!Ace your first interview with a firm

Trade your desk job for more exciting work

Stand out to recruiters on LinkedIn

Inside: How to...

10 apps TO HELP YOU MANAGE YOUR WORK LIFE

Can’t Stop, Won’t StopProfessionals tell how they bounced back after failing the CPA exam

You’re Hired

PublisherJoanne S. Barry,

CAE

Associate PublisherColleen Lutolf

Editor-in-ChiefNicole Saunders

Art DirectionSara Gold

ContributorsChris Gaetano

Pei-Cen Lin, CPA, SPHR

Editorial AssistantAnna Rakovsky

CopyeditorsGene Cioffi

Christopher Davis

Manager, NYSSCPA Next Generation Tekecha Morgan

The reader should not construe

the content included in

Next Gen as accounting,

legal, or other professional advice.

If specific professional advice

or assistance is required,

the services of a competent

professional should be sought.

Later this year, the NYSSCPA will mark an important milestone in its history: the 20th anniversary of Marilyn A. Pendergast’s installation as the Society’s first female president. Pendergast, who has nearly five decades of experience under her belt, has long been a role model for women in the profession, but there are parts of her story that any young or aspiring CPA can benefit from (see “Master Class” on page 24, for some of her words of wisdom). In fact, I hope you’ll keep one particular mantra of hers in mind as you grow your career: to throw yourself fully and wholeheartedly into your NYSSCPA membership. Pendergast has often said that she’s been an active member of the NYSSCPA since the day she first got her certification in the mail.

The key word there is “active.” Whether you’re a first-year CPA or junior associate, your involvement in the Society can help to launch or transform your professional life, but only if you take full advantage of it. And in plain terms, that means joining your local NYSSCPA chapter and participating in one or more of the Society’s 60 statewide committees. Chapters and statewide committees give you the opportunity to sit in a room with senior-level managers and seasoned professionals, market yourself and create personal connections. They’re the incubators in which you can test out and build your leadership muscle by chairing projects or subcommittees. (It’s no secret that Society leaders like Pendergast almost always get their start at the chapter and committee level.) And they give you—no matter what your age—a platform to weigh in on issues affecting the profession. Another must-do: join a Young CPA committee, which each NYSSCPA chapter has, asap. These committees, devoted to professional development, networking and charity work, consist entirely of your peers. No doubt, some of your lifelong friendships will begin here.

Visit nysscpa.org for chapter contact information and a full list of statewide committees. (For a more human touch, you can also reach out to Lelia Dickenson at ldickenson@nysscpa.org to learn more about NYSSCPA chapters, or Nereida Gomez at ngomez@nysscpa.org to learn more about statewide committees.) For those students or young CPAs who don’t belong to the Society, consider joining us so that you too can have access to the tangible and intangible benefits that membership brings. See http://www.nysscpa.org/page/about-us/membership-center/join-us for membership information.

In the coming weeks, you’ll hear more about the NYSSCPA’s 30 Under 30 event, which will honor top-performing and inspiring young CPAs—the Marilyn Pendergasts of this generation. We’re hoping you’ll nominate your colleagues, friends or even yourself, to be recognized, so stay tuned for more details.

All the best,

Tekecha MorganManager, NYSSCPA Next Generation

Supersize your membership

Please recycle.

THE NYSSCPA’S PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT GUIDE

2 NEXT GEN

“I failed the CPA Exam”

03What’s Trending

The latest stats on job hunting; how to make your LinkedIn profile pop; top career apps

08PeopleFoot, meet door: CPAs on their first jobs

10The HuntInterview tips; cool jobs worth considering

Page 16

24Master Class

Lessons from a pro

22Ask an ExpertYour career questions

answered

20UpgradePractical tips to help you improve your relationship with your boss

Must read!

NEXT GEN 3

What’s News and information for young professionals

Edited by Nicole Saunders

Is your résumé a

58%

36%

32%

said they’re peeved by résumés with typos. Hello spell check!

complained about résumés that are too generic for the position advertised

toss résumés that copy too much language from the original job posting

In a recent nationwide study that included 2,076 hiring managers and HR professionals, CareerBuilder.com asked employers to name the most common résumé blunders that would cause them to nix a candidate on the spot.

