Page 44 - midJersey Business - July/August 2015

Your Business

{ }
Accounting

professor at DeVry University. “They’re
increasingly being viewed as an integral part

of the business decision-making process.”

INCREASED UPWARD MOBILITY

FOR ACCOUNTANTS
Barden says with the proliferation of

technology streamlining and simplify-
ing previously time-consuming tasks

such as gathering and inputting data,
accountants’ roles will be elevated to

higher-margin jobs that emphasize their
advisory skills. Some of these functions

include consulting, information analysis,
and serving as a company’s CFO or

inancial controller. These roles span CPA
irms, corporations, government agencies,

and a myriad of other organizations. This
potential for upward job mobility, along

with the fact that the accounting ield
is expected to grow 13 percent between

2012 and 2022 according to the Bureau
STAY AHEAD OF THE GAME
of Labor Statistics, makes the profession

very appealing to recent graduates or
seasoned accountants looking to advance
How the demands of tomorrow
their careers.
are facing today’s accountants |
Special to MIDJersey Business
SOFT SKILLS ARE CRITICAL
T
IN TODAY’S ENVIRONMENT
In order to ill the advisory role now being echnology is rapidly chang- yond simply presenting the numbers and

asked of accountants, it is important for ing all industries, including to assume leadership roles within the com-
students to have the right education and the accounting profession. panies they serve. Today’s accountants still

skills to it the part. For example, accord- An accountant from 30 need to have a solid grasp of a company’s or
ing to Robert Half International, soft skills years ago would barely client’s inancial situation, but have oppor-

are an often overlooked but critical aspect recognize the ield as it
tunities to go a step further by delivering
of what makes a good accountant. Soft exists today, as mobile devices and cloud insights and solutions to business-related

skills are personal attributes that enable computing have begun to automate many concerns they’re inding in the numbers,
someone to interact efectively and harmo- of the day-to-day responsibilities of ac- making them a valuable resource to the c-

niously with other people.
countants. The integration of technology suite. They play a bigger role in counseling
Six soft skills that accountants should into all aspects of an accountant’s daily senior executives on the inancial impact

possess are:
duties—called “pervasive computing”— of budget decisions or by serving as trusted
business knowledge has enabled accountants to streamline business advisors to their clients.

leadership capabilities customary duties such as data entry and “More than ever before, accountants
technical prowess ofer more value-added services to their today have greater opportunities to assume

communication skills employers and clients.
strategic and consultative roles in the c-suite
customer-service orientation This paradigm shift is opening up new and for their clients,” says Joyce Barden,

multi-tasking/problem solving
opportunities for accountants to go be-
CPA, accounting program chair and senior

42 midJersey business.com