Can You Say 'Denial'?

I often think we in the financial business are too complacent about the demand for our services. Then along comes a tidbit like this:

Nearly half (48 percent) of all non-retired adult Americans expect to retire with a pension, according to a new poll conducted by Harris Interactive for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).

"Despite all evidence to the contrary, pensions are still regarded as a safety net for retirement," said Carl George, CPA, Chair of the National CPA Financial Literacy Commission. "Americans have to understand that many of the entitlements of their predecessors are not guaranteed. It is up to them as individuals to prepare for retirement. Otherwise, they may find themselves working far longer than they had intended."

So maybe I should be thinking more about evolving roles. As in, CPAs, wealth managers and the like moving from being "trusted advisors" to "lifeguards" to "emergency medical technicians…"

American Adults Still Expect to Retire With a Pension, According to AICPA Survey [AICPA via PRNewswire]

Demographics Shift

Relaxed? Comfortable? Take a look a this.

(Thanks, Carol Gray)

Trends in Maine

The shortage of accountants is being felt in Maine, as well as more populous states. From the Portland Press Herald:

In short, Maine has an above-average concentration of workers in occupations that tend to pay less than the "all-business" average salary.

For the nine occupations for which Maine has a below average share, on the other hand, average salaries are much higher -- $56,800 in Maine and $62,700 in the U.S. By far the largest component of this subcategory is accountants and auditors. These occupations provided nearly 3,100 jobs in Maine, 15 percent of the "business operations" category, compared to 19 percent for the U.S. as a whole. In the other elements of this subcategory -- management analysts and human relations specialists -- Maine has relatively few jobs.

The conclusions are clear. If we are to increase our incomes statewide, we must seek not merely to increase our job creation generally but to increase our job creation in high-skill, high-wage occupations. The reasons for our overrepresentation in lower paying occupations undoubtedly lie, at least partially, in the heritage of our natural resource and small business
history.

More high-skill, high-wage jobs sorely needed [Portland Press-Herald]

Sunny Counts

The improbably named Flip Flippen, a Texas psychotherapist and business coach, thinks an often-overlooked key to success is the ability to eliminate negative behavior. He - and his strategies for becoming a more positive boss - are profiled by Investor's Business Daily's Gloria Lau.

Help People In The Office Lighten Up [IBD via Yahoo! Finance]

Bert N. Mitchell of Mitchell & Titus

Myra Thomas spoke with Bert N. Mitchell, chairman and chief executive of Mitchell & Titus, the largest African-American controlled accounting firm in the U.S. and a member firm of Ernst & Young Global Limited. He has decades of experience in accounting, and a lot to say about opportunities for minorities and what up-and-comers need to think about. A sampling:

Many of the issues relating to a lack of African-American or minority professionals are deeply rooted at the middle school and high school level. More emphasis needs to be placed on enhancing math skills in primarily ethnic-minority public schools systems. Young people need to be made aware that having a career in accounting is an option. So, we have to reach out to students at the junior high and high school levels to give them exposure to the profession. The fact of the matter is that there are huge opportunities and great demand for talent, and we need to demonstrate to minority students that there are opportunities for them in the field of accounting.

And:

(As) you advance in accounting, you start managing more than just the numbers. You have to manage people. Therefore, anyone who wants to advance in the profession should consider broadening their education with advanced degrees in business. It would also be helpful if they gained knowledge of how to analyze human behavior. Furthermore, rising accounting professionals should consider taking on leadership roles within professional societies such as the AICPA and state CPA societies. These types of roles can be very rewarding and provide a venue to demonstrate one’s commitment to the profession.

Q&A: Mitchell & Titus CEO Bert N. Mitchell [JITM]

CPA Pipeline is Growing

If California is any indication, the demand for CPAs will ease as more students graduate from accounting programs and gain experience in the real world.

With six weeks remaining before its May 1 application deadline, the master's programs in accounting and taxation at the University of Southern California's Leventhal School of Accounting had received 430 applications, a 36 percent increase from last year. Meanwhile, applications to Leventhal's accounting masters program rose more than 40 percent. Undergraduate enrollment now stands at more than 300 students, a slight increase over last year but significantly above the before Sarbanes-Oxley became law.

At the Craig School of Business at California State University - Fresno, the number of undergraduate and graduate accounting majors is also up.

Leventhal will accept between 130 and 140 applicants this year, up slightly from last year to address rising interest. Competition is fierce for acceptance. Applicants must have solid grounding in accounting and business, as well as good grades. Required classes include introduction to financial accounting and management accounting, finance and basic economics. An increasing number of Chinese and other foreign students have enrolled in recent years as many large companies have expanded their interests globally and other governments have bulked up their corporate oversight laws.

The full story's on JobsintheMoney.

Solution to CPA Crunch is On-Campus [JITM]

Keeping Coolness in Check

When you're looking for a job, you're marketing yourself. And part of marketing is packaging. So as you polish yourself to appear stolid and serious, dependable, pleasant - you know, the kind of person someone would like to hire and spend tax season with - be sure to sweat the details.

Finding that perfect snarky, witty, oh-so-cool nickname to attach to your e-mail address, the one that fits you like your fave jeans, can be a creative coup. But alas, for job-seeking, the hip moniker might be a career killer.

A new study finds that electronic resumes linked to job candidates with quirky and “unprofessional” e-mail names are rated lower by potential employers than those with professional names.

Hip e-mail addresses bad for resumes [LiveScience via MSNBC]

A Few Reminders About Good Behavior

Sure, none of us would ever embarrass ourselves in such a public way that we'd become online legends. We're all serious business people, after all. So be sure you consider the candidate who took a dive off Chelsea Piers in New York in front of partners of the law firm she wanted to work at. Or, the one who got so drunk at a company function she, well - we won't go there. These and other horror stories - I mean "cautionary tales" - are in the New York Daily News.

Career nosedives: A little splash of fun today can sink job prospects [NY Daily News]

A New Rub for Job-Hunters

For some reason, this article in The Wall Street Journal bugs me. Joann Lublin writes about the influence executive coaches can have over hiring managers.

Welcome to the latest development in job hunting. You impressed the recruiter, treated the receptionist politely and bonded with the hiring official. Now, you must also pass muster with the executive coach for your likely boss. The rising popularity of such additional screening reflects management's increased use of coaches and its worries about the high turnover among new hires.

