Skills
Bookkeeper Skills & Tools
The technical skills, people skills and tools employers look for in bookkeepers, and how to build and show them.
What skills do bookkeepers need?
Bookkeepers need technical skills such as double-entry bookkeeping, quickbooks or xero, and bank reconciliation, plus people skills like accuracy and integrity. They also use tools such as QuickBooks Online and Xero.
Technical (hard) skills
- Double-entry bookkeeping
- QuickBooks or Xero
- Bank reconciliation
- Accounts payable and receivable
- Payroll basics
- Excel
People (soft) skills
- Accuracy
- Integrity
- Organization
- Clear communication with business owners
Tools, equipment and technology
- QuickBooks Online
- Xero
- Excel or Google Sheets
- Bill pay and invoicing tools
- Payroll platforms
- Receipt-capture apps
Skills in action: common tasks
These step-by-step guides show how bookkeepers put their skills to work:
- How to reconcile a bank account
- How to record a journal entry
- How to complete a month-end close checklist
How to show these skills on a resume
- Lead your skills section with the technical skills from the job posting, for example, “Double-entry bookkeeping” and “QuickBooks or Xero.”
- Prove soft skills with results: instead of listing “accuracy,” describe a situation where you used it.
- List credentials such as Certified Bookkeeper (AIPB) near the top, with the issuing organization and date.
- Use the employer’s vocabulary. Our bookkeeper glossary covers the terms hiring managers expect.
How to build these skills
Formal training, supervised practice and certification are the most direct routes. Our Bookkeeper training introduces each of these skills with plain-language lessons, procedures and a final knowledge check: a strong foundation before hands-on training or your first day.