Accountant to accounting analyst
An accountant already meets 57% of what the accounting analyst role asks for. The move turns on 6 required skills not yet in the profile.
46.3/ 100
1 How much of what an accounting analyst is expected to do is already part of an accountant’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the accounting analyst role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An accounting analyst role treats 12 of its required skills as things an accountant already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- accounting department processes
- accounting entries
- accounting techniques
- analyse financial performance of a company
- check accounting records
- draft accounting procedures
What stands in the way is 6 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 19 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An accounting analyst role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an accountant background worth leading with.
- already held draft accounting procedures communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held explain accounting records management skills
- already held accounting entries business, administration and law
- already held ensure compliance with accounting conventions information skills
- already held liquidity management business, administration and law
- already held national generally accepted accounting principles business, administration and law
All 19 carried skills, including the 12 the accounting analyst role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 20 missing skills fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn create a financial report required
- still to learn analyse business processes required
- still to learn analyse financial risk required
- still to learn monitor financial accounts required
- optional, not held identify if a company is a going concern optional
- optional, not held ensure compliance with disclosure criteria of accounting information optional
- optional, not held forecast account metrics optional
- optional, not held perform forensic accounting optional
- optional, not held perform stock valuation optional
- optional, not held provide cost benefit analysis reports optional
- still to learn identify process improvements required
- still to learn supervise accounting operations required
- optional, not held make strategic business decisions optional
- optional, not held global standards for sustainability reporting optional
- optional, not held investment analysis optional
- optional, not held treasury management system optional
- optional, not held public offering optional
- optional, not held stock market optional
- optional, not held liaise with shareholders optional
- optional, not held review investment portfolios optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an accounting analyst role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 create a financial report practise this
- 02 identify process improvements practise this
- 03 analyse business processes practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 19 skills that carry over
- already held accounting department processes knowledge
- already held accounting entries knowledge
- already held accounting techniques knowledge
- already held analyse financial performance of a company skill
- already held check accounting records skill
- already held draft accounting procedures skill
- already held explain accounting records skill
- already held financial department processes knowledge
- already held financial statements knowledge
- already held international financial reporting standards knowledge
- already held interpret financial statements skill
- already held national generally accepted accounting principles knowledge
- already held advise on financial matters skill
- already held ensure compliance with accounting conventions skill
- already held evaluate budgets skill
- already held follow the statutory obligations skill
- already held liquidity management knowledge
- already held manage accounts skill
- already held prepare financial statements skill
14 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held global standards for sustainability reporting optional
- optional, not held identify if a company is a going concern optional
- optional, not held investment analysis optional
- optional, not held treasury management system optional
- optional, not held ensure compliance with disclosure criteria of accounting information optional
- optional, not held forecast account metrics optional
- optional, not held liaise with shareholders optional
- optional, not held make strategic business decisions optional
- optional, not held perform forensic accounting optional
- optional, not held perform stock valuation optional
- optional, not held provide cost benefit analysis reports optional
- optional, not held public offering optional
- optional, not held review investment portfolios optional
- optional, not held stock market optional
38 held skills the accounting analyst role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on risk management skill
- not needed by the target role attach accounting certificates to accounting transactions skill
- not needed by the target role bookkeeping regulations knowledge
- not needed by the target role calculate production costs skill
- not needed by the target role calculate tax skill
- not needed by the target role check the production schedule skill
- not needed by the target role commercial law knowledge
- not needed by the target role conduct financial audits skill
- not needed by the target role consult with motion picture producer skill
- not needed by the target role consult with production director skill
- not needed by the target role depreciation knowledge
- not needed by the target role disseminate information on tax legislation skill
- not needed by the target role exert expenditure control skill
- not needed by the target role film production process knowledge
- not needed by the target role financial forecasting knowledge
- not needed by the target role fraud detection knowledge
- not needed by the target role handle financial transactions skill
- not needed by the target role identify accounting errors skill
- not needed by the target role insolvency law knowledge
- not needed by the target role keep track of expenses skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with auditors skill
- not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
- not needed by the target role manage corporate bank accounts skill
- not needed by the target role manage inventory skill
- not needed by the target role manage payroll reports skill
- not needed by the target role manage revenue skill
- not needed by the target role monitor after sales records skill
- not needed by the target role perform balance sheet operations skill
- not needed by the target role perform cost accounting activities skill
- not needed by the target role perform dunning activities skill
- not needed by the target role perform risk analysis skill
- not needed by the target role prepare financial auditing reports skill
- not needed by the target role prepare tax returns forms skill
- not needed by the target role prepare trial accounting balances skill
- not needed by the target role resolve difficult account allocation cases skill
- not needed by the target role statistics knowledge
- not needed by the target role support development of annual budget skill
- not needed by the target role tax legislation knowledge
5 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- optional, not held global standards for sustainability reporting optional
- optional, not held investment analysis optional
- optional, not held treasury management system optional
- optional, not held public offering optional
- optional, not held stock market optional
Other moves recorded from accountant
- bookkeeper 72% covered · moderate
- financial controller 68% covered · moderate
- accounting assistant 60% covered · moderate
- accounting manager 58% covered · moderate
- tax clerk 50% covered · moderate
- financial fraud examiner 48% covered · moderate
- post-production supervisor 44% covered · moderate
- cost analyst 44% covered · moderate
Common questions about this move
Can an accountant become an accounting analyst?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An accountant already covers 57% of what an accounting analyst is expected to do: 19 skills carry over, 12 of which the accounting analyst role treats as required.
What skills does an accountant need to become an accounting analyst?
6 required skills are missing, plus 14 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is create a financial report.
How hard is the move from accountant to accounting analyst?
Its learning distance is 46.3 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.