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Want to know how to become a bookkeeper with no experience? The following step-by-step guide explains how to break into a bookkeeping career from the comfort of home. It provides detailed instructions on how to become an online bookkeeper by explaining the skills and training needed to run a successful bookkeeping business. It also identifies work-related websites that provide people with valuable work experience.

By the time people have finished reading this guide, they’ll know how to become a bookkeeper and successfully build a sustainable career through ongoing education and certifications. It also helps them differentiate themselves from the competition by picking a niche that fits their needs and personalities. Most importantly, becoming a bookkeeper with no experience is something that you can do today with minimal investment of time and money.

Bookkeeping Skills to Hone

Bookkeeping Skills to Hone how to get experience as a bookkeeper

Do you want to know how to get experience as a bookkeeper? This section of the guide helps you understand if you’ve got what it takes to be successful at bookkeeping. If you’re lacking the skills listed, you can focus on building them until they become strengths of yours.

Career Outlook According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median pay in 2020 was $42,410 or $20.39 per hour. An estimated 1,620,000 jobs existed that year, making it a growing field of business professionals. Despite a projected decline in employment by the year 2030, the agency predicts a continued need for bookkeepers as others leave the workforce to change careers or retire.

Mathematical, Organizational, and Accounting Skills are Necessary

Skills specific to bookkeeping are mathematical and organizational. For example, proficiently using accounting software is a strength that can potentially further a person’s career. So is having a basic understanding of personal and business finance.

The ability to prepare and file tax returns and create detailed financial reports is highly beneficial. Each task is something a bookkeeper does regularly for their clients. Seeking training in these areas can give people a competitive advantage by arming them with high-demand skills.

Certifications Set You Apart from Other New Bookkeepers in the Industry

Certifications exist to acknowledge the training you’ve taken part in to gain the skills that you possess. In addition to being an inexpensive way to build credibility, many certifying bodies provide ongoing support after you’ve completed their training. It can be a resource you refer to often as you’re becoming a better bookkeeper.

Communicating Clearly with Clients is Essential

As a bookkeeper, you’ll be communicating directly with your clients. Good conversational skills are needed, especially if you plan to speak to them by phone. You’ll also want to focus on spelling, punctuation, and grammar becomes you’ll be responsible for creating written documents that you’ll share with your clientele. Learning how to effectively relay vital details about record-keeping, accounting, and taxes is a part of the job you’ll want to focus time and energy doing.

Gaining training from a variety of resources can help you become an in-demand bookkeeper. The next section of the guide goes over the things you can do to improve your skills and gain the knowledge and expertise needed to be successful at your new career. It’s how to get experience as a bookkeeper quickly, affordably, and from the comfort of your home.

Ways to Train as a Bookkeeper with No Experience

Ways to Train as a Bookkeeper with No Experience how to learn bookkeeping at home

People wanting to know how to learn bookkeeping at home can do so in several ways. The first is locating free and inexpensive courses to take online. The benefit of that is the self-paced nature of the content being taught. People can work a full-time job and learn how to be a bookkeeper at home in their free time.

How to learn bookkeeping at home is a question answered by this guide. You’ll gain greater understanding of the training the career entails. It teaches you how to become an online bookkeeper for your business or another company with an open position.

Bachelor's Degree Programs Help Prepare Bookkeepers for Their New Career

Another option that many people consider is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Business Administration, or Finance. Each area of emphasis furthers a person’s career as a bookkeeper by giving them a basic understanding of the tasks that they’ll complete daily.

Each college or university has prerequisites that you must meet before entering its bachelor’s programs. Requesting information from the educational institution helps you understand which classes to take if you don’t already have an associate degree. Focusing on the areas of study that will elevate your bookkeeping career is something we advise because it makes you more appealing to the clients lacking backgrounds in Accounting, Business Administration, and Finance.

Gaining Real-Life Experience Through Internships and Paid Work Strengthens Your Skills

All the training in the world doesn’t compare to experience, though. Putting what you’ve learned to good use is imperative. It’s how you grow as a bookkeeper and gain a dedicated client base. When you know how to apply what you’ve learned in school to real-life scenarios requiring bookkeeping, you’re able to appeal to a larger group of people and businesses that don’t possess the same knowledge that you do today.

Gaining Real-Life Work Experience

Gaining Real-Life Work Experience how to get experience as a bookkeeper

On-the-job training with companies throughout the world can give new bookkeepers the experience they need to start their own businesses. Some ways to locate bookkeeping jobs are through popular job sites such as CareerBuilder, Monster, Indeed, and LinkedIn. Interested parties find word of mouth helpful, too. Asking family and friends who are also bookkeepers how they got started with their jobs helps.

Internships with seasoned professionals provides valuable insight into the role of a bookkeeper and the many tasks they perform for their clients. Limiting the search criteria on job sites allows you to see positions within a company seeking interns. Like a bookkeeping job, there are requirements for applying for an internship including submitting a cover letter, resume, and interviewing with the HR team either in person or virtually through Skype or Zoom.

