Graduation….Now What?

Posted on June 1, 2012 by Heather Zeitzwolfe

As spring begins to turn into summer, so do students into graduates. Hopefully, part of their transformation will be to swiftly metamorphosis into a professional. Graduating from college can be monumental, scary, soul-numbing, disappointing, liberating, expensive and thrilling. By the time graduation finally rolls around, many students are eager to throw their cap towards the sky and move on. However, life beyond college is unpredictable, no matter how high your GPA or how well you mapped out your future.

As a true member of Generation X, I share a certain cynicism about the future, which is coated with a nagging passion to make it better. I am reminded of the quintessential Gen X film Reality Bites, which starts off with the valedictorian (Winona Ryder) giving the following graduation speech:

“And they wonder why those of us in our twenties, refuse to work an 80-hour week, just so we can afford to buy their BMWs; why we aren’t interested in the counterculture that they invented, as if we did not see them disembowel their revolution for a pair of running shoes. But the question remains…what are we going to do now? How can we repair all the damage we inherited? Fellow graduates, the answer is simple. The answer is…The answer is…I don’t know.”

Although this speech was poignant back in the 90’s (and the dream is alive in Portland), it is not exactly the inspiration I am seeking for newly accounting graduates. Therefore, I turn towards those who have made the successful transition from student to professional for their advice and guidance. Here are some of their golden nuggets of wisdom.

My advice to new accounting graduates is to keep your eyes and options open. There are such a wide variety of careers out there for you! Whether it is working in public accounting doing tax and/or auditing, or being part of the accounting team at a manufacturing, high-tech or service corporation, or volunteering your skills at a non-profit agency … go find an industry that you enjoy with people that challenge you. Good luck and Happy Accounting!” – Megan King (Associate, Fluence) class of 2001 Gonzaga University

Accept that school doesn’t fully prepare you for work, and that you will have a lot of on the job learning.  Just take your first step into your career with an open mind, and a strong willingness to learn and grow as you take on new challenges.”  – Rikki Amari (Tax Associate, KPMG) class of 2009: Portland State University

Get used to having no idea what you’re doing. Seek out an experienced mentor/buddy, somebody who will take a walk with you to get coffee and reassure that is in fact normal to be equal parts scared and exhilarated by your new position. Plan for your future. When you’re in the midst of sorting through exceptionally boring or unstructured data it can be hard to get motivated. Think about how developing that skill or understanding the process will help you get where you want to be, at your firm/company/agency or to the next place you want to go, wherever that may be. It may not make it fun, but it can make it useful. Delight in your mistakes. Figure out how to fix them and look at them as part of the learning process. Laugh about them, never be embarrassed when you screw up, everyone does.” – Alexis Fowlks (Staff Auditor, Oregon Secretary of State: Audit Division) class of 2011: Portland State University

Filed under: Accounting Degree, Job Search, Private Industry, Public Accounting | Tagged: , | Leave a Comment »

Accounting for Distractions

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Diane Thiercof

Monday morning you sit down at your workstation and check your e-mail.  You have 15 new e-mails all talking about different things.  At the same time you’re chatting with your coworker about the dinner you made last night and then someone walks up needing to discuss something else.  You finally turn back to your desk and it is cluttered with papers and files from multiple projects.  You go online, check your personal e-mail and then maybe get sucked into CNN, Yahoo Sports, or Facebook.   Where is your focus?

Being focused is a challenge for most people today because there is so much information being thrown at us every minute!  Does the above scenario ring any bells?  If so, you are in luck!  There are ways to keep your focus at work and tips to stay on track all over the internet.  One website tells us that “Focus is about not being distracted and overcoming procrastination.  It is about seeing, feeling, breathing the outcome you want.”

Personally, I used to get distracted pretty easily.  There are two things I have changed that have made such a big impact on my level of focus.  Sure, you can do an internet search and sift through pages and pages of suggestions, or you could pick one thing to try for one week and see how it goes.  I want to provide two suggestions that have really worked for me as a starting point.

