. There are certificate programs in each of these skills at universities across the country. The internet is also replete with free or relatively inexpensive materials for self-starters.

What type of skills will young general ledger accountants need?

Delvin Grant

Associate Professor, DePaul University

The ability to problem solve, which requires an understanding of the problem and a structured approach towards the solution. The ability to apply concepts learned in one discipline to another. Quite often, students are unable to see how a concept translates from one domain to another, and this stifles innovation.

What technical skills for a general ledger accountant stand out to employers?

Dr. JP Krahel Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Accounting, Accounting Department Chair, Loyola University Maryland

First, Excel. It's the most basic, essential tool for the accounting professional. If you can come in on Day 1 knowing essential keyboard shortcuts, proper formula and reference use, and how to format a spreadsheet properly, you'll have an immediate advantage over your peers.

Second, believe it or not, is writing. People think that accounting is all about numbers, but really, it's less about the math (which Excel does for you) and more about being able to explain the deeper meaning behind the results. Can you explain complex depreciation methods to an audit client? Give bad news to a tax client in an understandable way? These are big deals.

Third is data analytics. Given the immense volume of data now available to firms, someone who can extract, clean, and present that data using modern software tools will have an edge. It's really another form of communication, and one that early-career accounting professionals would do well to familiarize themselves with before entering the workforce.

Do you want to know more?

List of general ledger accountant skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a general ledger accountant resume and required skills for a general ledger accountant to have include:

Reconciliations
GAAP
Balance Sheet Accounts
Payroll
Accruals
External Auditors
Fixed Assets
Strong Analytical
General Ledger Accounts
Asset System
CPA
SOX
Close Process
ERP
Pivot Tables
Internal Controls
Variance Analysis

Balance Sheet Reconciliations
Tax Returns
Financial Data
Bank Accounts
Income Statement
Audit Schedules
General Ledger
Shared Services
General Ledger Entries
Account Analysis
Cash Management
Sales Tax
Financial Analysis
Bank Statements
Property Tax
Sarbanes-Oxley
Inter-Company Accounts

Reconcile General Ledger
Financial Transactions
Trial Balance
Ledgers
Cash Flow
A/P
ACH
Management Reports
Deltek Costpoint
Financial Reports
QuickBooks
Financial Statement Preparation
Intercompany Transactions
Expense Accounts
Sox Testing
PeopleSoft

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse business and financial jobs