In a separate study, Robert Half found that 3 percent of the 200 chief financial officers interviewed in the Columbus region plan to hire accounting and finance professionals during the second quarter, while 1 percent anticipate reductions. The remaining 94 percent foresee no changes in their staffing levels.
During the first quarter, the survey found 6 percent of CFOs interviewed had said they expected to hire, while 1 percent anticipated reductions.
For most of his career, Tom White says he was "living in the world of could have been."
Over 23 years, Mr. White held senior management titles in audit and internal treasury operations at several big Canadian banks. In each of them, however, the problem was the same: "I hated what I was doing," Mr. White says.
"I would wake up in the morning not wanting to go to work. I found I wasn't getting intellectual challenge and there weren't really any opportunities to change or move higher."
He dreamed of a career with less bureaucracy, more autonomy and more opportunity to innovate. Though he kept telling himself he could have that dream job, he never took action to find it.
The original Industrial Revolution, the move from farm to factory, unquestionably boosted living standards, but triggered an enormous change in "how and where people lived, how they educated their children, the organization of businesses, the form and practices of governments." He says today's trickle of jobs overseas, where they are tethered to the U.S. by fiber-optic cables, is the beginning of a change of similar dimensions, and American society needs similarly far-reaching changes to cope. "I'm trying to convince a bunch of economists who are deeply skeptical and hard to convince," he says.
"He's dead wrong," says Columbia University economist Jagdish Bhagwati, who will debate Mr. Blinder at Harvard in May over his assertions about the magnitude of job losses from trade. Mr. Bhagwati says that in highly skilled fields such as medicine, law and accounting, "If we do a real balance sheet, I have no doubt we're creating far more jobs than we're losing."
A Businessman Who Keeps the Books [Washington Post]The previous occupant of the chief accountant's office, Donald T. Nicolaisen, was a veteran partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers who made a name for himself by mastering accounting policies for sophisticated financial contracts known as derivatives. Nicolaisen had worked in the prestigious national office of his former accounting firm, where he fielded difficult technical and ethics questions. By contrast, Hewitt spent his last years at Ernst managing personnel and ensuring that clients were satisfied.
Dennis R. Beresford, a professor at the University of Georgia and one of Hewitt's first supervisors in the 1960s, said, "Lots of people can do accounting, but if you can't allocate your resources properly and keep clients reasonably happy with your services, it's hard to make any money."
Most of our career accomplishments wouldn't be possible without the love and support of our spouses. Neither would some office gaffes. The betrothed are often selectively informed, sometimes overestimate victories, and can be clueless to the office culture. Delivered with the best of intentions and honey-sweetie coddling, their advice reinforces loony behavior that a reality smack could have prevented.
Workplace signs of an in-home badviser are easy to mistake for run-of-the-mill office aggrandizement. Dead giveaways include sudden spikes in huffiness, britches-busting antics such as raising a hand for a job for which one is vastly unqualified, self-congratulation over old accomplishments and threats to quit. All are the results of incitements such as, "You march right in there" or the ever-popular, "Tell 'em to shove it!"
What else stands in people's way?
Too many people, especially people well-established in their careers, mistakenly view a job search as an opportunity to announce their availability when it's really about marketing themselves. A successful job search is a marketing challenge. And if you don't have a brand, you have nothing to market.
Can you define "brand" in the context of job search?
Whether you're starting out a career or have been in it for years, no one is the same chief marketing officer, nurse, litigator, or stock analyst you are. Your brand is a factual statement of your unique and valuable way of doing things. One way to define your brand is through the specific set of accomplishments in your résumé. Your goal is to present the strongest brand you can.
The son of a Federal Bureau of Investigation agent, Mr. Nally was born in Washington, D.C., and went to college at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, deciding on a career in accounting during his senior year. An avid boater, Mr. Nally keeps a 44-foot powerboat in Florida, which he calls his biggest extravagance.
Nearly every night of the work week, the firm's in-house meeting coordinator and caterer prepares home-cooked meals, including such comfort staples as chocolate cake, for up to 70 hungry staffers. Saturday raffle drawings provide all GR staff with a chance to win gift cards to favorite retailers. Firm wide, a much-anticipated calculator challenge offers employees a chance to vie for the "Champion of the Adding Machine" trophy in addition to receiving a generous prize, and, within a few short days of the April 15 deadline passing, every employee is invited to enjoy lunch and a gift card to a spa or time on the links with prizes and refreshments sponsored by the firm.
Knowing what you're seeking can help you recognize the right job. "Make a list of what you are looking for in a firm," says Roberta Chinsky Matuson, principal, Human Resource Solutions in Northampton, Mass. "Your list may include items like work-life balance, high profile clients, opportunities to mentor or be mentored, etc." Seek out companies that appear to fit your profile, rather than specific jobs. "Confirm this by reviewing a company's Web site, looking over its benefit package and asking people you know - who either work there or have left the firm - for an insider's view of the organization," she says.
