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Success in accounting doesn’t always equal success as an accountant. To move up in the corporate world, you have to combine your accounting chops with other skills. 

It may not seem fair at first glance. However, the dynamic exists in any profession. To get promotions and to advance to higher-level assignments, you have to develop ancillary skills. These will help you accelerate your career. 

Here are five steps you can take to boost your accounting career today: 

Step Up Your Networking  

Traditionally, people imagine accounting as a lonely pursuit. They see you sitting alone in your cubiclehunched over spreadsheet. They view it as solo work.  

However, like any profession, advancement depends largely on networking. As such, you should take steps to build out your contact list. If you’ve been lax in making connections lately, rededicate yourself to the process.  

Meanwhile, you shouldn’t ignore the network you already have in place. You should routinely reach out to people for regular check-ins, even if you aren’t currently looking for a position. 

Keep Learning  

Being an accountant naturally involves a dedication to career-long learning. Tax laws and best practices change over time. You need to keep up in order to stay relevant 

These core topics don’t represent the only ongoing education you should do. To maximize your career, you need to implement a broad learning process, incorporating a number of subjects that seem far away from the main purpose of accounting.  

These can include things like industry-specific knowledge related to your clients’ business or broader topics such as international law. Committing to a wide knowledge base will help you advance your career. 

Become Tech Savvy 

Technology provides the main example of a subject that requires your ongoing education efforts. Accounting may seem like an old-fashioned profession. But it has been marked with a long history of technological advancement, from the abacus to the adding machine to the calculator to the computer, and on into the era of the Internet and the smartphone.  

And the pace of change continues to accelerate. You don’t want to be left behind. As such, make an effort to stay current with the latest software updates. These tools will help you do your job more efficiently and might become integral to your next position.  

Develop Your Sales Skills 

Every profession comes with its share of hustle. Accountancy may seem like it should be all steak and no sizzlebut that’s just not the case. Especially as you advance in the hierarchy, you need to be able to find and woo new clients, as well as make your current client base feel comfortable with your advice.  

All this requires you to develop strong communication skills. You need to be able to discuss complicated topics in a straight-forward and easily understood way. You also need to be able to sell yourself, becoming a strong advocate for the skills you bring to the table. 

Get Management Experience 

Better jobs and higher pay usually come with increased management responsibility. There’s only so much advancement you can make as a member of a team. Eventually, you have to become the team leader, if you truly want your career to reach the next level. 

As such, do what you can to earn management experience. Volunteer for responsibility and seek out projects to make your own. This will help you advance in your current position and it will provide excellent resume fodder for when you’re ready to move to a new opportunity. 

Advancing in the accounting profession takes a strong mix of talents. It also helps to partner with a top staffing agency, like PrideStaff. They can steer you to the best positions to ignite the next stage of your career. 

Contact PrideStaff today to learn more. 

 

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