What are the duties and responsibilities of accounting assistants?

The duties and responsibilities of accounting assistants may vary by company; however, many attributes of the position remain the same including entering financial data into spreadsheets, using enterprise resource planning software (ERPs), and creating reports from financial data. Assistant accountant duties and responsibilities include keeping information up-to-date, accurately relaying information, and ensuring their role within the accounting department is being fulfilled efficiently and responsibly. While accounting assistance is an entry-level job, it is very important to the rest of the accounting department as accurate data entry is the basis of responsible accounting.

Is an account assistant an entry level job?

As previously mentioned, accounting assistance is an entry level job. The good news about this is that accounting assistants do not typically need a 4-year education in accounting like most other positions in the department do. This means you can work towards becoming an account assistant if you have no experience in significantly less time than becoming a full accountant.

For many people, the first step to becoming an account assistant if you have no experience is pursuing a role as a bookkeeper or accounts clerk, these positions have similar roles though they require a bit less experience in the field of accounting as there is little decision-making responsibility in these positions. However, as experience and familiarity are gained, you may be promoted to accounts assistant and perhaps be encouraged to pursue the 4-year education required to become a full accountant.

Is an accounts clerk the same as accounts assistant?

Accounting clerks and assistants have very similar roles that may be the same in smaller organizations. Clerks have more bookkeeping and data entry duties than assistants while assistants oversee creating reports and managing financial records while working closely with more senior staff to ensure quality and accurate accounting is being completed. In a similar note, the difference between accounts assistant and accounts administrator is down to the specific duties required.

Administrators will have more tasks involving communication with invoicing, payroll, and human resources departments as they oversee and quality control the cash flow. Knowing the duties of the position you’re applying for is very important in creating a good resume, for example if you’re applying as an accounting administrative assistant, utilizing the details provided by the employer can help you craft a successful accounting administrative assistant job description for resumes present and future.

What is the difference between an accounting assistant and an accounting clerk?

An accounting assistant focuses on helping senior accountants to create reports, ensure the quality of data, and generate advice for an organization. These are different than the duties assigned to an accounting clerk as they are often in charge of more clerical tasks such as data entry, invoicing, accounts payable and receivable, and bookkeeping. Both positions are entry level jobs that provide upward flexibility as experience is gained in the field of finance.

What questions can be asked in an accounting interview?

After you’ve written your accounting assistant cover letter, and made sure your resume was updated properly, you’re probably looking forward to an interview. For many people, the interview process can be nerve-wracking, but here are some possible questions that you can look out for:

• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• Why do you want to work for our company?
• What is your proudest achievement?

While this is not a comprehensive list, it is a good start, and having answers to these questions can help you think of answers to similar questions on the spot. It is incredibly important for the accounting assistant position to understand the strengths and weaknesses of accounts assistants, so you can provide insightful answers to the question asked.