Running a successful business means constantly juggling all of the details and often working overtime to make sure everything gets done. It can be extremely overwhelming, especially when you factor in managing the accounts. This is why so many business owners decide to hire a bookkeeper to handle these important jobs.
There are so many benefits of hiring a bookkeeper, with the main one being able to focus on other aspects of the business instead. In order to take advantage of those benefits, you have to choose the right bookkeeper for your business.
When you find the perfect professional bookkeeper for your business, there will be an incredible difference in how efficient your business runs. Check out these seven factors to consider as you search for your new bookkeeper.
1. Competent Skill Level
Being a business bookkeeper requires a lot of different skills to keep up with all of the tasks required of you. It’s important to make sure the candidate you choose is competent in all of those things.
Before beginning your search, make a list of all the tasks you’ll need this person or team to complete each year. From that list, you’ll be able to determine which skills, like computer literacy, for example, will be necessary. Every candidate that doesn’t meet those standards shouldn’t be considered.
The last thing you want is to hire someone who isn’t already prepared to do the job correctly. If you do, you’ll end up compensating for that lack or spending time and money training them up to the desired level. Both are losses for your business.
2. Applicable Industry Expertise
Along the same lines, you want to be looking for someone who has a real understanding of your specific industry and the exact bookkeeping needs you’ll have. Those things will make the partnership much more seamless than starting from scratch.
Each industry functions slightly differently, meaning the bookkeeping tasks will all vary a little bit as well. Having a bookkeeper who knows the ins and outs of your business will allow them to seamlessly integrate bookkeeping processes into the company policies and procedures. There’s a much lower chance of things getting overlooked this way!
3. Salary Within Budget
Obviously, the price of hiring a professional bookkeeper will play a role in who you end up hiring. It’s key to know what your company can and can’t afford before beginning your search. This is invaluable information as you begin contract negotiations and come to the final terms of employment for your new team member.
While you have to stay within the company’s budget, try to remember how valuable a bookkeeper is to your company as a whole. It’s worth the investment to find and keep the right fit.
4. Effective Communication Skills
A successful business is full of a variety of people all doing separate jobs but working together towards the same goal. The only way that goal can be reached is if everyone is on the same page and communication is clear.
Effective communication between your team members should be a top priority for any business owner, it can make or break you.
Having open, honest conversations about communication skills with any potential company bookkeeper is a good way to get a feel for how well they can express themselves and share information. It’s also helpful to check references with specific questions about these areas and skills.
5. Previous Experience
Speaking of references, it’s always helpful when you hire someone who has previous experience doing the same types of tasks you’ll be asking them to do. That kind of knowledge and expertise can be invaluable, especially if you’re just getting started.
As you consider the specific job you’ll be asking your bookkeeper to do, consider the strengths they’ll need to have to accomplish those. Then you can answer the question of if their previous work experience would have led them to that or not to get a good idea of what to expect.
6. Full-Service Team Member
As has been mentioned before, there are so many facets that fall under the bookkeeping umbrella depending on what your company needs exactly.
It’s important to make sure your new business bookkeeper can handle all of the tasks you need them to. There would be nothing more frustrating than having to hire additional employees to cover these responsibilities.
This is also where your list of responsibilities will come in handy to use as a reference. Every employee should have the ability to perform every task you need without much assistance or guidance. This is the best way for you to be able to focus on what you really need to and delegate the rest.
7. Hardworking and Dedicated
The best employees are the ones who are a great asset to your team because they are hardworking and dedicated. Those qualities will produce high-quality work you can count on every day.
Every business develops its own company culture that each employee contributes to. Before you make any hiring decisions you should consider how your new bookkeeper will affect that culture and if it will be a positive or negative change. Obviously, you want someone who is going to boost morale and make it an even better place to work.
Personality and work ethic make a big difference in how effective an employee can be, so don’t discount those in your decision!
Hiring a Bookkeeper for Your Business
Finding the right employees for each role in your business is essential to being able to grow and have great success. The right team members make all the difference and can help you build the dream you’re aiming for. This is especially true when hiring a bookkeeper since they play an important role in keeping the money flowing and in the right places.
Bookkeeping isn’t an area of your business that can be overlooked or discounted. When the job isn’t done correctly, there can be some serious consequences, so it’s crucial to find a trustworthy option for your company.
If you’re interested in finding a great professional bookkeeping team and seeing how they can help your business, contact us today!
