Career Overlap Transition record Edition 1 · ESCO v1.2.1
Table 1Transition record

accountanttofinancial controller

A accountant already meets 67% of what the financial controller role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.

From accountant
67%
Overlap1
To financial controller
24 Skills carried over
5 Required, not held
34.1 Difficulty2
adjacent 0–30
moderate 30–55
substantial 55–75
career change 75–100
this move, 34.1

This move: 34.1 of 100 · moderate

1 Share of the financial controller role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the accountant profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 24 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A financial controller role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a accountant background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held liaise with auditors communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held draft accounting procedures communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held exert expenditure control management skills
  • already held explain accounting records management skills
  • already held ensure compliance with accounting conventions information skills
  • already held prepare tax returns forms information skills

All 24 carried skills, including the 12 the financial controller role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 13 missing skills fall into 3 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier
01 information skills 3 required, 3 supplementary
  • required, not held develop financial statistics reports required
  • required, not held synthesise financial information required
  • required, not held track key performance indicators required
  • optional, not held analyse financial risk optional
  • optional, not held inspect government expenditures optional
  • optional, not held manage the general ledger optional
02 management skills 2 required, 2 supplementary
  • required, not held create a financial plan required
  • required, not held enforce financial policies required
  • optional, not held manage profitability optional
  • optional, not held supervise accounting operations optional
03 communication, collaboration and creativity 3 supplementary
  • optional, not held advise on tax planning optional
  • optional, not held liaise with financiers optional
  • optional, not held liaise with shareholders optional
Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a financial controller role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 24 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held accounting department processes knowledge
  • already held analyse financial performance of a company skill
  • already held ensure compliance with accounting conventions skill
  • already held evaluate budgets skill
  • already held exert expenditure control skill
  • already held explain accounting records skill
  • already held financial department processes knowledge
  • already held financial statements knowledge
  • already held follow the statutory obligations skill
  • already held interpret financial statements skill
  • already held prepare financial statements skill
  • already held tax legislation knowledge
  • already held advise on financial matters skill
  • already held check accounting records skill
  • already held disseminate information on tax legislation skill
  • already held draft accounting procedures skill
  • already held financial forecasting knowledge
  • already held insolvency law knowledge
  • already held liaise with auditors skill
  • already held manage budgets skill
  • already held prepare financial auditing reports skill
  • already held prepare tax returns forms skill
  • already held statistics knowledge
  • already held support development of annual budget skill
8 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to acquire Tier
  • optional, not held advise on tax planning optional
  • optional, not held analyse financial risk optional
  • optional, not held inspect government expenditures optional
  • optional, not held liaise with financiers optional
  • optional, not held liaise with shareholders optional
  • optional, not held manage profitability optional
  • optional, not held manage the general ledger optional
  • optional, not held supervise accounting operations optional
33 held skills the financial controller role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role accounting entries knowledge
  • not needed by the target role accounting techniques knowledge
  • 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 film production process 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 international financial reporting standards knowledge
  • not needed by the target role keep track of expenses skill
  • not needed by the target role liquidity management knowledge
  • not needed by the target role manage accounts 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 national generally accepted accounting principles knowledge
  • 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 trial accounting balances skill
  • not needed by the target role resolve difficult account allocation cases skill
Index
Note

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.