Coaches can offer "an objective perspective on the candidate as well as on the potential candidate's fit," says Ben Dattner, a New York industrial and organizational psychologist. He has interviewed staffing prospects for four executives. And the extra hoop can have an added benefit for the job seeker "because an executive coach can describe what this new boss will really be like," suggests Marilyn Machlowitz, a New York recruiter....

As always, Lublin suggests tactics for dealing with a coach who can be, in many ways, a surrogate decision-maker.

Now, Add One More To the Hiring Process: The Boss's Coach [WSJ - $]

Speaking Your Boss's Language

How do you get your boss to move in directions you want him to? Last month, Carol Lippert Gray gave us some tips on how to "manage up," and now she's back with a couple of case studies. The bottom line: It's all about communication. (There's that word again.)

Managing Up: True Life Tales [JITM]

Maybe It's Worse Than You Think

So, you decided not to proofread your resume. It's understandable - you're so busy. And who's going to hold one wrong letter against you?

Well, the guy reading the resume, for one.

Don't believe me? See for yourself at Resume Hell: Dumb Stuff I Read on Resumes, a blog by an anonymous recruiter who says "Do I make them up ? Why do I need to. C'mon, you know people like this."

Check it out. Then go proofread your resume. And your cover letter.

The Benefits of Focus

Rhonda Abrams writes on the Gannett News Service:

I'm a firm believer that the road to success for small companies is through specialization. A local hardware store has a hard time competing against home improvement big-box retailers, but if you specialize in unique knobs and fixtures, you can build a national clientele. It's tough to get started as an accountant, but if you market primarily to health-care providers, you can stand out.

It's a great article about the benefits of focusing your practice.

Find your niche with a specialty business [Gannett via CourierPost Online]

Don't Get Complacent

James Rubin writes from California:

Financial professionals need to be more aggressive job seekers, says one executive recruiter. "The war for talent is still on and getting larger," Paul Herrias told two groups in California recently. "This is your chance to get ahead."

Many financial professionals have become complacent because they hold solid jobs and don't believe it's worth the risk to make a change, Herrerias said in outlining a plan to follow to a new job. Among his suggestions: Network furiously and be willing to "sell yourself." Networking, he noted, involves staying current on industry trends and speaking not only with recruiters but also competitors and customers who may have jobs or leads to other organizations.

See James's full story on JobsintheMoney.

California CPAs Urged to Be Aggressive [JITM]

More on Outsourcing

I'll let this one speak for itself:

When Control Solutions, one of the biggest accounting firms in the US dealing with Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) accounting compliance procedures, wanted to recruit accountants for its expanding practice, it looked at Enabilizer, a New Delhi-based accounting outsourcing firm.

The two signed a joint venture agreement on February 22 that allows Control Solutions to outsource its SOX work to the Indian JV.

Accounting firms eyeing India [Business Standard]

Intuit Reports on Accounting's Hourly Rates

Software developer Intuit - maker of QuickBooks - says accountants are charging more. According to its Intuit’s 2007 ProConnection rates survey...

...average rate increases ranged from $1 to $10 per hour. Non-software business consulting and software installation services garnered the highest average hourly rates of $95 and $86 respectively, showing increases of 12 percent and 7 percent.

For the first time ever, the survey showed how Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisors' rates compare to those of their peers. According to the survey, Certified ProAdvisors’ average rate for bookkeeping is $60 per hour versus $48 for bookkeepers who are not CPAs or ProAdvisors. The highest hourly rate for bookkeeping is held by CPAs at $71 per hour.

Self-serving, but interesting.

Intuit Survey: Accountants' Hourly Rates Up [WebCPA]

Not Getting What They Want

Another survey on the challenges of finding and keeping good accounting talent. This one is the CCH Young Accounting Professionals Survey, and it found that for all their talk, many firms still aren't doing what they need to do in order to keep younger accountants on board. The devil's in the details, as they say, and the details are here.

Understanding How to Attract, Retain & Motivate Young CPAs [AccountingWEB]

An Unusual Option

An item in the Springfield, Mass., Republican caught our eye: Michael G. O'Reilly, the head of the local FBI office, is leaving the Springfield to become a field agent in Connecticut.

A certified public accountant, O'Reilly joined the bureau nearly 20 years ago when he was 28. He worked as a field agent in offices from Knoxville, Tenn., to Newark, N.J., before being transferred to Washington, D.C., to work in the corruption division there.

So, maybe you want to work for the government but the IRS isn't your cup of tea? O'Reilly's story show what understanding numbers can do.

FBI official to leave job [The Republican]

Life is Good

At least according to the SmartPros salary survey.

CPA-certified respondents who participated in the SmartPros Salary Survey reported an average salary of $91,608. This is a 9 percent increase over what CPAs reported in last year's SmartPros Salary Survey ($84,051).

And here's an interesting tidbit: Some 72 percent of the CPAs who took the survey said they're not looking for a new job.

Salary Survey Results: The CPA Difference [SmartPros]

More Than Numbers

Technical skills are nice, but if you really want to move up you should pay attention to your communication and people skills, too. In recruiting and HR parlance, these are often called "soft skills," and their increasing importance reflect both changing demographics and the changing nature of an accountant's job.

Jim Cote of Accounting Management Solutions, a New England provider of accounting, financial management and recruiting services, says skills like writing and presenting persuasively "are what enable leaders to educate and lead." And, he says, “greater use of information technology helps get the job done ... but that means the people you bring on board must have broad and deep technical skills. They also must be able to work with a wide range of people, which is where soft skills become critical.”

This is all out of a press release, but they're really good points.

Financial Professionals Need Technical and Soft Skills, According to AMS [AMS]

Opportunities for Accountants in Retail

Retail companies, large and small, are looking for accounting professionals, writes Scott Krady:

Professionals with a successful track record in retail are tough to find. "It's difficult to recruit someone from another firm because employers are desperate to retain, and pay top dollars to do so," says Al Ferrara, Partner at BDO Seidman in New York. Further reducing the talent pool has been industry consolidation. The Federated-May merger in 2005 eliminated jobs while KKR's proposed deal to acquire Dollar General may have a similar effect. "

Retailers Need Accounting Managers [JITM]

Nick Danger, CPA

The notion of a CPA turned private investigator - in the Sam Spade sense, not the forensic accounting sense - is getting a lot of play as NBC hypes its new sitcom, Andy Barker, P.I.

Andy Barker (Andy Richter, "Elf") is a simple man. He works as an accountant, lives in a quaint suburban colonial and drives a Saturn - all in a little slice of American monotony known as Fair Oaks. His loving wife packs his lunch every day and even in the most frustrating situations, the most you'll ever hear him mutter is "Cheese and crackers!" He talks pleasantly, nods cordially when you greet him and always uses his turn signal - even while being tailed by the Russian mob. And that last one is a problem because, you see, Andy Barker is a detective.