Step 1:  Keep a clean desk

I will do a quick and dirty organizing job in the morning.  I figure out my top priority in the morning (before checking e-mail) and get out what I need to get the task done.  This may include paperwork or opening spreadsheets.  I then put everything else on my desk in one pile behind me so I can’t see it.  I am all set to tackle this task and then I check my e-mail.  The reason why I do it in this order is because I already have decided where my focus is going to be first so that my e-mail doesn’t distract me from that.

Step 2: Prioritizing your e-mail

If you use Outlook you can categorize your e-mail by color.  I have assigned subjects to each color either by when I need to reply or the topic being discussed.  Then, anything I don’t want to look at right away I flag.  By flagging the e-mail it lists the e-mail as a task that I need to complete.  This morning when I came into work I had 37 e-mails to read.  I used my stop watch to time how long it took me to prioritize and categorize my e-mails.  Any guesses?  10 minutes?  HECK NO!  It took me 1 minute and 42 seconds to go through 37 e-mails.  Any red category was a “reply right away” e-mail and I had 11 of those.  I spent 8 minutes doing replying.  My point is that this is easy and fast to do and will keep you from getting distracted.  The BEST part about it is that when Outlook adds items to your task list, it feels so good to mark them as complete!

Accounting for what’s next

I’ve spent the last year writing about the world of accounting including being new to a job, tax season, the CPA exam, networking and many others.  It is now time to write about what’s next for me. This is my final blog for this site as I will be taking on a new role in the OSCPA community.  After several years as a volunteer for the Career Development Team, I will be the new Chair starting in April 2012.  I am very excited for this opportunity and I invite everyone to consider becoming a part of this awesome team!  Take a look at the website, read about what it mean to be a member and what we do, and sign up if you’re interested!  I look forward to hearing from you and hopefully meeting you at our next meeting!

Filed under: Private Industry, Public Accounting, Work/Life Balance | Tagged: , , | Leave a Comment »

Tax Season and Teeth Pulling

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Diane Thiercof

Just like the inevitable dentist visit every six months, tax season can sneak up on you. All of a sudden it is a week away and your heart is filled with dread. The last thing you want to do is to go to the dentist…or start tax season, right?  And just like going to the dentist, people have all sorts of attitudes about starting busy season. Some dread it, others don’t mind, and a few crazy people actually enjoy it.

After leaving public accounting, many of my friends ask me about my schedule this time of year. Most are so used to me being unavailable. They will ask if we can get together and then answer their own question by remembering I am “crazy busy” at work and can’t see them. It is nice to be able to remind them that I changed jobs, and although I still have a busy season, it is nothing like public accounting.

So, what’s the difference?  I am still learning the differences myself as this is my first busy season with my current company, but so far I have discovered a few. First, I don’t have to put in as many hours. Over the weekend I saw a former coworker who told me he worked 75 hours last week. I remember having weeks similar to that and I am grateful that I am not facing them anymore. Working an additional 35-40 hours was not uncommon and it really limited what I could accomplish and who I could see once I left the office. Even though I am working more than 40 hours a week right now, I think I average 45 hours a week and I hardly notice it.

Another difference is that there are more deadlines at my current job. In public accounting I mainly focused on the March 15th and April 15th deadlines. There wasn’t much organization surrounding due dates other than this. In my current position I have several deadlines in a span of 2 weeks. At first, I struggled to remember all of these deadlines, but now that I’ve been exposed to them for while, it is like second nature to me. I enjoy turning in a progression of work as opposed to a mad dash to get everything in at once.

Finally, while working at a CPA firm, I became used to small luxuries such as boxes of tissues stocked in a supply closet and any choice of color or size of post-it I wanted. I still miss the really nice chair I had and the lamp I used for extra lighting. Now, working for a not-for-profit, I buy a lot of my own office supplies and I bring in my own boxes of tissues. The company has office supplies available, but I think I got used to certain sized post-its or nicer quality pens than what is provided. Since there are post-its available, I would feel strange requesting the hot pink ones. A company this large simply can’t stock tissue for everyone. I certainly don’t mind this change, but it did take some getting used to. In fact, on my first day I asked a coworker where the Kleenex was kept.  I think I confused her and she let me know there was tissue in the bathroom.