13%

31%

disregard résumés with inappropriate email addresses

22%pan résumés

printed on decorative paper

trash résumés with pictures

turnoff?trending

4 NEXT GEN

WHAT’S TRENDING

News and Numbers

What should I

wearto my

interview?In a survey of 2,099 hiring managers and human resources professionals conducted by the market research firm Harris Interactive, respondents were asked to advise job seekers on the best colors to wear to an inter view. The most popular answers: blue (cited by 23 percent) and black (cited by 15 percent), which they said conveyed a sense of professionalism. Orange, however, was named by 25 percent as the hue most likely to be associated with someone who is unprofessional. In general, employers associated these attributes with can didates based on the color of their attire:

BLACK

Leadership

WHITE

Organized

BROWN

Dependable

RED

Power

BLUE

Team Player

GRAY

Logical/Analytical

GREEN, YELLOW, ORANGE OR PURPLE

Creative

In a CareerBuilder survey that included more than 2,100 hiring managers and human resources professionals,

39% said they use social networking sites to research job candidates. And, among those hiring managers who do,

43% said they found information that made them decide not to hire a person. The problem?

Will potential employers really check out my

social media pages?

50% 48% 33%

30% 28% 24%

were troubled by candidates who posted provocative or inappropriate photos or information

said they came across information about a candidate drinking or using drugs

said the candidate bad- mouthed a previous employer

were turned off by the candidate’s poor communications skills online

said the candidate made discriminatory comments related to race, gender, religion, etc.

said they realized through social media that the candidate had lied about qualifications

Common career questions, answered in statistics

Survey says...

In a survey by Accountemps, a specialized staffing firm for accounting, finance and bookkeeping professionals, 2,100 CFOs were asked to identify the most common reasons why employees failed to advance. Here’s what they said:

What could hurt my efforts to

get ahead?

EMPLOYEE FAILED TO DEVELOP NEW SKILLSEMPLOYEE HAS A POOR WORK ETHIC

EMPLOYEE HAS POOR INTERPERSONAL SKILLS

EMPLOYEE DID NOT ENHANCE HIS OR HER VISIBILITYEMPLOYEE DID NOT PROACTIVELY SEEK PROMO

TIO

NS

NEXT GEN 5

iCan

Advancement? Yes, you kill at Candy Crush, but if you’re not using apps for work as well as play, you might be missing out on some real-world wins. Here are 10 career-related apps worth downloading. Tweet us @nysscpa, #careerapps to share any others that have worked for you.

INTERNSHIP AND JOB HUNTING

Name: Proven For use on: iOS or Android devices Cost: Free Why we like it: it’s designed for the job-hunter-on-the-go; create a résumé within the app and use it to apply to jobs and internships posted on Indeed.com and other sources, right from your phone.

There’s an app for that.

INTERVIEW NETWORK

Name: Good Job For use on: iOS Cost: $1.99Why we like it: Good Job helps users stay on top of all the odds and ends of job hunting by keeping track of your contacts, follow-up attempts, networking events and any other steps you might need to take along the way.

Name: GlassdoorFor use on: iOS or Android devices Cost: Free Why we like it: By mining postings from employees, job seekers and organizations themselves, Glassdoor gives you the dirt on positions or companies you might be interested in, from salary details to interview questions.

Name: BeKnown For use on: Facebook Cost: Free Why we like it: You can use this app from Monster.com to search for jobs and also to network—it’s integrated with Facebook and mines your friends list and email address book to let you know if you have a contact at a particular company.

Name: JobSearchFor use on: iOS Cost: Free Why we like it: Among other things, this app from job-matching service TheLadders lets you scope out the competition—it shows you the anonymous profiles of other people applying to the same jobs or internships, and even tells you what other positions they’ve applied for. It also organizes searches on your phone by jobs you’ve liked, saved and applied to.

Name: Interview Pro For use on: iOS or Android devices Cost: 99 cents Why we like it: It provides more than 80 common job interview questions and answers that might come in handy when you’re prepping for that first face-to-face.

