Accounting is a field that appeals to many professionals, and this is for good reason. The work can be interesting and engaging, there is always a demand for talented accountants, and there are fantastic career development opportunities.
It is easy to see why so many people pursue a career in accounting, but this is not the easiest industry to thrive in and many people struggle in their careers. With this in mind, this post will offer a few career tips for accountants that should help you to achieve your career goals and enjoy a rewarding career. Interested? Read on to find out more.
Constantly Build and Maintain a Network
Having a large professional network is key to getting ahead in the accounting world. Having a large network will allow you to discover new opportunities, improve your professional reputation, and help you to get ahead.
This means that you need to make a constant effort to grow this network by attending events and networking online. Crucially, be sure to nurture these relationships over time – social media can be a great way for keeping in touch with people.
Gain Experience in Different Areas
It is also a good idea to try to gain experience in different areas of accounting. In addition to helping you to find the area that you enjoy the most, this will also allow you to develop a wider skillset and help you to see the bigger picture. This might involve having to train in different areas, such as taxation, but this will prove to be worthwhile in the end.
Develop Business Acumen and Leadership Skills
The accountants that go on to have their own firms and achieve the highest levels of success are the ones that have strong business acumen and leadership skills. A good accountant will be able to crunch the numbers, but a great accountant will be able to help business leaders to make smart financial decisions. Leadership skills will always come in handy when looking to progress your career, especially if you have plans to start your own firm.
Buy a Firm Instead of Setting Up Your Own
Following on from this, if you have an end goal of starting your own firm (like many do) then you might want to instead investigate buying an established firm already. It can be very hard to achieve success when starting your own firm, even if you have built up your name over the years, but by purchasing a pre-existing firm, you remove this risk and can then shape the firm how you wish. This can be a complex process, so you should always work with experienced advisors, like Poe Group Advisors.
Hopefully, the advice in this post will be useful and help you to get ahead in your accounting career. This is a field that appeals to many people and for good reasons, but it is not the easiest industry to thrive when it is so competitive, which is why it is important to know how to get ahead and progress in your career.