What are Soft Skills in Accounting?
If you’re an accountant, chances are you’ve heard of the term soft skills more and more recently. These soft skills refer to non-technical skills that you might use in everyday life as an accountant but don’t need to have qualifications for.
These skills impact your performance and are most definitely essential for you and your staff to have in order to succeed in the business world.
If you’re still not 100% sure, here are some examples of soft skills accountants should have:
• Communication
• Listening Skills
• Time Management
• Problem Solving
• Leadership
• Empathy
• Teamwork
• Critical Thinking
• Adaptability
The list goes on. As you can see, a lot of these skills are needed in the accounting industry in order to achieve success with clients. Let’s take a closer look at some of the key soft skills those in the accounting industry should have.
Problem-solving
Every accountant has to be on their toes when it comes to problem-solving. You might be working with a client who doesn’t understand the importance of filing their taxes, or you might be trying to find a better way to use automation and AI in your accounting practices. You could also have a client who needs you to help them with their taxes, but they don’t understand the process of filing taxes in the first place. And then there are the ever-changing laws that are constantly being updated as well!
If you own an accounting practice, chances are you’ve faced many of these already such as making your practice stand out from the crowd, retaining customers and finding talented staff members for your team. These tasks will need resilient attitudes to tackle and a persistent stance. Thinking outside the box can help in these situations- such as opting to use co-sourcing as a method of staffing solution.
So, what does this mean for an accountant? It means that you need to be able to think on your feet and solve problems quickly and efficiently. This can be challenging at times but having these skills will help you grow as an accounting professional!
Teamwork
When working in a team, it’s important that everyone is on the same page. This means that you need to be able to communicate effectively with your team members and clients alike. You’ll also need to have good problem-solving skills—whether it’s figuring out how much money is owed or coming up with solutions for your client’s issues, being able to think on your feet is always crucial! And lastly, working collaboratively tends to lead to better solutions, not to mention everyone is happier as their thoughts and feelings are being taken into consideration. This also takes the pressure off just one singular person from making decisions and finding solutions, which leads to less risk of burnout.
Communication
The only way that you’ll be able to achieve good teamwork, is through effective communication. This is not just being able to articulate what you’re saying to your clients and team members, but also building that trusting relationship that is so essential in a business setting in order to retain customers. Communicating well with clients will prevent any issues such as inaccurate information being recorded and will ensure that there is clarity.
Additionally, effective communication with colleagues will enable work to be completed to a high standard and leave less room for mistakes such as a lack of awareness, of who is to complete what tasks.
Self-development
When you work in a specific industry, you want to be able to stand out from the crowd. How can you do this? One option is to keep on progressing and developing as an individual. If you own an accounting practice, it’s important to keep a regular eye on your competitors to see what they’re offering and think about what you could be offering that might give you a competitive edge. This might mean providing your staff with regular training, and although this will take away time from daily work tasks, it will in the long run benefit your practice. Set some time aside- say one hour per week for your staff to complete some research or learn and progress in different areas. This will also give you the upper hand through the employment process, and potential candidates who are looking to thrive in the workplace will be more inclined to work with you.
It’s also important to keep an eye out for staff who are willing to work on their self-development. When you’re hiring new staff, be sure to scan their CV for potential signs that they are keen to develop further such as any training courses that they’ve been on recently inside or outside of work. Don’t be afraid to approach this topic in the interview!
Creativity
Being creative can help in so many ways including overcoming unforeseen issues, marketing the business, and helping to maintain a happy workspace environment. Creativity is essential for business owners who are looking to expand their accounting practice and see it thrive. If you’re lacking in this area, don’t be afraid to look into hiring someone who’s a bit more of an expert here.
How can you improve your soft skills?
So now we know the skills accountants need, how can you as a business owner, ensure that you and your staff develop these soft skills? There are a few methods in which to do so. Firstly, as previously mentioned be sure to encourage your staff to participate in regular training that will benefit themselves as well as the company.
Next, hold regular staff meetings to be sure communication is running smoothly and everyone is working together collaboratively. You don’t want to micromanage your staff, but regularly checking in can help them to feel supported and help further their progression.
Finally, don’t be afraid to ask opinions from clients on what soft skills they would like to see developed in your team. Maybe their feel that communication is lacking in a certain area, or that there are problems that might be going unsolved. They are the ones that are directly experiencing your services, so they no doubt will be able to provide you with the top answers.
