Interview with an Account Manager

Ever considered a career in accounts management?

Maybe you’re a logical thinker with a passion for numbers and you’re on the lookout for a challenging and rewarding career move. 

We’ve been catching up with an Account Manager to find out exactly what the role entails and to get their advice for any aspiring Account Managers. 

How did you decide you wanted to work in the Accountancy industry?

I found my interest in finance when I was at college studying my GNVQ in business, during which I was the finance director in a young enterprise project.

My finance lecturer was amazing and I found my happy place! 

What is your favourite thing about your role as an Account Manager?

I have a passion for training trainees, so this aspect of my role is probably my favourite part of the job! 

What is your least favourite thing about your role as an Account Manager?

I’d have to say it’s when HR issues arise and paperwork of appraisals. 

What advice would you give to someone looking to enter the Accountancy industry?

I would recommend they take any practical experience available to them. I used to volunteer at our local swimming pool supporting the cashier and cashing up which taught me some essential skills.

I also had experience of helping my Dad with record keeping, as he was self-employed when I was young.

Experience you have when you’re younger is great for helping to give some practical experience to relate to when it comes to the real world.

What is your proudest career achievement to date?

My proudest moment has been completing and qualifying as a Certified Chartered Accountant! 

Tell us about your training to work in the Accountancy industry.

I began in a trainee role almost 25 years ago and so my days began with making the tea, filing the post and paperwork away in the files and by lunchtime, I may just have got back to my desk to actually look at preparing accounts or completing some bookkeeping. 

I undertook everything that was given to me and found a niche in balancing banks. I was given jobs by a few managers and rose to the challenges they set me. 

I started my training through college studying AAT through the NVQs until it was completed. Alongside I was able to visit clients when working with the audit team. I would go out to support bookkeeping requests and work with a variety of departments and managers.

I then went on to complete my HND in Professional Accounting through college and I found this supported my studying and practical experience towards studying for my qualification with ACCA. 

Being able to work alongside self study, meant that I could also obtain practical experience and those I worked alongside supported and guided me as required.

What does a typical working day as an Account Manager involve?

My typical day now includes checking on everyone in my team to ensure they are supported in completing the jobs allocated to them.

I am also responsible for reviewing jobs in order to issue draft accounts to clients or to finalise accounts and/or tax returns for approval.

Planning work for the team is important and chasing records into the office, taking telephone calls and queries as required, and working with the partners to achieve our plan are also typical tasks I oversee. 

How can you stay competitive in this job? 

I have put a lot of work into creating a relaxed and controlled team approach to ensure that I have support from every team member to achieve our team goals. 

I also ensure I keep myself up to date and introduce procedures and checks to ensure everything is completed to the best of our ability. This makes my team competitive and adaptive to most scenarios.

What good habits will help someone in a career in Accountancy?

The best habits to help someone throughout their career in the accountancy and finance industry, are to be calm, organised and a team player. 

Do you have any interests / hobbies outside of work that have helped your career as an Account Manager?

I have several roles outside of work which keep me approachable and adaptive to most scenarios. 

I am a parent helper at my girls Brownies and Rainbows groups and chairperson of PTA at our children's primary school. 

I enjoy visiting the school to talk about my career, in order to inspire some young people into finance.