accountant

A certified public accountant (CPA) is both a job title and a certification. To receive this designation, you should have an accounting degree, complete a designated number of state-mandated hours as an accountant, and pass a state CPA qualification exam. You should also register with the Institute of Public Accountants of Greece to perform audit duties. As a CPA, you take on advanced accounting and finance positions in an organisation.

As a tax accountant, you specialise in tax preparation and resolution. You may be a team member in an accounting firm or work as an internal tax accountant for the company.

Forensic accountants are advanced auditors who trace money when it has disappeared. Companies hire forensic accountants in cases of embezzlement. These accountants not only trace the money but also seek to find a way to get it back.

Investment accountants help individuals and businesses with financial planning and investing. While many general accountants are involved with investments, the work of a professional investment accountant focuses solely on this aspect of the job. In this field, you develop investment strategies for long-term and short-term growth.

Your accounting career usually begins with a position as a ledger accountant. It is a junior-level position in the accounting department. Ledger accountants perform basic accounting tasks, like balancing books, filing reports and checking the accuracy of all financial data.

Your duties as an accountant depend on the size of the company and your level within the organisation. However, some duties are standard for accountants at all levels, including:

• Maintaining accurate financial records: keeping track of the financial health of a department, business, or other organisation is central to your role. Your tasks involve performing or overseeing data entry. In businesses that use integrated accounting software to automatically enter transactions, your job is to ascertain accuracy.
• Reconciling accounts: as an accountant, you confirm that the numbers on reports match the company's assets. If a bank statement does not indicate the same value as the in-house report, you track down the source of the discrepancy.
• Month-end and year-end closing: businesses periodically close their financial books for tax and planning purposes. As an accountant, you compile all transactions for a given period: a month, quarter or year. The reports generated from the term-end closing provide a snapshot to management about the organisation's financial health. In building or manufacturing companies, you assess the current inventory of materials that may be part of the closing process.
• Tax preparation: as an accountant, you ensure businesses file taxes with the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (IAPR) every year. You prepare the forms and submit tax returns properly while taking advantage of tax laws. Failure to file taxes can lead to audits and result in expensive fines.
• Preparing financial reports: as an accountant, you prepare financial statements. You also write reports on the financial records and present them to the company's management to assist in decision-making. You collaborate with auditors and controllers to ensure the financial statements show the company's true position.
• Audit preparation: when you are a certified public accountant, you can audit and inspect the books of accounts in a company. You verify the accuracy of the financial reports and present your findings to the management. When there's suspicion of fraud, you conduct an investigation and create reports for management.

As an accountant, you work in diverse industries, from manufacturing to construction and information technology (IT) companies. You also work in auditing or accounting firms. Except for forensic accounting, accountants work indoors in an office. The time of the written ledger has faded away, so accountants spend most of their day in front of a computer screen. Cost accountants periodically go to warehouses to verify material and product inventories.

Depending on your industry, you work with diverse professionals, including auditors, bookkeepers and data entry clerks. You also work alongside office managers, administrators and controllers. Since you work in diverse departments, you may interact with marketing managers, sales managers and inventory specialists.

In most cases, accountants work a regular daily schedule as full-time employees. The accounting department should be available during traditional business hours to consult with management for decision-making purposes. In manufacturing, retail and other industries, month-end periods may mean working extra hard to assess inventory and reconcile the books.

Accountants start their careers working in entry-level junior accountant or accounting assistant roles. With experience, you can specialise in various areas, like becoming an investment accountant, tax accountant or financial accountant. Some accountants progress to higher roles, such as controller or finance manager.

Working with Randstad offers you a range of benefits.

• always a contact person you can fall back on and ask for help from
• a range of jobs in your area

As an accountant, you prepare and examine financial records. You compile financial transactions and analyse them to determine the company's financial health. With your knowledge of budgeting and forecasting, you analyse risks and provide solutions for businesses and individuals.

As a member of the European Union, companies and businesses in Greece follow the EU Accounting Regulations and IFRS standards for preparing and consolidating financial statements. Hence, companies follow the IFRS standards for accounting analysis and forecasting.

As an accountant, you work under pressure to meet deadlines and handle heavy workloads. The work may be stressful if you are easily frazzled. However, you can manage the workload and minimise stress with good organisational and time management skills.

As an accountant, you require exceptional maths skills. You should be good with numbers since you spend most of your day analysing financial transactions. Since you help managers make investment decisions, you require business acumen to analyse the risks and identify opportunities for business growth. Time management skills are also valuable in managing deadlines.

Working as an accountant is a promising career with good compensation. You have numerous opportunities for specialisation and career growth. You can progress to higher roles in the company, like becoming a finance manager or controller.

Finding a job near you as an accountant is easy. Search our job offers. Have you found what you're looking for? Then submit your application using the ‘Apply’ button top right on the page. No jobs available right now? Then log in or register an account to send us your resume and we'll pass it on to a recruiter who will contact you if an opportunity opens up for you.