Name: SimuGator For use on: iOS Cost: 99 cents Why we like it: The SimuGator takes interview prep to the next level, with three full-length interview simulations from different interviewers with a range of interviewing styles. It also lets you record a video of yourself answering each question so that you can critique yourself.

Name: Business Card Reader For use on: iOS or Android devicesCost: starts at $4.99 Why we like it: Business Card Reader is a must-have if you just can’t seem to keep track of all the business cards you collect at a business or networking event. The app scans and reads card info, and enters the data into your address book. Bonus: It recognizes other languages besides English, including Spanish and Italian.

Name: LinkedIn For use on: iOS or Cost: Free Android devices Why we like it: It’s helpful if you have trouble updating your LinkedIn profile as frequently as you should, and allows you to stay up-to-date on industry news and job hunting, all from your phone.

Name: Felt For use on: iOS Cost: Free Why we like it: Felt makes it supereasy to send a handwritten thank-you note following your interview. The app lets you choose from original card designs and scrawl out a message in your best penmanship, then arranges to have the card printed, sealed and mailed with correct postage, all for just $3.99.

WHAT’S TRENDING

TechnologyCareer

6 NEXT GEN

A surefire strategy for getting the right eyes on your LinkedIn page

By Nicole Saunders

Include a profile picture. “Studies have shown that when a photo accompanies a profile, people are more likely to click on it,” Morgan said. “They feel like they know you.” What’s more, according to LinkedIn’s official blog, adding a photo makes your profile seven times more likely to turn up in searches. As a practical matter, Morgan added, it’s also a way to help colleagues or recruiters you’ve met once or twice to recognize you. “Ideally, you should be smiling and look friendly in it,” she said. And, while a selfie from your last vacation might work for Facebook, keep it office-friendly on LinkedIn. “Use high-quality, professional-looking headshots only,” Doyle warned. If you don’t have any, now’s the time to take some!

Have a LinkedIn profile? Odds are it could use a makeover. Though more than 200 million professionals were signed up for the networking site in 2013, only about half completed their profiles, according to the company’s estimates. The problem with that, said Alison Doyle, author of Internet Your Way to a New Job: How to Really Find a Job Online, is that the benefits of belonging to the site, like increased visibility, don’t come automatically. In fact, how high a user appears in LinkedIn search results is based, in part, on how much information he or she provides. “A lot of people think, ‘OK, I have a profile; that’s all I need to do,’” Doyle said. “But it’s not enough to simply be there.”

Besides “complete,” there are two other “c” words to consider when it comes to the site: current and catchy. A lame, outdated profile can hurt you imagewise, said Hannah Morgan, co-author of Social Networking for Small Business Success. “If it looks like you haven’t updated your profile in a while, some [employers or recruiters] might think you’re not proactive about managing your career.”

Use the list below to begin putting your LinkedIn profile to work for you. Not only will the steps make it easier for recruiters, companies and peers to find you, but they’ll also help you leave a lasting impression.

Fill the gaps

Customize your LinkedIn headline and url. These actions, while small, are key in your efforts to brand yourself, Morgan explained. As part of its default setting, LinkedIn makes your current job your profile’s headline, but you’re better off replacing it with a custom headline that establishes your expertise and calls out your strengths. “The headline is the first thing that people see after your name,” Morgan said. “It should help someone understand the role you want to take and contain keywords that are important to your profession.” (For example, use “CPA specializing in family-owned businesses.”) As for the url, you can change the one LinkedIn assigns you to one that includes your name (www.linkedin.com/in/yourname). This will look more professional on your résumé, Morgan said, and can also be included on a business card or in an email signature.

Make your “summary” say more.Use this section to highlight your skills, and give a sense of your goals and outside interests, Morgan said. She also recommends using short paragraphs and the more personal first-person voice (“I did” or “it’s important to me,” etc.) to better engage the reader. “And include your email to make it easy for people who are not connected to you to contact you,” she added.

