So, you're pretty good at math, you've taken the required 150 credit hours of education, and have passed the CPA exam - you're well on your way to a lucrative career in accounting, right? Not exactly. These accomplishments, while commendable, are merely the baseline requirements for success in the accounting profession. There are other skills that an accountant must have or develop in order to truly add value to their clients and organizations.
Not just bean counters
It is a common perception that accountants, as the "bean counters," must be good with numbers. While a proficiency in mathematics is important, it is not the only skill that this profession requires. Accountants must be able to analyze, compare and interpret facts and figures quickly. They must be able to communicate and present their findings clearly to many different levels within an organization, both their own and those of their clients. They must also be good at working in teams and with clients as well as with computers and other information systems. Legal knowledge and foreign language skills are also becoming more important as businesses globalize and become more team-oriented. Finally, as glaringly illustrated by Enron and other scandals, accountants must maintain high ethical standards and perform their duties with the utmost integrity, as millions of financial statement users rely on their work products.
Just saying "No"
Beyond these obvious skills, there is one crucial skill that accountants, especially those in public accounting, must learn: the ability to say "no." As simple as this sounds, this skill will not only help the new accountant to remain sane, it will allow the accountant to manage the expectations of supervisors and client personnel alike. Inevitably, the new accountant will be pulled this way and that by the demands of different managers and partners, as well as those of his clients. With only 24 hours in a day, the accountant will have to learn to prioritize under pressure and say "no" to some of these demands without creating team or client discord. It is subtle, indeed, but necessary to avoid being stretched too thin and/or performing jobs inadequately.