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What an accountant does
An accountant records, organises and reports financial information. The role covers maintaining accurate ledgers, preparing statements, supporting budgets and helping the organisation meet reporting and compliance obligations.
Day to day, accountants reconcile accounts, analyse figures and explain results to colleagues who are not finance specialists. Specific duties vary by sector, by whether the work is in practice or in-house, and by the seniority of the role.
Core responsibilities
- Maintaining accurate financial records and ledgers.
- Preparing financial statements and management reports.
- Reconciling accounts and resolving discrepancies.
- Supporting budgeting, forecasting and cash-flow monitoring.
- Helping the organisation meet reporting and compliance obligations.
- Liaising with auditors, advisers and internal stakeholders.
- Improving financial processes and controls.
Skills and qualities
- Strong numeracy and accuracy with figures.
- Knowledge of accounting principles and standards relevant to the role.
- Comfort with accounting software and spreadsheets.
- Attention to detail and a structured, organised approach.
- Integrity and discretion when handling sensitive data.
- Clear communication to explain figures to non-specialists.
- A relevant qualification or progress towards one, where required.
Typical employers and settings
- Accountancy practices serving external clients.
- In-house finance teams across many industries.
- Public sector and not-for-profit organisations.
- Financial services and professional firms.
- Small businesses and owner-managed companies.
How the role is recruited
- Roles are advertised directly or filled through finance recruiters.
- Screening reviews a CV, qualifications and relevant experience, plus right to work.
- Interviews assess technical knowledge, software skills and communication.
- Some processes include a practical exercise or scenario discussion.
- Onboarding covers systems, controls, reporting cycles and access.
Documents involved
- A job description setting out duties and any qualification requirements.
- A CV and evidence of qualifications or membership where relevant.
- An employment contract including confidentiality terms.
- An offer letter confirming role, level and start date.
- Right-to-work and identity checks as required.
- An onboarding checklist for systems and access.
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Working with employment documents?
Related tools from the HELPERG ecosystem that may help with this:
- PDF Editor iOS — Export, edit, sign, store and share employment documents — contracts, letters, forms and onboarding paperwork — as PDFs.
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