Participate in groups. Search out LinkedIn groups that reflect your interests—college alumni groups, professional associations and any industry-related groups—and display their badges on your profile, Morgan said. Then, become an active participant and try to add to group discussion feeds. You might start to get recognized by other members of the group—a great way to gain more connections.

Update frequently. Experts suggest updating your profile once a month to keep it current. However, do change your status update more frequently to reflect any professional events you’ve gone to or stories about accounting that you’ve read in journals and respected publications, Morgan added.

Connect with the NYSSCPA on LinkedIn, by searching for New York State Society of

CPAs under LinkedIn groups.

ACCORDING TO LINKEDIN’S OFFICIAL BLOG:

Users with complete profiles are 40 times more likely to receive opportunities through the site.

Adding a photo makes your profile 7 times more likely to be found in searches

Listing your 2 most recent positions makes your profile 12 times more likely to be found.

40

7

12

To see if your efforts to optimize your LinkedIn profile are paying off, check out the site’s “Appearances in Search” feature. It’s listed under the “Trends” section of “Who’s Viewed Your Profile” and will show, in graphic form, if there’s been an increase in users checking you out.

Quick Tip!

Join now

Use embedded media to stand out. Many professionals think of LinkedIn as their online résumé, but standouts turn their profiles into online portfolios, by adding supporting documents, video, images and audio, Morgan said. (FYI, the site supports media already pub lished to the Web, through sites like YouTube or Slideshare. net, as well as most common files from your computer.) “Using embedded media is another way to showcase your knowledge and differentiate yourself,” Morgan said. If you’re at a loss for what to include, consider adding a video clip of you speaking at a conference or, if you’re a student, leading a campus event. You could also include a slideshow of presentations you’ve prepared. If you don’t have any existing ones, take the time to create one on a topic within the profession that you find interesting, and post that.

Remember: There are no “throwaway” fields.Consider each section “an opportunity to showcase you and what you bring to the table,” Morgan recommended. And don’t overlook details that could set you apart, such as speaking multiple languages or volunteer work that you’re passionate about. If you’re a student, don’t forget to fill in the section on certifications, test scores and courses, and to include information on clubs, committees or groups you’re a part of.

Additional reporting by Christina Doka

TIMESMORELIKELY

TIMESMORELIKELY

TIMESMORELIKELY

WHAT’S TRENDING

Social Media

Destination PLANNING BY NICOLE SAUNDERS

FOUR CPAs EXPLAIN HOW THEY GOT THEIR START IN THE PROFESSION

PEOPLE

Crowdsourcing

8 NEXT GEN

NEXT GEN 9

NAME: Brian ReeseJOB TITLE: Senior Accountant CITY: Utica

How did you find your first job?

I researched CPA firms in the Utica area online and sent résumés to the ones I was interested in. I was a student at SUNY Brockport at the time, and they had a program to help accounting students land interviews and internships with CPA firms in the Rochester area. I took advantage of that too, since I wasn’t sure if I would go back home or relocate to Rochester, and received a few offers.

Which resource was the most helpful in your job-hunting efforts?The student accounting society at SUNY Brockport. It offered a class that showed you how to properly write a résumé, took students through mock interviews and organized tours of local CPA firms. It really helped to prepare me for the marketplace.

Which resource turned out to be less helpful than you thought it would be?For me, it was the big job sites like mon-ster.com. These can definitely be help-ful, but I prefer to network, network, network. You never know who you’ll meet and whether they have or know of an available job.

What are some dead-wrong assump-tions people make about CPAs?Whenever I tell people I’m a CPA, they usually think that all we do is taxes. If I had a nickel for every time someone said, “It must be really slow outside of tax season,” I’d be a rich man. I’ve also heard the stereotype that CPAs are boring and don’t know how to have fun. I have a great work/life balance; I’m a hockey die-hard, and I still play today. And in social settings, I definitely know how to loosen up and enjoy myself.

What myths about CPAs are actually true?I would have to say that most accoun-tants are very structured. We all seem to like our to-do lists and are well organized. You couldn’t tell by the looks of my office, but trust me—I know what everything is and where it should go. And it’s sad to admit, but my closet at home is color coordinated.

