Four Tips for Finding A Great Bookkeeper
Having a terrific bookkeeper on your team brings peace of mind and improves your organizational health. But finding a great match for your business can be hard, especially if finances aren’t your strong suit.
To begin with the obvious, they should have basic bookkeeping skills, including:
Proficiency with bookkeeping software
Ability to add vendors and customers to your books
Ability to manage accounts payable and receivable
Familiarity with payroll taxes, and how to pay them online
Ability to reconcile bank and credit card statements
Knowledge of what clean books should look like, and the ability to spot errors and sleuth out problems
It’s also helpful if they have knowledge of and experience with your industry or organization type. But beyond these fundamentals, are there other guidelines for finding a great bookkeeper for your organization? Here are four tips that can help you identify just the right team member, whether you are making an internal hire or finding a bookkeeping contractor.
1. Look for someone who asks relevant questions. Good questions can provide insight into whether they are thinking about the big picture and anticipating problems. People who ask good questions are more likely to be proactive—to think strategically, to identify bottlenecks, and to improve systems, increasing efficiency and helping your business thrive.
2. Look for someone who is a good communicator. Clear, consistent, transparent communication is an essential set of skills for your bookkeeper. Not only do they need to feel comfortable asking your team for missing information, tracking down money mysteries, and sharing concerns about processes and systems, they need to be able to explain to you their reports, findings, and analyses in a way you can understand.
3. Look for someone who embraces innovation. Software is changing quickly, and cloud-based solutions are transforming bookkeeping and accounting. On top of that, add in the many apps that can be integrated with your books, your banking, your database, your customer service processes, etc. Many tasks that were formerly time-consuming can now be automated. In this era, you need a bookkeeper who embraces change and isn’t afraid to dive in and learn something new.
4. Look for someone who is a problem solver. When your numbers don’t reconcile, when information is missing or incomplete, when something just doesn’t feel right in a report, you need someone who isn’t afraid to roll up their sleeves and become a detective. If a system or process just isn’t working, you need a person who will not only identify the problem, but also help to develop solutions.
If your contractor or bookkeeping candidate has a strong set of basic skills, and also shows these four attributes, you have likely found a good match.
Even when the team is solid, it’s sometimes helpful to have a bit of bookkeeping oversight—an expert resource your bookkeeper can call when a tricky situation arises or a tough problem develops. In these cases, Clarity is here to help. We can provide ongoing oversight and support for your bookkeeper, making sure they know about emerging technologies and industry best practices, and serving as a resource when the numbers just aren’t making sense; Clarity can be part of the team that keeps you fit and moving forward. Call today to learn more!
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