What Does a Controller Trainee Do?

Controller trainees are people who are striving to learn the job of a controller — an individual who oversees the activities involved in reporting a company’s finances. These individuals must be willing to take direction from supervisors and should be able to learn quickly and remain detail-oriented while working under deadline pressure. A person who is interested in becoming a controller trainee typically must have completed a four-year bachelor’s degree program in the area of accounting in addition to having some experience in the finance field. He or she not only generates financial reports and researches related accounting problems, but also presents this information to company leaders and supervises staff.

A major duty of a controller trainee is to facilitate efforts to produce financial reports at a company. This type of individual has to generate documents such as a statement of cash flows, which essentially explains how money is entering and leaving the company in a given time frame, along with highlighting the organization’s investing activities. In addition, he or she needs to practice managing a balance sheet, which displays a company’s assets and liabilities at a certain point in time.

Problem-solving skills are necessary for an individual who plans to enter this career area. A controller trainee has to be able to analyze and interpret financial statements’ data as well as pinpoint any accounting issues that arise and then conduct research to find the necessary solutions. This is critical because companies have to comply with established government accounting regulations to avoid legal problems. Trainees additionally must master their companies' ethical standards to make sure that monetary documents meet the expectations of officials and organizational stakeholders.

A person training in this field also is responsible for presenting the information that he or she manages. For instance, after reporting on his or her business’ financial activities, the controller trainee needs to put the information together for use in a presentation to company officials. Leaders at an organization must know the establishment’s financial status so that they can make informed decisions regarding the direction of the business. As a result, a controller trainee has to have solid verbal and written communication skills as well as strong interpersonal skills.

Leadership skills are necessary for someone who strives to enter this industry as well. A person training to become a controller needs to practice hiring, training, and motivating accounting staff members. In addition, he or she must master the process of handling employee performance evaluations. If personnel problems arise, he or she should seek support from an experienced controller in his or her department to address them efficiently.