What's Your Responsibility Quotient?

Sometimes, decisions about who you will and won’t work for help you sort out just how strongly you feel about an issue. I’m not a big fan of the war on terror and would have preferred that we spend those billions on universal pre-school for American children. Yet when an editor offered me a very profitable assignment writing a feature for one of Halliburton’s in-house magazines, I snapped the assignment right up. I could have sent the fee over to the Fresh Air Fund for children, but I used it to pay my health insurance tab instead.

If you’ve never run across a similar scenario, give it time. It’s the nature of life that if you’re a public accountant vehemently against abortion, your firm will land the audit work for the National Abortion Rights Action League and give the assignment to your team. When that happens, will you suck it up and do the audit, or beg off the assignment?

Do you consider corporate social responsibility when you job hunt? Check a company’s carbon footprint or charitable donations? Is it enough to know that your employer would give you two weeks off every spring so you can travel with your church to support an orphanage in Kenya, or do you actively look for a company that provides relief to African orphans?

Two recent surveys got me thinking about all this: The first, from KPMG, asked college students what their primary consideration was in choosing an employer and 57.4 percent said career opportunities. A scant 9 percent rated employer’s reputation as their top consideration.

The second survey, from Robert Half Management Resources, asked chief financial officers to rank the importance of corporate social responsibility programs. About 30 percent said they were “very important,” 25 percent said they were “not at all important,” and the rest were somewhere in the middle.

Can we conclude that most companies don’t care much about charity or volunteerism and that applicants don’t really care, as long as the job they’re offered has solid growth potential?

I suspect that for most of us, finding a socially responsible employer, or the decision to stay with an employer that moves in a direction we don’t like, is similar to choosing between a hybrid and a regular car. If the price is right, we’ll go with the hybrid, but if the price difference is large enough, fiscal consideration will outweigh good intentions every time.

Just who would you work for? It’s easy to say you’d hit the Add sender to blocked senders list if the Devil emailed after seeing your resume at JobsintheMoney, but it’s not always that obvious - or that easy.

Ethics Trouble Ahead

According to Sox First, a survey by the Ethics Resource Center found ethical misconduct has risen to the point of pre-Enron levels.

During the past 12 months, more than half the employees surveyed said they had seen ethical misconduct of some kind. And more than two in five didn't report what they had observed as one in eight experienced some sort of retaliation.

The findings are in the Ethics Resource Center's 2007 National Business Ethics Survey. Polling a total of 3452 employees in the business, government and non-profit sectors, the survey found that 23 per cent of employees observed conflicts of interest, 21 per cent witnessed abusive or intimidating behavior and 20 per cent witnessed lying.

Those aren't insignificant findings, and they make it more likely you'll bump up against some kind of ethical dilemma in the course of your work. Since being forewarned is being forearmed, you might want to take a look at this item by Dona DeZube about handling ethical questions when you're confronted with them.

Ethics danger signals [SOX First]
What to do With Ethical Questions [JITM]

It's Not About Balance - It's About Reality

Notoriously long hours, detail-oriented work, and considerable face time are parts and parcels of the CPA's working life. For accounting firms, changing this kind of culture may be even more important than money in the quest for new hires.

Given the stereotype of the overworked number-cruncher, it's no surprise posts for CPAs are wanting for candidates. Even without the pressured working conditions, other, often more lucrative opportunities are luring accountants away from the CPA fold. According to the 2007 CPA Examination Summit white paper from the National Association of Black Accountants, the wider financial world is drawing more young people of all backgrounds out of accounting. Better salary offers play a part, as does the perception getting the MBA is easier than earning CPA licensure.

Read the full story.

Audit Opportunities Expand As Private Companies 'Go Bright'

Sarbanes-Oxley is creating jobs for internal control and audit professionals within companies not formally subject to the five-year-old law.

