Who Is A Bookkeeper?

Bookkeepers are individuals with sufficient knowledge through academic training, apprenticeship or experience, to maintain the financial records of small to medium sized businesses. Bookkeepers may also refer to accounting and auditing clerks, who are specialized bookkeepers. Bookkeeper job description entails calculation of company expenditures, filing of receipts, recording of accounts payable and receivable and preparation of profit and loss statements. Since the job requires recurring computations, professionals must be at ease with computers. In 2008, professionals under the bookkeeping mantle held roughly 2.1 million jobs in the US.

Nature Of Bookkeeper Job Description

Bookkeepers work is highly regarded in small business settings. No business can run effectively without maintaining proper records. Hence, number crunchers have the onus over the general ledgers of such enterprises. They record all financial transactions including the main debit and credit accounts of the business. They also prepare financial statements, reports and summaries of business dealings for supervisors and managers to evaluate. At the same time, they also deposit payments to banks, collect data from cashiers, confirm and balance business receipts. Further, bookkeeper job description may also entail handling of the payroll, procurement, issuance of invoices and tracking of business debtors.

Bigger companies with in-house accounts departments usually hire specialized bookkeepers for different jobs. You might hear of accounts payable clerks, accounts receivable clerks and auditing clerks working for such departments. In such organizations, experience on the job counts a lot. An entry-level number cruncher simply posts financial transactions, totals accounts and computes interest charges.

They may also track creditor accounts, to ensure payments to the company are made promptly. Advanced level cashiers perform other complicated duties for the accounts department. These include, balancing and reconciling of billing vouchers, confirming the accuracy of financial data and coding of accounts documents to match organizational standards.

Lastly, in the line of bookkeeping job description is the auditors. These statisticians usually confirm the accuracy of figures, postings and all financial records of an organization, to ensure that they are mathematically sound and accurately coded. They also follow up on any errors or omissions that appear on the records for correction.

Technology has had significant impact for accounting comptrollers at the workplace. Today, accountants, auditors and clerks make use of software, spreadsheets and databases; specially configured to make their jobs simpler. For instance, they enter information from bills and receipts into computers, where it is electrically stored in databases. Hence, organizations are increasingly expanding bookkeeper job description to include payroll functions, billing and procurement tasks. These professionals find themselves making more and more phone calls, sending emails and other correspondence unlike in the past.

The Working Environment For Bookkeeper Job Description

Depending on where they work, number crunchers experience various joys and challenges in their day-to-day work. One definite fact is that the job involves long hours of seating behind a computer reviewing numbers. This is not an ideal career for individuals with short attention spans or garrulous tendencies. A bookkeeper may work standard forty hours weekly and occasional overtime and weekends. Others also work part-time for different companies.
These professionals usually have their busiest periods at the end of a company’s fiscal year, during the preparation of annual reports for investors. They may also work overtime to prepare tax reports or assist in performing monthly or annual audits. Bookkeepers in the hospitality industry rarely get to enjoy their holidays, since this is the peak season at their workplaces and they must always be present.
Because of these working conditions, bookkeeping clerks may suffer from eye and muscle strain, backache, headaches and cyclic motion injuries from daily use of computers. However, the rewards and benefits of the job provide sufficient motivation for workers.

How Do You Qualify For Bookkeeper Job Descriptions?

Small and medium sized enterprises have minimal eligibility criteria for bookkeeper job description. A High School Diploma and short course or experience with numbers is usually enough to secure employment. Nevertheless, as technology advances, there is growing need for further education to augur well in the profession. Some organizations prefer candidates with associate degrees or CPA qualifications. Those with bachelor’s degrees in business studies also tend to apply for these jobs, with the hopes of securing promotions with the company later on.
Some form of on the job training under a supervisor is usually necessary for fresh recruits. This is necessary to make candidates compliant with the company’s financial procedures and customized accounting software. Apart from academic qualification, the following personality traits are also desirable for bookkeeping jobs description:

• Sharp attention to miniscule details in order to avoid errors and spot them in others work
• Integrity and discretion since you frequently come across confidential documents
• Proper communication and interpersonal skills, in order to correspond effectively with customers and clients
• Strong aptitude for crunching numbers and computer literacy, with a bias in accounting software

The American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers awards a Certified Bookkeeper (CB) designation to persons with skills and ability to perform the job effectively. You must have at least two years experience on the job and pass an examination to obtain this certification. Continuing education is also necessary after every three years to maintain certification.

Employment Prospects For Bookkeeper Job Description

The US Bureau of Labor Services projects that bookkeeping careers may grow by about 10 percent between 2011 and 2018. This follows a positive outlook on the economy with added emphasis on accuracy, accountability and transparency in reporting of financial data for companies. Nevertheless, the use of accounting software, document-scanning technology and auditing outsourcing from abroad, may curtail the availability of bookkeepers job description in large organizations.