If you are currently working in industry, but not for a not-for-profit, I invite you to share your experiences here. Is your year-end schedule similar to what I have described?  Do you buy your own tissues or office supplies?  Do you have more monthly deadlines?  All in all I would say the changes are positive. I think I found the right working environment for my personality.  I thrive from more organization and I also benefit from the sustained work-life balance, even during busy season. You may read this and like the sound of working in industry, or you may be thinking you like having one busy season during the year as opposed to due dates each month. Now is the time to explore your options, learn what you can about the different environments and seek out a job you think will fit your personality.

Filed under: Job Search, Private Industry, Public Accounting, Tax Season, Work/Life Balance | Tagged: , , | Leave a Comment »

Communication in Accounting: It Counts

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Sarah Friesen

If you are new to accounting, you are probably realizing how important it is to have good communication skills. Having technical proficiency in accounting is only one part of the job. The ability to communicate those concepts to clients and business associates is just as critical, whether it’s explaining a complex tax law or describing the nuances of an accounting adjustment.

When I was going through recruiting season a couple of years ago, I often heard firms single out communication ability as a key trait they sought in new hires. Even though I had returned to school after being in another profession and had zero accounting experience, firms and businesses appreciated that I knew how to write and engage with a variety of people in a professional manner. You can’t underestimate that ability, and it’s something you will continue to develop throughout your career. It’s no wonder that having previous jobs in retail or another service industry – anything where you are interacting with a wide variety of people — can ultimately help you in accounting.

That said, communication skills are not always up to par, according to this AccountingWeb article:

Blame the rise of text messaging or a lack of emphasis on communication skills in academia, but the importance of communication when it comes to developing ties with clients cannot be understated. Communication is essential when following up with clients and documenting the services your firm has provided and their results.

One challenge of my job in corporate accounting is to communicate the “why” of an accounting rule or adjustment to non-accountants. Accounting can seem so arcane to those who haven’t spent years studying it. Let’s face it: It can feel arcane to us sometimes, too.

So there is great virtue in being able to take something that is difficult to understand and turn it into an “aha!” moment for someone else. You can be that conduit between confusion and clarity.

How to do this? I try to draw on my years in journalism, in which we often had to take mangled bureaucratic language, or a complicated tax plan, and describe it in everyday language for readers. One journalism tip that I still fall back on in my current job: If you’re trying to describe a complicated concept, pretend that you are talking to a friend. What wording would you use to explain that? This may seem oversimplified, but it forces you to drop the more technical language that may obscure meaning.

The communication aspect becomes easier, both as you gain a better depth of accounting and as you interact with various types of clients as your career grows.

Speaking of communication: This will be my last missive for this blog. I started writing for it last year with the goal of sharing what it’s like to be a new accountant and to start over in a new profession. And nearly 18 months into the job, I can safely say I’m no longer a new accountant. I’ve crossed that bridge into another career. I will be focusing on the next phase of my career as well as studying for the CPA exam – and yes, I’ll be continuing to work on my own communication skills.

Filed under: Accounting Degree, Job Search, Private Industry, Public Accounting | Tagged: , , | 1 Comment »

Starting New in 2012

Posted on January 4, 2012 by Diane Thiercof

Is this the year you graduate?  The year you start a new job?  We all think about resolutions and generally they focus around getting back into shape or eating better, but what about some career oriented resolutions?  I challenge you to make 2012 the year you become more engaged in your career or future career in accounting!

Well, what does that mean???

We are all in different stages of our lives and careers, but I wanted to share what I had in mind for myself.  Last year at this time I was trying to figure out if I wanted to stay in public accounting and if I wanted to stay at the firm where I was working.  This year, I have already transitioned into a job and career I love.  The next step for me is learning what I need to do to move up in my current company and be more successful in my current position.  I also am nervous about going through a yearend close with a new company my first year out of public accounting.  Facing new challenges, even in a job you enjoy, can make you nervous.  I made it a priority to familiarize myself with my individual responsibilities as well as those for my department.  As soon as I returned to work in the new year I started gathering information and asking questions.