Even those with no prior experience can sometimes hit the wrong notes during a job search. “We do see students who graduate and expect to become the CFO in three months, or perhaps have the power to influence and change corporate culture within weeks of their hire,” acknowledges Jason Eckert, associate director of the Marquette University Career Services Center. “It could be partially due to generational difference. Perhaps parents or others are feeding them advice that they can have all that, or that’s how they’ve been raised.”
In its "2005 Future of the U.S. Labor Pool Survey," the Society for Human Resource Management reports that only a quarter of members surveyed believe that the flood of retiring baby boomers will be a problem to their organization. But 43% responded that it has the potential to become a problem.
And half of respondents said they are seeing new workers entering the workforce lacking overall professionalism, written communications skills, analytical skills or business knowledge. Let's not overlook the fact that the number of new employees entering the workforce each year is considerably less than the number leaving.
Many employers are doing whatever they can to tap into the knowledge and experience these workers can still bring to the table.
For boomers, that means a growing number of flexible, well-paid positions as consultants, mentors and part-time employees.
Want to learn more about a career with the Internal Revenue Service Large and Mid-Size Business Division? IRS has many career paths for professionals including Revenue Agent, International Examiner, Financial Products Specialist, Computer Audit Specialist, Economist, Engineer, and Appraiser.
Interested persons may attend a Career Open House on April 24, 2007 at the IRS office on 290 Broadway between Duane and Reade Streets in Manhattan. Senior leaders from the Large and Mid-Size Business Division (LMSB), recruiters,
managers, and recent hires from the private sector will be on site, ready to talk to potential applicants and answer questions about working at the IRS.
Specific position requirements vary, but generally LMSB is looking for mid-career professionals with higher education, certification and experience in their sisciplines, good communication and office computer skills, and U.S. citizenship.
The IRS offers federal benefits beyond those in the private sector, including job stability - we are not going out of business, merging or consolidating. Enjoy a better quality of life with a 40-hour workweek, competitive salaries, portable retirement plan, and continuing education. The IRS is an equal opportunity employer.
Laundress
Description
Political family requires laundress for cleaning and ironing an immense wardrobe. All items require extra care and attention.
Requirements
At least three years of experience in a similar title is required for this position. Applicants must be able to furnish excellent references and prove ability to care for designer clothing. All applicants must have a strong command of the English language and be legal to work for any employer in the United States.
Kerkering Barberio also serves its employees, about two-thirds of whom are women, Nicholas said. The firm allows its employees to work flexible schedules and take time off to have children.
It's important to have that work-life balance and, as the company looks to the next 35 years, it will continue to evolve and move forward, Lane said.
"We probably will stick close to the area and bring on more services and people to our clients," he said. "We'll continue to add value to what our clients need from us."
The Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants is sponsoring a week-long program to encourage minority high school students to pursue careers in the field. The Accounting Careers Awareness Program will be held in Columbus from June 24 through the 28th.
Students interested in applying must submit an application, a 200-word essay and one letter of reference. Applications can be completed online at FutureCPA.com and must be submitted by April 6.
Accounting careers program aimed at minority students [Cincinnati.com]
Be comfortable with uncertainty. Eve Ensler, author of the play "The Vagina Monologues" and more recently the book "Necessary Targets," thinks one cause of insecurity in our lives is the expectation of being secure. "If you think you'll get to the point that you'll be secure, then you'll be chronically depressed," says Ensler.
Since we can never really be secure, we should instead learn to be comfortable with that. Getting good at dealing with a world that does not provide security is actually a more healthy way to live than trying to find that one, perfect path through life that leads to mythical security.
Ensler's ideas suggest that today's career paths, which wind and stop and turn and surprise us along the way, may be better for us once we get used to not knowing what's ahead. "When you start working with ambiguity and living with it initially, it's scary because there are no signposts. But eventually it seems to be a much more interesting way of living."
Interesting to see this article. There are accountants out here willing to go to work. The problem is age discrimination, which, by the way, is against the law. Most, if not all, of this firms will hire only the 20 something crowd. I am a middle aged person who was a victim of a massive layoff from an IT company a few years ago and went to college during my unemployed time and pursued a B.S. in Accounting. Now, sadly, I have faced much discrimination when trying to pursue an entrly level staff accountant. A 'culture of youth' has been created in these companies to the point they will not hire anyone else unless it is a senior executive level. Until the profession changes it hiring practices, it will continue to suffer as displayed in this article. Age discrimination is alive and well in the accounting profession. So don't complain about "shortage of accountants" when there is plenty if you are willing to stop the silly
politically correct hiring practices.
Recently, I've been reading a lot of articles on jobsinthemoney.com about the demand for CPAs or accountants. I've been trying to transition out of actuary work into accounting. I'm lacking the CPA certification by 1 exam and I have experience around tax matters, disclosures required by SEC ect. However, no opportunities have presented itself, so the demand I keep reading about I don't see it. So Mr. Berr maybe this demand is for experienced (e.g. Big 4) hires only. Just a thought.
I'd be curious to hear what others think. (I've my own opinions, of course, but I think the views of other CPAs - with or without jobs - would be far more interesting....) Post your comment below.