Could it do for accountants what NYPD Blue did for cops? What Lost did for castaways? Stay tuned.

A Day Job with Attitude [Michigan Daily]

Checking a Firm's Policies on Balance

If you're interviewing for a new job, Mark J. Koziel, a CPA and senior technical manager for the firm practice management community of the American Institute of CPAs, suggests five things to consider at interviews if work-life balance is important to you:

Are there accountants on staff who are availing themselves of a flexible schedule?

Is the firm's approach to work-life balance is more than lip service?

Is it an initiative of HR or does the entire firm - including the top partners - buy into the policy?

See if the employee handbook or other official company publications address the issue.

Make sure young accountants and mid-career folks, as well as partners, can take advantage of flexible schedules.

Find out if the more flexible scheduling approach applies to men as well as women. This helps indicate if the policy is truly set in stone.

Dropping CPA Supply Pressures Balance Debate [JITM]

Rocky Road to the CFO's Office

Controllers who aspire to the CFO's office should be warned: Most companies outside your own don't view you as a candidate for the top finance job. CFO magazine says last year only four percent of the 190 new Fortune 500 CFOs hired had been sitting controllers.

Outside controllers aren't prime candidates for finance-chief spots because they lack leadership experience, says Korn Ferry managing director Charles Eldridge. Most controllers haven't done much in the way of presenting their cases in front of constituents like the board, Wall Street analysts, and large investors and instead focus on communicating behind closed doors, adds Eldridge.

On the other hand, of the 310 companies that promoted their own executives to CFO's office, 33 percent were inside controllers. Elridge said that demonstrates strong succession planning inside those firms.

Many observers attribute the dynamic to our old friend Sarbanes-Oxley, which they say has focused many controllers so strongly on compliance, they've lost their attraction as higher, more strategic executives.

CFOs Wanted: Controllers Need Not Apply [CFO]

Moonlighting in Miami

Speaking of real life, Jay Korngold is a partner in Mallah, Furman & Co., who conducts forensic audits and isn't intimidated by Sarbanes-Oxley. He also plays a mean guitar, and he plays it in bands with a lot of other business leaders in South Florida. Ah, the Baby Boomers are growing up.

Playing blues brightens accountant's day [Miami Herald]

Portrait of the CPA as a Working Man

There's a nice profile in the New York Post of Jack Cohen, a New York City CPA. You may not find huge amounts of career insights here, but there's certainly a lot of reality:

We work hard. This is not H&R Block. We have a sophisticated clientele and they expect good work. It can get tedious. I wouldn't call accounting a glamorous profession, but it takes care of my family. And I like helping people. The best feeling is when I hear someone say, "I didn't know I could deduct that."

And:

In college I wanted to be a sports announcer. I used to do interviews for the Brooklyn College radio station. I would bring my tape recorder and microphone to Nets games and do play-by-play, trying to get good as announcer. But I felt like that wasn't a way to earn a living. In school a few accounting majors showed me that being a CPA would be a way to make a good living, and I went with that.

How's this compare to you? Post a comment.

FOR ACCOUNTANT, APRIL IS CRUNCH TIME [NY Post]

Oregon Firm Expands by Offshoring

An article about Aldrich, Kilbride and Tatone's growth strategy, from the Salem, Ore., Statesman Journal:

Growing a business isn't what makes AKT different. It's how and where they are doing it that makes the numbers add up. The Oregon firm has bypassed traditional business outsourcing in favor of a model that fits better with its entrepreneurial spirit and career-building goals. In 2003, AKT made a direct investment in India by establishing two local offices and hiring a full-time year-round staff. Heading into a fourth tax season, business processes between India and Oregon have been increasing in efficiency and creating sustainable careers for employees regardless of location.

One of the results:

In 2006, the India staff prepared 1,000 tax returns, 700 of which were AKT clients and the remaining 300 for an affiliate in Austin, Texas. AKT's domestic staff reviewed and filed the returns and maintained client contact and relationships. "The goal was to limit everyone to 50-hour workweeks, and the result helped AKT enjoy another busy season," Tatone said.

Salem company goes global [StatesmanJournal.com]

You're Not Networking

Our poll on JobsintheMoney last week was about alumni networks - Do you use yours, or not? The results surprised me: Less than 14 percent (13.8 percent to be precise) reach out to their fellow alumni in the course of managing their careers. More than 79 percent don't. And 6.9 percent didn't graduate from college.

So, my observations and suggestions:

Eric Mokover, associate dean, career initiatives, at the UCLA Anderson School of Management, says an alumni association is "the single most important facility to enable students to get jobs and for companies to recruit successfully." He notes that "alumni have a real emotional connection to the school and therefore are going to work harder in a place where they know what the quality's about." See the whole story on this here.

In general, I've a funny feeling that a lot of people aren't paying enough attention to networking. You know, it never hurts to having lunch, coffee or a drink after work with someone for no reason except "because." It's how networks are made.

And I think networking is a huge part of any career - It helps you in your current job, and helps you learn about and take stock of new opportunities. So, below is a selection of articles we've published on the subject.

Don't Underestimate Your Alumni Network [JITM]
Ask the Expert: Reaching Beyond Company Networks [JITM]
Position Yourself for a New Job - Discreetly [JITM]

CPA Firms Among N.J.'s Best Places to Work

For those of you who don't live there, New Jersey gets a bad rap. It's not all the Turnpike and Newark Airport. People who've lived there have usually figured it out. (Though it's true what they say about the taxes. If a former CEO of Goldman Sachs can't figure them out, the Garden State's got bigger problems.)

That aside, NJBiz unveiled its annual list of best places to work, and a number of the honorees are accounting firms:

• Amper, Politziner & Mattia
• Deloitte & Touche USA LLP
• J.H. Cohn LLP
• Rothstein Kass
• WithumSmith+Brown
• Cowan, Gunteski & Co., P.A.
• Crowe Chizek and Company LLC
• Friedman LLP
• Grant Thornton LLP
• Sax Macy Fromm & Co., PC
• Sobel & Co. LLC
• Wilkin & Guttenplan, P.C.

See the whole list through the link below.