Initially, SOX drove many public companies to "go dark" - buy up nearly all their shares in order to exempt themselves from the law's costly requirements. Now, accounting and finance experts are noting the opposite phenomenon: A significant minority of non-public companies are voluntarily choosing to comply with key provisions of SOX - a trend that could be called "going bright."

Read the full story.

Online Interviewing Help

If you keep thinking you're doing something wrong in your job search, here's an interesting site: NextJob101. Basically, it's a series of video tutorials in interviewing skills, a blog, and a forum, all created by recruiter Vicki Herrod. It costs $30 for a three-month membership, which doesn't strike me as unreasonable if you're looking for ways to polish your performance.

Here's a press release.

'Responsibility' Reporting Poised to Widen?

Corporations and investors are increasingly adopting environmental, social and governance measures of performance, alongside the usual financial ones. That means expanded career opportunities for internal auditors, management consultants and other professionals who can apply a new generation of non-financial reporting tools. The activities of finance departments and external auditors will be affected as well. But it's going to happen slowly.

Read the full story.

Then There's THIS Juggling Act...

I'm not sure whether to be amused, bemused, exasperated or glum about the comments to this post by Sara Schaefer Munoz on The Wall Street Journal's blog the Juggle.

OK Juggle readers, let’s hear it. How do you handle the competing demands of work, chores and children — and still make time for sex? Have you been successful in carving out time for yourselves as a couple, or is this something that has fallen by the wayside?

The comments range from the resigned to the pragmatic, with some cynicism thrown in. If you work long days (tax time's coming), you may want to read about a slice of juggling home and office that is more whispered about than actually discussed.

Juggling Career, Kids and a Sex Life [WSJ - $]

About Agencies

Chris Russell posts an e-mail complaining about agencies who list positions on job boards, and his reply. The exchange makes points about agencies that job-seekers don't always like to hear, including:

Don't apply for jobs for which you are not qualified. I realize there are some job seekers who are down on their luck right now. But the worst thing you can do is blame somebody else. Make your own luck. Do something unique to stand out. If there is a job you want, go get it. Prove to the company that you are the RIGHT person for the job.

I hate employment agencies [Secrets of the Job Hunt]

N.Y. Area Accountants Feel Wall Street's Pain

With record write-downs reported at large banks and investment firms, many of which are headquartered in the tri-state region, it's not surprising that hiring is slowing down. New York, New Jersey and Connecticut accountants needn't rush to these firms looking for a golden opportunity, at least not in the short-term.

Read the full story.

On the Road Again

A new Web site by the Texas Society of CPAs explores accounting careers. It's called Destination CPA, and it's snazzy - just as a site aimed at high school and college students should be. Fortunately, Willie Nelson wasn't invited along for the ride. With it, the Texans join the AICPA in talking to kids in their own language.

New student-focused web site provides info on becoming a CPA [AccountingWeb]

More Than Numbers

Joey A. Bermudez, chief executive of Chinatrust Commercial Bank, Philipines, gave a speech to a group of newly certified accountants in Manila recently. It's an interesting speech, observations that can be useful to the newly

Whatever occupation you get into, be not afraid to re-invent yourself. For many years, the accounting profession struggled to remake itself after waking up to the fact that the world had changed and that our long-held notions of fair reporting had to keep up with the evolving business realities. One does not need to be thrust into a life-threatening situation before re-inventing himself; he only needs to be excited by the new role that he will assume. The best financial controller who worked for me was not even a CPA. He was not even an accountant by profession. He was an engineer. But he totally transformed himself into a financial controller because he saw in that role a lot of thrills and joys that many who went to accounting school could not see.

Quo vadis, young CPA? [Inquirer.net]

One Part Inspiration and 9 Parts Silk Screen

Okay, this is absolutely off-topic, because I just don't see accountants getting hired this way. But sometimes you come across something that can only be called "pluck."

Straight up, no bones about it, no way to dispute it, if they can read People WILL Read What's On Your Shirt!