What’s the greatest lesson you’ve learned from a mentor in the profession?My very first supervisor, Elizabeth Park, who was a past president of the NYSSCPA’s Utica Chapter, had a passion for life and for being a CPA. Elizabeth

has since passed, but I learned so much from her about how to interact with clients and how essential good verbal and written communication skills are to a successful career. You can be the smart-est accountant in the room, but if you don’t know how to convey information properly to clients or other professionals, your application of the numbers could be meaningless. She also taught me that with hard work and a good head on your shoulders, the sky’s the limit in the accounting profession. And I’ve learned from others at my firm that I can be very active in helping our local community through volunteerism and sitting on the board of nonprofit organizations.

NAME: Matt Taylor JOB TITLE: Director CITY: Rochester

How did you find your first job? I was recruited out of school to join a public accounting firm. With other job changes, I leveraged my professional network, recruiters, friends and family.

What’s been the most helpful resource to you in your job-hunting efforts? My professional network, especially the alumni of a large company I used to work for. Thanks to them, I have connec-tions at the new companies my former co-workers have moved on to.

What resource turned about to be less helpful than you thought?Established networking groups that meet regularly. Oftentimes, these con-sist of the same people I am competing against. I’ve also found that many of the people who belong to these groups are unemployed.

Did you have any misconceptions about the profession before you chose it as a career path? I didn’t understand that a CPA could become a mentor and adviser to a family or business. Lawyers, bankers and CPAs help make the business world go round and have a lot of influence. I thought it was all tax returns and auditing. I also learned that CPAs are in the relation-ship business—they’re salespeople, too. Treating people the way you want to be treated and striving to create long-term relationships are typically not part of the job description or explained in an interview, but they’re essential if you want to be successful.

What’s the greatest lesson you’ve learned from a mentor in the profession?My mentor taught me that if you help other people and put them before your-

self, they will reciprocate and make you even more successful than you thought you could be. Giving without looking for anything in return will help you develop a great reputation.

What myths about CPAs are actually true?I think being particular is a rather com-mon trait; I can say that because I am. It stems from the rules of the profession—everything has a place, and fits. To be particular is to be organized, prepared and ready for opportunity. Because of the busy season and so much work being done in such a small window, it is a necessary trait to be successful in the profession. I have been called a nontypical accountant because I’m easy to talk to and outgoing. I also have a nontypical job: After four years in public accounting and eight in industry, I became an executive recruiter. I focus on finding positions for CPAs and MBAs in upstate New York. While I don’t prepare journal entries or tax returns, I leverage my education and experience to help get professionals in the next steps of their careers. It’s very fulfilling.

NAME: Juan Rondon JOB TITLE: ManagerCITY: New York City

How did you find your first job? My company has been recruiting from my alma mater, SUNY Albany, for years. I applied for an interview with the firm while I was a student, and was subse-quently hired. It took me about three months to land the interview, which was actually longer than I expected.

What was the most helpful resource to you in your job-hunting efforts? My college’s Office of Career Develop-ment. Not only did it help with the job- hunting process, but it also helped me with my résumé and interview process.

What resource turned about to be less helpful than you thought?For me, applying to companies directly turned out to be the most useless tactic. I rarely heard back from the compa-nies—and when I did, they had a large amount of candidates competing for same position.

Did you yourself have misconceptions about the profession before you chose it as a career path? I used to think CPAs just worked on individual tax returns. When I was in high school, I was interested in going to business school but wasn’t sure

which career path to take. I decided to research the profession, and that’s when I realized there’s a lot more to it than tax. I understood the vital role a CPA plays in the growth and profitability of a businesses and individuals. I was intrigued by these findings and became very enthusiastic about joining the profession.

NAME: Rebecca Iacobellis JOB TITLE: Owner of a small CPA practiceCITY: New York City and Red Bank, New Jersey

How did you find your first job? I found my first accounting job by being involved in an accounting society, Beta Alpha Psi, in college. All of the big firms relied on it while recruiting from my university, so I was able to line up inter-views with each of the Big Four. I got a contract for a full-time position upon graduation in my junior year of college.