How many of you are about to embark on your first busy season in public accounting?  I remember mine and I remember most how difficult it was to not know what to expect.  Even if your coworkers, friends or professors tell you what it is going to be like, you never really know until you go through it.  The only advice I can give is to keep a positive attitude, ask a lot of questions and remember that nothing lasts forever!

Another way to get more involved in your career is to get more involved with the OSCPA.  Whether you decide to volunteer your time, get connected with a mentor or attend our Brown Bag series, there are plenty of ways to learn more about working in this field.

So, what are your career-oriented goals for 2012?

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Embrace Those Accounting Stereotypes

Posted on December 22, 2011 by Sarah Friesen

Every now and then, the dreaded remark rears its head.

“What kind of job do you do?” a new acquaintance will ask me.

“I’m an accountant.”

His or her face falls. “Oh. How boring!” Alternatively, he or she utters a comment laced with sarcasm: “Wow, that’s exciting!”

This has happened several times recently, so I thought it was time to revisit a subject I originally wrote about earlier this year: erasing the stigma that accounting (and, by extension, the accountant who holds the job) is dull.

But this time, I’m just going to (tongue in cheek) embrace the stereotype. Yes, accounting is boring! And here’s why:

  • Unlike some jobs, you’ll probably have a predictable work schedule. I’ve worked in previous jobs where my schedule had nontraditional hours and an unpredictable routine, where breaking news kept me on my toes trying to juggle assignments as they popped up. Sure, it was an adrenaline rush being on the front lines of news coverage. But excitement also brings exhaustion. I craved a new career with predictability. I wanted to work hard but also know what time I was going home at night. I make no apology for that. It was also a factor in my choosing private rather than public accounting.
  • You get to learn the inner workings of your company. It’s no surprise that many people who go on to become leaders in their business or firm start as accountants. You have a bird’s-eye view of the business.
  • You immerse yourself in digits. Yes, accounting is all about numbers. But people need to realize that numbers are dollar figures that carry great significance for a company or individual.  They are not simply random figures in a vacuum but represent expenses, income, profit and more. It’s what business is all about.
  • It’s your chance to display integrity and a strong work ethic. Our industry still shudders from the effects of accounting scandals such as Enron. We counteract that by always putting integrity and good business practices first. And a dedicated work ethic is crucial. My definition of success is as simple as putting in a hard day’s work in which I give my best effort. No, it probably won’t win me fame, fortune or awards, but it gives me personal satisfaction.
  • You understand a subject that many people find hopelessly arcane and vexing. We all know people who are freaked out by numbers and/or taxes. There is a certain prestige to being well-versed in and employed in a profession that embraces both.

The next time you hear that accounting lacks excitement, just smile and nod. You know the truth.

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Getting in the Spirit of Giving

Posted on November 23, 2011 by Sarah Friesen

One of the things I am enjoying most about having a year of accounting under my belt is that I now know enough about the job and our business operations to help train other people who have come on board.

No matter where I’ve worked, I’ve always loved training, coaching and mentoring new staffers and interns. It’s a way of giving back, of passing on knowledge. Not to be too overblown about it, but it’s a way of leaving a little legacy. It elevates work beyond the day-to-day so that it also becomes an investment in others’ potential.

Years and years ago in one of my first jobs, I had someone training me who was very impatient and had a low tolerance for the mistakes I made that are inevitable when you’re learning something new in a high-pressure environment. I vowed then that when I got the chance to show someone the ropes, I was going to take the opposite approach.

Of course, that’s not to say I’m a font of patience 24/7 (especially on those crazy, hectic workdays). Far from it. But overall, I do strive to be someone who’s willing to help and guide, someone who can be easily approached to answer questions.

