Accounting Clerk Work

Every business organization has to maintain details of the financial transactions done by the company. As a company does many transactions in a particular month or year, it is really difficult for them to maintain a record of all these transactions. Thus, they employ individuals who can perform this work from them and they are accounting clerks. Accounting clerks who are also called as bookkeeping accountants or accounting technicians are responsible for keeping a record of the financial transactions and accounting details. They perform the most basic duties related to accounting and finance such as entering data into the database and sorting the data for further use.

Work Profile:

An accounting clerk may work in any business organization or in companies that provide accounting services to the business organizations and individuals. Such accounting clerks are called public accountants. Their duties and responsibilities are same irrespective of the organization in which they are working.

Accounting Clerk Work Responsibilities:

• Keeping a record of day-to-day financial transactions of the company and entering appropriate data into the companies database
• Keep a track of daybooks such as purchase and sales receipts and hand them to the accounting department when necessary
• Ensure all the transactions made are recorded properly and correctly
• Bring the books to the trial balance stage and hand them to the accountants for further report generation

Career Scope of Accounting Clerks

Almost every business organization has to maintain accounting and financial transactions and hence accountants are required in all business sectors. Therefore, accounting clerks have huge job opportunities as public accountants and accountants in government sectors.

• Public Accounting Clerks: Public accounting clerks work for business organizations as well as handle accounting work of individuals. They collect and reconcile the financial data available. Maintain statistics of the business transactions and business deals as well as perform validation of the details maintained by the accounting firms. Certified public accountants (CPA) who have license to work as accountants have better job opportunities.

• Government Accounting Clerks: These accounting clerks usually work in government organizations and handle clerical responsibilities in government organizations. Government accounting clerks need to understand the functioning and rules of the accounting and finance of government organizations. These accounting clerks should be able to identify the details that are crucial for government organizations. These accounting clerks should also be certified professionals.

Work Environment:

Accounting clerks usually work in offices but they may often have to visit their clients to collect accounting data that has to be sorted and recorded. Since computer systems are used to maintain the database, accounting clerks have to work in front of computers for long hours entering data into the system. This can cause some health issues in accounting clerks.

Current Industry Trends and Employer Requirements:

Accounting clerks should have in-depth understanding of the accounting details that are important from the perspective of accountants for further calculations. Employer's also prefer accounting clerks who have degree in accounting, finance or other related field and certification in accounting. They should also be comfortable working with accounting software and Microsoft office tools.

Career Path and Growth Opportunities:

Accounting clerks have wide scope of growth in their career. Accounting clerks can work as accountants, accounting assistants and accounting managers after experience of respectable number of years. They also have to pass certifications examinations at each level for such senior level positions. Even some experienced and skilled accountants can start their own accounting firms which work on contract basis for big firms that cannot employ their own accounting resources.

Accounting clerks may be paid less in the beginning of their career but as they get experience and advance to higher level positions they are paid huge salaries. The accounting clerk work profile given here will be helpful for job seekers who are looking for opportunities in accounting.