[Anonymous]

Curious what you guys think about working in the accounting industry and receiving poor performance reviews?

Regardless how hard you work, most firms will give you a poor performance review and focus on the areas you didn’t do well rather than praise you for what you did right.

What are your ideas and theories on why many companies do this and do you agree/disagree with this practice? I have my ideas, curious about yours.

[Anonymous]

Agreed, just go get another job if you keep getting bad reviews (2 or more), especially if they're coming from the same person/people evaluating you. I had one job where the department manager, who was our boss, never did the reviews. He let his assistant manager, who basically supervised me and one other person, do the written reviews every 6-12 months. The assistant and I hated each other from the get-go – but, he supervised me, so he knew that his words on paper would be taken to heart by senior management. On a scale of 1-10, I never got above ‘6' in any category.
Right before I resigned, I had a performance evaluation which was very bad, just due to the fact that our hatred for each other had grown to an exponential level over the past 6 months.
I resigned a week or so later. I'm sure he was overjoyed. If you and a boss have irreconcilable differences after 6-12 months, just quit. Do not waste your valuable career time at a job where you are unappreciated or where they have no respect for you, even though your work is good.

[Anonymous]

@NYSCPA

I have worked for a firm that buttered me up so well, basically spoiled day in and out. The managing partner of the firm offered tickets to professional sporting events and leased $100,000+ luxury vehicles, etc. One of the Seniors I worked under knew what kind of vehicle I was interested in getting for myself, so the managing partner ended up leasing the same make of the car, but a much higher end model. They did things like this and what they essentially were doing was dangling a carrot in front of me on a stick. Then when performance reviews came around, they would say things like, “We don't think it's working out” and were very blunt about immaterial things in my work when I had been the one training other employees and reviewing the quality of their work. I worked directly with the Senior Managers and there was never any indication that the work I performed was poor quality. But at the same time they would bring in other people to interview to make you feel you could be replaced at any time. This type of environment I think has made me more independent, driven, and capable than the typical accounting firms that are so adverse to personality.

[Anonymous]

And that is just to name a few techniques, I can go on about different training techniques that I highly doubt accountants at the more traditional firms get to experience. I would consider traditional firm training to be basic training. Like they are asleep at the wheel and don't really care to give any specialized training or to help you better develop as a professional.

[Son]

You seriously believe your managing partner got a car of the same model you were dreaming of as a staff just to tease you? My god, just how big is your ego? And they “trained” you by giving you bad reviews to prepare you for future greatness, because they saw you could be an exceptional leader?

God have mercy on people that work for you. I'd ask you where you work just to make sure our professional paths don't ever have to cross.

AUD - passed
REG - passed
BEC - passed
FAR - passed

[Anonymous]

Based on some of the posts above, I am SO GLAD I don't work in public accounting!

[Anonymous]

@Son

Yes, I wonder what makes that so hard to believe? Anyone can get a job and follow a set of checklists to complete their work…”any monkey can do that” or so they say…

There is a more psychological aspect to the training I received because of the personality I portrayed when interviewing in addition to my past experience and achievement in sales and management presented on my resume. I have always had more of an entrepreneurial drive rather than the common submissive accountant personality.

They were grooming me to become Partner, or at least CFO if that's ultimately what I wanted. I took the positives from this training experience as learning how to deal with ego, learning to have patience, learning how to be objective and assertive, and learning how to handle rejection and show resilience in the face of adversity.

I received all this type of training in addition to the standard working up files and dealing with clients basic training. That is a walk in the park essentially that “any monkey can do” 😛

[TommyTheCat]

brickell if i were you supervisor i'd most certainly give you poor reviews based on how much of a clown you've demonstrated yourself to be on this forum.

[A]

Worst humble brag ever. 😉

B - 77 (2.27.16)
A - 81 (4.18.16)
R -
F -

Roger Review + Ninja MCQs

[ruggercpa2b]

“I have always had more of an entrepreneurial drive rather than the common submissive accountant personality.”

Comments like the one above are why I sometimes think you are trolling. Why make the generalized statement that accountants are submissive? You have called us sheep before.

I am glad you have been groomed to become partner. I guess that explains why in one of your posts you mentioned you have only stayed at jobs a year because management becomes aggressive towards you at every job you have ever had. Some of the things you say honestly do not add up.

However, I am glad that you have received the type of training that goes hand in hand with your entrepreneurial personality.

AUD - 73, 72 retake 7/2/2016
BEC - 8/20/2016
REG - TBD
FAR - TBD

I am so ready for this nightmare to be over. Been at this way too long.

[Anonymous]

@Tommythecat

Haha that's fine. I've transcended the confinement of what typical accountants are shackled to. Most of you most likely don't even understand the legal environment in which accountants operate, why the checklists exist, or why you are expected to behave like a robot. I doubt many of you have dealt with attorneys in the accounting environment or even understand the concept of substance vs form, etc.

But best of luck to you all, it is pretty clear to me the difference that makes a strong independent leader and an obedient one.

[Anonymous]

Thanks @ruggercpa2b

[Anonymous]

There was a guy at my last job who, by the time I left, was in the midst of wrecking the whole department thanks to the fact that he called us “sheep” too. From the day he joined the company, he was Lord Almighty, even though he hadn't done anything to earn his salary! People complained to senior management many times about him and nothing was ever done (he was a smooth-talking bullshit artist and even during his interview, I think he painted them into a corner). If I hadn't planned to leave the company when I did, I would have left very soon after, because the department would have been reduced to dust thanks to this egocentric moron. Ighhh! BTW, Brickell, this is the first round of posts of yours that I've ever seen so no clue as to your history on here at all.

[TommyTheCat]

@brickell – “Most of you most likely don’t even understand the legal environment in which accountants operate, why the checklists exist, or why you are expected to behave like a robot. I doubt many of you have dealt with attorneys in the accounting environment or even understand the concept of substance vs form, etc.”

What a pompous load of rubbish. Again it is no wonder you receive poor reviews and aren't thriving in your work environment.

[KaliKingz]

op, what are you talking about?

[Anonymous]

@tommythecat

What do you mean not thriving?

I think maybe you have selective reading and only choose to read and comprehend as you like. What you and others are doing is trolling me because you guys are offended and have a primitive tribal mob mentality.

Please remove yourself from the discussion if you are frustrated and cannot have an open minded discussion. The only issue here are accountants who are defensive because they have been boxed in their entire careers and have a one dimensional perspective.

[Author]

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