I also appreciate how taking the time to show others new tasks helps bring a welcome variety to the workday. As an accountant, I naturally gravitate to detail-oriented assignments, but I also want opportunities to engage with others. Helping others grow in their jobs is one of the most rewarding ways to engage.

And for those of you who aspire to management positions within your company, remember that taking the initiative to train or coach other staffers demonstrates and nurtures your leadership skills. Even if you’re not at management level, you can still offer valuable advice to those who are one step below you on the career ladder. After all, you have just been where they are now. You know the pitfalls and the rewards, and you’ve probably spent time thinking about how you would have done things differently or what would have been helpful to know in the beginning when you were fresh on the job. That’s your wisdom to share.

For those looking to find a mentor (or those considering mentoring an up-and-coming accountant), this recent article from the Journal of Accountancy offers some excellent tips. It’s also a good reminder that even if you don’t work in a firm with a formal mentoring program, you can still cultivate such as relationship.

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Interviewing: Ensuring a Callback

Posted on November 1, 2011 by Diane Thiercof

In a follow up to my last post about how to succeed at a job fair…I’d like to touch on some things you can do to ensure a successful interview.  I know there are all sorts of websites you can go to for advice, but they always seem to say the same thing.  I want to provide some unconventional advice that you may not have heard before.

1.  Interview the interviewer:  This is your time to find out if this is the job that you want to commit to. You aren’t just selling yourself during an interview!  Give some clear thought to what’s important to you and maybe even make a list of deal makers and breakers.  Don’t be afraid to ask questions.  For example, if you don’t want to be in a job where you wear a suit everyday, ask about the dress code.

During the interview for my current job I went to coffee with two people in my department.  After working there, they told me I stood out because I asked good questions and they thought it showed that I knew what I wanted from a job.  Of course you will spend the majority of the time being interviewed, but when it is your time to ask questions…never say you don’t have any!  Have questions prepared before you walk in, but make sure not to ask about benefits, salary or time-off.  These questions can be asked once you’re offered the job.

2. Feign your way into looking like you’re quick on your feet:  What I mean by this is that interviewers ask some pretty common questions.  You shouldn’t be surprised when you get situational ones thrown your way.  Often times they start with, “Tell me a time when…” Be prepared before you go in by looking up common interview questions.  My favorite resource is a book I picked up 10 years ago, but still used this year.  101 Great Answers to the Toughest Interview Questions, by Ron Fry.

There is one specific tip I want to mention:  When asked to talk about a time when you encountered conflict and how you resolved it, this isn’t a time to bash your former employer/professor/peer.  Sure you may have had a bum as a partner in a group project or your boss may be a jerk, but that is not what is important in this question.  Interviewers are more concerned with how you view and resolve conflict.  Instead of talking about how horrible your former boss was, maybe consider an internal conflict instead.  When you talk badly about people during an interview, interviewers can’t help but think that you’ll be speaking the same way about them sometime soon.

3. Be personable without getting too personal

It is important to be real and personable, but you want to accomplish this without getting too personal.  This interview is about your career, not your personal life.  When thinking of examples to situational questions, use work and school based situations, not friendships, familial or romantic relationships.  Remember what you’re showcasing and how you want to be perceived by your potential future employers.

Once again, do your homework and be prepared for the interview!  The work you do beforehand will pay big dividends once in front of the interviewers.

If you have any questions please leave a comment here and hopefully you can get a wide range of ideas/opinions.

Filed under: Job Search, Private Industry, Public Accounting | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Career Showcase – a Time to Showcase YOU

Posted on October 6, 2011 by Diane Thiercof

My first experience with the OSCPA Career Showcase was in 2008 as a recent post bac graduate hoping to impress exhibitors and land an interview.  Within 4 weeks of attending I had interviews scheduled with 3 companies I met that evening.  I considered myself very fortunate, but I had also spent a significant amount of time doing my homework.  This year I came to the Showcase with The Regence Group and had a chance to talk to many current students and recent graduates about the opportunities at my company.  It was nice to be there without a belly full of butterflies, but I think my time as a job seeker gave me empathy for the many nervous folk I encountered last week. I wanted to share my experiences behind the booth and hopefully answer some questions about what to do now that you have spoken to multiple exhibitors.

