Accountant and Bookkeeper Articles

Back in the day, Ward Cleaver got hired to a position that promised job security and frequent promotion on his chosen career path. Life was beautiful, and all was right in the cosmos. Boy have times changed! These days, if you want a promotion you need doggedly chase it down yourself. Here are eight ways to achieve the career advancement you have in your sights:

It’s hard to get what you want when you’re not even sure what it is. Sit down and figure out where you want to be in 5 to 10 years. Once you state your career goals, write them down frame them, laminate them, whatever it takes to keep them front and center in your mind. It becomes easier to see and concentrate on what it will take to achieve them.

2. Go the extra mile
Come to work 15 minutes early and stay 15 minutes late. This gives your boss the impression that you’re more interested in doing your work than you are in watching the clock. Doubly important, is perform to your best abilities, give more than asked, quicker than asked for and more professionally then those in your department.

Remember the mantra: do more than what is expected of you. Ask for more responsibility, volunteer for different duties and tasks, and be a visible team player.

3. Be proactive
Create your own opportunities by seeing what needs to be done and doing it yourself. Many just like you have gotten the promotion or the pay increase by just being observant of the processes around them and offering cost effective solutions to the management. Make sure you do it in such a way that you are not only benefitting the company, but it can be seen coming from your efforts.

4. Network
Networking not only helps you to get the job, but it can also help you trade that job in for a better one. Get to know more people within your organization and, when possible, help others achieve their goals. This increases your value to coworkers and superiors who will be more likely to sing your praises when given the chance.

5. Document your achievements
Track your achievements, measuring results when possible. While it helps to say that your proposal saved the company a lot of money, it means more to your boss when you explain how your proposal reduced production costs by 30%; numbers always speak louder than words alone. One trick I have heard about, that you can keep a “score card” of the accomplishments you were directly responsible for, and at the very least you will be able to bring that out to reference at your yearly evaluation with your supervisor.

6. Communicate
At first it may feel awkward to sing your own praises, but unless your boss knows how valuable you are, it’s difficult for him/her to give you the promotion you deserve. You need to share your achievements with your boss, maybe in a monthly email that states your progress on certain projects and lists your recent achievements. It’s also a good idea to tell your boss you’re interested in a promotion. Who better to help you achieve your career goals?

7. Act professionally
Professional is as professional does; Imagine where you’d like to be in five or ten years and then dress the part, speak the part, and act the part. Avoid complaining, take responsibility for mistakes, and be a team player.

8. Increase your skills and expertise>
Nothing shows your willingness to advance like increasing your skills and expertise. Often employers will pay for programs designed to help employees learn new skills or stay current in their field. Seek out chances to expand your skill-sets, and be sure to share your new knowledge, abilities, and enthusiasm with your boss.

A great way to increase your chances for that promotion is through Universal’s Professional Bookkeeper Program. If you want to increase your accounting skills and earn a professional designation, Universal Accounting Center has the program for you. UAC’s Professional Bookkeeper Program will teach you the day-to-day accounting and bookkeeping needs of small business, enabling you to become a Professional Bookkeeper (PB). The Professional Bookkeeper Program teaches you the skills that you need to skip over the entry level positions and get right to those job opportunities that might take someone with a traditional accounting training years. Your employer may be willing to pay for your tuition. Come visit Universal Accounting today.

Stay tuned for the next newsletter in two weeks for the next article,”Movin’ on up: How to Ask for That Promotion (Part II of II).”

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