Hiring employees is one of the most important decisions a business owner can make. Picking someone who has the skills needed to perform their job is key to a successful hire. We, as business owners, can interview someone to get to know them; however, testing job skills has always been a difficult task.

When I was just starting my accounting career, a CPA firm owner tested his potential employee on calculator skills and reconciling a bank statement. But that was before computerized bookkeeping was common in most small businesses. But the process was a sound one…. Find out how well they can do their job in a concrete manner.

So, how do we test the skills a bookkeeper needs to perform their work on the appropriate level? There are several online tests for seeing how well someone types or if they know how to use Word or Excel, but how do you test for skills using your accounting software?

In cooperation with an accounting firm in CA, we have developed a comprehensive QuickBooks test that really gets to the core of an applicant’s QuickBooks skill set. The results are easy to evaluate and let the business owner know what areas the applicant is good at and where they are weakest. It is by no means an easy test and several applicants who have taken the test admit upon completion that their skill set is not as complete as they first indicated. (Which is why we recommend the test.) The test is administered online and the results are emailed to the business owner and to us. And the best part of this test is that it IS comprehensive and it is done online by the applicant. Another great thing about the test is the cost - $25. per test given. Of course if you want to discuss the results with us further, we can arrange a conference at our standard billing rates.

If you want to discuss this excellent hiring tool for bookkeepers and accountants, please give us a call or e mail us.