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Many fresh graduates work really hard to complete their desired academic qualification with the hopes that their struggles will yield them rewards once they have their hard-earned degree/ certificate and they land their fantasy job. But as soon as they start the job hunt they realize that no one recognizes their efforts and the potential they have. The task to get a job for a fresh graduate (with no experience) is a daunting experience in itself.
In this article you will read about:
- The problem with Fresh graduates
- How to get noticed while your job hunt
- Accounting Jobs in the present era
- Core Skills required Today
Key Takeaways
The problem with Fresh graduates
A formal qualification may lead to a variety of opportunities and diverse career paths but many degree programs and qualifications offered will not necessarily immediately get you the job you always dreamt for. Good qualifications and university play an important role to make you a desirable candidate for the job but merely having a great qualification is not enough for getting an immediate job response from employers.
It is understandable that you are not the only one looking for opportunities. You have to compete with, not only with thousands of graduates that have been in the market before you but you also have to worry about the candidates who already have relevant experience and applied for the same job.
Besides, increasing competition employers have now become very specific about their staff choices. They raised their expectations as to what type of accountant to hire. This makes it hard for even the most brilliant of individuals to get positive responses.
But you cannot blame employers for doing that, especially in these competitive economic times. With the advent of technology, businesses not only have to survive the local competition but also compelled to cater to the increasing business rivalry from overseas. The wisest thing business owners can do is to employ someone who has the experience and can prove that they can manage their day-to-day business properly. They want someone who already has some experience and especially a practical approach to tackle the day-to-day tasks with ease and calm.
One way to develop and showcase this approach is to earn verifiable certification in the most in-demand hardcore skills required for accountants.
Getting Noticed
A resume is your first introduction to potential employers. To stand out from the crowd especially when applying for entry-level accounting jobs, make sure the resume showcases that you are well-equipped with the required skills to perform your duties effectively and manage the business affair with the use of modern applications being used in the company. It shall also demonstrate that you are comfortable working with and learning new technologies like the use of automation, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and other technologies presently expanding in.
One strong and robust way to exhibit these skills in your resume is to have a dedicated skills section or table and the best place to showcase these skills and core competencies is at the very beginning of your resume, right after your opening Qualifications Summary section.
In this article, we will look for the critical skills to put on resume, expected from accountants nowadays.
accountant job description nowadays
Before going to enlist what core skills a fresh accounting graduate shall have, when looking to land their first job, let us see what accounting professionals in this era of digital technology typically do.
Usually, accountants are supposed to ethically and accurately manage financial transactions, analyze financial data and report the financial results in an understandable way. To ace these expectations, the accountant shall have sound technical knowledge of their area of responsibility. However, to perform these tasks efficiently they also shall have hard skills and competencies such as data management, analysis, presentation, and reporting. In present-days, extensive use of advanced software and digital business applications make it easier to exercise these skills and effectively add value. An increase in Information systems has created a new term called knowledgeable workers.
Mastering the theory and how to prepare & evaluate the insightful data out of a report are critical to an accountant’s success. However, if you can’t use the software and other tools necessary to do your job, advancing in your career can be tough. The increased emphasis on automation and digitization has encouraged companies to look for candidates with the right IT skills. It is in the company’s best interest to take in candidates that will be the most beneficial to the productivity of the business, meaning taking in candidates with sound knowledge of various software and business applications.
Ever-evolving technology is changing the way accountants do their jobs. To increase their value in the Digital Age, accountants must utilize technology to offer strategic and informed advice. Knowledge and expertise to use advanced software and digital applications are considered imperative for accountants, and recent graduates with working knowledge of both accounting and information technology are preferred among the applicants, and candidates who can demonstrate knowledge and proficiency in different accounting software applications can find themselves more at an advantage.
So it is obvious that if you don’t want to be left behind in the race of job hunt, read on to find six essential skills for accountants in this Age of Digital.
The Core Skills to put on resume
MS Excel/ Spreadsheets
Name a single organization, which does not rely on Microsoft Excel up to some extent. Excel is a multifunctional data management (especially numeric) analysis computer application created by Microsoft. From data entry to data sorting, summarizing, analyzing, presentation and reporting, spreadsheets are used in almost every aspect of any business. Mastering various functionality of this application like the use of PIVOTS, Trend analysis, and Excel Functions can save a lot of precious time and boost your productivity.
