Bookkeepers record all the financial transactions for a company. The type of transactions will vary by the industry the company is in but generally includes vendor invoices, customer invoices, payroll processing, checks, payment receipts, and bank transactions. Transactions are entered into the company's accounting software, which tracks and reports the company's financial standing. Familiarity with bookkeeping or accounting software is beneficial in this position. The goal is to record all the day-to-day financial transactions of the company accurately. Management depends on accurate and up-to-date information to make long-term business decisions, so accuracy and attention to detail are critical in this role. This position requires some financial and accounting knowledge, which you can gain through classes or on-the-job training.

Bookkeeping is focused on recording and classifying the financial transactions of a company and then entering them into accounting software or a spreadsheet. Accounting looks at the whole financial picture of a company and uses reports to analyze the data for trends. The information gained from those reports often influences stakeholders' decisions, which affects the future of the business. Accounting requires specialized training to learn the rules and regulations that govern how financial transactions are categorized and reported on. An accountant often oversees bookkeepers, reviewing reports and looking for potential errors or misclassifications. Accountants are usually involved in financial planning for the business and higher-level business analysis.

Becoming an entry-level bookkeeper doesn't require too much training, so it's a good position for those starting a career or changing career paths. Bookkeepers need to be good at math and exhibit attention to detail. They often are tasked with finding minor discrepancies in the records, so they need to be able to spot small errors. Bookkeepers are found in all types of businesses and in all industries, so there are a wide variety of options for someone with this training. Bookkeepers are necessary for all businesses and are essential to the success of all companies.