Separating yourself from the rest of the accounting pack

With today’s employment market being so tight, it is sometimes hard to differentiate yourself from the many others who are vying for the same jobs you may be after.

For those of us who may want to include technology as part of our expertise, we need to consider learning accounting programs beyond ones we are exposed to in school. Excel is a great start, but to really differentiate yourself you may want to consider something more substantial.

Last week I received an e-mail from Hunter Richards, who runs  the accounting website of Software Advice. He offered a great article on what to look for in a unique skill set in today’s competitive market. You can view the full article here. He researched what employers are looking for and what to consider if you want to separate yourself from the rest of the pack.

Hunter points out the very thing I discovered years ago. Companies want more than an accountant. Often they want someone who can understand the accounting programs the company has chosen to use. You also may be asked to know the customer relationship software that the company uses.

So, what to do? A lot of skills are obtained by either doing the work or taking the extra time to study up on the latest systems. This is a habit I continue to do today. Go out and buy a copy of Excel for your personal use, use it, get materials to read on it, and work with the program until you know it inside and out.

Beyond that, look at industries that interest you and find out what they are using. As Hunter suggests, check online to see what employers want. Then go out and find the materials to help you learn those systems. You may be surprised, just having a familiarity with a system may get you that job you always wanted.
Hunter Richards runs the accounting website for Software Advice.

If you are a small to medium sized business and use QuickBooks or Peachtree and want to get more out of your accounting software. Please feel free to contact me at dchermak@komisarbrady.com. I can help you get the most out of your software.