A good accountant might be excellent at crunching numbers but a great accountant has far wider range of skills.
Of course, you want a person who will manage books, accounts, payroll and taxes efficiently but, when hiring a financial and business partner for your company, you also want someone that you can trust completely, can bounce ideas off and answer all of your questions.
If you are in the market to hire an outsourced or in-house qualified accountant, you can find many pre-verified accountants on Asia Accountants Network. Simply filter a search by location and accounting specialty and find qualified accountants near you!
Read on to learn some of the qualities that make a great accountant:
A love for numbers and details
This almost goes without saying but, great accountants are both born and made. They need years of training and experience but a natural love of figures and head for numbers should almost be a prerequisite.
In that same way that you would be wary of an out-of-shape personal trainer or a vegetarian butcher, you might be a bit hesitant about an accountant who isn’t always seeing things in terms of numbers, figures and data.
Responsible
Possibly more than anyone else that you will employ, you want your accountant to be responsible. You require someone who steps up to the plate, does the job right and takes responsibility if things do go wrong.
Mistakes might happen, sure, but when you have the right accountant these mistakes can be caught and fixed when they’re discovered, instead of being swept under the rug to later explode in your face with even greater force. A great accountant will also stay late at the office to make things right if they go wrong. After all, without healthy finances, no company can stay afloat.
Responsive
Infrastructures change, companies grow (and shrink) and your accountant needs to be your first line of defense. They will help you to respond and reorganize when inevitable changes occur. He or she also needs to be able to keep you aware of any changes, indicators or trends that he or she see in your finances. Your accountant needs to be ready to adapt and help you lead the company to new highs.
Familiarity with your industry
An accountant that is a great fit for your business will have some familiarity with your industry or a willingness to learn.
Certain industries may require familiarity with certain tax, pricing or other financial structures. Having an accountant that knows these structures as well as any rules of methods specific to your industry, are things that make a good accountant great.
Trustworthy and Ethical
Your accountant will have access to all of your financial records. They may know and see things that no one else in your company has privy to. For this reason, you need someone with a strong sense of ethics and that you can trust completely.
Due to the sensitive nature of financial records, your accountant could be very disruptive to your business if he or she uses their access in the wrong way.
Look for someone that has a track record of success and long associations with the companies that he or she has worked with. Ask them if you can speak to past or current clients or employers for personal referrals. A trustworthy accountant should be happy to oblige.
Another thing you should do is check an accountant’s qualifications and make sure they hold the correct license to handle your accounts. If you’d like to select from an array of accountants that are pre-verified, visit Asia Accountants Network.
This article is written by Adrian Mah from Asia Law Network.
This article does not constitute legal advice or a legal opinion on any matter discussed and, accordingly, it should not be relied upon. It should not be regarded as a comprehensive statement of the law and practice in this area. If you require any advice or information, please speak to practicing lawyer in your jurisdiction. No individual who is a member, partner, shareholder or consultant of, in or to any constituent part of Interstellar Group Pte. Ltd. accepts or assumes responsibility, or has any liability, to any person in respect of this article.