Find Work by Fulfilling a Role in a Friend's Company

Friends with businesses may also have bookkeeper positions to fill. It’s yet another example of how to get a bookkeeping job with no experience. Building your skills as you go while working for someone you know intimately could lead to greater opportunities in the future. If you’re looking to start your own bookkeeping business, you already have one satisfied customer to mention on your website.

Having a bookkeeping business of your own affords you many opportunities. It allows you to take on more clients than you could if you were working full-time for another company. The next section goes over some of the most important things you should know about starting a business. It goes over important ways to build an online presence and secure the reputation of a knowledgeable expert in your chosen career field.

Starting Your Own Bookkeeping Business

Starting Your Own Bookkeeping Business how to learn bookkeeping at home

Bookkeepers just starting out who want to start their own business find it beneficial to create an online presence by creating a website and advertising their services. There are several ways to create a marketing plan that supports a bookkeeper’s goals with website creation being one of the most notable. Having a dedicated site for you as a bookkeeper provides you with opportunities outside of face-to-face interactions with potential clients.

For example, website builders such as Wix, Weebly, and Squarespace are friendly for novices with drag and drop tools and built-in marketing resources. Web hosts such as GoDaddy, NameCheap, and BlueHost provide custom web addresses that help bookkeeping businesses stand out. You can build a website in just a few hours without any prior knowledge of web design.

Having a website that demonstrates your knowledge, skills, experience, and training helps others recognize you and the value you bring to their personal or professional endeavors. If there is one thing you do when starting your bookkeeping business, it’s building a website and directing people to it.

Your Blog

Setting up a blog on a bookkeeping website allows people to communicate directly with their audience. It helps them answer the questions that their clients ask frequently. It also provides them with a place to demonstrate their skills as bookkeeping experts. Anyone wanting to know how to become a bookkeeper from home will reference the blog and the information it contains. You can help them learn how to get experience as a bookkeeper.

Sharing your unique experiences as a professional helps others see your value. A blog is an excellent place to build credibility and faith in your bookkeeping services. It’s a resource that works alongside your website and social media accounts. Directing traffic to your blog can gain you clientele or potential employment with companies seeking a professional with your skillset.

A blog is a point of reference for people that don’t know you as a bookkeeper to learn more about what makes you unique and qualified for the position. It’s a resource that remains present-day and night where it continues to earn you business. It’s among the most important marketing tools that you have access to today. You should

Your LinkedIn Page

Creating a LinkedIn account provides interaction with potential clients while showcasing skills and strengths. It’s a place to gain industry knowledge, too, by following other bookkeepers and companies catering to business professionals in similar professions. It can also be a place to research niches to find a bookkeeper’s unique place in the digital workplace.

LinkedIn provides a dedicated platform for employers and employees alike to communicate with one another, share ideas, and job opportunities. It’s a place where bookkeepers find community, jobs, and internships with companies of all sizes. Free to join and easy to navigate, it’s user-friendly and accessible as a website and mobile app.

Other resources exist that help you get experience as a bookkeeper. Below, you’ll find many options to explore that add value to your professional career. Taking advantage of the tools, websites, and training focused on bookkeeping skills helps you remain relevant in the competitive business world.

Additional Ways to Get Experience

Additional Ways to Get Experience how to get experience as a bookkeeper

Individuals working in bookkeeping with at least two years of experience should consider getting certified. What it does is enhance credibility and increase a bookkeeper’s earning potential. Getting certified with specific software programs demonstrates expertise to clients and secures future business with new clientele.

Where to Get Certified as a Bookkeeper

You can find many places online that offer certification. Some resources are free, while others cost a small sum of money. Among the best options available include Coursera and The National Association of Certified Public Bookkeepers (NACPB). The latter is nationally recognized and provides you with the course, exam, and certificate. An e-book option or loose leaf textbook option also exists if you’re interested.

Get Business Advice from the Small Business Administration

If you want to know how to get experience as a bookkeeper, reading about the subject can help. There are many resources available for online bookkeepers that address other ways of gaining the skills needed to successfully start, run, and advertise a thriving bookkeeping business. The U.S. Small Business Administration offers free business counseling, in-depth articles, and tools for funding your business efforts. The website is located at SBA.gov.

Visit Your Local Library and Download Books to Your Preferred Reading App

There are books available at your local library that you can check out for free as well. Digital reading apps such as Amazon Kindle and Scribd also have resources that you can use for a nominal fee. As a member, you have access to all bookkeeping titles available for one low price.

Locate Mentors Willing to Teach You How to Be a Bookkeeper

You can also locate mentors who have the experience to share by visiting various professional websites and joining groups on social media for bookkeepers. It’s an easy way to gain insider knowledge of your new professional and give you access to tools and resources that you might not be able to gain elsewhere.

Now You Know How to Get Experience as a Bookkeeper

Knowing how to get experience as a bookkeeper helps people embark on a career that’s satisfying and profitable. Through the right tools and resources, anyone can learn how to start a new career in the comfort of their homes. Possessing basic mathematical, organizational, and accounting skills gives people advantages by demonstrating their ability to complete the most fundamental bookkeeping skills available. Furthermore, anyone wanting to stand out online and in person can further their education by obtaining degrees and certifications pertaining to their career as a bookkeeper.

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