Put something about yourself on your shirt and not only will they read it they will strain to see it. They will position themselves for a better look. Stand in line at a fast food joint and at any given moment someone will be checking it out. I'm telling you people can't help it.

With a brief description of your skills and what you're looking for (a cover letter basically) on your shirt you will be getting interviewed constantly in the minds of people who read it! If they happen to know of something that might be a match it will occur to them to say something!

Damn I Need A Job

More on Video Resumes

Louise Fletcher at Blue Sky Resumes writes about her experience creating a multimedia resume template for use with some of her clients. It sounds cool - except no one wanted it. Of video resumes she says:

They are simply a slower and more inconvenient way of screening candidates - and unless you're talented on camera (which is irrelevant for 99.9999% of all jobs) you might damage your chances of getting the job.

Video Resumes Are Not the Answer [Blue Sky Resumes]

Getting Credit When Credit is Due

You're doing all the work and someone else is taking all the credit. It's not only unfair, but it may affect your career. Handling the situation requires tact, diplomacy and a plan.

Read the Full Story.

How Clothes Make the Accountant

In California, most accounting firms favor business casual attire. Staples of twentieth century office life - like ties and jackets for men or hosiery for women – are largely passe. So, what do the well-dressed accountants wear? Pay attention if you want to look the part.

You think this stuff doesn't matter? Read the story here.

It Just Looks Like I'm Late...

I'm a big fan of being on time. It amazes me how often people show up late for meetings - even if they've only got to walk down the hall. Of course, if it's your boss showing up late - well, he's the boss. But if you're the one who's late, you're probably mistaken to think "just a few minutes doesn't matter," or "we always start our meetings late anyway." I've never known anyone who looks bad by being on time.

This article in The Wall Street Journal looks at people who are habitually late, though it doesn't offer many tips on how to change. But the comments that go along with the story make for interesting reading.

I'm Not Really Late, I'm Just Indulging In Magical Thinking [WSJ - $]

The IRS Man Behind the Bonds Indictment

How often do you a see a long feature article on an IRS Special Agent? The New York Times had one on Sunday, profiling Jeff Novitzky, who's investigative work has led to the indictment of San Francisco slugger Barry Bonds on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice.

Among government officials and antidoping authorities, Mr. Novitzky is heralded as a pioneer. They credit him with helping to change how the illegal distribution of performance-enhancing drugs is prosecuted. They describe him as a tenacious and methodical investigator whose work has always held up in court.

>>A Harvest of Trash and Turmoil for an Agent Fighting Steroids [NY Times]

Forums

Don't forget you can ask questions, give answers, or just generally say how you feel about work in JobsintheMoney's forums. You can reach them here. Yes, you have to register but that's about keeping spammers away.

How to Change Careers

Here's another story from our sister site Dice that, although it's written for tech folks, has some good pointers for anybody who'se considering as switch out of accounting.

"No matter what field you're in, the jobs all require the same behaviors, tools and disciplines," says Ford Myers, president of Career Potential LLC in Haverford, Pa. "The key is identifying the ones that you're good at and finding where you might be able to use those same skills."

This means that you should start by thinking about jobs where your accounting skills could be useful. Maybe it's managing a non-profit, for example. Or maybe you want to build on your accounting background by getting an MBA. If you like managing people, maybe general business management is the way to go. Whatever you do, to change careers to going to require the motivation to reeducate yourself, and the patience and perseverance to keep at it during the time it takes to navigate the transition.

Changing Careers for Fun and Profit [Dice]

What to do With Ethical Questions

If you stay in finance and accounting long enough, someone is going to ask you to fudge something. What should you do? First, clarify the situation, then refuse to act unethically and seek input from outside sources and people further up the chain of command.

"It's very important at the moment you're asked to do something unethical that you voice your concerns," says Kathleen Downs, division director for Robert Half International in Orlando. "You have to explain why you're uncomfortable and how you feel about it, so you can gauge whether you perhaps misunderstood what you were asked to do."

Read the full story.