4 Traits of Successful Accounting Professionals

The accounting industry has experienced strong growth over the past several years, with a 10 percent jump in employment expected by 2026. Jobs in accounting are steadily growing in response to a strong economy. With the United States’ current economic health, the need for professionals to audit and prepare financial documents has naturally risen.

Wondering if a career in this growing field would be a good fit for you? We’ll explore some personality traits that successful accounting professionals possess. While having these traits doesn’t guarantee success in this field, they can help you determine whether or not the industry is a good fit. Read on and see if a career in accounting is right for you!.

Exceptionally Organized

Accountants juggle portfolios and transactions for multiple clients while meeting crucial deadlines. If you’re the kind of person who keeps your notes and materials organized, knows exactly where to find key details when completing tasks, and can look at moving parts to see the bigger picture, a career in accounting could be a great fit.

Efficiency and discretion are key when managing multiple clients, especially when they entrust you with their confidential documents. For this reason, it’s imperative that an accountant have exceptional organizational skills — without them, it’s impossible to follow perform a meticulous job quickly and thoroughly. Such fastidiousness allows you to build necessary trust between you and your clients.

Great Communicator

As an accountant, a significant amount of your time is spent working alone, dealing with numbers and data. But you still need to have some degree of interpersonal skills to perform your job well. If you’re a great communicator and can convey complex ideas, help people make decisions, and adapt to other people’s communication styles, you may find great success as an accountant.

Learn how to break down different alternatives for potential clients in a way that makes sense and yet is comprehensive. Plenty of courses and programs offer learning opportunities for soft skills that will help you hone in on areas of improvement and impress future employers.

Flexible

In our digital world, flexibility is key. New trends in the industry, methods of communication, and more can pose challenges and force accountants to adapt quickly. Even more importantly, regulatory changes can arise in response to political shifts, consumer trends, or financial markets.  

It is necessary for accountants to adapt to these changes smoothly and efficiently, to provide the highest quality service for their clients. With a sense of flexibility, accountants can stay cool, calm, and collected in the face of big changes — and keep clients happy.

Detail-Oriented

If your attention to detail has garnered praise from teachers, parents, and colleagues your whole life, you might find success in the accounting industry. In a field where small changes can have major impact, an eye for detail will help set you apart as a trusted professional.

As an accountant, it’s your duty to avoid errors and ensure accuracy with your reports and files. If you meticulously check over your work, catch small errors, and correct them, then you’ll be well-suited for the rigors of double- and triple-checking your work in the field of accounting. That said, if you feel that this particular skill isn’t your strong suit, it is one that you can develop over time.

This is just a first look at some key traits of successful accountants. With the industry growing rapidly, there’s more of a need than ever for individuals with the above traits to select accounting as their career of choice.