Table 1Transition record

bookkeepertoaccountant

A bookkeeper already meets 60% of what the accountant role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.

From bookkeeper

60%

Overlap1

To accountant

24 Skills carried over

5 Required, not held

48.7 Difficulty2

adjacent 0–30

moderate 30–55

substantial 55–75

career change 75–100

this move, 48.7

This move: 48.7 of 100 · moderate

1 Share of the accountant role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the bookkeeper 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 accountant role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a bookkeeper background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held perform balance sheet operations management skills
already held prepare trial accounting balances information skills
already held depreciation business, administration and law
already held attach accounting certificates to accounting transactions management skills
already held identify accounting errors information skills
already held accounting entries business, administration and law

All 24 carried skills, including the 21 the accountant role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 33 missing skills fall into 6 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 2 required, 7 supplementary

required, not held analyse financial performance of a company required
required, not held check accounting records 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 perform risk analysis optional
optional, not held prepare financial auditing reports optional

02 management skills 1 required, 9 supplementary

required, not held explain accounting records 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 evaluate budgets optional
optional, not held exert expenditure control 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

03 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 6 supplementary

required, not held draft accounting procedures required

optional, not held consult with motion picture producer optional
optional, not held consult with production director optional
optional, not held advise on financial matters optional
optional, not held disseminate information on tax legislation optional
optional, not held liaise with auditors optional
optional, not held perform dunning activities optional

04 services 1 required

required, not held fraud detection required

05 business, administration and law 5 supplementary

optional, not held financial forecasting optional
optional, not held insolvency law optional
optional, not held international financial reporting standards optional
optional, not held liquidity management optional
optional, not held national generally accepted accounting principles optional

06 arts and humanities 1 supplementary

optional, not held film production process optional

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a accountant 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 accounting entries knowledge
already held accounting techniques knowledge
already held attach accounting certificates to accounting transactions skill
already held bookkeeping regulations knowledge
already held calculate tax skill
already held commercial law knowledge
already held depreciation knowledge
already held ensure compliance with accounting conventions skill
already held financial department processes knowledge
already held financial statements knowledge
already held follow the statutory obligations skill
already held identify accounting errors skill
already held interpret financial statements skill
already held manage accounts skill
already held perform balance sheet operations skill
already held prepare financial statements skill
already held prepare tax returns forms skill
already held prepare trial accounting balances skill
already held statistics knowledge
already held tax legislation knowledge
already held handle financial transactions skill
already held manage payroll reports skill
already held support development of annual budget skill

28 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

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 advise on financial matters 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 evaluate budgets optional
optional, not held exert expenditure control optional
optional, not held financial forecasting optional
optional, not held insolvency law optional
optional, not held international financial reporting standards optional
optional, not held liaise with auditors optional
optional, not held liquidity management optional
optional, not held manage budgets optional
optional, not held manage corporate bank accounts optional
optional, not held manage revenue optional
optional, not held national generally accepted accounting principles 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

12 held skills the accountant role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role allocate bills skill
not needed by the target role archive documentation related to work skill
not needed by the target role company policies knowledge
not needed by the target role follow up accounts receivables skill
not needed by the target role handle petty cash skill
not needed by the target role issue sales invoices skill
not needed by the target role labour legislation knowledge
not needed by the target role maintain financial records skill
not needed by the target role manage cash desk skill
not needed by the target role manage the general ledger skill
not needed by the target role organise business documents skill
not needed by the target role use accounting systems skill

7 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to acquire Tier

required, not held fraud detection required
optional, not held film production process optional
optional, not held financial forecasting optional
optional, not held insolvency law optional
optional, not held international financial reporting standards optional
optional, not held liquidity management optional
optional, not held national generally accepted accounting principles optional

Index

Other moves recorded from bookkeeper

Full index of moves from bookkeeper

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.