Get job ads in your inbox and find out which skills businesses are looking for.
Bookkeeping and payroll jobs are advertised regularly, however if you want to be eligible for the top jobs it pays to keep yourself informed about what employers are looking for.
Setting up alerts on job sites allows you to not only receive regular notifications about new vacancies, but to also monitor the changing requirements of your preferred jobs.
We discovered some job ads which show the “scope creep” occurring in Office Admin and Accounting Job Descriptions that require modern staff to become all-rounders.
Job Descriptions Are Changing
Applying for bookkeeping and payroll jobs used to be simpler when positions had standard titles with corresponding job descriptions. In recent years however, job requirements have become more fluid and applicants are expected to update their skills in line with employer expectations.
Technology
These changes are partly due to technological advances. For example, digital marketing is now included in the role of some Office Administrators and online customer service is becoming important for ALL jobs, including the payroll administrator role.
Office All-Rounders
Small businesses in particular tend to advertise for office ‘all-rounders’. They use phrases such as ‘a position with variety’ and ‘flexibility required’. In addition to the general administrative tasks, office administrators could be required to perform basic bookkeeping tasks or coordinate marketing activities such as social media and email campaigns.
Interpersonal Skills
Regardless of the size of the organisation, most bookkeepers and payroll staff will need to have excellent interpersonal skills. As a payroll administrator your main tasks may include rostering and scheduling, time sheet maintenance, and payroll processing and reporting, but if you also possess highly valued ‘soft’ skills such as negotiating, and problem resolution, it could tip the scales in your favour when it comes to winning the job.
Bookkeepers involved in accounts payable and accounts receivable type work will be required to call debtors and request payment for overdue accounts, or negotiate payment terms with suppliers. Similarly, payroll officers will need to be patient and understanding when explaining information to employees about salary, benefits and tax laws, or when dealing with complaints.
A friendly communication style, professional confidence and a positive attitude will put you ahead of other applicants competing for the same jobs. A business owner is much more likely to value an employee who can get along well with other team members and build trusted relationships with customers.
Online Customer Service skills are becoming more important as customers and suppliers communicate via the business website. Enroll a staff member into the Online Customer Service training course and our team will help your business setup a customer service system for your business.
Career Progression
Entry level positions in bookkeeping or payroll may start with simple data entry tasks. However, if you want to get promoted, grow your income and become a valuable asset to any business you will need to keep updating and adding skills to your resumé.
Knowing which skills to develop and which industries to cultivate can lead to a range of potential roles for bookkeepers, increasing your potential to gain recognition, earn more income and enjoy a comfortable work/life balance. You may find that you have natural leadership skills that can be developed, leading to management opportunities further down the line.
Furthermore, at some point in your career you may decide to explore your entrepreneurial potential so that you can enjoy the freedom of running your own business.
The more skills and experience you can add to your resumé, the more choices you will have to diversify and grow your income.
Setting Up Job Alerts
Most job search sites such as SEEK and Indeed provide an Alerts feature to help you find jobs in your local area based on your selected job criteria.
Filter job searches by:
- Keywords relevant to your preferred job description
- Location
- Work type (full-time, part-time, casual or contract)
- Salary range
Save your search results as an Alert and you’ll begin to receive email notifications whenever suitable jobs become available.
You’ll almost certainly find that employers are seeking people who can communicate effectively in a range of different situations.
Take these payroll administrator positions for example:
EXAMPLE 1
EXAMPLE 2
Keep an eye on which requirements employers are looking for and tweak your search criteria to include additional skills that you can offer.
The Jobseeker Training Program
If you need some further help understanding the recruitment process, The Career Academy Jobseeker Training Program provides insight into what employers are looking for and what skills and attributes you can hone that will make you more employable.
The Career Academy Training Program contains real-life case study examples, checklists and questions you can answer to improve your self-confidence and narrow down the list of jobs you ideally want and are suited to.
Best of all, this program is FREE to all of our students, no matter which course they enrol into.
Summary
As you become more familiar with the job requirements that businesses are listing in their ads, you will begin to learn which skills and attributes you should be adding to your tool belt.
Take the time to understand what potential employers need, and which high value skills you need to acquire so that your resumé and cover letter stands out from the crowd.
Digital Marketing, Online Customer Service and Online Selling skills becoming more normal in job ads
Our course design team were exploring recent job ads for accounting and office administration support and we distilled it down to an alarming fact – most of these jobs want all rounders!
https://virion.com.au/2020/09/accounts-and-office-admin-support-staff-are-all-rounders/
Payroll Services
If you want to explore a career as a payroll professional, find out which tasks you should be learning.
https://natbooks.com.au/what-is-bookkeeping/bookkeeping-tasks/payroll-services/
