Pursuing a career in Accounting

In today’s highly competitive job market, job hunting can be a bit daunting. On the other hand, the role of recruiters has become increasingly complicated as the try to connect job seekers with their dream positions. It is completely natural to wonder what the recruiters are looking for in the ideal candidate. Fortunately, in this article we will discuss some of the key things to consider when you want to pursue a career in accounting.  

Candidate’s preparedness

Candidates need to take time to understand the demands of the industry they are going to work in and be prepared. This can be achieved by researching on accounting positions, internships and attending career fairs.  The whole process will assist in deciding on the subjects to pick in high school or the pathways to qualification.  This will lay a solid foundation in one’s future successes and gives one a competitive edge, helping one to align one’s efforts with recruiters’ expectations. Professional courses will be key in certifying one’s proficiency, ethical knowledge and expertise and will differentiate them from other candidates.

Resume and art of nailing the interview

It is important to tailor-make one’s CV to the specifications of the job post, making use of the keywords that will increase one’s chance to standout. Just remember to tell the truth about your capabilities.  When you have been shortlisted, then be prepared to make an excellent first impression that will land you on the job. There are a lot of resources to help with interview preparations, make use of them.  Oftentimes, the right candidates fail to get a job offer because of lack of preparedness.

An insight into what recruiter’s look for in an Accounting Candidate

The role of the Accountant is evolving. The future fit accountant is now more than a bean counter. Businesses are now requiring more including business, digital, relational and decision making acumen. We detail these below.

Business Acumen:

In most businesses, Accountants becomes the business custodians and operate at the core of their organisations.  Therefore, it is imperative that they possess business acumen to help them navigate the business landscape. The Accountant as a team player is expected to contribute to driving business growth and profitability.  Key skills include thought leadership, thinking outside the box, excellent communication skills just to mention but a few. As one does this, they must be aware of the 3 Ps of business; Profit, People and Planet. A lot of these qualities are picked in the scenarios you are given during the interview.

Digital Acumen:

Modern day accounting has moved from physical journal books, calculators, log books and briefcases to digital platforms.  This means that an ideal candidate for an accounting post should be technical savvy.  Take time to learn a lot of software systems, noting their similarities and differences.  With the advent of fourth industrial revolution (4IR) technologies, a lot of the mundane tasks that used to be performed by accountants is now being done by machines. Make use of online resources to improve on a daily basis.

Decision Making Acumen:

Modern day accountants should think outside the box and tailor make solutions to address problems businesses are facing.  As a result, accountants should possess strong analytical skills to be able to provide meaningful solutions.  A great accountant should be comfortable with big data and utilize it to make the right calls.  Peter Drucker famously said, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” The accountant needs to know what to measure, use the right measure, track the measure and correct anomalies.

Relational Acumen:

Team work leads to great work. To be a good player it goes without saying that one needs good communication skills.  Communication comes in many forms, verbal, written, telephonic, non-verbal, social media and digital. This is one developmental area an accountant need not neglect.

How can Addmath help?

At Addmath we have a development program, where we recruit candidates, train them to be fit for the market and second them to our customers. This will help them to develop or strengthen their accounting departments.