Financial auditor to accountant
A financial auditor already meets 46% of what the accountant role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.
61.7/ 100
1 How much of what an accountant is expected to do is already part of a financial auditor’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 a financial auditor 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
- commercial law
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 22 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 a financial auditor background worth leading with.
- 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 national generally accepted accounting principles business, administration and law
- already held check accounting records information skills
- already held international financial reporting standards business, administration and law
All 22 carried skills, including the 14 the accountant role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 35 missing skills fall into 6 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 attach accounting certificates to accounting transactions required
- still to learn explain accounting records required
- still to learn manage accounts 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 calculate tax required
- still to learn prepare financial statements 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 manage payroll reports optional
- optional, not held perform risk analysis optional
- still to learn depreciation required
- still to learn bookkeeping regulations required
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
- optional, not held liquidity management optional
- still to learn draft accounting procedures required
- optional, not held consult with motion picture producer optional
- optional, not held consult with production director optional
- optional, not held liaise with auditors optional
- optional, not held perform dunning activities optional
- still to learn statistics required
- optional, not held film production process optional
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 depreciation study this
- 02 attach accounting certificates to accounting transactions practise this
- 03 bookkeeping regulations study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 22 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 commercial law 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 fraud detection knowledge
- already held identify accounting errors skill
- already held interpret financial statements skill
- already held tax legislation knowledge
- already held advise on financial matters skill
- already held conduct financial audits skill
- already held disseminate information on tax legislation skill
- already held evaluate budgets skill
- already held insolvency law knowledge
- already held international financial reporting standards knowledge
- already held national generally accepted accounting principles knowledge
- already held prepare financial auditing reports skill
23 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 exert expenditure control optional
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
- optional, not held handle financial transactions 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 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
38 held skills the accountant role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role accounting knowledge
- not needed by the target role advise on credit rating skill
- not needed by the target role advise on tax planning skill
- not needed by the target role analyse financial risk skill
- not needed by the target role arrange audit skill
- not needed by the target role banking activities knowledge
- not needed by the target role communicate with banking professionals skill
- not needed by the target role control financial resources skill
- not needed by the target role core banking software knowledge
- not needed by the target role corporate law knowledge
- not needed by the target role develop audit plan skill
- not needed by the target role develop financial statistics reports skill
- not needed by the target role economics knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with disclosure criteria of accounting information skill
- not needed by the target role financial analysis knowledge
- not needed by the target role financial jurisdiction knowledge
- not needed by the target role financial management knowledge
- not needed by the target role financial products knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify if a company is a going concern skill
- not needed by the target role inspect tax returns skill
- not needed by the target role internal auditing knowledge
- not needed by the target role international tariffs knowledge
- not needed by the target role joint ventures knowledge
- not needed by the target role liaise with shareholders skill
- not needed by the target role maintain financial records skill
- not needed by the target role maintain records of financial transactions skill
- not needed by the target role maintain trusts skill
- not needed by the target role make strategic business decisions skill
- not needed by the target role mergers and acquisitions knowledge
- not needed by the target role monitor banking activities skill
- not needed by the target role observe confidentiality skill
- not needed by the target role obtain financial information skill
- not needed by the target role pose questions referring to documents skill
- not needed by the target role present reports skill
- not needed by the target role produce statistical financial records skill
- not needed by the target role provide support in financial calculation skill
- not needed by the target role trace financial transactions skill
- not needed by the target role use consulting techniques skill
6 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 depreciation required
- still to learn bookkeeping regulations required
- still to learn statistics required
- optional, not held film production process optional
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
- optional, not held liquidity management optional
Other moves recorded from financial auditor
- audit supervisor 61% covered · moderate
- financial fraud examiner 57% covered · moderate
- accounting analyst 54% covered · moderate
- bank treasurer 54% covered · moderate
- financial controller 53% covered · moderate
- accounting manager 46% covered · substantial
- bookkeeper 41% covered · substantial
- bank account manager 39% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can a financial auditor become an accountant?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A financial auditor already covers 46% of what an accountant is expected to do: 22 skills carry over, 14 of which the accountant role treats as required.
What skills does a financial auditor need to become an accountant?
12 required skills are missing, plus 23 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is depreciation.
How hard is the move from financial auditor to accountant?
Its learning distance is 61.7 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.