What are some dead-wrong assump-tions people make about CPAs?People are always shocked that I’m a CPA because I’m outgoing and enjoy speaking to different people. I do have my head in a book pretty frequently; I also enjoy adventure sports and traveling. People always assume CPAs are introverted. However, a good CPA has to be able to communicate and network. Public accounting is a client service business. Did you have any misconceptions about the profession before you chose it as a career path?In college, I assumed the accounting profession was all about crunching numbers. However, there are so many different areas of accounting. My focus is taxation, which does involve numbers, but also requires a lot of reading and interpreting tax law.

What myths about CPAs are actually true?CPAs are detail oriented, but we can fo-cus on the big picture when necessary.CPAs are nerdy, but in a good way. I enjoy learning as much as I can.

What’s the greatest lesson you’ve learned from a mentor in the profession?I am blessed to have had two great mentors throughout my career. Both gave me the courage and strength to open my own practice. They taught me that nothing is unattainable.

NEXT GEN 9

10 NEXT GEN

WILLIAM J. SCANNELLManaging Partner, Johnson Lauder & Savidge LLP Binghamton, NY

We, of course, want people who excelled in college, but on top of that we’re really looking for people with analytical skills, a good work ethic and, frankly, common

sense—[by that,] I mean that they’re able to relate to people and figure out what is being asked of them and how to accomplish it.

When we’re considering how you did in school, both grades and activities are important. But I would rather have a person who is well rounded and has [participated

in] a lot of activities, some of which don’t pertain to accounting, vs. someone who is book smart, but has not learned how to relate to people in other ways.

Finally, confidence is vital. We want someone who can carry himself or herself well and not be intimidated—because while we do want

employees to respect their partners and superiors, we don’t want to hire people who will cower before their higher-ups or a client, as oftentimes you will need to defend your beliefs and take criticism of your practice. So, you’ll need to have confidence in yourself and your abilities.

BY CHRIS GAETANO

Managers get brutally honest about what makes them pick or pass up job candidates

NEXT GEN 11

THE HUNT

Think Like a Boss

DAVID A. ARCARA Partner, Arcara & Borczynski LLP Buffalo, NY

To me, the résumé gets a job candidate the interview, but the interview tells me if he or she can fit into our organization. Standing out, in my opinion, means striking a balance between confidence and

cockiness during the interview process. If you’re confident and seem comfortable answering questions, and you can add something a little bit personal about yourself—your likes, dislikes, interests, things that help me to get a read on how you will interact with clients and co-workers—that’s what makes me remember you.

Beyond this, we want our

candidates to be well-rounded people. I’d rather have someone who has been out in the world and worked their way through college, or maybe held a volunteer position where they interacted with people and demonstrated some sort of leadership capacity, than someone who has a 3.9 and focused 100 percent on school, with no other activities.

JAMES R. D’ARCANGELOManaging Partner, D’Arcangelo & Co. LLP Westchester

I would look at some of the courses they took. Accounting majors have a minimum number of accounting courses they have to take, but I want to see people who take an interest in science, computers and math. In my mind, this indicates a naturally curious temperament and also suggests that they have skills that other candidates may not have.

I also look for people who challenged themselves in school. Were you just sitting in the classroom taking notes, or did you engage in some sort of rigorous challenge, like a research project or independent study? To me, the latter shows research skills, the ability to communicate and a willingness to put in the extra effort. It’s one thing to do a consolidated financial statement or look up a recent opinion, but it’s another to go out and do research and formulate an opinion of your own.

Beyond this, I want to see someone who is curious and genuinely interested in the core fundamental services that go with being an accountant today. If job candidates talk about the subject matter and look for opportunities to understand and learn about it, I’m more inclined to notice that than notice someone who just wants to climb the ladder or leapfrog into a better position. I want people who are interested in pursuing knowledge and are interested in sharing this knowledge, perhaps as supervisors.

