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General ledger bookkeeper skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. Jennifer Thayer,

Dr. Jennifer Thayer

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical general ledger bookkeeper skills. We ranked the top skills for general ledger bookkeepers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 16.3% of general ledger bookkeeper resumes contained reconciliations as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a general ledger bookkeeper needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 general ledger bookkeeper skills for your resume and career

1. Reconciliations

Here's how general ledger bookkeepers use reconciliations:

Monitored reconciliations of General Ledger accounts prepared by individual accounting teams requested by executives, external auditors, and IRS auditors.
Prepared reconciliations accordingly and provided daily financial reports to management.

2. 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 bookkeepers use general ledger accounts:

Performed Reconciliation of General Ledger accounts on a bi-weekly basis using Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.
Verified and analyzed hundreds of general ledger accounts to ensure accuracy and completeness.

3. CPA

Here's how general ledger bookkeepers use cpa:

Organized and maintained bills, receipts, and vehicle logs to send to CPA.
Prepared all documentation for CPA to file Calendar Year taxes.

4. Bank Statements

Here's how general ledger bookkeepers use bank statements:

Reconciled bank statements, general ledger account balances and other monthly statistical reports.
Researched general ledger and bank statement discrepancies, coordinating with field offices, divisions, and banks to resolve issues.

5. Payroll Taxes

Here's how general ledger bookkeepers use payroll taxes:

Distribute payroll and pay monthly state and federal payroll taxes.
Calculate and pay Gross Receipts, and Payroll Taxes.

6. Credit Card

A type of card issued by banks and other financial institutions, that enable users to manage and borrow their finances is called a credit card. The funds borrowed from a financial institution through a credit card are meant to be paid back along with certain amounts of interest imposed by the bank.

Here's how general ledger bookkeepers use credit card:

Recorded inventory statistics, credit card figures, sales, gas sales, purchases and expenditures for each individual store location.
Worked with programmers to automate daily credit card activity, by downloading information from web sites into access database.

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7. Bank Reconciliations

Here's how general ledger bookkeepers use bank reconciliations:

Perform Bank Reconciliation for operating and non-union accounts.
Perform General Accounting works such as: Daily Bank Reconciliation, Payroll, Payables, Ledger Entry.

8. Financial Reports

Here's how general ledger bookkeepers use financial reports:

Prepared accurate internal and external financial reports of corporate consolidated group, including required Securities & Exchange Commission reports.
Confirm and migrate General Ledger account information to Hyperion corporate financial reports on occasional basis.

9. Fixed Assets

Here's how general ledger bookkeepers use fixed assets:

Controlled fixed assets and prepared depreciation schedules.
Assign lives, create depreciation entries, calculate gain/loss entries, and determine categories for Fixed Assets.

10. Accruals

Here's how general ledger bookkeepers use accruals:

Maintained accruals and performed reconciliation of investment portfolio.
Prepared journal entries, accruals, and financial statements for 20 holding companies per Sarbanes-Oxley.

11. GAAP

Here's how general ledger bookkeepers use gaap:

Managed the recording and analyzing of transactions for financial reporting purposes in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).
Partner with the Controller's office to ensure all policies and procedures are implemented in accordance with GAAP.

12. Bank Deposits

Any money that a customer chooses to leave with their bank account is a deposit. Deposits can vary in amounts and different banks have limits on the deposits their customers can have as a minimum. Banks charge customers for deposits especially when a teller is used by the customer to deposit money into their account.

Here's how general ledger bookkeepers use bank deposits:

Performed General Office duties such as filing, banked cash, checks and prepared bank deposits and handling routine correspondence.
Maintain bank deposits of receivables, sundry and miscellaneous income.

13. Financial Data

Here's how general ledger bookkeepers use financial data:

Compiled and submitted financial data for quarterly and annual Tax Package for Automotive Sector.
Perform calculating, posting and verifying duties to obtain financial data.

14. Internal Controls

Here's how general ledger bookkeepers use internal controls:

Coordinated and communicated with branch management to establish more effective internal controls and procedures.
Work with all business areas to maintain internal controls to eliminate any potentially inaccurate data from reaching the general ledger.