Best Places to Work New Jersey 2007 [NJBiz]

Feel Free to Send Stuff

We'd really like to do a better job of telling people what's going on at different firms and different markets around the country. So, if you hear of something you might be interesting to others out in the accounting and finance world, send it our way. If you want to keep yourself behind the scenes, we'll respect that - and won't tell a soul who we heard the news from. If you want your name emblazed on the glory of the Internet, we're alway happy to oblige. Send your tips to editor (at) jobsinthemoney.com. Or, just post a comment below.

Been Here So Long...

Some good tips on CareerJournal for anyone who's spent most of their career at a single company, something that one recruiter calls "an absolute red flag." Sad but true - It's as much of a flag as listing, say, 10 jobs in 10 years on your resume. So, writes Dana Mattioli, consider these tips:

1. Show progression.
2. Show adaptability.
3. Use numbers.
4. Group skills together under subheadings.
5. Bolster experience.

There are links to sample resumes and, of course, a few war stories to go along with them.

Five Resume Tips for When You Can List Only One Employer [CareerJournal]

The Outlook in Columbus

From Columbus Business First:

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.

Survey: IT, accounting jobs scarce in 2Q [Columbus Business First]

How to Swap Your Career

Okay, let's admit it: Not everyone in accounting loves their job. (This being a career site, some people say I'm supposed to be enthusiastic all the time. Bah. Humbug.)

Does this strike a chord?

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.

What did he do about it? Toronto's Globe and Mail says he invested in aptitude tests, hired a career coach and studied options in consulting, private equity and finance. Now he's, embarked on the path of finance manager for a mortgage insurance company. "He's looking forward to the challenge with fresh enthusiasm because it is a smaller organization that affords him the autonomy, ability to innovate and opportunities for advancement that he craves."

Wallace Immen's article explores how he got there - and how you might, too, if you're so inclined.

Waking up is hard to do when a job's unfit for you [Globe and Mail]

Good Jobs for Career Changers

Money Magazine has unveiled what it calls the "best jobs for people looking to upgrade their careers." The list is focused on "second act" paths for career changers, parents returning to work, retiring military personnel and workers over 50. Accounting and financial analyst jobs are on the list. The whole package is here.

Safe From Outsourcing? Maybe Think Again

Economist Alan Blinder thinks the impact of free trade is about a lot more than moving customer service jobs to India or manufacturing to China. It could very well be all about you.

Today's Wall Street Journal details the evolution on Blinder's thinking on globalization and its impact on jobs. Blinder, say reporters David Wessel and Bob Davis, sees as many as 40 million jobs being at risk of moving offshore over the next 20 or so years - more than double the number of American workers involved in manufacturing today.

What kind of jobs are at the most risk? According to Blinder, it's those that don't require a lot of face-to-face contact. What's that mean for Accounting? It could mean many tax accounting positions or financial analyst jobs are at-risk of moving. Bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks on are Blinder's list of most vulnerable positions.

To be sure, Blinder's thinking is deeply rooted in theory. As Wessel and Davis write:

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.

Blinder wants to see American students trained for jobs that are likely to remain in the U.S. and tax incentives developed to encourage employers to create them.

The Journal notes Blinder's thinking is far from mainstream - he's "in a minority among economists, most of whom emphasize the enormous gains from trade," the article 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."

Pain From Free Trade Spurs Second Thoughts [WSJ - $]

Portrait of the Accountant as Regulator

Here's a profile by of the SEC's chief accountant, Conrad W. Hewitt, which appears in today's Washington Post. Hewitt, 70, says the position is providing him with a nice way to "cap his career."

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."

A Businessman Who Keeps the Books [Washington Post]

C-Level CPAs Say Economy's Looking Up

CPAs who're also C level executives - meaning CEOs, CFOs and the like - are more optimistic about the economy than they've been in three years. The AICPA's Business and Industry Economic Outlook first quarter survey found that 68 percent of them believe their businesses will expand over the next year. Fifty five percent of them see themselves increasing headcount, and half said they firms will spend more on employee training and development. On the flip side, they're worried about employee benefit costs.

CPA Executives are Optimistic About Business Growth, AICPA Survey Reveals [PRNewswire]

Ah, The Support of Your Loved Ones

A great article in today's Wall Street Journal on the dangers of asking spouses or significant others for job advice:

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.

And:

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!"

Our Better HalvesSometimes ExposeOur Worst Side [WSJ - $]

You're Not Job Hunting - You're Marketing

BusinessWeek interviews Rachelle (Shelley) Canter, author of the newly published Make the Right Career Move.

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.

Three Obstacles to a Career Move [BusinessWeek]

PwC's Chair Talks to WSJ

PricewaterhouseCoopers disclosed its financial results the other day, the first time the U.S. branch of a Big Four firm has done so. Chairman Dennis Nally sat for an interview with The Wall Street Journal which, in addition to a meaty discussion about the disclosure, noted:

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.

Nally told the Journal that PwC distributed between $1 billion and $1.4 billion in profits among its 2,069 partners.

Accounting's Crisis Killer [WSJ - $]

Outsourcing = Age Discrimination?

When I asked JobsintheMoney users for their thoughts on outsourcing, I learned both outsourcing and age discrimination are on a lot of people's minds. The question was spurred by a poll we ran the week of March 13, which found nearly 53 percent of our users believe outsourcing threatens their jobs. About 29 percent said their positions weren't at-risk, and 18 percent said they weren't sure.

Many of messages we got were from people in their 50s or early 60s who seem to equate outsourcing with age discrimination. "I am so tired of hearing people in my age group denigrate themselves and think that employers are taking a 'chance' by hiring us," one person wrote. "What I see these days that has a 'college education' is almost amusing. Many … who consider themselves 'engineers' cannot write a grammatically correct 3 sentence email."

Read more responses through the link below.

Letters: Your Comments on Outsourcing [JITM]

Making Your Resume Effective

Stefanie H. Spikell (a Deloitte alum) offers tips on creating an effective resume on the Big 4 Newsletter. Her advice goes from the obvious ("check for typos") to the more subtle but still important ("Personnel managers are most interested in your experience from the last 10 years, so focus on your most recent and most relevant career experience.") Her whole article is at the link below.

Resume Corner: The Best Resume Content [Big 4 Newsletter]

Pampered in Pennsylvania

Goldenberg Rosenthal, a firm in Jenkintown, Pa., is trying to ease the trials of its employees in the run-up to tax day, on the theory that firms who focus solely on their clients "are missing half of the equation," in the words HR Director Joanne Zeitz.

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.

Goldenberg Rosenthal has 21 partners and about 130 employees, organized by both service specialty and industry-specific practice groups. (This is all from a press release, and thanks to Jonathan Berr for sending this in.)