CHARLES WEINSTEINChief Executive Officer, EisnerAmper LLPNew York City

New graduates can stand out by investing a lot of time into making themselves knowledgeable about the profession—not just about a particular firm, but the profession as a whole. Coupled with this would be having a wealth of work experience. We run some programs at my firm that we think are terrific, like internships, externships and leadership programs, and

taking part in these definitely helps you stand out from the crowd. However, we also want people with certain personalities, namely people who are enthusiastic, prepared and, most importantly, passionate. We love passionate people who enjoy learning and are excited to be in this field and this firm; that’s a big thing for us. It’s also important that they have social skills. Back in the day, accountants wore green eyeshades and were far in the back of the office, not talking to anyone, but those days are over. We like people

with top-notch communication skills, both in terms of speaking and writing, people who are not just knowledgeable—but people who can express this knowledge both to clients and to co-workers. Finally, among the recent graduates who come to us, those who distinguish themselves tend to have a high level of confidence. Believe that you’re the right person for the job and believe that you will get that position. Combined with the right credentials, there can be a bit of self-fulfilling prophesy in that.

12 NEXT GEN

MEET THREE PROFESSIONALS WHO TRADED #CUBEPROBLEMS FOR GREATER FREEDOM AND FULFILLMENT

thinking

OUTSIDE the cubicle

BY CHRIS GAETANO

NEXT GEN 13

THE HUNT

Pick Your Path

Y ou’re interested in accounting—financial reports, tax deductions, debits and credits, the

taming of the abstract into the concrete. These things fascinate you. But when you think of the office, much less exciting imagery comes to mind: the dull flicker of florescent lights, the burble of the water cooler, the rows and rows of cubicles, each decorated with the same poster of Garfield the cat asking, “Is it Friday yet?” You love accounting, but you don’t want to be cooped up in an office, day in and day out. Fortunately, while every accounting job involves at least some time at a desk, they aren’t all what we would consider to be desk jobs. We talked to three professionals—whose positions require them to travel frequently, channel their inner environmentalist or, ahem, learn how to use firearms—about their work.

Name: Victor LessoffOccupation: As a special agent for the Internal Revenue Service, Lessoff has spent more than two decades investigating financial crimes such as tax evasion and money laundering. According to him, a typical day in an agent’s life includes obtaining and analyzing evidence of illegal activities, and ensuring that whatever he or she digs up can be used in court, where that same agent is likely to

be called on for expert testimony. Amount of time spent at a desk: Lessoff says it all depends on the case assigned. Though agents spend most of their time talking to witnesses, taxpayers and other accountants, and poring over records, the job occasionally involves hard-core law enforcement activities, including executing search or

arrest warrants and conducting surveillance or undercover activities. What’s more, while special agents mostly work in the state in which they’re assigned, there may be times when they need to travel outside of it for an investigation. In the course of his own career, he said, his schedule has typically been split 50/50, so that he spends half his time working at the office and half working outside of it. Perks: For Lessoff, “without question,” the best part of the job is the camaraderie among law enforcement officers, which “transcends personalities,

agencies or cases.” Although the work can involve long hours outside the normal workday and frequently relocating, “at the end of the day,” he said, “the sacrifice is worth the satisfaction of doing something that I find very fulfilling, important and meaningful.” How to land his job: There are a few different ways to become a

special agent. Some agents are recruited directly from college or internship programs, though most have other work experience before entering the world of criminal investigation, Lessoff said. “We hire special agents from all walks of life and with all types of business, government and/or military experience.” However, there are certain criteria that all IRS special agents must meet—they must be U.S. citizens; no more than 37 years old when they apply; have a valid driver’s license; be able to carry and use a firearm; successfully pass a medical examination, background

check, drug test and tax audit; and be willing to relocate. They must also have either a bachelor’s degree that included at least 15 semester hours of accounting and 9 hours in a closely related field, or three years of accounting and business experience. Lessoff, who admits the job “isn’t for everyone,” recommends seriously researching the position first to see whether it’s something you’d like to do. (Start by visiting http://jobs.irs.gov/midcareer/law-enforcement.html.) Then, he said, if you meet the basic job requirements, be sure to “do everything you can to rise above the competition,” including shoring up your language skills, certifications and specialized experience.

