FOUR TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL CAREER IN ACCOUNTING

 It will come as no surprise that – like so many industries – a career in accounting is not immune from a rapidly developing technological and technical environment which is making it even harder to map a the “perfect” career path Ed Kirby and I sat down this afternoon and discussed amongst other things (England’s 2018 Six Nations tournament for one) “With all of this change what are the fundamentals that HAVEN’T changed and which will ensure your success in the accounting field”.

This list is by no means exhaustive but it is our initial thoughts and captures a few things you really need to think about;

ENGAGE WITH THE BUSINESS

Get out of your seat. Get out there and absorb the sales floor, the manufacturing plant, the farm, the trading floor, the oil pipeline. Use the technology and ask questions from other people in their business. What are their challenges and how can your work add value to them? What to the “numbers” mean to the GM of Client Services? It doesn’t matter what level you are at; if you don’t know business there is no point in knowing accounting.

MAINTAIN YOUR TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE

Don’t become a jack of all trades and a master of none. In order to progress you need to stay up to date with legislative and regulatory changes and you need to be able to understand the detail. If you don’t know how a technical set of accounts are pulled together “these days” then you don’t know what questions to ask. Don’t lose that core skill set that you developed at the start.

CARE ABOUT WHAT YOU DO

If you don’t like accounting then do something else. If you do like it then get immersed in your profession. Get your professional qualifications and do your CPD. You can’t say you are a professional and then get half wet – make an effort to be better than you were yesterday.

BE A GOOD #2 AND DEVELOP A GOOD #2

This isn’t revolutionary I know but – put simply – support and help your leader and support and develop the person below you. Being a good team mate means avoiding undermining people, doing crap work for them or holding people back. Opportunities are given to those who promote other people’s ideas and make those around them better – not worse

Good luck people!!