Even I had to do a double take regarding the title of this post – it is a bit misleading. AICPA has a rather dry article (what did you expect from a CPA website) about hiring trends in the accounting world. We try to stay on the cutting edge here at The Hire Sense so I read the short article. I was intrigued by this statement:
The traditional structure of a corporation’s accounting department, with definitive job responsibilities and several layers of management and staff positions is changing. Accounting departments are staffed by fewer, more flexible, technologically savvy and highly experienced professionals. They are responsible for developing methods to grow the business and increase profit margins.
That is my emphasis but this is directly from the article. As a former salesperson in larger organizations, we seemed to view the accounting department as a necessary evil. Not an enlightened thought, I know. Yet, it seemed that their job was to question every commission, seek clarification on every expense and complain about frivolous costs in the sales department.
I read this article and am left wondering what will accountants sell to grow the business. This article states that they are being asked to more than beancounters. Instead, they are morphing into business advisors for their clientele:
Candidates who can assist clients in everything from auditing and tax work to process improvement are highly valued.
I note this statement simply because more companies are moving towards well-rounded employees. The demand for a wider skill set among employees is a trend we have seen for the past 2 years. Companies are looking for candidates that have a mix of abilities that allow them to contribute to areas outside their primary department. One word to accomplish this task – assess.