[MaLoTu]

Would you base your opinion off the personality traits/ personal qualities of an accountant or would you be more inclined to cite the characteristics of the profession (i.e., job growth, future opportunities, pay, etc.)?

I am writing a small “editorial” of sorts and I am conflicted about the above. I feel that the person asking probably wants the personal traits answer, but IMO if they are even considering a career in accounting then they must meet the basic personality traits (and honestly what are they?). The personality part is so subjective.

[Anonymous]

I would focus primarily on the profession and characteristics of a variety of accounting positions (so many people think all accountants do taxes). I have a few people that work for my team and after doing the DISC personality profile test, some of the best team members are opposite of what you would think an accountant would possess (creative, cheerleader types).

Potential spin could be discussing career options and explaining job duties and personality traits that would be a good fit for that position. Obvious personality traits are detail oriented, dead line driven, ability to dig into the details, analytical, team focused, etc.

[SGShiver]

Accountants can have many different personalities. It would be hard to determine a specific personality trait that an accountant must have to be successful since there are many different industries that an accountant can work in. If a person does not hate working with numbers, has some intelligence, and really wants to be an accountant I don't see what could stop them.

FAR- 53, next time 5/5/16
B: 7/30/16
A:TBD
R:TBD

[Jdn9201]

I'd point out the essential skills/traits that people need to succeed in accounting (as mentioned, good at math, analytical, attn to detail, good at multi tasking, etc) but I'd also stress the traits that differ from one field to another (audit vs tax vs financial analyst..etc). I think one of the reasons why I didn't do well with recruiting in college is I'd get asked if I wanted to be in audit or tax and my answer would be “I don't know..I like accounting and want to use my degree”. I didn't learn how my personality fit until after I started working. I sort of fell into international tax and I love it because I welcome change, like researching, and am good at navigating gray areas. A couple of years after my first job, I left and became a GL accountant (did account recons and fixed assets) and I quickly went back to my old job because it was so boring. I may like routine in my home life, but I don't like it all the time at work. There are so many different paths people can take in accounting and I don't think those outside the profession realize that. I'd leave the discussion about pay and career path last though. Yes, it's nice to have job security and be paid well, but if it doesn't fit and someone is miserable doing it, what is that worth? Not much..life is too short to be at a job that you hate.

BEC - 88 8/29/15
REG - 82 11/14/15
AUD - 83 1/8/16
FAR - 80 2/29/16

[B2RAD]

totally agree with everything above. i am meet everyone from the quiet guy who likes to sit in his office to the most outgoing people. i always heard “accounting isnt right for you” throughout my college career but i wanted a stable career to support my hobbies. i like working with numbers and working with clients. but some days i know i am just in public for the experience to make a move into a better role. i am very outgoing, love meeting new people, and networking so i just enjoy having a job out of college and getting experience in as much as possible to set myself up for whatever i think is the best move down the line. i have met a ton of people who started out as CPAs and now dont do anything close to what there education was in or first couple jobs where in. i personally love fraud and investigating so i am looking to do CFE after CPA and make a move more into a forensic role.

Brad

AUD - 69 (1/6/16) 69 (10-4-15)
FAR - Spring 2016
BEC - 73 (11-23-15) Retake plan Spring 2016
REG - Summer 2016

[tacctfin11]

I have worked in both accounting and finance and to be honest the accountants were way more inclined to have pot lucks, happy hours, parties, etc. The finance folks are way more outspoken about things they know, but less outspoken about personal life things. Finance ppl make more money from what i have seen but Accountants are less dependent on performance and have better job security.

FAR- 76 01/08/2016 exp 08/04/2017
AUD- 82 04/14/2016
BEC- May 28th

baby

REG- TBD

[Author]

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