Krieger, Jean E.

English

eGrove (Univ. of Mississippi)

Woman C.P.A. Volume 37 Issue 3 Article 7 7-1975 Personal Management: Planning A Career In Public Accounting Jean E. Krieger Follow this and additional works at: https://egrove.olemiss.edu/wcpa  Part of the Accounting Commons, and the Women's Studies Commons Recommended Citation Krieger, Jean E. (1975) "Personal Management: Planning A Career In Public Accounting," Woman C.P.A.: Vol. 37 : Iss. 3 , Article 7. Available at: https://egrove.olemiss.edu/wcpa/vol37/iss3/7 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Archival Digital Accounting Collection at eGrove. It has been accepted for inclusion in Woman C.P.A. by an authorized editor of eGrove. For more information, please contact egrove@olemiss.edu. Personal ManagementPlanning A Career In Public AccountingJean E. Krieger, CPA Haskins & Sells Columbus, OhioThe successful Certified Public Accoun­tant or Public Accountant must be techni­cally competent, but to maximize success the practitioner must also possess the ability to obtain new and retain present clients. Public accounting is a very com­petitive profession and the successful in­dividuals in the profession strive for an image which will aid in practice further­ance.Where physical assets are important to the growth of a business, we encourage our clients to increase the investment to accomplish growth. Since our major asset is ourselves, we should in turn invest in ourselves.The first investment should be in ap­pearance. Many clients are not in a posi­tion to thoroughly evaluate technical competence and probably take appear­ance into consideration in the evaluation of the practitioner. The time and money necessary to achieve the neat, business­like appearance of a professional will pay dividends through a better rapport with clients.The next investment should be in mak­ing business and social contacts. These contacts can strengthen your relationship with present clients and offer oppor­tunities for obtaining new clients. You can make these contacts by establishing yourself in various activities and organi­zations around your community. Your selection should be based on what you enjoy and also those which allow you to meet business and community leaders. Some examples of these activities and or­ganizations are charitable organizations, professional organizations and social clubs.Charitable organizations need the as­sistance of qualified business people and they provide a means of becoming estab­lished in the community. Professional women are especially in demand for posi­tions on boards of directors and in other leadership roles. Many women boards of directors, such as the YWCA boards, are looking for business women to serve on their boards. Other organizations such as United Way, colleges and universities generally want women represented on their boards. There are many other volun­teer jobs available with charitable organi­zations ranging from working with juveniles to handicapped to elderly people. Any of these volunteer jobs will aid in the development of your image in the community and should give you the opportunity to meet community leaders.Local chapters of professional organiza­tions such as the American Society of Women Accountants, State Societies of Certified Public Accountants and the Na­tional Association of Accountants are ex­cellent ways to establish yourself in the community. These organizations give you the opportunity to develop leader­ship potential and provide many oppor­tunities for exposure in the community in addition to their primary purpose of furthering the accounting profession. Es­tate planning groups normally consist of accountants, attorneys, bankers and in­surance specialists; these groups provide excellent contact opportunities with other professions.Social club memberships include coun­try clubs, tennis and other sports- oriented membership and private clubs with dining and meeting facilities. The time you spend at such a club should de­pend on how much time you want to spend with the other members and how involved you want to be in the activities. It need not be a major commitment.Many businesses seeking the services of Certified Public Accountants and Pub­lic Accountants select accountants they know or those recommended by attor­neys, bankers, and other members of the business community.In conclusion, our product is our ser­vice which cannot easily be separated from the individual performing the ser­vices. To increase the marketability of a product, it should be tastefully packaged and an investment must be made to familiarize the buying public with the product. The practitioners who follow this concept have a definite advantage in maintaining and/or expanding their prac­tices.July 1975 I 19

Personal Management: Planning A Career In Public Accounting

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Personal Management: Planning A Career In Public Accounting

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