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Junior accountant skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted experts
Dr. Richard Hale,
Dr. Jennifer Thayer
Junior accountant example skills
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical junior accountant skills. We ranked the top skills for junior accountants based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 17.7% of junior accountant resumes contained reconciliations as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a junior accountant needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 junior accountant skills for your resume and career

1. Reconciliations

Here's how junior accountants use reconciliations:
  • Prepared financial schedules, account reconciliations, and detailed financial statements and reports for analysis, financial reporting, and decision-making.
  • Performed and assisted with month-end close procedures, including preparation of monthly balance sheet and income statement account reconciliations.

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 junior accountants use general ledger accounts:
  • Facilitated month end close process including reconciling general ledger accounts, updating financial spreadsheets and confirming accuracy of entries.
  • Maintained general ledger accounts by reconciling accounts receivable detail and control accounts; analyzed and reconciled accounts payable ledgers.

3. Account Reconciliations

Here's how junior accountants use account reconciliations:
  • Assisted with monthly financial close process, including preparation of ledger account reconciliations and assistance with bank reconciliations.
  • Performed general ledger account and bank account reconciliations to ensure proper balancing of all company accounts.

4. Data Entry

Data entry means entering data into a company's system with the help of a keyboard. A person responsible for entering data may also be asked to verify the authenticity of the data being entered. A person doing data entry must pay great attention to tiny details.

Here's how junior accountants use data entry:
  • Completed multifaceted clerical tasks, including data entry, records management and billing in busy tour operations office.
  • Provided project management reporting and data entry into parent company systems.

5. QuickBooks

Here's how junior accountants use quickbooks:
  • Identified hundreds of daily transactions from banking statements using QuickBooks and presented monthly financial reports
  • Performed general accounting responsibilities in accounts payable and accounts receivable through QuickBooks Pro.

6. Payroll Taxes

Here's how junior accountants use payroll taxes:
  • Enrolled clients in EFTPS and NJBGS in order to make timely deposits for sales and payroll taxes.
  • Managed payroll and payroll taxes as per guidelines for approximately 90 employees on a timely basis.

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7. Accruals

Here's how junior accountants use accruals:
  • Calculated, verified and processed daily income and expense accruals ensuring accuracy for NAV and dividend distribution.
  • Prepared a reconciliation of the overall monthly salary accruals for PaineWebber and subsidiaries.

8. Expense Reports

Here's how junior accountants use expense reports:
  • Authorized and managed internal account codes for personal and business expense reports for monthly financial statements.
  • Review incoming vendor invoices/expense reports by distributing to appropriate departments for approval prior to payment.

9. Balance Sheet Accounts

Here's how junior accountants use balance sheet accounts:
  • Perform bank account and expense account reconciliation of OpCo balance sheet accounts, researches and offers recommendations/solutions for reconciling items.
  • Maintained schedules analyzing and explaining variances of various balance sheet accounts utilized in meetings with senior management.

10. Fixed Assets

Here's how junior accountants use fixed assets:
  • Maintain optimal productivity by carefully reviewing and updating the detailed schedule of fixed assets and accumulated depreciation.
  • Prepared bank reconciliation, schedule of fixed assets and determined method of depreciation and amortization.

11. GAAP

Here's how junior accountants use gaap:
  • Evaluated and researched transactions and processed any necessary adjusting journal entries in accordance with GAAP and company guidelines.
  • Monitored hotel revenues/ expenses and ensured the accurate recording as per GAAP established guidelines.

12. Purchase Orders

Here's how junior accountants use purchase orders:
  • Reviewed purchase orders, check requests and related documentation for completeness and compliance with financial policies and contractual requirements.
  • Managed and reviewed purchase order invoices and authorized payments of services rendered.

13. Bank Accounts

Here's how junior accountants use bank accounts:
  • Reconcile approximately 45 bank accounts related to various lines of insurance businesses.
  • Reconciled concentration and disbursement bank accounts and arranged spreadsheets for banking department.

14. HR

HR stands for human resources and is used to describe the set of people who work for a company or an organization. HR responsibilities revolve around updating employee records and carrying out management processes like planning, recruitment, evaluation, and selection processes. HR is a key contributor to any company or organization's growth as they are in charge of hiring the right employees, processing payrolls, conducting disciplinary actions, etc.

Here's how junior accountants use hr:
  • Supported the functions of the HR department with regards to less complex human resources problems and responded to inquiries personnel related.
  • Helped with Payroll processing, entered time data and helped with HR duties.

15. Income Statement

Here's how junior accountants use income statement:
  • Consolidate income statements and balance sheets for subsidiary companies onto one monthly financial report.
  • Assist in the preparation of balance sheet/income statement account analysis and account reconciliation.
top-skills

What skills help Junior Accountants find jobs?

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

What skills stand out on junior 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 hard/technical skills are most important for junior accountants?

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

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 soft skills should all junior accountants 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 junior accountant skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Stephen Moehrle Ph.D.Stephen Moehrle Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

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 junior accountants need?

Elizabeth GordonElizabeth Gordon LinkedIn profile

Chair and Professor, Temple University

Preparing accounting students for their future means focusing their education on developing their critical thinking, decision making, and judgment, and truly thinking like an accountant requires critical thinking skills to be able to make judgments, to create and to use the information to solve problems and make good decisions. After all, accounting is not about rote memorization or data processing - tasks that do not require a university education. A university accounting education should foster curious and adaptive problem solvers with strong analytical skills and technical knowledge of accounting.

What technical skills for a junior accountant stand out to employers?

Jodi OlsonJodi Olson LinkedIn profile

Assistant Accounting Professor, Winona State University

Accountants serve many industries and sectors, so a broad range of technical skills is required to be ready to meet the needs of employers. Graduates must be technically competent in areas such as accounting information systems, tax preparation, auditing, managerial/cost accounting, financial reporting, and financial statement analysis. Also, graduates are expected to have general business acumen in areas such as management information systems, business law, operations, strategic management, and ethics. All these skills are important for graduates, but the pandemic has made the accounting systems and management information systems skills operative in allowing graduates to deliver their other areas of technical expertise.
Do you want to know more?
Read more about what experts have to say about junior accountant

List of junior accountant skills to add to your resume

Junior accountant skills

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

  • Reconciliations
  • General Ledger Accounts
  • Account Reconciliations
  • Data Entry
  • QuickBooks
  • Payroll Taxes
  • Accruals
  • Expense Reports
  • Balance Sheet Accounts
  • Fixed Assets
  • GAAP
  • Purchase Orders
  • Bank Accounts
  • HR
  • Income Statement
  • PowerPoint
  • ACH
  • Financial Data
  • Accounts Payables
  • Account Analysis
  • Ledgers
  • Vendor Invoices
  • Sales Tax Returns
  • CPA
  • Bank Deposits
  • Financial Reports
  • Variance Analysis
  • ADP
  • Vendor Statements
  • External Auditors
  • Accounts Receivables
  • Financial Transactions
  • General Ledger Entries
  • Business Transactions
  • Credit Card Transactions
  • Customer Accounts
  • Accounts Payable Processing
  • Wire Transfers
  • Reconcile Credit Card
  • Trial Balance
  • Payable Invoices
  • Vendor Accounts
  • Credit Memos
  • Taxation
  • IRS
  • Reconcile General Ledger
  • Reconcile Accounts Payable
  • W-2
  • Payable Functions
  • Cash Disbursements

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
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.

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