Hey Accounting Professionals: Here’s How To Excel In Your Career
It’s no secret that accounting is a good career option. After all, every organization in the world needs to keep tabs on the financial side of its operations. So it’s fair that accountants will be in demand until businesses cease to be, which is another way of saying they’ll always be in demand. Plus, it’s not just the need for accounting that makes it a good career choice. There’s also a lot of prestige connected to the field (it’s an important position, after all), and it can be extremely well-paying, too.
However, because all those things are true, there’s also a lot of competition for the best positions. As such, if you want to rise to the top, then you’ll need to put in plenty of effort! In this blog, we’re going to look at some tried and tested tips that’ll ensure your accounting career goes from strength to strength.
Get Networking
Networking can be useful in all careers, but especially so in the accounting field. It can be the difference between getting your dream job and not getting any job at all. Why? Because of the sheer number of available jobs that never even make it to the job listings board. Did you know that 85% of accounting jobs are filled through networking? In many cases, the person who successfully networks their way into a role may not even be fully qualified. That’s how important it is. So how do you go about networking? First of all, you need to be OK with approaching people that you don’t know. Attending trade shows and accounting events can be a great way to build your network.
Boost Your Qualifications
You’ll likely have learned a lot when you were in college. But there’s only so much they can teach you in a four year course. Accounting is a career where you’re always learning; you’ll never be fully finished! Plus, in some areas, what they taught you at college will be obsolete within a few years of leaving. Accounting is a dynamic field, after all. You can show your commitment to your career — and make yourself more desirable in the eyes of employers — by actively pursuing post-graduation qualifications. This will ensure that you never fall behind the times and ensure that when your dream job becomes available, you’re able to demonstrate that you have what it takes to succeed.
Improve Your Soft Skills
Accounting is about much more than crunching numbers. It’s about people. You could be a whizz with a calculator, but if you don’t know how to communicate and work with others, then you’ll be putting yourself at an obvious disadvantage. One of the most effective methods of improving your career is to improve your soft skills. There are many courses that’ll allow you to do this; while you can work on soft skills specifically with accounting in mind, you don’t necessarily need to!
Get Specific
It’s important to remember that accounting is a broad industry. As we said at the beginning of the article, every organization in the world needs accounting services. And there can, of course, be a big difference in types of organization! If you’re looking to succeed in your career, then it can be worthwhile specializing so that you can serve one specific industry. There are oil and gas accounting CPE courses, for instance, which will allow you to work in one of the world’s most profitable industries. If you’re not sure which area to specialize in, then think of the projects that you’ve worked on in the past, and see if there’s one that you enjoyed more than the others.
Branch Out
While you may decide to work in one particular industry, that doesn’t mean you should also commit to one on just one specific task. It’s much, much better to have a range of skills in your locker. Ultimately, the more accounting that you’re able to do, the more value you’ll offer to your employers. This is something that you can be proactive about. Don’t wait for your employer to offer you something new. If you’re getting bored with what you’re doing, or you just think that it’s time to challenge yourself, then ask for more responsibility and new tasks.
Think Global
It’s a big old world, sure, but it’s also getting smaller every day. In today’s hyperconnected world, companies are looking for people that can help them to navigate their accounting needs all over the world. If you have a global mindset and have an understanding of accounting operations in other countries, then you’ll be making yourself highly attractive.
Get Advice
There’ll come a point where you feel like you know everything there is to know about accounting. Alas, the problem is that, by that time, you’ll be near the end of your career. How much better it would be if you could get access to all that wisdom while you were still in the development stage of your career. Well, you can! Getting a mentor is something that not that many people think to do, but they should — it can have a profoundly positive impact on your career. There are organizations that will connect you with people that want to provide mentoring services. Another option is to approach someone that you already know.
New Technology
Finally, be sure to keep on top of new technological developments within the accounting profession. There are always new ones coming out! By keeping up to date, you’ll ensure that you don’t lose any opportunities because of tech issues, plus you’ll just all-around increase your proficiency levels.
Conclusion
If you take on board all of the advice that we’ve outlined above, then you’ll be putting yourself in a good position to succeed in your career. Indeed, the final piece of the jigsaw is hard work, for which, of course, there is no substitute. Your accounting career can be highly engaging, interesting, challenging, and rewarding (in all terms, including financially) if you commit to delivering your best work every single time.