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For professionals in public tax or audit, what skills helped you succeed most in your first year, and what do you wish you focused on more in college?
I’m planning to go into public accounting and want to be as prepared as possible before starting full-time. I’m especially interested in skills that aren’t always emphasized in coursework.
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Jamie’s Answer
Making sure that you have excellent time management skills is essential.
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Luis’s Answer
Hi Niki, prior to starting, the main technical skills I would look to improve on would be your comfort with excel as well as being able to work with large sets of data within excel. From a soft skill perspective, I would recommend working on your general organization skills and bringing a good attitude to the job. You will have great resources to help you progress from a technical perspective and really learn on the job but the more familiar you are with the general concepts, the smoother your start will be. I would also highly recommend you advance as far as possible with your CPA exams prior to starting work. This will put that big step behind you and allow you to focus on the job!
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Krystal’s Answer
Soft skills are important. Be present, be curious but also be professional.
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Jessica’s Answer
Niki - Outside of your coursework I would highly recommend focusing on your soft skills. Some of these skills could be how to communicate effectively in the workplace and understanding your audience. Public accounting is a client service business and you will spend a lot of time talking with clients and/or future clients. AI continues to be at the forefront and learning more about this space will also be beneficial on how you will be able to apply it on your daily tasks!
Steven Graham
Chief Accounting Officer, Corporate Controller, VP Finance
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Steven’s Answer
Niki-the best way to succeed in your first year is to cover the intangibles that will help you experience what it means to work in accounting. Try for summer internships with the Big Four or other large corporations in accounting that will introduce you to the business world, how to be a professional, etc. Most importantly, make sure that the internship is with a company/firm that is using AI in their accounting functions as that will introduce you not only to learning the skill but put you a leg up on other entry level applicants.
If you’re taking a cpa preparation course, depending on what stage you’re in , you may only be required to take 120 hours of courses. When I went to school, I was required to take 150 hours and the 30 extra credits were economics, etc and other similar non-accounting type courses that helped round out the education. With the increasing complexity of accounting, you really have to focus on everything.
Hope this helps. Good luck.
If you’re taking a cpa preparation course, depending on what stage you’re in , you may only be required to take 120 hours of courses. When I went to school, I was required to take 150 hours and the 30 extra credits were economics, etc and other similar non-accounting type courses that helped round out the education. With the increasing complexity of accounting, you really have to focus on everything.
Hope this helps. Good luck.
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Khalid’s Answer
Hi Niki! From my experience in public accounting (audit) I think if you focus more on the soft skills like others have said instead of trying to prepare technically you'll have more success. At the beginning of your experience the firms don't expect you to know very much technically but will invest in individuals who are easy to work with and eager to learn. So my best piece of advice would be to just try your best to always be a team player and to always strive to be a good coworker and the hard technical skills will follow!
Best of Luck!
Best of Luck!
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Shay’s Answer
Hello! I've been working in accounting for four years, and I believe that having curiosity and initiative are fantastic skills to develop. Being eager to learn and grow can really boost your career. Taking initiative means you're proactive and think ahead without needing to be told. It might seem tough at first, but with a positive attitude and willingness, you'll gain confidence and become more proactive in your tasks. Keep going, and you'll do great!
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Tiara’s Answer
From what I've seen, it's really helpful to know the tax laws well. They have all the info you need and show you what to do. You don't need to remember everything, but it's useful to know which parts talk about the specific task you're working on.
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Isabella’s Answer
Hi Niki,
I just finished my first year in public accounting as an Auditor. I think the skills that helped me the most was understanding how to use the Microsoft platforms, especially Excel. They will teach you the specific skills you will need for your job but they will not take the time to teach you how to use Excel and so it was helpful to me to learn tips and tricks for how to efficiently use the platform. Additionally, having an internship was helpful as well because I already had a better understanding of what was expected of me. I still had a lot to learn but I found it most helpful to prepare my soft skills before starting. I also studied for my CPA exam before starting which helped me gain more knowledge in accounting.
I just finished my first year in public accounting as an Auditor. I think the skills that helped me the most was understanding how to use the Microsoft platforms, especially Excel. They will teach you the specific skills you will need for your job but they will not take the time to teach you how to use Excel and so it was helpful to me to learn tips and tricks for how to efficiently use the platform. Additionally, having an internship was helpful as well because I already had a better understanding of what was expected of me. I still had a lot to learn but I found it most helpful to prepare my soft skills before starting. I also studied for my CPA exam before starting which helped me gain more knowledge in accounting.
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Melina’s Answer
Hey Niki, I highly recommend that you take some courses in tools like Excel, Power BI, data analytics, etc. As a recent graduate, you’ll probably be doing repetitive tasks, so if you find ways to automate them, you’ll be able to spend your time learning the most important aspects of the procedures you’re executing.