As tempting as it may be to talk about hard-won nurturing skills, most managers probably aren't ready for that. A mother might want to say, "Balancing the conflicting needs of a toddler and a teenager shows she's a good time manager," says Catherine Carbone Rogers, Des Moines, Wash., former president of Mothers & More, an advocacy group, and a former gap mom who has returned to work. "That may be true, but it's not going to carry a great deal of credibility with an employer."
"The marketplace is very challenging from an employer's standpoint," adds Barry Beck, a CPA with a practice in Woburn, Mass. "A kid coming out of school today almost knows nothing form a production standpoint … The on-the-job training that's needed is immense."
People with three to five years of experience are especially difficult to find because they're getting settled in their careers, says Kimberly Sackie, controller of Walter & Shuffain, a 45-person firm in Norwood, Mass. "We, like most accounting firms, could use staff at various levels right now," she says. Other firms are trying to keep their workers happy by instituting casual business dress and offering reduced hours when business is slow. Some, like Walter & Shuffain, provide meals and massages for people working late or weekends during the tax season.
Based on our survey, men may be living in a state of delusion since appearance seems to play a big role in how subordinates perceive their bosses.
So women may have an upper hand because they realize looks sell, says Siegal, and “men don’t realize it’s an important dynamic.”
“You’d be a fool if you didn’t use your looks to your advantage and make the most with what you’ve got,” he notes. “Do not pretend it doesn’t matter. It’s a huge part of life in the 21st century.'"
OK, she admits, there are a few accountants who look like that pocket-protector-wearing Milton schlep in "Office Space." But they are the exceptions.
"Accountants have to be social," she said. "They have to be people persons because there's nothing that we do that doesn't interact with people. It doesn't matter whether you're in private industry or public accounting, you have to function with other people."
Her husband Sid, an insurance agent in Sioux City, has the more flexible, part-time job as a kind of "Mister Mom," a role they agreed on when she jumped on the partner track. His job simply gives him the flexibility to stay home with the kids ... but with the "kids" in college, high school and middle school now, that takes less time these days.
Her children have accepted her career choice, and she attends as many of their events as she can.
"Their response to my career choice is just that they don't see me as much," Shoemaker said. "But I think they value my choices."
"From a woman's perspective, though, the accounting profession offers tremendous flexibility," she said.
J.H. Cohn added 16 partners and principals to the its executive leadership team in FY07, bringing the total number of J.H. Cohn partners and principals, as of February 1, 2007 to 107. With the addition of new hires at all levels and the result of an aggressive recruiting campaign, total headcount grew by more than 9 percent in FY07, to 741.
“Our philosophy is that a good accountant should also be a good businessperson. Just knowing accounting systems and processes is not enough nowadays,” says Dan Palmon, chair of accounting and information systems, Rutgers Business School in Newark and New Brunswick.
Working Mother 100 Best Companies – In making family-friendly policies the norm, including flextime, childcare and telecommuting, , Working Mother magazine recognizes Grant Thornton for creating a corporate culture that encourages the retention and advancement of women.
BusinessWeek 50 Best Places to Launch a Career – Landed the No. 34 spot on a list that identifies top employers for recent college graduates. Grant Thornton was joined by three other national accounting firms on the list, and in Chicago, Grant Thornton was ranked as the third best place to launch a career.
Best Places to Work – Grant Thornton local offices named by their local media outlets as best places to work:
- San Francisco
- Philadelphia
- New Jersey
- Wichita
- Charlotte
- Atlanta
- Honolulu
- South FloridaCompanies That Care – For the second consecutive year, Grant Thornton was named to the Center for Companies That Care Honor Roll, which recognizes organizations that demonstrate an outstanding and measurable commitment to their communities, both within the workplace and beyond. Grant Thornton was one of 27 organizations chosen to receive this special honor and one of only three accounting firms named to the list.
Our federal return last year, we should add, ran to 9,386 pages. To handle this filing, state and foreign tax returns, a myriad of SEC requirements, and all of the other matters involved in running Berkshire, we have gone all the way up to 19 employees at World Headquarters.
Overall, dissatisfaction has spread among all workers, regardless of age, income or residence. Twenty years ago, the first time the survey was conducted, 61 percent of all Americans said they were satisfied with their jobs, according to the representative survey of 5,000 U.S. households, said Lynn Franco, director of the Conference Board's Consumer Research Center.
"Although a certain amount of dissatisfaction with one's job is to be expected, the breadth of dissatisfaction is somewhat unsettling, since it carries over from what attracts employees to a job to what keeps them motivated and productive on the job," Franco said.
Maureen Tierney, an independent management consultant in New York and former associate dean of the business school at Fordham University, says poor writing - even in as informal a medium as e-mail - conveys a negative and unprofessional message about the sender.
But if there were a problem with the votes, or if there were a security breach, could we rely on PwC to detect it?
Should all this disqualify PwC from being involved in an event so central to popular culture and the entertainment industry? No. One could assemble a similar catalog of doubts for any of the major accounting firms. (Although the firm's enormously cheesy corporate anthem should disqualify it from being involved in popular culture.) And everybody in Hollywood—agents, producers, studios, distributors—plays games with numbers. In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed auditor is king.
