When your business is growing, or, on the contrary, is facing difficult times, it is high time you called to the services of a chartered accountant. According to the Romanian definition of a chartered accountant (included in OG65/1994), this type of professional can assist you with the following activities: bookkeeping and accounting supervision, completing economical and financial analyses, running financial and accounting audits, handling various financial and accounting tasks in your company, completing attributions included in the censor mandate of trading companies, and offering specialist assistance with setting up and reorganizing trading companies among others.
Therefore, the accountant plays a vital role in a company, but how do you choose the one best suiting your needs and requirements? We have some suggestions for you:
Consider the area where they operate
Nowadays, it is possible to collaborate with a chartered accountant remotely – there are numerous communication means and cloud accounting software enables you to work together in real time, without having to transmit files via email or exchange information over the phone.
In case you deem it necessary to meet your accountant face-to-face several times, we advise you to choose an expert from your area. For instance, Integrum provides services in Iasi and nearby, but can also offer consultancy to clients from other parts of the country or abroad.
Check the accountant’s accreditation
In order to benefit from the best accountancy services in Romania, choose an accountant who is a CECCAR member (CECCAR stands for the Body of Chartered Accountants and Authorized Accountants in Romania). Advantages of collaborating with a CECCAR accountant include:
- The fact that chartered accountants, in the exercise of profession, are responsible from multiple points of view – disciplinary, administrative, civil, and criminal, according to the law;
- Continuous development of professional conduct and constant training;
- Following ethical principles without needing sanctions to do so;
- Assuming the responsibility of acting for the public interest;
- Meeting a set of criteria of a good chartered accountant, described in the “National ethical code of accounting professionals”, CECCAR Publishing House, Bucharest, 2011.
Referrals
If other professionals or companies have been satisfied with the services provided by the chartered accountant you plan to hire, you will probably be happy with their work as well. Sources of information on this topic include online reviews, testimonials, and, of course, word-of-mouth.
Their attitude towards work
It is easy to make the difference between someone who loves their work and someone who loathes Monday. How does the accountant speak about the services they provide? Are they enthusiastic and interested in their work, or are they constantly complaining about the difficulties of their profession? We think you already know what kind of professional you want to work with!
How experienced are they?
It is recommended to find out for how long the accountant has been working in the field and to check their professional experience. An experienced accountant will be able to understand the complexity of your company operations, so ask for their resume or better yet, look up their profile on LinkedIn, the largest professional network.
What kind of accounting software do they use?
Some clients prefer an accountant who is using the same type of software as their company, in order to avoid potential problems related to data exchange. However, by calling to Integrum, you won’t have to worry about this aspect. No matter what accounting program you are using, Integrum will be able to import your databases without errors or data losses.
Choose someone who is also a consultant
A good chartered accountant should also be an adviser. He or she should be able to do a lot more than bookkeeping; the benefits you should enjoy are reducing costs, having the support of a genuine business partner, being offered development ideas, and obtaining fresh and accurate information on the latest legislation changes that could affect your activity.
Use your intuition
Last but not the least you will want your chartered accountant to have the same style as you and to be compatible with you and your employees. It’s not just about their skills – you need to have the same view on business and to be able to connect at a professional level.
They say that we make a first impression of a new person within the first 90 seconds of meeting them – in your heart you have probably taken a decision after the first handshake. Now it’s time you used our advice to see if you are right about the accountant you are interviewing.