Bookkeeper Careers

Bookkeepers do a lot more than crunch numbers. In addition to the traditional role of keeping track of daily sums, bookkeepers also act as financial analysts and tax experts. Bookkeeper careers depend a lot on the type of experience you have and whether you've become a Certified Bookkeeper.

Potential

According to the 2008 to 2009 edition of the Occupational Outlook Handbook (published each year by the U.S. Department of Labor), the job prospects for certified bookkeepers (CBs) and others with several years of accounting and bookkeeping experience have the best employment prospects.

Types

Certified Bookkeepers are the cream of the bookkeeping profession. To become a certified, you must take a special exam at a Sylvan-Prometric test center scoring at least 75 percent in skills which include payroll, depreciation, adjusting entries, reconciling bank accounts, and inventory. You must also have 3,000 hours (or 2 years) of experience, sign a code of ethics, and complete continuing education on a yearly basis.

Below the certified bookkeeper in professional ranking is the "full-charge bookkeeper" whose responsibilities may involve maintenance of books through the adjusted trial balance, asset recording, monthly bank reconciling, payroll, and analyzing/correcting of general errors ledgers.

Below the full charge bookkeeper is the more general "bookkeeper." This position requires 2 years of bookkeeping experience in accounts receivable, bank reconciliations and general bookkeeping tasks. At this level of the profession, the bookkeeper will also record transactions and post entries in the ledgers. The job may also involve adjusting entries and filing government payroll returns.

Considerations

If you're in the early stages of your bookkeeping career, you may work as an assistant bookkeeper. To be an assistant you must have 1 year of bookkeeping experience. Your job may involve basic record keeping, such as entering transactions in the journals and posting entries to the ledger accounts with a small amount of supervision.

Freelance Bookkeepers

If you would rather be self-employed, plenty of companies are looking for freelance bookkeepers. To win your first freelance job, polish your self-promotion skills. The American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers website has extensive advice for bookkeeping freelancers (see Resources). General responsibilities of the freelancer may include setting up and maintaining books, recording assets and expenditures, monthly bank reconciliation, payroll, and employment tax returns. The American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers says that around 15% percent of its 30,000 members are freelancers, and another 10 percent work freelance in addition to their full-time jobs.

Additional Qualifications

People seeking careers as bookkeepers must be able to use computers, and have some knowledge of word processing and spreadsheet software. They should also have a strong aptitude for numbers. Bookkeepers should be orderly and detail-oriented, as mistakes can have considerable impact. They must also be trustworthy, since they have knowledge of confidential financial material.

Resources

• Bookkeeper job listings at American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers
• Occupational outlook at BLS.gov