The list of software on accounting job ads has quietly doubled in the last five years. Where once a job description might mention Xero or MYOB and leave it there, today you are likely to see Xero, Power BI, Fathom, NetSuite and “experience with advisory tools” all crammed into the same paragraph.
For candidates, this can feel overwhelming. What do you actually need to know? What can you pick up in a few weeks on the job? And what gaps will genuinely cost you an offer?
The honest answer: most employers are more reasonable than the job ad suggests. But there are a handful of things that do matter, and knowing which is which will save you a lot of anxiety — and help you target your upskilling where it counts.
The landscape: more tools, more categories
Australian accounting software broadly splits into a few categories. The core general ledger and compliance platforms. The reporting and visualisation tools. The practice management systems. And the advisory and forecasting tools that have become increasingly important as firms push into higher-value work.
Each category rewards different levels of expertise, and employers weight them differently depending on the role.
That shift matters. Software is no longer a nice-to-have on the CV — it is increasingly a filter. But knowing which platforms are genuinely screened for, versus which are just listed hopefully, is where candidates can get a real edge.
The core platforms: what most employers expect
Xero
Xero is the dominant cloud accounting platform for SMEs in Australia, with more than 1.1 million subscribers nationally as of 2024. For any role in public practice or with an SME client base, Xero familiarity is not optional — it is baseline.
The good news: Xero is genuinely learnable. The platform is intuitive, Xero Central has solid free training, and most employers working with Xero understand that candidates coming from other systems can adapt quickly. What they want to see is that you have used it in a real context — not just that you passed a certification.
If you have not used Xero in a live role, get your Xero Advisor Certification. It is free, takes a few hours, and signals you are serious.
Must have for public practiceMYOB
MYOB still holds meaningful market share in Australia, particularly with older businesses and in industries like construction, retail and healthcare that were slower to migrate to cloud platforms. MYOB Business (the cloud version) and AccountRight (desktop) are both still widely used.
For candidates moving between firms or industries, MYOB knowledge is genuinely useful but rarely a hard requirement if you have strong Xero experience. The fundamentals transfer. Employers in MYOB-heavy environments will often train you — but walking in with some familiarity is a plus.
Useful, rarely a dealbreakerReckon
Reckon (formerly QuickBooks Australia) still appears in pockets of the market, particularly in smaller firms and some government or not-for-profit environments. It is not a platform you need to actively chase, but awareness of how it works is useful if you end up in a role servicing a broader client base.
If you encounter it in a role, it is straightforward to pick up for anyone with prior cloud accounting experience.
Awareness helps, rarely requiredPractice management: the engine behind the firm
APS
APS is one of the most widely used practice management platforms in Australian public accounting. It handles client records, workflow, time and billing, tax returns, and compliance lodgement — essentially the operational backbone of a practice.
For candidates targeting roles in mid-tier or boutique public practice firms, APS experience is genuinely valued. It is not something most people learn outside of a practice environment, so if you have it on your CV, it stands out. If you do not, most firms will train you — but flagging awareness of it shows you understand how practices actually run.
Strong advantage in public practiceReporting and visualisation: where the market is moving
This is the category that has changed the most in the last three years. As firms push into advisory and CFOs demand better visibility across their businesses, the ability to turn financial data into clear, meaningful visuals has become a genuine differentiator.
Fathom
Fathom is an Australian-built financial reporting and analysis tool that integrates with Xero and MYOB. It is widely used in advisory-focused accounting practices to produce board reports, benchmarking analysis, KPI dashboards and cash flow forecasts.
If you are in or targeting an advisory-oriented role in public practice, Fathom is worth knowing. The platform is not complex — it is designed to be used by accountants, not developers — but being comfortable in it signals to employers that you can operate in a client-facing advisory capacity, not just a compliance one.
Fathom offers a free trial and partner training. Worth an afternoon of your time if you are pushing into advisory work.
High value for advisory rolesPower BI
Power BI sits at the more technical end of the reporting stack. It is the tool of choice for FP&A analysts, finance business partners and commercial finance teams in mid-to-large organisations who need to build live dashboards, model scenarios, and present data in a way that non-finance stakeholders can actually engage with.
