- Job Definition
- Compute, classify, and record numerical data to keep financial records complete. Perform any combination of routine calculating, posting, and verifying duties to obtain primary financial data for use in maintaining accounting records. May also check the accuracy of figures, calculations, and postings pertaining to business transactions recorded by other workers.
- Job Zone
-
Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. Some may require a bachelor's degree.
- Interests
- Conventional - Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
- Enterprising - Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
- Investigative - Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
- Knowledge
- Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
- Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
- English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Economics and Accounting - Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
- Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
- Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
- Skills
- Mathematics - Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
- Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Tasks
- Maintain inventory records.
- Perform personal bookkeeping services.
- Compute deductions for income and social security taxes.
- Prepare purchase orders and expense reports.
- Prepare bank deposits by compiling data from cashiers, verifying and balancing receipts, and sending cash, checks, or other forms of payment to banks.
- Receive, record, and bank cash, checks, and vouchers.
- Calculate and prepare checks for utilities, taxes, and other payments.
- Compare computer printouts to manually maintained journals to determine if they match.
- Reconcile records of bank transactions.
- Prepare trial balances of books.
- Monitor status of loans and accounts to ensure that payments are up to date.
- Transfer details from separate journals to general ledgers or data processing sheets.
- Compile budget data and documents, based on estimated revenues and expenses and previous budgets.
- Calculate costs of materials, overhead and other expenses, based on estimates, quotations and price lists.
- Match order forms with invoices, and record the necessary information.
- Wages
-
In 2008, the California average annual wage was $38,140.00.
Most people employed in this occupation were paid between $24,570.00 and $53,550.00.
- Outlook
During 2006, there were approximately 232,500 people employed in this field in California. It is projected that there will be 267,500 employed in 2016. This occupation will have about 3,500 openings due to growth and about 3,640 replacement openings for approximately 7,140 total annual openings. This occupation .
- Colleges and Training
- Below are college programs that are generally associated with this occupation. To view colleges that offer these programs, click on the titles below.
- Accounting Technology/Technician and Bookkeeping - A program that prepares individuals to provide technical administrative support to professional accountants and other financial management personnel. Includes instruction in posting transactions to accounts, record-keeping systems, accounting software operation, and general accounting principles and practices.
- Similar Occupations
- Billing, Cost, and Rate Clerks - Compile data, compute fees and charges, and prepare invoices for billing purposes. Duties include computing costs and calculating rates for goods, services, and shipment of goods; posting data; and keeping other relevant records. May involve use of computer or typewriter, calculator, and adding and bookkeeping machines.
- Billing, Posting, and Calculating Machine Operators - Operate machines that automatically perform mathematical processes, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, to calculate and record billing, accounting, statistical, and other numerical data. Duties include operating special billing machines to prepare statements, bills, and invoices, and operating bookkeeping machines to copy and post data, make computations, and compile records of transactions.
- Brokerage Clerks - Perform clerical duties involving the purchase or sale of securities. Duties include writing orders for stock purchases and sales, computing transfer taxes, verifying stock transactions, accepting and delivering securities, tracking stock price fluctuations, computing equity, distributing dividends, and keeping records of daily transactions and holdings.
- Loan Interviewers and Clerks - Interview loan applicants to elicit information; investigate applicants' backgrounds and verify references; prepare loan request papers; and forward findings, reports, and documents to appraisal department. Review loan papers to ensure completeness, and complete transactions between loan establishment, borrowers, and sellers upon approval of loan.
- Secretaries, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive - Perform routine clerical and administrative functions such as drafting correspondence, scheduling appointments, organizing and maintaining paper and electronic files, or providing information to callers.
- Office Clerks, General - Perform duties too varied and diverse to be classified in any specific office clerical occupation, requiring limited knowledge of office management systems and procedures. Clerical duties may be assigned in accordance with the office procedures of individual establishments and may include a combination of answering telephones, bookkeeping, typing or word processing, stenography, office machine operation, and filing.
- Notes
- You must be logged in to take notes, click here to login.
- Job Openings
- Click here for job openings in California.