MS Excel is an application in itself but is so powerful and widely used that mastery over its usage has become a vital skill. The importance of having this skill is further evident by the fact that more or less every job published and posted for accounting and finance professionals now must require proficiency in spreadsheets/ MS Excel.
Highlighting that you possess certification in Microsoft Excel in addition to your academic qualification in accounting, shall give an edge to your resume over the other candidates.
We’ve gathered a list of some of the best programs available for a variety of needs and across a range of students.
| Name | Certificate issuers | Duration | Practical application | Enrolled Student | Instructor |
| Excel Skills for Business | Macquarie University | 6 Months | Hands-on Project | 293,010 | 03 Industry Experienced Teacher |
| Everyday Excel | University of Colorado Boulder | 4 Months | Assignment after each module | 113,295 | Charlie Nuttelman a Ph.D. from the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering |
| The Complete Excel Series – Level 1, 2 & 3 | Udemy | 28 Hours | Downloadable Exercise files | 77,403 | Alan Jarvis 30+ teaching and corporate experience |
| Microsoft Excel – Basic & Advanced | Go skills | 26 Hours | Hands-on with Downloadable files | 51,000+ | Ken PulsExcel MVP |
| Microsoft Excel – Excel from Beginner to Advanced | Udemy | 18 Hours | Downloadable Exercise files | 645,681 | Kyle PewMicrosoft Certified Trainer |
| Data Visualization with Advanced Excel | PWC | 15 Hours | Practical quiz exercise | 70,088 | Alex Mannella founding member and Partner in PwC’s Information and Analytics Practice |
| Beginner to Pro in Excel: Financial Modeling and Valuation | Udemy | 14 Hours | Assignment after each module | 140,044 | 365 CareersCreating opportunities for Business & Finance students |
| Introduction to Data Analysis Using Excel | Rice University | 13 Hours | Practice Exercises | 187,342 | Sharad Borle a Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University |
| Excel Essential Training | 2 Hours | 02- Project Files | 633,780 | Dennis TaylorExcel expert with 25+ years of experience | |
| Excel for Accountants | 1.5 Hours | 02- Project Files | 424,355 | Michael McDonaldResearch and Professor of Finance at Fairfield University |
Data Analytical Skills
The advancement in information technology and excessive use of digital appliances have made it possible to store a large amount of data and make use of it. Today almost every business regardless of its size and nature needs data.
Accounting has always been about recording and analyzing data. The skillset required to perform accounting tasks has evolved from pencil and paper to typewriters and calculators, then to spreadsheets and accounting software. In the present digital age, a new skill set that is becoming more important for nearly every aspect of the business is that of big data analytics: analyzing large amounts of data to find actionable insights. Accountants use data analytics to add value by uncovering valuable insights for decision-makers within their financials and available raw data. Financial planning and analysis professionals analyze data in hopes of discovering the best course of action for their companies.
The following online data analytics courses will teach accountants everything they need to know to develop an analytical mindset and prepare them to use data analytic programming languages like Python and R.
| Name | Certificate issuers | Duration | Practical application | Enrolled Student | Instructor |
| Accounting Data Analytics | University of Illinois | 7 Months | Require a capstone to solve a real word problem | 2,245 | Ronald Guymon a PhD in Accounting and Coursera Top instructor |
| Business Analytics | University of Pennsylvania | 6 Months | Require a capstone to solve a real word problem | 112,346 | Eric Bradlow & others |
| Data Analytics Immersion | Thinkful | 4 Months | Require exercises | N/A | Thinkful |
| Finance & Quantitative Modeling for Analysts | University of Pennsylvania | 2 Months | Applied Learning Project | 12,529 | Don HuesmanManaging Director, Wharton Online |
| Become a Data Analyst | 24 Hrs | Require exercises | N/A | 07 Different teacher for each module | |
| Complete Data Science Bootcamp | Udemy | 28 Hrs | Require exercises | 370,434 | 365 Career Team |
Data Presentations and Visualization Skills
Business intelligence is a term used to describe the process of making data-driven business decisions. Because the data is objective, it does not mean that it shall always lead in the right direction by itself. If it is not presented well, it can result in misleading decisions. If the data is presented to the readers with a belief to draw their own conclusions, they may end up concluding nothing or biased results. Presenting your hard-worked analytics considering it can speak itself is like running 25 miles out of 30 miles marathon and leaving the race without finishing it with the assumption that as you have run for 25 miles you can complete the remaining 5 miles as well.