Quick, Solid Career Advice

Though Terri Dial is a banker - she's executive director of retail banking for Lloyds TSB and formerly was an executive at Wells Fargo - much of the career advice she gave during an eFinancialCareers event in London offers applies in our accounting world. She covers everything from politics to weighing corporate culture, and keeping all of it in a useful perspective. This item's a quick read and worth your time.

Career Advice from the Top [JITM]

Singing On-Key

I've been getting a lot of e-mail lately from people who say they can't find this war for talent everyone's talking about. (More on that later - I'm going to post some of the letters.) Dona DeZube wrote a story for us on why some may not be landing jobs they're sure they're qualified for:

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.

One passage that didn't make the final edition, but is still interesting:

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.”

The whole article's at the link below.

The 'American Idol Factor' in Job Interviews [JITM]

Retire? When There's So Much to Do?

Carolyn Kepcher, she of Donald Trump's Apprentice fame, says baby boomers who want to keep on working are in a good position:

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.

and

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.

Couple that with the ongoing need for accounting and finance talent, and the 60-ish among us would seem to be in a good place.

More boomers staying in the rat race [NY Daily News]

IRS Career Open House in N.Y.

A press release from the IRS:

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.

For additional information on the Open House, please contact LMSB.career.open.house@irs.gov

Off-Topic: A Career Change You Don't Want

In case you've never heard of it, the Web site Wonkette is a blog covering politics, social shenanigans and other issues of importance in Washington, D.C. Among other things, that makes them more cynical than we are. But they pointed out the kind of job posting you'll never see here, along with wondering just who in DC would go to Careerbuilder for this kind of thing in the first place. Here's the ad, and Wonkette's missive is here.

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.

For the record, pay is in the 40s.

Kerkering Barberio and Family Benefits

A glowing profile of the Florida firm Kerkering Barberio in the Bradenton Herald:

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."

League of their own [Bradenton Herald]

PWC Leaving Syracuse, Memphis

PricewaterhouseCoopers is closing its 86-person office in Syracuse, N.Y., and its 59-person office in Memphis as part of a national realignment of priorities. Employees will be offered either assignments in other local offices or severance packages, though details haven't been worked out yet. PWC says there will be "no disruption" to clients.

PricewaterhouseCoopers out [Memphis Commercial Appeal]
'Big Four' accounting firm closes office in Syracuse [Newsday]

Minority Student Program in Ohio

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]

For Working Mothers

Among this year's list of Working Mother magazine's 100 Best Companies to Work For are Accenture, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, Grant Thornton, KPMG, PricewaterhouseCoopers and RSM McGladrey. The magazine paid extra attention to corporate leave policies "because it's critical for a mother to be able to stay home as long as possible with her newborn without suffering professionally." The kind of benefits that caught the editors' attention: backup childcare, extended parenting networks, and parenting leaves for both mothers and fathers. See the whole list at www.workingmother.com. [Working Mother]

Why Juggling's a Good Thing

When I started reading Penelope Trunk's article about "embracing instability" in your career, I thought she was a tad whacked. But she's not. What's she's doing is putting today's tendency to change jobs - or even careers - into a the logical perspective of this century. Her bottom line: The people who are most adept at dealing with transition are the people who will do best in their careers and in their lives.

In particular, this struck me:

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."

Given that CPAs tend to look over the fence at another way of life as the hours mount up, it's an interesting point of view.

The key is to embrace instability [Boston Globe]

Who's Not Getting a Job?

Two interesting comments to our JobsintheMoney story on demand for CPAs in Massachusetts (see it here):

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.

And this one:

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.

At Home = Experience

Last week, Sue Shellenbarger of The Wall Street Journal tackled how you can transform efforts you've undertaken at home into experience a hiring manager might appreciate. The context is for people returning to the workforce after taking time off to raise children or spend serious time on other family issues. (Everyone says "people," but everyone also knows most of these people, for now anyway, are women.) Since attracting such folks is a priority of many of the larger accounting firms, it's helpful to know what works and what doesn't.

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 article might be on CareerJournal, too, but I found it on the paid WSJ site.

Turning Stay-at-Home SkillsInto Career-Track Assets [WSJ - $]

The Flip Side of High Demand

Compliance pressures boards, boards pressure chief financial officers, and chief financial officers find new jobs. That, apparently, is the chain of events rearing its head throughout corporate America. A survey from Tatum, LLC, says more than 2,300 CFOs will leave their jobs in the course of 2007. "Many CFOs are fired or resign not because they weren't a good match for the company when they were hired 20 months ago, but rather because the business has evolved so quickly that their capacity and capabilities are no longer an ideal match for the company," Richard D'Amaro, Tatum Chairman and chief executive, was quoted as saying by SmartPros.

Survey Predicts Record High CFO Departures in 2007 [SmartPros]

In Massachusetts, Small Firms Need Love, Too

Well, maybe not love, but they sure need more CPAs on staff. The pressure on Big Four firms trickles down in many ways:

"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.

In Mass., Small Firms Compete Hard for CPAs [JITM]

If Looks Could...

From Eve Tahmincioglu's column on MSNBC. You pride yourself on competence, but when it comes to climbing the business ladder, looks count.

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.'"

Power of attraction rules in workplace [MSNBC]

You're A Social Animal

Here's an article for anyone feeling gray today: The Sioux City Journal profiles Linda Shoemaker, CPA, CMA, and a partner in firm of Nichols, Rise & Company.

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."

It's a basic profile piece, but if you're wondering how other accountants juggle the demands of partnership and families, it has some good observations.

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.

On sailing the wide accountancy [Sioux City Journal]

J.H. Cohn's Headcount, Revenue Rises

New Jersey-based J.H. Cohn closed its fiscal 2007 books on January 31 with a revenue increase of 22 percent, to $175,271,000. But growth is about more than just money, remember:

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.

The firm's expanding into verticals such as health care and has 2,000 clients in New Jersey and New York.

J.H. Cohn Posts 22 Percent Revenue Growth for Fiscal 2007 [J.H. Cohn]

New York Mulls Endorsement Changes

The New York State Board for Public Accountancy's Education Committee is considering some changes in the way it handles licensure by endorsment, Myra Thomas tell us on JobsintheMoney.

Licensure by Endorsement for N.Y. CPAs [JITM]

It's the Talent Hunt That Keeps on Giving

Ron Blair of the recruiting firm Century Group sees demand for CPAs continuing through 2007. His reasons: more use of temporary professionals, increased bankruptcy filings, still more compliance demands, and more turnover because of the competition for talent. See his full list on AccountingWEB.

