Bookkeeper to accounting analyst
A bookkeeper already meets 29% of what the accounting analyst role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.
69.6/ 100
1 How much of what an accounting analyst is expected to do is already part of a bookkeeper’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 6 of its required skills as things a bookkeeper already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- accounting department processes
- accounting entries
- accounting techniques
- financial department processes
- financial statements
- interpret financial statements
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 10 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 a bookkeeper background worth leading with.
- already held accounting entries business, administration and law
- already held ensure compliance with accounting conventions information skills
- already held accounting department processes business, administration and law
- already held financial department processes business, administration and law
- already held follow the statutory obligations assisting and caring
- already held prepare financial statements information skills
All 10 carried skills, including the 6 the accounting analyst role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 29 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 performance of a company required
- still to learn analyse financial risk required
- still to learn check accounting records 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 explain accounting records required
- still to learn supervise accounting operations required
- optional, not held evaluate budgets optional
- optional, not held make strategic business decisions optional
- still to learn international financial reporting standards required
- still to learn national generally accepted accounting principles required
- 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 liquidity management optional
- optional, not held public offering optional
- optional, not held stock market optional
- still to learn draft accounting procedures required
- optional, not held advise on financial matters 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 10 skills that carry over
- already held accounting department processes knowledge
- already held accounting entries knowledge
- already held accounting techniques knowledge
- already held financial department processes knowledge
- already held financial statements knowledge
- already held interpret financial statements skill
- already held ensure compliance with accounting conventions skill
- already held follow the statutory obligations skill
- already held manage accounts skill
- already held prepare financial statements skill
17 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 advise on financial matters optional
- optional, not held ensure compliance with disclosure criteria of accounting information optional
- optional, not held evaluate budgets optional
- optional, not held forecast account metrics optional
- optional, not held liaise with shareholders optional
- optional, not held liquidity management 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
26 held skills the accounting analyst role does not ask for
- 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 attach accounting certificates to accounting transactions skill
- not needed by the target role bookkeeping regulations knowledge
- not needed by the target role calculate tax skill
- not needed by the target role commercial law knowledge
- not needed by the target role company policies knowledge
- not needed by the target role depreciation knowledge
- not needed by the target role follow up accounts receivables skill
- not needed by the target role handle financial transactions skill
- not needed by the target role handle petty cash skill
- not needed by the target role identify accounting errors 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 payroll reports 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 perform balance sheet operations 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 statistics knowledge
- not needed by the target role support development of annual budget skill
- not needed by the target role tax legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role use accounting systems skill
8 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 international financial reporting standards required
- still to learn national generally accepted accounting principles required
- 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 liquidity management optional
- optional, not held public offering optional
- optional, not held stock market optional
Other moves recorded from bookkeeper
- accounting assistant 72% covered · moderate
- accountant 60% covered · moderate
- billing clerk 46% covered · moderate
- tax clerk 41% covered · substantial
- financial controller 39% covered · substantial
- accounting manager 31% covered · substantial
- tax inspector 29% covered · substantial
- budget manager 24% covered · career change
Common questions about this move
Can a bookkeeper become an accounting analyst?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A bookkeeper already covers 29% of what an accounting analyst is expected to do: 10 skills carry over, 6 of which the accounting analyst role treats as required.
What skills does a bookkeeper need to become an accounting analyst?
12 required skills are missing, plus 17 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 bookkeeper to accounting analyst?
Its learning distance is 69.6 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.