15. QuickBooks

Here's how general ledger bookkeepers use quickbooks:

Accessed computerized financial information using QuickBooks.
Coded and entered invoices into QuickBooks; maintained all vendor files, prepared credit applications for new vendors as necessary.

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What skills help General Ledger Bookkeepers find jobs?

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

What soft skills should all general ledger bookkeepers possess?

Dr. Jennifer Thayer

Assistant Professor of Accounting, Socrates Award for Excellence in Teaching Recipient, Clarksville Chamber of Commerce APSU Distinguished Faculty Award for Community Service Recipient, Accounting Society at Austin Peay Advisor, Austin Peay State University

From speaking with employers in the industry, the number one soft skill seems to be written and spoken communication. Many current students need to hone their written communication skills to avoid "text speak" when communicating with potential employers and/or clients. Other important soft skills include problem-solving, collaboration, adaptability, and willingness to deal with failure and/or criticism. Especially in the world of COVID and ever-changing work environments, the importance of adaptability and problem-solving have only been highlighted. Since most work environments involve people working in teams, effectively collaborating with others and accepting criticism are vital skills.

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

Dr. Jennifer Thayer

In addition to general accounting knowledge, critical thinking, data analytics, and advanced Microsoft Excel abilities are some of the most important skills. Clearly, having a solid foundation in general accounting knowledge is necessary to be a candidate for a job in the accounting field. However, possessing the ability to critically think and analyze data and use Microsoft Excel beyond the basics, such as pivot tables, will only improve a candidate's chances.

What skills stand out on general ledger bookkeeper resumes?

Dr. Jennifer Thayer

Several skills help applicants stand out when submitting their resumes, which goes beyond just the normal "accounting knowledge." Individuals should include any type of practical application via internships, volunteer work, or work experience. When including these experiences, be sure to highlight the type of work that was completed, such as preparing tax returns, analyzing transactions for audits, preparing financial reports, etc. In addition, including skills such as proficiency or certifications in specific software is also helpful. For example, Microsoft Excel or QuickBooks knowledge/certifications. Also, including any experience with data analytics and using programs such as Power BI or Tableau would be very beneficial.

What general ledger bookkeeper 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 bookkeepers need?

Jeff Bogan

Adjunct Professor, California State University - Fullerton

The skills required for young accounting and tax graduates are evolving. Young accounting professionals must be more skilled in working with various types of technologies and applications. Young graduates should have experiences working with data integration tools, such as Microsoft getting & Transform, Alteryx, data visualization tools, cloud-based platforms such as Microsoft Azure, and robotic processes automation applications such as UiPath and Blue Prism.

Over the last decade, we have seen global transparency initiatives such as OECD's BEPS initiative, complex tax law, and numerous complex accounting guidance. Also, the business has become much more complicated with global footprints and digital platforms. These changes now require accounting professionals to have the well-developed critical thinking, analytical and problem-solving skills. Accounting professionals must now also have a "continuous learning" mindset. Technology is changing rapidly, and accounting professionals will need to adapt and learn new technologies.

Do you want to know more?

List of general ledger bookkeeper skills to add to your resume

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

Reconciliations
General Ledger Accounts
CPA
Bank Statements
Payroll Taxes
Credit Card
Bank Reconciliations
Financial Reports
Fixed Assets
Accruals
GAAP
Bank Deposits
Financial Data
Internal Controls
QuickBooks
Bank Accounts

Ledgers
Prepayments
PeopleSoft
Balance Sheet Accounts
A/P
ACH
Financial Transactions
SOX
Loan Payments
Tax Returns
Expense Accounts
Wire Transfers
Financial Analysis
Trial Balance
Computer System
Account Analysis

Management Reports
Expense Reports
Audit Schedules
ADP
Tax Reports
General Bookkeeping
Customer Accounts
AS400
Reconcile General Ledger
Subsidiary Accounts
HR
Mathematical Accuracy
Payment Processing
Routine Correspondence
Internal Audit
Oracle Ebs

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

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