Corporate Accountants

Corporate Accountants

Introduction

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2009), there are four major fields in accounting and auditing: public accounting, management accounting, government accounting, and internal auditing. The tasks and duties are specific to the specialization chosen and employment opportunities exist in corporations, governments, and nonprofit organizations. Generally speaking a corporate accountant is responsible for recording and analyzing financial information, cost and asset management, and budgeting company resources. Additionally, corporate accountants prepare the financial reports for corporate executives, stockholders, creditors, regulatory agencies, and tax authorities. Several diverse fields of interest exist in the field of corporate accounting such as: staff accountant, tax accountant, auditor, and controller. During my research I found the job title of controller to be of the most interest to me.

Duties of a Controller

According to the American Institute of Public Accountants (2010), a controller “functions as the Chief Accounting Executive responsible for organizing, directing, and controlling the work of the accounting personnel in collecting, summarizing and interpreting financial data for the use of management, creditors, investors, and taxing authorities. As a member of the top management team, helps develop forecasts for proposed projects of the organization, measures actual performance against operating plans and standards, and interprets the results of operations for all levels of management.”

The website Monster.com offered a job as a controller in my local area. The following is a list of the requirements for this position:

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting

• Experience in budgeting and process optimization

• 3-5 years experience as a controller

• 3-5 years managerial experience

• Excellent skills in Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Great Plains

• Knowledge of job...