5 Reasons Why Demand for Accounting & Finance Pros Will Intensify [AccountingWEB]

Changing Times in New Jersey

Seeking to change with the times, Rutgers is thinking of changing some of its course requirements for professional accounting MBA candidates:

“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.

Raising Good Accountants One Course at a Time [BJBiz - $]

Grant Thornton Grows Workforce

Grant Thornton LLP - the U.S. member firm of Grant Thornton International - reported a 14 percent increase in its number of employees during 2006 and a 15 percent rise in the number of partners at the firm. The increases were reported along with a climb of 18.2 percent in revenue for the year. In the firm's earnings release, CEO Edward Nusbaum enthused about "continued outstanding independent client service, a vibrant and supportive workplace culture, and continued thought leadership to the profession."

The release also cited the firm's accomplishments in the workplace:

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 Florida

Companies 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.

Grant Thornton LLP 2006 revenues rise 18.2% to $940 million [Grant Thornton]

Bend Knees When Lifting

An interesting note in investor Warren Buffett's annual letter to shareholders:

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.

Buffett's letter is legendary among investors for its plain-spokeness and common sense about a whole lot of things. If you like, read the latest letter

How Happy Are You? Really?

This from MSNBC: Americans aren't happy at work.

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.

Interestingly - but not really surprisingly - the people who are the most unhappy are the ones who make the least money.

Americans hate jobs more than ever [MSNBC]

More Than Numbers

I hear again and again that people need to communicate well if they're going to succeed in this business. On JobsintheMoney, Carol Lippert Gray provides some things to think about if you want to be a better writer.

A better what? A better writer. Why do you care? Because your boss, your clients and your colleagues are making judgments about based on how clear and concise you are in your reports, your memos and, yes, even your e-mails.

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.

Besides all that, taking the time to write well imposes a certain discipline when you're evaluating complex issues. It's time well-spent.

In Getting Ahead, Your Words Count [JITM]

And I'd Like To Thank - Maybe Fire - My Publicist...

Poor PricewaterhouseCoopers. They get their annual plug at the Academy Awards and Slate Magazine prompty publishes a hatchet job detailing the financial scandals some of its clients have been involved in, going so far as to ask:

But if there were a problem with the votes, or if there were a security breach, could we rely on PwC to detect it?

Writer Daniel Gross goes on to catalogue goings-on at various clients, from Tyco to Yukos, before concluding:

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.

He's trying to make a point about accounting, really, and just using Hollywood and PwC, as his hooks. It struck me as kind of a cheap shot, though.

Can PricewaterhouseCoopers be trusted to count the Academy Awards ballots? [Slate]

Milk and Honey, Milk and Honey, Blah Blah Blah

It's getting to be almost boring, reporting on heavy demand and rising salaries in California. Unless, I suppose, you live there.

At large companies, starting salary ranges for chief compliance executives will increase 14.4 percent in 2007, topping out at more than $181,000, according to Robert Half International's annual salary guide. At the low end of the scale, salaries should start at $132,500. Mid-sized companies - those with revenues between $25 million and $250 million - will pay about 9.3 percent more than they did last year. For internal and external auditors, financial analysts and staff accountants, starting salary increases will run more than 5 percent.

The gains reflect a particularly strong market, says Brett Good, Robert Half's district president for California and Arizona. "It’s safe to say that all the numbers will be the same or slightly higher than the national averages," Good says, adding that some companies may pay as much as 20 to 25 percent more than they would have considered a year ago.

This is all from James Rubin's report on JobsintheMoney.

I don't mean to be contrary, but I keep thinking it can't be that good for everybody out there. If you have war stories, one way or another, send them my way - post a comment.

California Compliance Salaries Reflect Demand [JITM]

Good Times

Emma Johnson made some calls and found most observers of the financial job market think 2007 is going to be a good year, right through to the end:

All outlooks point to continued economic growth for at least another year, followed by a corresponding job market in the financial industry. After that, all eyes are on the national deficit, Middle East politics and the real estate industry.

And...

Randy Gartz, Robert Half International vice president of permanent placement services, points out the demand created by ever-increasing compliance initiatives also fuels a demand for qualified accounting and finance professionals that outpaces supply. This shortage has employers returning to pre-9/11 days of accelerated hiring processes, offering premium signing and performance bonuses and jacking up salaries for current staff. "They’re making counteroffers to retain top performers," Gartz says.

The full story's on JobsintheMoney.

Looking Good [JITM]

Defense Agency's 'Trickle Down' in N.Y. State

Seems like the Mohawk Valley in New York State is a good place to be an accountant or auditor right now.

Fast-paced job growth at the U.S. Defense Finance and Accounting Service is fueling hiring competition among other financial institutions locally, job experts say.

The expansion of DFAS at Griffiss Business and Technology Park vaulted the government and the business/finance sector into two of the top three spots on the Mohawk Valley's job growth list. Health-care jobs also are among the three fastest-growing sectors.

The planned addition of 600 jobs at DFAS, announced in August 2005, has led to an expected growth in government hiring. But it has also created a ripple effect as workers transfer to DFAS from private banks and financial institutions.

"It's like if DFAS hires a person and they, say, came from a credit union, which might hire someone from a retail operation and it just trickles down," said Alice Savino, executive director of the Workforce Investment Board of Herkimer, Oneida and Madison Counties.

Growing DFAS attracts local bank workersAgency's expansion creates hiring ripple effect [Utica Observer-Dispatch]

Dixon Hughes Help Marshall's Accounting Program

Dixon Hughes says its recent merger with West Virginia firm Simpson & Osborne will create about 100 jobs in the state. To bolster the pipeline of young recruits, the firm is donating $10,000 to the accounting program at Marshall University.

“I think it’s a co-developed relationship between us and Marshall,” said Rick Slater, a managing member of Dixon Hughes. “We’re going to ask them to do the right things, to get their students prepared and we want to pick up the best people that the university has to offer in the field of business.”

Accounting program gives $10,000 to Marshall accounting program [Herald-Dispatch]

More Online Career Tips

LifeTips is a somewhat schizophrenic Web site that offers, it says, 93,000 tips on everything from gardening to - careers in accounting! In that neck of the woods, it seems like they offer more job descriptions than anything else. But if you want to see for yourself, go to accountingjobs.lifetips.com. They set up the area with help from AccountPros.

Speaking of Time Management

From ABCNews.com:

Circle your calendar. April 13th, 2036 could be a really, really bad day on planet Earth.

