In part 3 of our professional network series with Roger CPA Review’s Senior Business Development Director, Tom Rogowski, CPA, discusses ways for new accountants to meet their accounting career goals while increasing their salary.
Most new accountants, specifically those who just graduated from a university, need to bring a number of positive attributes to their first accounting jobs. Important qualities to have as a new accountant are confidence, a collaborative nature, leadership skills and the ability to adapt to new situations. Many new accountants have a “right here, right now” approach to their careers and tend to be more entrepreneurial in spirit while challenging the status quo. My advice to those individuals would be to think longer term.
A career is a marathon. It’s comprised of a number of sprints. Think about the future sprints and develop a Career Plan. @RogerCPAReview
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How to Develop a Career Plan:
- Write down your career goals in time increments. What do you hope to accomplish in year one, year three, year five and so on? Your career plan should be attainable, well-thought out and most importantly realistic. Your goals should range from very specific (short-term) to more abstract (5 years+). Also, writing your goals down increases your chances of achieving them.
- Write down how you plan to accomplish your career goals. What specific actions are you going to take to achieve your goals? This part of your career plan is called Action Planning. Action planning helps you to focus your ideas and determine what steps you have to take to achieve particular goals.
- Write down who can help you achieve your career goals. This part of the plan often gets overlooked. But remember, there’s absolutely no shame in leveraging others to help you achieve your goals. People who can help you achieve your goals could be a mentor, colleagues at your firm, family and/or friends. Everyone needs a support system, so be sure to reach out to those who can assist you on your goals journey.
It’s important to remember that your Career Plan is a living, breathing document. Be sure to revisit it every six months. Life happens, things get in the way, things change, and you’ll have to adjust on the fly. By meeting your personal career goals, you’ll increase your value to your firm and consequently increase you overall salary.
Watch Tom’s Video:
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