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Top 10 must-knows for every ACCA qualified accountant

by IBNS 01 Mar 2018, 11:31 am

The ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) qualification is sure to get you many benefits. It is a globally recognised professional body with more than 200,000 members and 480,000 students in more than 200 countries. That is an extremely large area covered by any single organization and an honestly large talent pool of which you become a member once you complete your qualification. The ACCA qualification is benchmarked against the best curriculum in the world and is renowned for being recognized by important regulatory authorities. This is why once an individual completes an ACCA qualification, he/she joins ranks with the best professionals globally.

Here are a few things a professional wanting to pursue an ACCA qualification must know:

1. Highly regarded qualification globally: As has been previously discussed, the ACCA qualification is a truly global one. Recognized by the top recruiters across the globe, it gives you the opportunity to travel the world. Also, you can choose any industry you want to be a part of as every industry requires qualified finance and accounting professionals. Being ACCA qualified puts in the front for recruiters from different industries.

2. Plethora of career options: May be you have an interest say in the fashion or media business, you could still be part of those industries with your own professional qualification. Also, since being an ACCA member means you will be part of the ACCA community which is kept informed on an ongoing basis, you keep learning new regulatory changes and are constantly updated, thus, improving your appeal with the recruiters.

3. You can earn well: This flows from the fact that ACCA is such a well-known and globally accepted and respected qualification. Recruiters know that an ACCA qualified professional will adhere to the highest standards of integrity, quality, professionalism, responsibility and ethics. Also, being ACCA qualified puts one in the premier league of professionals who are highly valued by recruiters across the world and thus, one can earn a good salary.

4. More than one qualification: Completing an ACCA qualification provides you more than with the label of being a Chartered Certified Accountant. When you complete the ACCA qualification, you may also get a Diploma in Accounting and Business, an Advanced Diploma in Accounting and Business or a BSc in Applied Accounting (Honors) from the Oxford Brookes University. Having these qualifications on the resume will enhance the value of your resume. Also, since it is necessary to complete 3 years of practical work in order to achieve the ACCA qualification, that work experience is also added to the CV. Hence, the value of your CV among a huge pile is automatically lifted.

5. Continuous learning is the key: Becoming ACCA qualified is not the full stop to your education even as you become a full time practicing professional. In fact, it might just be the beginning. It becomes the hallmark for why you are hired to begin with. Recruiters trust ACCA qualified professionals to be people with constant passion and drive for the profession and hence, they expect you to keep learning. The world of finance and accounting is a dynamic one with rules, regulations, laws and policies changing continuously. An ACCA professional is expected to be updated with all of these continuously apart from showing the drive to learn new skills and techniques on an ongoing basis.

6. Great career path: Being an ACCA qualified professional means sky is the limit for your growth, truly. Most organizations require their top executives to have a professional qualification. Being an ordinary accounting professional will only take you so far, whereas being an ACCA qualified professional means you can reach the top management positions with your skill, hard work and perseverance.

7. Flexible study option: Unlike most financial courses which require one to commit a particular time or even quit a job for doing a full time course, an ACCA qualification can be achieved part time and on the go. In fact, for beginners, working part time, to complete the mandatory 3 year work experience, is a necessity. Working professionals can opt for either the part time face-to-face course or the online course. Moreover, with the online course one can even fix their own schedule.

8. Work experience is mandatory: Like discussed in the last point, you can achieve the ACCA qualification only when you have the mandatory 3 year work experience. Unless you have this experience, you cannot become ACCA qualified. Whereas it may seem daunting in the beginning, it is easy to achieve that much experience by working and studying part time, simultaneously. This way you can complete the work experience requirement and the qualification at the same time.

9. Discipline is an important trait: Increasingly, accounts and finance professionals are being involved in strategic decision making. This requires ACCA professionals to be highly disciplined and be on top of their game at all times. Deadlines must be met with rigour and they must have the ability to prioritize their individual and team workloads.

10. Employers seek commitment: Training employees for becoming an integral part of the organization’s work process is an expensive affair. Every industry and organization has their own methods and processes which must be adhered to by all employees. Hence, employers seek such individuals who display commitment and passion towards the organization’s goals and objectives. This is true for all departments but especially for trained ACCA professionals as they are hired at premium salaries.

Having completed an ACCA qualification is a great achievement and one that instantly puts you in the premier league of accounting professionals but it may not be all that is needed. The above points will help anyone in the process of deciding whether or not to pursue ACCA.

Build yourself a career in accountancy, finance, or take on a management role, with the ACCA accreditation on your resume. Talentedge in partnership with LSBF, offers preparatory classes to help you clear the ACCA certification. Enrol now into the ACCA preparatory course and fast track your career in the finance domain.