Hot New Careers of 2014

Median Salary: $90,060
Unemployment Rate: 2.8 percent
Expected Job Openings: 139,900

Examine, analyze, and interpret accounting records to prepare financial statements, give advice, or audit and evaluate statements prepared by others. Install or advise on systems of recording costs or other financial and budgetary data.

Accountants and Auditors

Nature of the Work

Accountants and auditors prepare and examine financial records. They ensure that financial records are accurate and that taxes are paid properly and on time. Accountants and auditors assess financial operations and work to help ensure that organizations run efficiently.Â

Duties

Accountants and auditors typically do the following:

Examine financial statements to ensure that they are accurate and comply with laws and regulations
Compute taxes owed, prepare tax returns, and ensure that taxes are paid properly and on time
Inspect account books and accounting systems for efficiency and use of accepted accounting procedures
Organize and maintain financial records
Assess financial operations and make best-practices recommendations to management
Suggest ways to reduce costs, enhance revenues, and improve profits
In addition to examining and preparing financial documentation, accountants and auditors must explain their findings. This includes face-to-face meetings with organization managers and individual clients, and preparing written reports.

Many accountants and auditors specialize, depending on the particular organization that they work for. Some organizations specialize in assurance services (improving the quality or context of information for decisionmakers) or risk management (determining the probability of a misstatement on financial documentation). Other organizations specialize in specific industries, such as healthcare.