How to move from Accounts Payable to a staff accountant role
AP and AR experience is often discounted as clerical rather than substantive accounting work, causing employers to pass over applicants for candidates with direct staff-level backgrounds. This leaves experienced professionals stuck making hundreds of applications without receiving responses or getting turned down at the interview stage.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
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How to move from Accounts Payable to a staff accountant role
- 1Applying broadly and hoping for responsesDid this help you?
- 2Targeting ERP system administrator or accounts payable manager rolesDid this help you?
- 3Transitioning to accounts payable at a large company and networking horizontallyDid this help you?
- 4Volunteering for tasks outside the standard job description to earn trust internallyDid this help you?
- 5Seeking resume advice and feedbackDid this help you?
- 6Relying on recruiter assurances during initial screeningsDid this help you?
- 7coming early and staying lateDid this help you?
- 8reading and watching YouTube videos on manufacturing inventory and overheadDid this help you?
- 9asking a lot of questions during trainingDid this help you?
- 10staying in lower-paying accounts payable roles to maintain low stress and good work-life balanceDid this help you?
- 11relying on other income sources or veteran compensation to supplement lower payDid this help you?
- 12waiting until the start date for training provided by the employerDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I am stuck in entry level roles despite a ton of experience and a degree.”source ↗
“I've been applying for staff accountant type jobs, but I'm having the hardest time even getting a response at this point.”source ↗
“I want to move up and out of these entry level jobs and I honestly don't know how anymore.”source ↗
“I received an offer from a staff accountant position in a metal manufacturing company, which I never thought I would get.”source ↗
“B.S in accounting but haven’t really worked in the field since I turned 31, made risky career decisions in the past 5 years which, never panned out.”source ↗
“Realistically I don’t see myself there after 3 months because they said the previous girl was let go cause she couldn’t understand it”source ↗
“I’m looking for advice on transitioning from Accounts Payable into Accountant roles.”source ↗
“I’ve been getting interviews for Accountant positions, but ultimately end up being passed over for candidates with more direct accounting experience.”source ↗
“I accepted a staff accounting role, which starts next Monday. I been a bookkeeper in retail, but the role is completely different because I never had to close. It’s been 4 years since I have.”source ↗
“Would it be appropriate to email and ask for specific, so I can YouTube training videos and prepare a little better for my start date?”source ↗
“How should I approach this? I only met my future supervisor once during the interview and haven’t spoken to them since, only the HR department.”source ↗
“I’ve been considering trying to move from AP into a Staff Accountant position.”source ↗
“How much more stressful was it?”source ↗
“Is the pay increase worth the additional responsibilities?”source ↗
“Is it possible to find Staff Accountant positions with good work-life balance and remote/hybrid flexibility?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 11How to get tax experience without an entry-level job
- 28What other career paths are there with an accounting degree?
- 28Does starting in private accounting ruin your career?
- 16Is moving from accounting to corporate finance too stressful?
- 3How to see accounting from a business perspective
- 8How to get an accounting job without a CPA