Accounting analyst to accountant
An accounting analyst already meets 43% of what the accountant role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.
64.3/ 100
1 How much of what an accountant is expected to do is already part of an accounting analyst’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 accountant role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An accountant role treats 14 of its required skills as things an accounting analyst 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 12 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 accountant role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an accounting analyst 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 14 the accountant role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 38 missing skills fall into 7 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 calculate tax required
- still to learn identify accounting errors required
- still to learn prepare tax returns forms required
- still to learn prepare trial accounting balances required
- optional, not held keep track of expenses optional
- optional, not held monitor after sales records optional
- optional, not held advise on risk management optional
- optional, not held calculate production costs optional
- optional, not held conduct financial audits optional
- optional, not held manage payroll reports optional
- optional, not held perform risk analysis optional
- optional, not held prepare financial auditing reports optional
- still to learn commercial law required
- still to learn depreciation required
- still to learn bookkeeping regulations required
- still to learn tax legislation required
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
- optional, not held insolvency law optional
- still to learn attach accounting certificates to accounting transactions required
- still to learn perform balance sheet operations required
- optional, not held resolve difficult account allocation cases optional
- optional, not held check the production schedule optional
- optional, not held manage inventory optional
- optional, not held support development of annual budget optional
- optional, not held exert expenditure control optional
- optional, not held handle financial transactions optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- optional, not held manage corporate bank accounts optional
- optional, not held manage revenue optional
- optional, not held perform cost accounting activities optional
- still to learn statistics required
- still to learn fraud detection required
- optional, not held consult with motion picture producer optional
- optional, not held consult with production director optional
- optional, not held disseminate information on tax legislation optional
- optional, not held liaise with auditors optional
- optional, not held perform dunning activities optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an accountant role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 commercial law study this
- 02 depreciation study this
- 03 attach accounting certificates to accounting transactions 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 ensure compliance with accounting conventions 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 manage accounts skill
- already held prepare financial statements skill
- already held advise on financial matters skill
- already held evaluate budgets skill
- already held international financial reporting standards knowledge
- already held liquidity management knowledge
- already held national generally accepted accounting principles knowledge
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held film production process optional
26 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held keep track of expenses optional
- optional, not held resolve difficult account allocation cases optional
- optional, not held check the production schedule optional
- optional, not held consult with motion picture producer optional
- optional, not held consult with production director optional
- optional, not held film production process optional
- optional, not held manage inventory optional
- optional, not held monitor after sales records optional
- optional, not held support development of annual budget optional
- optional, not held advise on risk management optional
- optional, not held calculate production costs optional
- optional, not held conduct financial audits optional
- optional, not held disseminate information on tax legislation optional
- optional, not held exert expenditure control optional
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
- optional, not held handle financial transactions optional
- optional, not held insolvency law optional
- optional, not held liaise with auditors optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- optional, not held manage corporate bank accounts optional
- optional, not held manage payroll reports optional
- optional, not held manage revenue optional
- optional, not held perform cost accounting activities optional
- optional, not held perform dunning activities optional
- optional, not held perform risk analysis optional
- optional, not held prepare financial auditing reports optional
20 held skills the accountant role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analyse business processes skill
- not needed by the target role analyse financial risk skill
- not needed by the target role create a financial report skill
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with disclosure criteria of accounting information skill
- not needed by the target role forecast account metrics skill
- not needed by the target role global standards for sustainability reporting knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify if a company is a going concern skill
- not needed by the target role identify process improvements skill
- not needed by the target role investment analysis knowledge
- not needed by the target role liaise with shareholders skill
- not needed by the target role make strategic business decisions skill
- not needed by the target role monitor financial accounts skill
- not needed by the target role perform forensic accounting skill
- not needed by the target role perform stock valuation skill
- not needed by the target role provide cost benefit analysis reports skill
- not needed by the target role public offering knowledge
- not needed by the target role review investment portfolios skill
- not needed by the target role stock market knowledge
- not needed by the target role supervise accounting operations skill
- not needed by the target role treasury management system knowledge
9 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn commercial law required
- still to learn depreciation required
- still to learn bookkeeping regulations required
- still to learn fraud detection required
- still to learn statistics required
- still to learn tax legislation required
- optional, not held film production process optional
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
- optional, not held insolvency law optional
Common questions about this move
Can an accounting analyst become an accountant?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An accounting analyst already covers 43% of what an accountant is expected to do: 19 skills carry over, 14 of which the accountant role treats as required.
What skills does an accounting analyst need to become an accountant?
12 required skills are missing, plus 26 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is commercial law.
How hard is the move from accounting analyst to accountant?
Its learning distance is 64.3 out of 100, which is the substantial 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.