Table 1Transition record

bookkeepertofinancial controller

A bookkeeper already meets 39% of what the financial controller role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.

From bookkeeper

39%

Overlap1

To financial controller

12 Skills carried over

9 Required, not held

59.4 Difficulty2

adjacent 0–30

moderate 30–55

substantial 55–75

career change 75–100

this move, 59.4

This move: 59.4 of 100 · substantial

1 Share of the financial controller 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 12 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 bookkeeper background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held manage the general ledger information skills
already held ensure compliance with accounting conventions information skills
already held prepare tax returns forms information skills
already held support development of annual budget management skills
already held accounting department processes business, administration and law
already held financial department processes business, administration and law

All 12 carried skills, including the 8 the financial controller role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 25 missing skills fall into 4 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 management skills 5 required, 3 supplementary

required, not held create a financial plan required
required, not held enforce financial policies required
required, not held evaluate budgets required
required, not held exert expenditure control required
required, not held explain accounting records required

optional, not held manage budgets optional
optional, not held manage profitability optional
optional, not held supervise accounting operations optional

02 information skills 4 required, 4 supplementary

required, not held analyse financial performance of a company required
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 check accounting records optional
optional, not held inspect government expenditures optional
optional, not held prepare financial auditing reports optional

03 communication, collaboration and creativity 7 supplementary

optional, not held advise on financial matters optional
optional, not held advise on tax planning optional
optional, not held disseminate information on tax legislation optional
optional, not held draft accounting procedures optional
optional, not held liaise with auditors optional
optional, not held liaise with financiers optional
optional, not held liaise with shareholders optional

04 business, administration and law 2 supplementary

optional, not held financial forecasting optional
optional, not held insolvency law 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 12 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held accounting department processes 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 interpret financial statements skill
already held prepare financial statements skill
already held tax legislation knowledge
already held manage the general ledger skill
already held prepare tax returns forms skill
already held statistics knowledge
already held support development of annual budget skill

16 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held advise on financial matters optional
optional, not held advise on tax planning optional
optional, not held analyse financial risk optional
optional, not held check accounting records optional
optional, not held disseminate information on tax legislation optional
optional, not held draft accounting procedures optional
optional, not held financial forecasting optional
optional, not held insolvency law optional
optional, not held inspect government expenditures optional
optional, not held liaise with auditors optional
optional, not held liaise with financiers optional
optional, not held liaise with shareholders optional
optional, not held manage budgets optional
optional, not held manage profitability optional
optional, not held prepare financial auditing reports optional
optional, not held supervise accounting operations optional

24 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 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 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 organise business documents skill
not needed by the target role perform balance sheet operations skill
not needed by the target role prepare trial accounting balances skill
not needed by the target role use accounting systems skill

2 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

optional, not held financial forecasting optional
optional, not held insolvency law 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.