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Accounting Careers: Land Your Dream Job in 2022 + Beyond
D+L is an innovative CPA firm headquartered in Chicago’s northwest suburbs. Keep reading for some career advice from our pros, then learn more about joining our diverse, growing team on our accounting careers page.
In many ways, there has never been a better time to be an accountant.
Your skills are in high demand (and only getting higher). Your industry is undergoing exciting transformations driven by new technologies and innovations. Meanwhile, professionals like you are increasingly taking leadership roles at the highest echelons of business and government.
Rather than working in the background, today’s accountants often take center stage, making pivotal decisions with direct, real-world consequences.
A few decades ago, ‘accountant’ may not have been the coolest career path—we always thought it was cool, but we’re biased—however, as the role of the modern accountant changes, so does the image. Today, it’s hard to think of another profession that operates at the intersection of business, policy and technology, all the things that matter most in our daily lives. What could be cooler than that?
As popular as accountants are today, demand continues to rise. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), employment opportunities for accountants and auditors is expected to grow by seven percent by 2030.
What does a growing industry mean for you, as an accountant? It means there are more opportunities; and having more opportunities means that you can afford to be picky when it comes to where you work and what you do. You don’t have to choose the first employer that offers you a job, nor do you have to pursue a career path outside your interests. Instead, you have the freedom to choose the right employer and do the kind of work that matters to you.
At the same time, the factors driving the growth of the accounting field—like emerging technologies, shifting regulations and big data—are also driving its transformation. The accountants of today are, in some ways, very different from the accountants of yesterday. And if you want to continue growing your career at the industry’s cutting edge, you will need to adopt the habits and perspectives of the accountants of tomorrow.
3 habits of today’s (and tomorrow’s) most successful accountants
Like those of the past, today’s most successful accountants are accurate, organized and good with numbers.
However, as today’s accountants play an increasingly hands-on role in businesses, organizations and investigations, their work goes far beyond crunching numbers. Above all, they are valued for their leadership and communication skills, their creativity and specialized knowledge, and their ability to not only accept but embrace cutting-edge technology to give themselves and their clients an advantage.
At D+L, we believe that the most successful accountants of today—and those who are best-positioned for the future—have the following in common:
They embrace automation.
Not long ago, many believed that emerging technologies like automated accounting software were going to ‘replace’ the accountant as we knew it. In some ways, they were right; these technologies are replacing many of the most rote functions of accounting, such as data entry.
However, far from replacing accountants, these tools are freeing us from the more tedious aspects of our work. In doing so, they allow us to tap into our creativity and specialized business knowledge, along with our understanding of financial data, to take a more prominent role in decision-making. They are also enabling us to deliver solutions for our clients that were never before possible.
Far from replacing us, these technologies are allowing us to focus on the work we love most and be more effective than ever.
For example, an accountant may deploy a software program to continuously monitor and audit a client’s financial data. This allows both the accountant and the program to focus on what they do best. The program can monitor data at a speed and frequency that would be impossible for a human; meanwhile, the accountant can interpret the results and use the data to help their clients make better business decisions in a way that an algorithm could not.
Today’s best accountants do not fear automation, nor do they focus on the tasks that have the potential to be automated. Instead, they let the algorithms work for them, and focus their energy on interpreting data and guiding their clients toward the right decisions.
They specialize.
As accountants undertake an increasingly hands-on role in their work, specialized knowledge of their clients’ industries is more valuable than ever.
For example, at D+L, some of our accountants specialize in the nonprofit sector. These accountants have years of experience working with nonprofits, so they understand the business decisions these organizations have to make, the challenges they face, and the unique regulatory environment of their industry. That knowledge allows our CPAs to approach our clients from a position of deeper knowledge and understanding than a generalist could offer.
Rather than limiting you, specializing in a specific sector or discipline distinguishes you in the industry. We believe that specialization is only becoming more valuable as industries and regulations become more complex.
Fortunately, now is the perfect time to pursue your preferred specialization. With so many jobs in accounting now available, you’re more likely to find a position that will help you grow your knowledge and skillset in a sector that is interesting and meaningful to you.
They work with the right team.
The classic image of an accountant is the hard-working loner. They sit in their dimly lit office, glued to their computer screen, surrounded by mountains of files.
Fortunately, that’s not the case for today’s most effective accountants. In fact, at D+L, we couldn’t do what we do without collaboration and communication, both internally and with our clients. The problems we solve are complex—they require in-depth knowledge of the client’s organization, as well as specialized skills and knowledge that may be dispersed across our firm—and managing our accounts is almost always a group effort.
If you want to grow your career and your skills, it’s important to think of accounting as a team sport. Learning to collaborate with peers is just as critical as developing your own skillset. Wherever your career takes you, you will likely have to collaborate, so learning how to work well with other people, delegate responsibilities, communicate, and share tasks is essential to succeeding in the modern, increasingly collaborative accounting world.
Plus, as you work alongside other accountants on a daily basis, you will pick up knowledge about regulations, learn how to use new technologies, and develop skills you probably wouldn’t have learned on your own.
Surrounding yourself with the right people is one of the best things you can do for your career.
Ready to grow your career? D+L is now hiring for the following accounting jobs…
Located in Chicago’s western suburbs, D+L is an innovative CPA firm that works at the cutting edge of accounting while putting the health, well-being and growth of our employees first.
Here are a few reasons why you might love working with us:
- You’ll have an opportunity to make a real difference. At bigger firms, it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle. Not at D+L. Here, you will work hands-on with our clients, contribute ideas, and make your voice heard as a valued member of our team.
- You’ll love our office. Featured in Choose DuPage’s Smartest, Sleekest & Healthiest Workplaces 2021, our office is a beautiful place to work and unwind, featuring amenities like a fitness facility, a coffee bar and an advanced ionization system that keeps our air clean.
- Your career will keep growing. We invest in our employee’s continuing education, helping you develop new skills, acquire certifications, master new technologies, and advance your career.
- You’ll have genuine work-life balance. At D+L, we work hard to create a wellness-first culture with flex time, family-friendly scheduling, remote work options, and other nontraditional benefits.
Ready to take the next step in your career? D+L is currently hiring for accountant jobs like Staff Accountant, Internal Auditor, Accounting Manager, and Tax Manager.
Visit our accounting careers page to learn more about our workplace, explore current accountant job openings and apply now.