A group of astronauts and engineers warns that an asteroid may pass uncomfortably close to Earth that day. The chances it will actually hit are just one in 45,000, but even at those odds, the scientists warn, the United Nations should consider a response.

That's a Sunday, by the way. Which means you may or may not want to get the tax work done early.

Can Earth Dodge Asteroid Heading This Way? [ABCNews.com]

Isn't Day Light Savings Coming Early This Year?

When I worked at Dow Jones, a bunch of us in the newsroom would whisper about a manager who acted like a vice president years before he became a vice president. Eventually, he did it - he moved into the executive wing and was responsible for several hundred staffers and millions of dollars of budget. The lesson: There's value in emulating people whose rank you want to rise to. (I should note this executive isn't an arrogant man. He simply modeled his work habits on those of his superiors.)

So over on Yahoo! Finance, Jim Citrin details the joys of an early-morning routine. His impetus was a survey he sent to 20 "CEOs and top executives" about how they start their day. Even if you can't take a weekly morning walk through Central Park with a young person seeking your advice, as does one of his sources, his strategy is easily tailored for folks in the trenches. His advice:

• Start early
• Get a jump on e-mail
• Exercise every morning (OK, I skip this one)
• Be thoughtful about the source, form, and timing of your news
• Problem-solve
• Make family time
• Be creative with your morning routine

As one of those who gets up at 5 in the morning - much to the annoyance of my wife and my dog (the only terrier in the world who likes to sleep in) - I've always felt like I get a jump on the day in those hours when it's quiet, the coffee's fresh, the phone isn't ringing, and no new e-mails are coming in. The article's worth two minutes of your time, maybe with your coffee.

Tapping the Power of Your Morning Routine [Yahoo! Finance]

Are You Feeling GOOD?

Accounting and finance professionals were feeling pretty chipper in January: Hudson's employment index jumped 14.5 points, to 120.5, during the month. What's behind their general contentment: the state of their personal finances, their job satisfaction and less concern about layoffs. The broader, national index rose 1.5 points, to 104.2. Dig into the numbers at www.hudson-index.com/finance. [Hudson]

You Already Knew This, But...

This is one of those things everyone thinks, but doesn't like to talk about: Accounting firms tell love to tell how options for work-life balance are key components of their hiring and retention strategies. Now comes research indicating that maybe they aren't so whole-heartedly behind the concept, after all.

Three business school professors - Philip Reckers of the W. P. Carey School of Business, Eric N. Johnson of Indiana University and D. Jordan Lowe of Arizona State University - found that employees who take advantage of flextime, telecommuting and part-time work arrangements are often penalized when it comes to gaining visible assignments and earning promotions.

Their findings uncover a disconnect between staff members, who often leave accounting because of the hours involved, and firm leaders who put in their own long hours on their way to the top. A survey published in 2006 by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants found that 70 percent of the men who left the field said work-life balance was the main reason.

"You hear what the firms say publicly about work-life balance, and then you hear what your former students say about their actual jobs," Reckers told in-house journal Knowledge@W.P.Carey. "Hype and reality simply don't jibe … Even partners, after a beer or two, would admit that work-life balance programs are largely window dressing."

The researchers found that workers taking advantage of flextime or part-time hours run the risk of being viewed as "not carrying their load." In addition, men were viewed more unkindly than women in such situations. "Managers may tolerate flextime or part-time work with a woman - maybe," Reckers said. "But if you're a man and you take flextime, the perception is that there's something really wrong with you."

The findings show the need for fundamental cultural change in the accounting profession, the professors said. Alternative work arrangements must be "viewed as an acceptable career path for men and women seeking more balance between their work and non-work lives," they wrote.

Flexibility's price tag: gain time, lose career footing [Knowledge @ W.P Carey]

Realities Hit Even A Tight Labor Market

CFO magazine's February edition packaged together a series of stories on the evolving relationship between employers and employees. In its intro, the magazine notes:

The tight labor market and improving economy have made workers - especially the good ones - more demanding in terms of compensation, benefits, and working conditions. But companies remain determined to cut costs even as they acknowledge a renewed "war on talent."

It goes on to note the widespread discussion about how employee stacks up against sky-high executive compensation. Then it makes an interesting observation:

The compensation picture is clouded by soaring health-care costs, which leave companies feeling hamstrung and employees shortchanged. The move to consumer-driven health care may provide at a partial solution, but can companies in good conscience give employees more control over health-care decisions if there are few dependable sources of information on which to base those decisions?

Finally, the package delves into the consequences of treating employees badly: among them, lawsuits. And, again, the editors make a good observation:

Even if companies botch the nuances of employment law, they can create corporate cultures in which managers know how important it is to listen to employee grievances and to act on them before the matter ends in court. Such cultures may do far more than forestall lawsuits: They may demonstrate that employees are, in fact, true stakeholders, which in turn may help ensure that the employer-employee relationship is rewarding to both parties.

This is one of those packages that, although written for managers, provides a lot of good information to people who want to be smart about the way they operate in today's office environment. Links to three stories are below.

Just Rewards [CFO]
Pin the Tail on the Doctor [CFO]
The Enemy Within [CFO]

California's Corbin & Company Changing Name, Expanding

Irvine, Calif., firm Corbin & Company is changing its name to KMJ Corbin & Company. The "KMJ" seems to come from the first names of the firm's managing partner, Kendall Merkley, and audit and tax partners-in-charge Mike Faddoul and Jim Nagengast. But that's just a guess. Tony Price and David Reule were recently made partners, and will "assume a variety of roles, including overseeing expansion into San Diego, participating in business development opportunities and ensuring the firm’s ability to deliver a high level of client service," the firm said.

Good Management

Yesterday's Wall Street Journal has an account of what reporter David Reilly calls the "near-death experience" of KPMG as the firm faced accusations of selling illegal tax shelters. How Chairman Timothy Flynn led the firm, it appears successfully, through the legal and business fallout shows a good manager at work. Among other tidbits:

To calm partners, he personally reached out to hundreds of them, often singling out younger ones. Michael R. Gervasio, a young tax partner in Chicago, says he was impressed as much by Mr. Flynn's persistence as by what he said. Mr. Flynn phoned eight times over two days before finally connecting with Mr. Gervasio at home at 10 one night. 'We really want you to stay,' Mr. Gervasio recalls being told. He did.

How a Chastened KPMG Got By Tax-Shelter Crisis [WSJ - $]

Are You Exempt? Are You Sure?

