RecordMove

Bookkeeper to financial auditor

A bookkeeper already meets 21% of what the financial auditor role asks for. The move turns on 17 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional

From bookkeeper

Distant match

To financial auditor

12 You already bring

17 Still to learn

60 Skills in the target role2

Learning distance A rebuild

80.1/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

1 How much of what a financial auditor 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 financial auditor role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A financial auditor role treats 5 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
interpret financial statements

What stands in the way is 17 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 12 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A financial auditor 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 identify accounting errors information skills
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

All 12 carried skills, including the 5 the financial auditor role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 48 missing skills fall into 8 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.

Skill to pick up Tier

01 information skills 7 required, 8 supplementary

still to learn monitor banking activities required
still to learn analyse financial risk required
still to learn arrange audit required
still to learn check accounting records required
still to learn conduct financial audits required
still to learn obtain financial information required
still to learn prepare financial auditing reports required

optional, not held identify if a company is a going concern optional
optional, not held analyse financial performance of a company optional
optional, not held develop financial statistics reports optional
optional, not held ensure compliance with disclosure criteria of accounting information optional
optional, not held maintain records of financial transactions optional
optional, not held produce statistical financial records optional
optional, not held provide support in financial calculation optional
optional, not held trace financial transactions optional

02 business, administration and law 3 required, 11 supplementary

still to learn accounting required
still to learn corporate law required
still to learn financial analysis required

optional, not held international tariffs optional
optional, not held banking activities optional
optional, not held financial jurisdiction optional
optional, not held financial management optional
optional, not held financial products optional
optional, not held insolvency law optional
optional, not held internal auditing optional
optional, not held international financial reporting standards optional
optional, not held joint ventures optional
optional, not held mergers and acquisitions optional
optional, not held national generally accepted accounting principles optional

03 communication, collaboration and creativity 2 required, 7 supplementary

still to learn pose questions referring to documents required
still to learn present reports required

optional, not held advise on credit rating optional
optional, not held advise on financial matters optional
optional, not held advise on tax planning optional
optional, not held communicate with banking professionals optional
optional, not held disseminate information on tax legislation optional
optional, not held liaise with shareholders optional
optional, not held use consulting techniques optional

04 management skills 2 required, 3 supplementary

still to learn control financial resources required
still to learn develop audit plan required

optional, not held evaluate budgets optional
optional, not held maintain trusts optional
optional, not held make strategic business decisions optional

05 assisting and caring 2 required

still to learn inspect tax returns required
still to learn observe confidentiality required

06 social sciences, journalism and information 1 required

still to learn economics required

2 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a financial auditor 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 12 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held accounting department processes knowledge
already held accounting entries knowledge
already held accounting techniques knowledge
already held financial department processes knowledge
already held interpret financial statements skill
already held commercial law knowledge
already held ensure compliance with accounting conventions skill
already held financial statements knowledge
already held follow the statutory obligations skill
already held identify accounting errors skill
already held maintain financial records skill
already held tax legislation knowledge

The 2 learning areas not shown above

Skill to pick up Tier

07 information and communication technologies (icts) 1 supplementary

optional, not held core banking software optional

08 services 1 supplementary

optional, not held fraud detection optional

31 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to pick up Tier

optional, not held core banking software optional
optional, not held identify if a company is a going concern optional
optional, not held international tariffs optional
optional, not held advise on credit rating optional
optional, not held advise on financial matters optional
optional, not held advise on tax planning optional
optional, not held analyse financial performance of a company optional
optional, not held banking activities optional
optional, not held communicate with banking professionals optional
optional, not held develop financial statistics reports optional
optional, not held disseminate information on tax legislation optional
optional, not held ensure compliance with disclosure criteria of accounting information optional
optional, not held evaluate budgets optional
optional, not held financial jurisdiction optional
optional, not held financial management optional
optional, not held financial products optional
optional, not held fraud detection optional
optional, not held insolvency law optional
optional, not held internal auditing optional
optional, not held international financial reporting standards optional
optional, not held joint ventures optional
optional, not held liaise with shareholders optional
optional, not held maintain records of financial transactions optional
optional, not held maintain trusts optional
optional, not held make strategic business decisions optional
optional, not held mergers and acquisitions optional
optional, not held national generally accepted accounting principles optional
optional, not held produce statistical financial records optional
optional, not held provide support in financial calculation optional
optional, not held trace financial transactions optional
optional, not held use consulting techniques optional

24 held skills the financial auditor 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 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 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 issue sales invoices skill
not needed by the target role labour legislation knowledge
not needed by the target role manage accounts 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 financial statements 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 use accounting systems skill

17 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 pick up Tier

still to learn accounting required
still to learn corporate law required
still to learn economics required
still to learn financial analysis required
optional, not held core banking software optional
optional, not held international tariffs optional
optional, not held banking activities optional
optional, not held financial jurisdiction optional
optional, not held financial management optional
optional, not held financial products optional
optional, not held fraud detection optional
optional, not held insolvency law optional
optional, not held internal auditing optional
optional, not held international financial reporting standards optional
optional, not held joint ventures optional
optional, not held mergers and acquisitions optional
optional, not held national generally accepted accounting principles optional

Index

Other moves recorded from bookkeeper

Full index of moves from bookkeeper

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a bookkeeper become a financial auditor?

Yes, and it is a career change move. A bookkeeper already covers 21% of what a financial auditor is expected to do: 12 skills carry over, 5 of which the financial auditor role treats as required.

What skills does a bookkeeper need to become a financial auditor?

17 required skills are missing, plus 31 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is monitor banking activities.

How hard is the move from bookkeeper to financial auditor?

Its learning distance is 80.1 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

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.