(taken from the May/June 2006 issue of On Balance magazine)

Changing lanes
By Kenneth M. Winter, CPA, Ph.D.

Individuals in the workforce today face rapidly changing careers and career environments. Let’s take Steve, for example. He was an accountant at a Fortune 500 company. On Wednesday, the VP called him into her office and told him he would be promoted and relocated to another state—on Monday. Twenty years ago, this was typical at this particular company.

Today, things are radically different. Steve still works for the same organization but now positions are posted on a company-wide electronic board. Employees can note their interest in any of these positions. The company also has an employee profile database. Employees manage their profiles, including career goals, and make their interests known to top management.

Although the old system had a multitude of drawbacks, it had the advantage of simplicity. If Steve said, “yes,” he was promoted. If he said “no,” he would be sent to career advancement purgatory. The other choice was to leave the organization.

Now, with two-career families and equal opportunity, the old system is untenable. The new approach is better, but employees still face uncertainty in their careers.

In the current job market, accountants are in high demand. Some employers offer bonuses of up to five figures to employees who recruit experienced accountants. Sometimes, employees must choose from several desirable opportunities, which sounds good but can be difficult.

What leads to career change? Just about anything: work schedules, personality conflicts or new challenges. Having a career plan generally makes a career more successful.

Consider Janet, who has a common public accounting story. Her CPA firm’s busy season had extended to 12 rather than three months. She left public accounting because there was never any letup in work. On the other hand, her former colleague Brian left his job so that he could travel internationally.

One false notion is that CPAs must change employers to change careers. Steve, as mentioned above, is in his sixth position and fourth location at one entity. Kristen, however, has a more contemporary story. She was at a Big Four firm before she decided to change both her work “place” and her lifestyle. She now works in human resources at the same organization but telecommutes.

Telecommuting is most often offered to employees who have experience at one organization. As several human resource professionals put it, employees earn the right to special dispensations like telecommuting. Like all career rules, however, there are exceptions. An accounting intern telecommutes “to” the West Coast. One non-traditional graduate negotiated summers off to be with her family.

To be successful in negotiating an individual agreement, an employee needs to understand his own goals and the constraints of the business. If an employee wants to negotiate a reduced work schedule, she needs to look at the requirements of the organization. Most public accounting firms are extremely busy during tax season. Often, firms will offer summer time off to compensate for the long hours at tax time.

An employee who is explicit about career expectations may appear to be needy on the one hand, or, prepared, organized and assertive on the other. Needy is bad. As one recruiter told me, Amanda was very talented and had an excellent resume but she had a substantial list of needs. The recruiter wasn’t sure where or when the needs would stop.

Obviously, there is a flip side to this discussion. In the current positive job market, candidates with strong records can sometimes get what they want. The fine line between needy and prepared, organized and assertive is often one of style. 

Candidates and employees need to identify their deal-breakers and communicate them to their immediate supervisors. For example, requesting a reduced summer assignment to care for young children is better than asking for beach time. In general, accountants need to identify their critical career parameters and communicate them to immediate supervisors.

Both employers and individuals need to recognize that accounting employees are in charge of their own careers. If firms fail to recognize this, they will not have the most effective use of their most important resource, their employees. If employees fail to recognize it, they will miss important opportunities to excel.

 

Kenneth M. Winter, CPA, Ph.D. is the accounting department chairperson at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. He can be reached at winter.kenn@uwlax.edu or (608) 785-6830.

 

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