Hint: It’s not all ticking and footing. What’s your success secret? Join the survey; see the results. by Rick Telberg “Passion†is not a word that pops up in a lot of business studies. But ask accountants and finance managers for the secret formula to a successful CPA career and “passion†is mentioned many times and in many ways. “There are so many different career paths one can take and are available; finding the career path that you are passionate about is key and it takes time,†said James Hoffman, an assistant controller in Englewood, Colo. Joanne Newfield of Cherry Hill, N.J., a comptroller who also runs her own public practice and teaches accounting, advises new accountants: “Don’t give up. [...]
READ MORE →
What’s the best piece of advice you could offer to a young CPA just starting out in the profession? • Never take training for granted. Get the most out of it. Get your CPA early and go after your masters in tax or business. Treat your clients as you would want to be treated. Learn from your mistakes. • Pay attention to the details, understand the big picture, and have a strategy. • If you became a CPA because you love working with numbers, you’re off to the right start. Now, for the hard part, find the field of accounting that fits your personality and peruse it. Don’t chase the dollar; it’ll find you. Just find a niche you enjoy [...]
READ MORE →
What’s the single most important factor affecting career paths in the profession today? • CPAs are more than just accountants – they’re finance people and business and individuals planners. Image is the most important factor affecting the profession. If we are respected and held important to business & individual financial success more young folks will join us and more folks will use us. If, however, CPAs are not viewed as essential to the business & individual community the profession will shrink. Personally, I believe the public sees the value of the CPA but the profession must keep pushing its importance to the public. • Fast changing technical and compliance requirements. • Keep your options open. I’m not promoting job hopping, [...]
READ MORE →
Is there anything else we should be asking about finding success in today’s profession? • What one character trait do you feel makes you best suited for a career as a CPA? • What is your priority (purpose) – money or ethical work product? • How do you know whether you will be happier in public or private accounting? What are the pros and cons of each career path, and what amount of earnings can be realistically expected from each? • How important is money in your happiness radar? • What are the unexpected paths that your CPA license may lead you? For instance, I never expected to be working as an educational administrator, but I love it. • Are [...]
READ MORE →
9 keys to successful recruiting Bruce Marcus, the author of 15 books and a consultant and strategic planner for accounting and other professional firms, and The Bay Street Group, LLC offer their recommendations for making a firm appealing to recruits and for enhancing the recruiting process. Listen to the audio stream…
READ MORE →
How to succeed in accounting. by Rick Telberg On Careers Everybody’s got advice for the new grad, and accountants, it turns out, are no different. We’re getting excellent results from our new survey searching for career advice. Though it shows a lot of variety, the advice is not contradictory. It’s good advice, with 60 percent of it coming from professionals in the field for 10 to 30 years. We think it’s worth sharing. Join the survey. Get the answers.
READ MORE →
But is this the future we’ve always feared? What are the ingredients to success as a CPA? Join the study. Get the answers. by Rick Telberg On Careers With the accounting industry already struggling to keep positions filled, roaring demand for new college graduates could put pressure on accounting firms and finance departments to ratchet up recruiting and retention efforts. This year, employers plan to hire nearly 20 percent more new college graduates than they did last year according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). Starting salaries for business majors is advancing across the board. Marketing graduates are winning the biggest increase among the business fields: their average offer rose 10 percent to $41,285. Conversely, the smallest [...]
READ MORE →
