10 Accounting Career Lessons

10 Accounting Career Lessons10 Accounting Career LessonsRecruiters know good candidates when they see them. Good applicants for accounting and finance roles have the right mix of experience and software skills, degrees and in-demand certifications, along with tenure in their industry. Good candidates are also equally as great in person as they are on paper.The best candidates, however, have learned a few important career lessons.If youre an accounting candidate, what is this secret sauce that makes hiring managers and recruiters so excited to call you? And maybe mora importantly, what are the factors that deter them from calling you?While a lot of factors make a candidate look great on a resume, there are a number of career lessons that can increase the likelihood youll get a call from a hiring manager or recruiter.There is no carbon-copy accountant that every company is looking to hire. Every industry, company and hiring manager looks for something different. Requirements for qualif ications, certifications and software all depend on what kind of business theyre in.But, if you follow these tried-and-true career lessons, you increase your marketability in the accounting field - and decrease your chances of being passed over in the job search.1. Dont get pigeonholedThe industries that are hardest to transfer out of are banking or financial services, government, and nonprofit organizations. Thats leid to say you should avoid these industries completely. Just dont take a position in them expecting it to lead you to another job in a different industry.Accounting specifications are uniquely different in certain lines of business and dont transfer easily to other industry roles. Even if you have great tenure and experience in one sector, it doesnt necessarily mean you have equal opportunity in another. You may be promotable within these sectors, but not necessarily outside of them.2. Diversify your software experienceQuickBooks experience is great, but having it as t he only accounting software youve mastered wont transfer well to a company thats not using it. Having universal enterprise resource planning (ERP) experience, like SAP, is great to have - and also transferrable. Some of the most common accounting ERPs include JD Edwards, NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics and Sage, to name a few.3. Dont stay at a company too longGood tenure is important, especially if youre looking for a traditional direct hire, full-time position, but staying somewhere too long can make potential employers weary of your ability and even willingness to learn their processes, software and business. Avoid becoming too stale by being receptive to new opportunities outside of your current company.4. But dont move on too soon If your resume shows a pattern of staying at companies for an average of months instead of years, those are the types of opportunities youre going to attract - short-term, contract assignments. Thats fine, if thats the work you want. In permanent-placem ent recruiting, this is called a job hopper. As a professional, you shouldnt make decisions on changing jobs based on temporary frustrations. If there are situations causing you to make frequent career moves, be prepared to answer questions related to your tenure (or lack thereof) in an interview. Dont approach these questions defensively, but do so with a response youve prepared.5. Use public accounting as a launch padPublic accounting is a fickle thing. Candidates are constantly wanting to get in and candidates wanting to get out. Experience with the Big 4 firms - humorlosigkeit Young, Deloitte, KPMG and PWC - can tee up an accountant for major career success. Ive had many conversations with hiring managers who require Big 4 accounting experience for their openings. Making this choice? Read Private vs. Public Choose Your Accounting Career Path.Professionals who work at smaller, regional firms, of course, can also be top-notch candidates. But candidates who want to move to corpo rate accounting might find that managers are concerned with their ability to focus on one business instead of multiple clients, and whether they have transferrable skills if theyve been responsible for only a fraction of a total accounting process.Public accounting might remind you of the story of the three bears You want to put in just the right amount of time with the right firm.6. Become an Excel masterExcel is the common dominator for most accounting positions. Do yourself a favor and take a course if you havent had regular exposure to it or if you dont use it every day at work. Maybe youll even become an Excel fanatic, like this CPA.7. Create a strategic planWhats your end game? This needs to be the first question you ask yourself before you make a career move, or dont. Dont accept an opportunity just because it crosses your path and sounds interesting. If you want to be a CFO, learn which opportunities will lead you to that end goal, such as earning your CPA or MBA, gaining br oad financial experience, and enhancing your understanding of business, technology and operations by seeking out opportunities that expose you to those areas.8. Beware of moving for money or titleCareer skills and real money come from time and earning promotions. Changing jobs for quick money or to fast track to a different title is not a sound career move. Be ready to put in the work, and the money and titles will follow. If they dont, thats when it would be a good idea to consider making a change.9. Forge a relationship with a recruiterA good recruiter functions as a coach and a resource to help you make strategic choices. They are your eyes and ears on the market, and can alert you of good opportunities that make sense for the career path you define with them.Work with us to find your next job in accounting and finance.10. Know your market worthAs a conscientious professional, its important to be able to quantify your skills - realistically. Some people undersell themselves, whi le others oversell. This leads only to a mismatched placement, and if done too much or too frequently, can derail a career. Once youve assessed your skills, compare them with what the market needs. This gives you a true sense of how marketable you are.The biggest tip for accounting and finance professionals considering career moves is to be honest with themselves. We all think we are the best, that were marketable and that any company would be lucky to have us. But if you arent getting called back for jobs youre applying to, consider it a lesson to take a step back and assess your skill set in relation to the positions.Are you qualified, and do you have most, if not all, of the requirements listed in the job description? What does the supply and demand of talent look like? If you dont know, review accounting and finance trends to learn what skills are in demand and in what markets. Some of the best preparation is to ensure that youre marketable. Then put your best foot forward, maki ng sure the lessons youve learned during your career are clear in your resume and in a cover letter thats tailored for that prized new position.?