Barbara Freet, president of Human Resource Advisors in Lafayette, Calif., and one of the speakers slated for next month's California CPA Education Foundation's business conferences, says approaches to alternative work arrangements in the state have changed drastically since the California Workplace Flexibility Act was passed in 2000.

The law created stricter rules for paying overtime, and requires employers to stipulate in advance how the work hours of non-exempt employees will be allocated over a week. In our world, uncertified accountants have non-exempt status and must be paid for overtime. A number of companies have been sued - successfully - because they failed to correctly classify groups of workers.

Freet told our James Rubin that uncertified accountants, including employees who fill bookkeeping roles, are non-exempt because they rely so much on Generally Accepted Accounting Procedures. In other words, they follow rules more than their own judgment. "People who are exempt have to spend over 50 percent of their time on issues requiring independent judgment," Freet explained. "Staff accountants aren't making these types of judgments."

She adds that classification depends on job function, not a company's determination. "Employers think they can decide if someone is exempt or non-exempt," Freet says. "They can't."

Career Information in California

The California CPA Education Foundation's third annual business and industry conferences will have a career and hiring flavor when they take place in Long Beach and San Francisco late in March. Each one-day event will feature sessions on career management, recruiting and employee retention. An additional session will offer advice on compensation, a timely subject in the present job market. The Long Beach event will be held March 22, with San Francisco's taking place on March 23. Details are here. (Thanks, James Rubin)

You'd Think They'd Ask

The lead of this item on AccountingWeb says it all:

CPA firm partners believe compensation is the driving force behind a new recruit’s decision to join and stay with the organization. But young professionals say that’s not the case, that growth opportunities are the principal factor.

New CPA Recruits Choose Growth Potential Over Compensation [AccountingWeb]

Balance Strategies

I'm a bit skeptical of all this talk about work-life balance. All the big accounting firms embrace the concept, and, sure, everyone wants more balance in their life, but you hear precious little about the trade-offs that might be required if you're serious about it. Still Emma Johnson wrote what I think is a pretty balanced view of what's going on along Wall Street for eFinancialCareers, and much of what she found applies to accounting.

In an economy that's hot and spurring a demand for qualified people, employers are being forced to make such arrangements more common. However, (Wharton's Stewart) Friedman says it takes initiative on the part of the individual - as well as the organization - to create a win-win proposition for alternative work situations. Strategies might include proposing telecommuting one day per week, or shutting off your Blackberry at 6 p.m. - all with an eye toward making your work time more productive. The specifics, of course, depend on your role within the firm.

"The big enabler is the digital revolution," says Friedman. "The trick we all have to learn is how to use these tools to tap into their promise - which is liberation. It's up to each one of us to determine when and how we get things done."

Of course, if anyone feels like adding their two cents, I'd love to know if you've ever tried to work out a more balanced approach to work with your firm - and what the results were.

Balance Programs Make Inroads [eFinancialCareers]

Career Tips for Boomers

From the alumni magazine of the University of Massachusetts - Amherst, tips for baby boomers who aren't thinking their 60s means retirement in Florida. (Among the alumni profiled is Margery Wells Piercey, a principal at Wolf & Co.)

Build a Job Network: Whenever you can do someone a favor without violating professional ethics, do it. The strongest relationships with people are built when you do not need anything from them.

Tell the Truth: Being truthful is often a selling point in itself. Nobody is perfect. In fact, people who walk on water often leave puddles.

Keep It Simple: If you need a lawyer to defend your résumé or a philosopher to explain it, rewrite your résumé.

Have a Two-Way Interview: You should prepare at least five good questions to ask your
interviewer. At least two should be about doing the job and two about the company.

Dress the Part: Your goal is not to look like a 30-year-old if you are a 60-year-old.

Mind Your Manners: Courtesy doesn’t go out of season. Yes, you should write a thank-you note to the person who interviewed you.

Mind the Bottom Line: Ask for a higher salary only when all other issues are settled.

Greener Pastures [UMass]

Dough and Spreadsheets

Alexandra Defelice of WebCPA posted a nice piece about a CPA who combines the joy of running with the joy of spreadsheets, then weaves in Mrs. Fields' Cookies to make her point about passion and work.

Possessing passion for our careers is a gift not many people are fortunate enough to receive. Those that do tend to stand out from their competitors and the really lucky ones enjoy a higher level of success.

Sure, you've heard it all before, but she tells the story well.

The Passion of the Cookie [WebCPA]

Scholarships for Pa. Accounting Students

Undergraduate accounting students can apply for scholarships worth up to $15,000, sponsored by Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants. To be eligible, students must be full-time undergraduates, majoring in accounting at a Pennsylvania college or university, and have completed at least 36 credit hours. The scholarships range from $1,000 to $15,000, and the deadline to apply is March 15. Last year, the PICPA awarded $185,000 to 78 accounting majors. Click here for details and an application. [PICPA]

Glass Ceiling or Balance?

A British firm, CareersinAudit, believes women aren't rising to the top of accounting because of work-life balance more than discrimination in the workplace. A report by the firm - entitled "Battle of the Sexes?" - also says 90 percent of male accountants in the UK believe efforts to create more opportunities for women are impacting their prospects for promotion.

Male accountants slam female-friendly policies [Management-Issues.com]

Yes, Even Bloggers Go Out of Town

Sometimes circumstances get even beyond the most well-intentioned correspondents. So, please forgive me, but I'll be offline for the week of Feb. 5, returning to service (as it were) on Feb 12. If you're in the Northeast, stay warm. If you're in, say, Palm Desert, California, where I hear the temperature was 85 degrees today - All I can tell you is I'm insanely jealous.

Queenly Managment

When I first saw that Bob Rosner of ABC News was trying to draw parallels between Queen Elizabeth II and run-of-the-mill managers, I balked. (Well, I sneered.) But his article actually makes some good points about management that can be drawn from the movie The Queen, an account of Britain's royal family in the days following the death of Princess Diana. So, all you managers out there:

What does this have to do with managing? Many of us are like the queen. We think we understand what is in the minds of our people. But we are often woefully out of touch with what they really think or feel about work.

Don't believe me? Think about the last time you were in a meeting when someone offered a criticism they'd heard from the rank and file. What happened? Chances are that someone said it just came from a chronic complainer … or that the critic didn't really understand the reason for the new initiative … or some other excuse was raised to discredit the criticism.

Watch this movie, but don't think about the queen. Think about all your queenlike tendencies and all the beliefs that you hold much too tightly where you work.

Management Lessons From 'The Queen' [ABC News]