Are you interested in pursuing a career as an accountant but are unsure of what steps you need to follow to make your intention a reality? In this article, we’ll share some great pieces of advice that can help you get the ball rolling.
Who are accountants?
An accountant is a financial expert who assists individuals or companies in managing their financial affairs. Their duties also include creating and sharing significant financial reports, performing risk analysis and calculations, and providing guidance on methods of minimising expenses and maximising profits. They also ensure that any financial documents that are produced are accurate and comply with regulatory agencies. They might also be responsible for tasks like producing tax returns for their clients, examining the financial operations of a company, and providing solutions to any problems a company might be facing. Finally, accountants may be responsible for managing client money, payments, and other transactions.
Due to the risk associated with offering professional advice, accountants are recommended to have insurance for accountant policies in place.
Eight career tips for accountants
1. Become a CPA
Licensed public accountants are known as CPAs. CPAs are certified public accountants who have been granted a licence to practise accounting. An accountant who holds this licence is expected to operate in adherence to the rules governing the accounting profession in their state and across the country. As such, knowing accounting laws and regulations is important. Accountants can gain the required knowledge by enrolling in classes for their bachelor’s degree or participating in at least 150 hours of professional or continuing education in business, economics, or finance. Along with passing the Uniform CPA Exam, they also need to have at least two years of accounting experience.
2. Find a mentor
A mentor is a qualified individual who can share their professional experiences with you and assist you in honing your accounting skills. Try and find a mentor who has many years of experience, a stellar reputation in their company or among other accountants, and a track record of success in their field. Notably, you can select more than one mentor, which offers you access to more advantages by allowing you to draw from more experiences. Furthermore, having several mentors can guarantee that you can contact at least one when you are in need of advice.
3. Develop your network
The capacity to connect with other businesspeople in your industry and beyond is known as networking. You will need to develop several skills to be an effective networker. First, become proficient in good communication with a variety of people. This can assist you in interacting with people in a way that doesn’t interfere with their ability to perform their jobs and is comfortable for them. Join a website or professional network so you can learn from experts in your field. This may open up your network to experts both domestically and abroad. Take every opportunity at conferences and workshops to interact with other professionals.
4. Keep abreast of technology
A significant portion of the work accountants perform involves technology. Contemporary software helps you produce forecasts, perform data analysis, predict patterns, and formulate models. Your network of experts, including your mentors and other significant individuals, can be contacted with the aid of technology. Cloud-based solutions enable you to locate new tools as they are created, enabling you to use the most precise tools available for your line of work.
5. Discover further fields of expertise
You can maintain professional flexibility by gaining experience in a variety of accounting-related fields. Since bookkeeping is the most common type of accounting work, many accountants perform bookkeeping duties for their clients; as such, it is advantageous to gain expertise in this area. As an accountant, you can also expand your skills in other areas, such as the compilation of financial documents, taxation, auditing, and compliance reporting.
6. Strengthen your soft skills
Your ability to effectively interact with others depends on your soft skills. They are also intrinsic to who you are, which sets them apart from the skills you learn through employment or other professional pursuits. These include abilities like communication, problem-solving, and creativity, which you can use in any job.
7. Look for advancement possibilities
Start looking for promotions within your company once you’ve accumulated some experience in your current position and a reputation for producing high-quality work. Before applying for a promotion, you should work on developing your dependability, trustworthiness, capacity to produce high-quality work, and communication skills. You can also cultivate traits like cooperation, teamwork, optimism, and a solution-focused mindset as opposed to a challenge-focused one.
8. Recognize your essential principles
Your core values are the ideas and actions that are significant to you in both your personal and professional life. Honesty, trust, communication, teamwork, quality, and innovation are a few examples of these values. While each person may have unique core values, some, like honesty and trust, are shared by a large number of people. Knowing your guiding principles can help you control your behaviour, especially when you’re under stress. Knowing your core values can also help you better understand yourself in a variety of situations because they can play a big part in how you make decisions.