We met with a vast amount of candidates, but the ones who stuck out from the crowd all had similar characteristics.

They possessed an upbeat attitude and were personable- It was best when I was greeted with a smile and I could tell that the candidate was happy to be speaking with me.

They knew about our company - I was impressed when people already had an idea of what the accounting department at Regence does or when I knew people had looked at our website and read through the posted job descriptions. 

They engaged us in conversation– Even if candidates didn’t know much about our company, they stood out from the crowd because of the good questions they asked.  At that point, the candidate was more than just a name, but someone generally interested in what I had to say about my company and what direction it could take their career.  I was particularly impressed with those who asked about our CPA certification program.

I was baffled to see candidates not dressed in at least business casual.  A career fair for the accounting field is not the time to wear jeans, baseball hats, low cut shirts, or anything that is wrinkled.  Accounting is a professional field and you should be thinking about dressing for the job you want.  Luckily, I mostly saw black suits or at least a business casual selection which is what I expected. 

So what now?

At this point, the exhibitors are back into the hustle and bustle of their work days.  Chances are they don’t remember you specifically.  I would suggest contacting them if you haven’t already done so.  I would send a quick e-mail thanking them for speaking with you.  I would also recommend reminding them briefly of your background and your interest in the open positions.  If you aren’t required to post a resume online, you may consider attaching another copy of your resume.  If you didn’t receive a business card I would try looking up their information on the corporate website.  If you can’t find an e-mail address, a hand written note is always appropriate as well.

For more tips about career fairs click here.  For tips on resume writing click here.

Happy Hunting!

 

 

Filed under: Accounting Degree, Job Search, Private Industry | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Balancing Parenthood and Work as an Accountant

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Sarah Friesen

The past year in a new career as an accountant has been full of transitions for me. And there’s one transition I truly welcome: that of my work-life balance.

Now, I know there are some of you who want to scream at me for saying this. “Work-life balance in accounting?! What are you talking about?” I know many of you put in grueling workweeks during tax season and barely see your family or friends during that time.

But I don’t say this to gloat. I’ve been in my own version of the trenches, too. When I was a journalist, the unpredictable nature of the news cycle played havoc with my need to have a predictable parenting schedule. As an editor in a busy newsroom, I used to panic when news broke late in the day, because all I could think was, “I don’t have time for this! Day care is closing in 45 minutes!” How to balance the sense of duty to my job while knowing that my son needed to be picked up no later than 6:15? I either felt like a disloyal journalist or a bad mother. I can’t tell you how many times I cut the end-of-the-workday timing so close that my racing heart threatened to explode out of my chest as I fought through rush-hour traffic to the day-care center.

All of that played a role, among others, in my decision to leave journalism and retrain for a new career. And to my relief, I’m finding much more balance as an accountant in private industry. Of course, there are busy days and deadlines to meet, times when I wish there were 40 hours in the day so I could get more done. But the tasks and projects in my current role are relatively predictable and thus easier to manage and organize. There is no breaking news. I also like knowing that if I don’t get everything done on a given workday that I set out to accomplish, I can leave work when it’s time to pick up my son from preschool, then later after he’s gone to bed, I can finish my work at home. It’s a wonderful escape valve that helps me meet the goals of both work and parenthood.

Plus, having my own sense of accomplishment from work makes me a happier mother. Although that may sound clichéd, it’s true.

That’s not to say I never experience working-mother guilt, or feel that tug at my heart when there’s a field trip scheduled for my son’s class and I know I’m not able to leave work in order to tag along. And I know as my son gets older and moves up through school, our schedules will have to keep evolving and become ever more flexible. But all in all, I’m happy with the balance I’ve struck.

Filed under: Private Industry, Tax Season, Work/Life Balance | Tagged: , | Leave a Comment »

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