Business intelligence is an increasingly required skill in the modern data landscape which is becoming more complex and digitized with every passing day. One of the core competences that accounting and finance professionals shall have is that the results of their work shall be reported in a way that is understandable and useful to the decisions makers
In order to drive valuable insights and make decisions from ever-increasing data, the expert use of computer software and applications for data analytic and visualization is becoming a critical skill. Certification in data visualization and analytics software can give you a clear edge while applying for the jobs.
We have gathered a list of a few courses, which may help you to equip yourself with the power full and in-demand data analytics and visualization skills.
| Name | Certificate issuers | Duration | Practical application | Enrolled Student | Instructor |
| Data Analysis and Presentation Skills: the PwC Approach | PWC | 6 Months | Require exercises and projects | 117,845 | Alex Mannella |
| Data Visualization Training | EDUCBA verifiable certificate | 4 Months | Project based | N/A | EDUCBA team |
| Fundamentals of Visualization with Tableau | University of California, Davis | 3 Months | Capstone Project | 113,416 | Desiree’ AbbottBusiness Intelligence Developer |
| Microsoft Power BI Training | EDUCBA verifiable certificate | 30+ Hrs | Project based | N/A | EDUCBA team |
| Tableau Training | EDUCBA verifiable certificate | 39+ Hrs | Project based | N/A | EDUCBA team |
| Qlikview Training | EDUCBA verifiable certificate | 10+ Hrs | Project based | N/A | EDUCBA team |
| Power BI Certification Course | Simplilearn | 6 Hrs | Require exercises | 6427 | Simpli learn Team |
| Data presentation and visualization | CXL | 3 Hrs 45 Minutes | Require exercises | N/A | Tim Wilson, Senior Analytics Director |
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERPs)
Modern professional accountants employ a wide range of computer applications to perform their daily work. Computerized accounting systems have now replaced manual accounting systems in most organizations. Considering the essentiality of the computerized accounting systems for modern-day organizations, many universities and graduate programs have included basic knowledge about accounting software and ERPs.
A survey conducted by Emilio Boulianne Concordia of University Montreal suggests that the best way for students to acquire concrete knowledge of the accounting cycle is by completing cases using both manual and computer methods. The results also indicate that students who completed the case using only the accounting software experienced better knowledge acquisition than did students who completed the case only manually.
We have collected a list of few available courses which can provide you with an in-depth understanding of modern accounting systems, hands-on experience in accounting software to help you showcase your skills as a most relevant candidate to potential employers.
| Name | Certificate issuers | Duration | Practical application | Enrolled Student | Instructor |
| Introduction to Management Information Systems (MIS): A Survival Guide | Universidad Carlos III de Madrid | 6 weeks | Exercises/ MCQs | 39903 | Alfonso Durán HerasFull Professor, Engineering Management |
| Enterprise Systems | University of Minnesota | 8 Hrs | Quiz | 13447 | Jason Chan |
| Building Tomorrow’s ERP with SAP S/4HANA | No Certificate | 6 Hrs | N/A | 40000 | Thomas Saueressig, Jan Gilg and other SAP S/4HANA experts |
Bookkeeping Software
| Name | Certificate issuers | Duration | Practical application | Enrolled Student | Instructor |
| Xero Accounting Software 2020 | Udemy | 26 Hrs | Practice Tests | 14420 | Robert (Bob) SteeleCPA, CGMA, M.S. Tax, CPI |
| Complete QuickBooks Training | Udemy | 8.5 Hrs | Practice Tests | 2006 | Susan AnsellAdvanced Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor |
| MYOB AccountRight | Appliededucation | 6 Hrs | Practice Tests | N/A | Appliededucation |
| Certificate in MYOB AccountRight Premier Course | Udemy | 3 Hrs | Practice Tests | 951 | Abdullah HussainiAccountant |
| Xero Advanced Certificate in Accounting and Payroll | Appliededucation | N/A | Practice Tests | N/A | Brett Thornett |
