Accountants and Auditors

Examine, analyze, and interpret accounting records to prepare financial statements, give advice, or audit and evaluate statements prepared by others. Install or advise on systems of recording costs or other financial and budgetary data.

Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Conventional

First Interest High-Point

Second Interest High-Point

Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

Enterprising

Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Investigative

Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

Social

Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Realistic

Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.

Artistic

Third Interest High-Point

Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed

Prepare detailed reports on audit findings.

Report to management about asset utilization and audit results, and recommend changes in operations and financial activities.

Collect and analyze data to detect deficient controls, duplicated effort, extravagance, fraud, or non-compliance with laws, regulations, and management policies.

Inspect account books and accounting systems for efficiency, effectiveness, and use of accepted accounting procedures to record transactions.

Supervise auditing of establishments, and determine scope of investigation required.

Confer with company officials about financial and regulatory matters.

Examine and evaluate financial and information systems, recommending controls to ensure system reliability and data integrity.

Inspect cash on hand, notes receivable and payable, negotiable securities, and canceled checks to confirm records are accurate.

Examine records and interview workers to ensure recording of transactions and compliance with laws and regulations.

Prepare, examine, or analyze accounting records, financial statements, or other financial reports to assess accuracy, completeness, and conformance to reporting and procedural standards.

Review accounts for discrepancies and reconcile differences.

Establish tables of accounts and assign entries to proper accounts.

Examine inventory to verify journal and ledger entries.

Analyze business operations, trends, costs, revenues, financial commitments, and obligations to project future revenues and expenses or to provide advice.

Report to management regarding the finances of establishment.

Develop, implement, modify, and document recordkeeping and accounting systems, making use of current computer technology.

Evaluate taxpayer finances to determine tax liability, using knowledge of interest and discount rates, annuities, valuation of stocks and bonds, and amortization valuation of depletable assets.

Examine whether the organization's objectives are reflected in its management activities, and whether employees understand the objectives.

Audit payroll and personnel records to determine unemployment insurance premiums, workers' compensation coverage, liabilities, and compliance with tax laws.

Review taxpayer accounts, and conduct audits on-site, by correspondence, or by summoning taxpayer to office.

Compute taxes owed and prepare tax returns, ensuring compliance with payment, reporting, or other tax requirements.

Advise clients in areas such as compensation, employee health care benefits, the design of accounting or data processing systems, or long-range tax or estate plans.

Represent clients before taxing authorities and provide support during litigation involving financial issues.

Direct activities of personnel engaged in filing, recording, compiling, and transmitting financial records.

Conduct pre-implementation audits to determine if systems and programs under development will work as planned.

Develop, maintain, or analyze budgets, preparing periodic reports that compare budgeted costs to actual costs.

Prepare, analyze, or verify annual reports, financial statements, and other records, using accepted accounting and statistical procedures to assess financial condition and facilitate financial planning.

Review data about material assets, net worth, liabilities, capital stock, surplus, income, or expenditures.

10-key calculators

Desktop computers

Laser facsimile machines

Notebook computers

Personal computers

Photocopying equipment

Scanners

Tablet computers

1099 ProsSoftware

Accountants Templates JAZZ-It!

Accounting compliance software

Accounting fraud detection software

Accounts payable software

ADP Super Report Writer

ADP Workforce Now

Asset management software

Best Software CPAPayroll

Blackbaud The Raiser's Edge

Document management system software

Epic Systems

eXtensible Business Reporting Language XBRL

IBM Cognos Impromptu

IBM Notes

IBM Power Systems software

LexisNexis

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Office

Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft Publisher

Microsoft SharePoint

Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Word

Payroll software

SAP BusinessObjects Data Integrator

Swift

Tumbleweed SecureTransport

Personal digital assistants PDA

ACL Audit Exchange

Data extraction software

Microsoft Visio

Symantec

TechSmith Camtasia

Find someone on the other side of the door and ask them for their advice and eventual support.

Reading and reviewing a lot of materials; numerous video conferences and phone calls.

Partner

People holding on to their roles until they retire, instead of teaching others—or allowing others—to learn from them and progress.

David Taylor

Partner

Milestones

Education

Career

Career Roadmap

My work combines:

My work combines:

Travel

Business

Accomplishing Goals

Day to Day

Advice for Getting Started

Recommended Education

Hurdles

The Noise I Shed

From Peers:

David Taylor

Partner

Milestones

Education

Career

Career Roadmap

My work combines:

My work combines:

Travel

Business

Accomplishing Goals

Day to Day

Advice for Getting Started

Recommended Education

My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:

Hurdles

The Noise I Shed

From Peers:

Related Leaders