Owning a virtual business means it is up to you to vet your potential freelancers. The vetting process involves confirming the potential freelancer's background, qualifications, and education. This can be a daunting task, not to mention the amount of time it can take away from other business you need to handle. Instead of using up large chunks of time on vetting qualified accountants, consider using some alternative options. Here are three ways to consider that will, at the very least, save you time.
Check Organization Memberships
One of the easiest ways to prove the education and background of a qualified accountant is to check their organization membership. This may seem like something that would apply to any vetting process for any freelancer, but in order to be a qualified accountant a membership to at least one national organization is a standard procedure.
Most membership sites do have a way for employers to search a registry based on the freelancer's name or membership number. This can quickly prove whether the freelancer is a qualified accountant or if they simply have a background in basic bookkeeping or online account management. Keep in mind that most associations will ask the potential member to prove their education with college transcripts as a requirement for membership. That means this simple check will also confirm their education as well.
Call One Previous Employer
You can learn a lot about your potential accountant by picking one previous employer, preferably the one where they had the most responsibilities, and talking to them directly. You can find out what type of accounting they did for the previous employer, what they did not handle, if they were certified at the time of the employment, and their attitude toward certain issues in the office. Though you may not be able to find out why the contract was terminated, you can find out if the accountant is qualified for your specific business needs and procedures.
Ask for Transcripts
If you don't have time to call a previous employer or check memberships, then consider simply asking for transcripts. If the accountant is qualified, they will have transcripts of their education. This will give you the name of the college or training program, show you what courses they studied, and see with a quick glance if they studied the accounting points that you need handled in your business.
For example, if they took a specific accounting software class, you can see that quickly and easily along with the grade for that course. This answers several questions including what training they have had and how long ago that training was received.
In some cases, you may not have the time to even handle the vetting process through these quick methods. If you find yourself in that position, consider hiring a third party freelancer to handle the background check of the qualified accountants in your application pool.
Share23 February 2016
Good day. I’m Linda and I run two family businesses — building contractor and aged care staff agency. It is quite a feat to juggle schedules and keep track of finances. I have become quite an expert with business management software. I have also learnt the vital importance of having good accountants to give advice and keep bookwork up-to-date. Prior to starting our family businesses, I honestly thought accountants existed to organise tax returns. I now understand that their jobs are much more complex and they can help your business prosper. I started this blog to highlight the numerous ways I’ve found that accountants can contribute to financial success. Please browse through the posts and I hope you find something useful within.