Accountancy and finance : Your skills

Accountancy courses develop your understanding of accountancy practices, commerce, industry and finance. You learn about the context in which accounting is used as well as the technical terminology of the profession. Over the course of your degree you develop a good mix of subject-specific, technical and more general transferable skills.

Specific skills which you may develop include:

• knowledge and awareness of business organisations, including how they operate and are managed, which may enhance your commercial awareness, particularly if the course involves a work placement or case studies; 
• gaining an insight into the contemporary theories and the practice of financial institutions;
• numerical and quantitative skills - developed from understanding, recording and evaluating figures within a business context;
• problem-solving and analytical ability - developed from the numerical aspects of your studies and from exercises and project work;
• oral and written communication skills - from producing reports and assignments on business issues;
• ability to argue your case and negotiate with others - developed through working on group topics and discussing business problems;
• knowledge of global business issues and language skills, particularly if you study European or international finance;
• entrepreneurship - particularly if your course includes mock exercises in self-employment.

Consider the skills developed on your course as well as through your other activities, such as paid work, volunteering, family responsibilities, sport, membership of societies, leadership roles, etc. Think about how these can be used as evidence of your skills and personal attributes. Then you can start to market and sell who you really are, identify what you may be lacking and consider how to improve your profile. Take a look at job application advice for some useful tips.