8/9/2019 Full Speed Ahead -- 4 Ways to Set Your CPA Career in Motion

1/24 Todays CPA Disclosures July/August

TodaysCPA

Full speed ahead

As a young proessional in the wakeo the inclement economic climate

o the past year or so, you may betrying to determine your best strategy orgetting ahead. Whether youre workingor a public accounting rm, becoming asole practitioner, considering a move toindustry, practicing as a consultant or justlooking to think strategically about yourcareer in accounting, this article is oryou.

You may already be thinking: I barelyhad enough time today to pick up this is-sue oDisclosures when will I have timeto plan my uture in accounting? I youre

like a lot o young CPAs, you spend a airamount o time at work, especially dur-ing busy season, but dont despair. Theollowing our tactics are relatively quick,but thoughtul ways to get ahead in yourrst ew years o practice.

Branch out

Research and join an industry-specicproessional organization in additionto joining accounting-ocused proes-sional organizations, such as the VSCPA,

American Institute o CPAs (AICPA) orInstitute o Internal Auditors (IIA). These

organizations missions are to connectlike-minded proessionals and distributespecic resources and inormation to theirmembers. Such memberships are perector a CPA who wants to learn more aboutthe industry in which he or she is working.

For example, my rm specializes inorensic accounting and litigation consult-ing services, so I joined the American BarAssociation (ABA). I have attended localcommittee meetings and the ABA annualconerence, both o which provided an op-portunity or me to learn more about the

legal landscape as it pertains to orensicaccounting, understand the perspective omy clients and, ultimately, position myselto market my rms services to prospec-tive clients (attorneys).

An added bonus: Most proessional or-ganizations provide a platorm or service-oriented proessionals to contribute to thecommunity. Even i you dont have timeto volunteer year-round, try to select aprogram that allows you to contribute inbursts (when youre not working over-

Four ways to set your CPA career in motionBy Lauren Alexander, CPA

You may not realize

it, but a mentor is an

essential component

of your professional

network.

8/9/2019 Full Speed Ahead -- 4 Ways to Set Your CPA Career in Motion

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time during busy season) and one thatallows you to turn up and down the ameon your participation as necessary.

Zoom in

Keep up-to-date on the happenings othe accounting world through Continu-ing Proessional Education (CPE) courses,

thumbing through the AICPAsJournal ofAccountancy, VSCPAs Disclosures, visitingthe Securities and Exchange Commis-sion and Financial Accounting StandardsBoard websites or just reading The WallStreet Journal. You may still be celebrat-ing successully completing the Exam, butcontinuing to sharpen and reresh yourtechnical skills will set you apart romother CPAs in your department or on yourteam.

Most rms require employees to obtainCPE credits annually anyway, but dont

think o it as a chore. There are hundredso ways to get valuable CPE otenonline or low or no cost and learnsomething relevant to your practice (thatsinteresting too).

These include sel-study courses,webcasts, training events or conerencesand are available through the proes-sional organizations described above, theVSCPA, the Big 4 accounting rms,etc. Many webcasts can be completed orno cost in just an hour during your lunch

break, and can arm you with the basics onan upcoming issue in accounting or thebuzz about a new pronouncement.

It may seem like a simple way to getahead, but just exposing yoursel to newor updated accounting standards or activityin the industry could lead to sharing a tipwith a client or contributing a quick act ina conversation with your boss. The ollow-ing are several resources or learning aboutCPE opportunities:

www.vscpa.com

http://vscpa.acpen.com

www.cpelink.com/?s=8ave3p7

http://cpe.cpacrossings.com/vscpa

www.cpa2biz.com

www.deloitte.com/us/dbries

http://www.kpmginstitutes.com/events

Look back

In your rst ew years as a CPA, youmay not have kept in touch with youralma mater, but its a relationship worthcultivating.

Proessors and organizations on cam-pus, like Beta Alpha Psi, are oten seekingyoung alumni to speak on job panels, share

experiences with students about what itslike to work as an accountant in the realworld, or give a talk about a specic areao accounting or technical issue. Contactone o your proessors or an organizationon campus to see how you can contribute.

These opportunities are threeold: Theyadd valuable experience to your CV, orexample, in public speaking; allow you tooster relationships on campus (build yourpersonal network); and provide your rmexposure to upcoming graduates in ac-counting (a strong contact at your under-

graduate or graduate accounting programcould help you or your rm have accessto the best new hires). Even i youre notdirectly involved with the recruiting unc-tion at your rm, most schools have youngalumni boards and other satellite organiza-tions designed to connect young alumniand promote networking.

Your alma mater also has a stake in yoursuccess, as it hopes to see alumni developand prosper, contribute to the school andprovide mentoring relationships to even

younger alumni, among other things.Many Virginia colleges and universitiesprovide career services to alumni, such asmaking sta available to review rsumsby e-mail or in person, and providingalumni access to job postings and network-ing events, such as career airs.

Make a connection

You may not realize it, but a mentoris an essential component o your proes-sional network. Mentors provide a wealtho experience and knowledge about your

workplace, industry and even ofce poli-tics. And mentors arent just importantor individuals beginning their careers;a mentor can be there throughout yourcareer to coach you through promotions,career moves and the occasional proes-sional blunder.

Many rms assign ormal mentorson your rst day o work, which can behelpul navigating those rst ew monthsat new job. However, nding the idealmentor may not be obvious. I your ormal

mentor assignment wasnt a match madein heaven or your rm does not oer amentoring program, consider seekingout an alternative. Many universities andproessional organizations such as theVSCPA oer mentorship programs. Beoreyou begin your search, evaluate your ownproessional goals, so that you can seek a

mentor who has chosen a similar path.Once you have ound a mentor, osterthe relationship by contacting your mentoron an ongoing basis to keep the relation-ship resh. Remember that mentoringrelationships involve trust and chemistry,neither o which occurs overnight. Espe-cially at the beginning o the mentoringrelationship, be clear about your inten-tions by sharing with your mentor speciclong- and short-term goals. However, beconscious not to monopolize your men-tors time. Instead, e-mail your mentor

an occasional update, drop by with coeeor send your mentor an article he or shemight nd interesting.

Finally, once you have an establishedmentor relationship, consider becoming amentor yoursel; sharing your own experi-ences and insight is not only rewarding,but motivates you to reassess your owngoals.

To conclude, there are a variety o waysto get ahead as a young proessional Ihave only outlined a ew in this article. But

its worth noting that the most successulproessionals in my workplace think stra-tegically about getting ahead, and dontollow blindly down the career path.

Lauren Alexander,

CPA, is a senior

manager at Veris

Consulting, Inc., a

Virginia-based consulting frm that

specializes in orensic accountingand litigation consulting services.

She is a recent graduate rom the

University o Virginias McIntire

School o Commerce. Contact her at

lalexander@verisconsulting.com.

To oer another recent graduate

perspective, Beth Helle, a senior

consultant at Veris Consulting, Inc.,

also contributed to this article.

Todays CPA Disclosures July/August 5