CPA Australia’s 2024 Finance Skills Survey found that Power BI was the single most requested digital skill by employers hiring into commercial finance roles, cited by 61% of respondents. That number has grown every year for four years running.
The reality is that most accountants coming out of public practice have limited Power BI exposure. But that gap is increasingly being used as a reason to pass on candidates who are otherwise strong. If you are making the move from practice to commercial, this is the one tool worth investing real time in. Microsoft Learn has free structured training, and there are solid paid courses on LinkedIn Learning and Udemy that will get you to a functional level in a few weeks.
Must-have for commercial financePower BI is the skill gap we see most often in candidates moving from public practice to commercial. It is also the easiest one to close before you start applying.
ERP systems: the commercial finance layer
Enterprise Resource Planning systems are the backbone of finance operations in larger businesses. They handle everything from accounts payable and receivable to inventory, payroll and consolidated reporting. For candidates targeting roles in large commercial environments, ERP familiarity matters.
NetSuite
NetSuite has become the dominant ERP platform for growing Australian businesses in the $10m to $200m revenue range — particularly in tech, e-commerce, professional services and distribution. It is cloud-native, relatively modern, and far more common in commercial finance job ads than it was even three years ago.
For candidates targeting Finance Manager, FC or FP&A roles in fast-growing businesses, NetSuite experience is increasingly a point of difference. Employers know it takes time to get up to speed, so they do not always hard-screen for it — but if you have it, mention it prominently. If you do not, NetSuite offers a free SuiteFoundation certification that is worth completing before you interview for a role where it features.
Strong advantage in commercial finance- SAP (large ASX-listed and multinational firms)
- Microsoft Dynamics 365 (mid-market, professional services)
- EPICOR (manufacturing and distribution)
- TechnologyOne (government, education, utilities)
- Sage Intacct (not-for-profit, professional services)
- Infor (healthcare, manufacturing)
The good news about ERP systems is that the underlying logic is consistent. If you understand how a general ledger works, how intercompany transactions flow, and how reporting hierarchies are structured — you can move between systems. Most employers hiring into ERP-heavy environments will provide system training. What they are screening for is whether you have the foundational commercial finance knowledge to make that training land quickly.
Business advisory tools: the emerging layer
As offshoring absorbs more compliance work and firms push into higher-margin advisory services, a new category of tools has emerged to support cash flow modelling, scenario analysis and strategic planning conversations with clients.
- Fathom (reporting and benchmarking)
- Futrli (cash flow forecasting)
- Spotlight Reporting (group consolidation, board packs)
- Calxa (budgeting and forecasting, not-for-profit)
- LivePlan (business planning, SME advisory)
- Float (cash flow forecasting, Xero add-on)
- Syft Analytics (financial reporting, emerging)
- Jirav (FP&A, larger commercial advisory)
You do not need to know all of these. But if you are working in advisory or positioning for it, understanding that this ecosystem exists — and being familiar with at least one or two platforms — signals to employers that you are genuinely engaged with where the profession is going.
What actually matters: a realistic summary
Here is the honest breakdown. If you are in public practice or targeting it:
- Xero (essential)
- APS or similar practice management (valued)
- MYOB (useful, not essential if you have Xero)
- Fathom or similar advisory tool (differentiator)
- Excel (still fundamental, never underestimate it)
- Reckon (awareness, not a focus)
If you are targeting commercial finance roles:
- Power BI (increasingly essential)
- Excel (advanced level, not just competent)
- NetSuite or SAP (strong advantage)
- Xero (useful for context, not always required)
- Forecasting tools (Jirav, Anaplan at larger end)
- Microsoft 365 stack (Teams, SharePoint, Power Automate)
The broader message is an encouraging one. The accounting profession is not being replaced by technology — it is being upgraded by it. The tools exist to help accountants spend less time on data entry and more time on the work that actually moves businesses forward.
Candidates who embrace that shift — who take the time to learn the platforms, build their data literacy, and position themselves as tech-comfortable — will find more doors open, not fewer.
The gap between where you are and where employers want you to be is almost always smaller than it looks. Most of this is learnable. Start with the one that matters most for the role you want next, and build from there.
Not sure which skills to prioritise for your next move? Let’s work through it together.
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