New accountants graduate every day and enter the business world, but how do you go about sourcing the one that’s just right for your business?
Just because a person has qualified with an accounting degree and can do wonderful things with numbers doesn’t mean that you should just hire the first one that comes along. As with anything else business related, do your research first to be sure that you’re getting the one that your business needs.
First thing’s first: know which universities offer the better accounting qualifications. By knowing that your candidate accountant has been to a certain tertiary institution, you know that you’re getting someone not only with a world-class education but also someone who will live up to their standards and perform at the highest level. Also, it’s important to see where this accountant did their articles. By knowing this sort of information, you will be able to tell if they will be able to handle the stresses, strains and various requirements that your business demands of them. While accountants should be able to handle anything thrown at them, especially since they’re board-licensed, some do better in certain environments than others.
Reputation is also a good aspect to investigate. Find out what people say about the accountant you have in mind or even if there have been issues in the past with unprofessional conduct. The last thing you want is to hire a dodgy accountant who SARS are always keeping an eye on…
It’s important to meet with the candidate accountant too. This will give you the opportunity to assess them on a face-to-face and more personal level. While accountants are often categorised as stiff, suit-wearing number crunchers with no lives or personalities, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find out that this isn’t, in fact, always the case. More often than not they will have little quirks, such as only driving a certain brand or model of car or having to have three gold pens equally spaced apart on their desks and all pointing north, but that’s what makes them better suited to certain businesses than others. You need to find an accountant who will mix well with your business while at the same time being able to work accurately and decisively. While you want a good personal relationship with your bookkeeper, you also don’t want to become too friendly to the point that the professional lines become blurred.
When choosing an accountant, make sure that you’re hiring someone who has good qualifications and work experience and who will be able to keep your paperwork under control while at the same time being able to blend into your enterprise easily. It’s important that you also be able to work with this person on a close basis; they’re going to be in control of your money, so you’re going to have to be in control of them.