Name: Mike Wallace Occupation: Wallace, who headed up the nonprofit Global Reporting Initiative before moving on to his own consulting firm, is an expert in sustainability reporting. A relatively new discipline, sustainability reporting tracks a company’s efforts to be a good corporate citizen, by measuring and setting benchmarks for its economic, environmental and social impacts. A sustainability report, for example, might detail a company’s water and energy consumption, or its effect on local communities. According to Wallace, there’s been an increased demand for professionals who can verify the credibility of this sort of

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“You can be extremely well paid and have far more freedom in determining where, when and how you work than you ever would in a traditional office job.”

information, making it a growth area for CPAs; many accounting firms, including the Big Four, are working sustainability reporting into their suite of services, he said. Amount of time spent at a desk: Wallace said that, judging from experience and his conversations with those in the field, the split is about 60-40, with 60 percent spent at a desk doing research and follow-up, and 40 percent spent doing client-facing work—“advising, guiding, assisting and assuring.” As you work your way up in the field, there can be significant travel both domestically and internationally, with speaking engagements, conferences and meetings. Perks: If you’re in sustainability reporting, you’re in a “very exciting and active field in its early formative years,” which allows for a lot of creativity and exploration, Wallace said. At the same time, its relative novelty in mainstream businesses means that “awareness, attention and resources still need to be cultivated for any professional entering this area of work.” How to land his job: There are basically two paths you can take, according to Wallace. The more challenging path, he said, is to pursue the sustainability field from the start, by going after a position with a title that lays claim to the discipline, such as “chief sustainability officer.” If accountants decide to do that, though, he said that “they should expect to make less than their peers,” as it’s a new and emerging field and many companies are still trying to figure out what the business case for it might be, as well as how to fund it. The other route is to pursue the discipline through a more traditional accounting path, by joining a firm that has sustainability reporting as

a practice area and working your way up toward it. Alternately, he said, if you’re working in industry, you can “become an internal champion for such a project” by helping the company develop a “green team” that “makes sure the story being told by the company [about its sustainability practices] is bulletproof and credible.”

Name: Philip Whitman Occupation: Whitman is a consultant who travels across the country advising CPA firms on business matters such as succession planning, mergers and acquisitions, strategic talent acquisition and practice management consulting. Consultants are modern-day hunters, Whitman said, but the best among them are a combination of “minders, grinders and finders.” A minder means they can deal well with client relationships; a grinder shows that they can perform work or supervise it; and a finder means they can go out, leverage relationships and bring in work. Outside of those generalities, it’s hard to paint professionals in this line of work with a broad brush, he added, because they have different specialties and employ different skill sets to help their clients. In fact, within the accounting world, consultants can have very in-depth specialties—not just tax consultants, but real estate tax consultants, and not just real estate tax consultants, but real estate tax consultants who advise clients on affordable housing, hospitality, private equity, construction and more. “I can’t think of a niche where there isn’t a consulting opportunity,” he said.

Amount of time spent at a desk: Though it can vary from industry to industry and even company to company, Whitman said that consultants spend a significant chunk of their time out of the office, especially since they have to drum up their own opportunities. A perfect example, Whitman noted, is a colleague who works in litigation support and spends most of his time traveling around the country generating business and servicing clients, rather than managing internal office matters. Perks: Consultants do need to reinvent themselves every few years as the economy changes and as new opportunities emerge and old ones fade. But if you can make it, Whitman said, you can be extremely well paid and have far more freedom in determining where, when and how you work than you ever would in a traditional office job. How to land this job: As you might expect, you’ll need to be fairly experienced before you can plunge into the field. Whitman worked at a Big Eight firm—predating the Big Four—and a large international firm, did bookkeeping, audit and tax for a small firm, amassed a few years in private industry, and even owned restaurants and real estate before he transitioned into consulting. While consultants are expected to specialize in an area, he said, having a well-rounded background is a definite plus. “The great consultant comes to the table with a focus on an area where [he or she has] tremendous expertise, but [also] with a broad background, whether it comes from audit or tax, at least in a CPA environment,” Whitman said. “The cumulative effect and knowledge from being involved in different aspects of the public accounting business has allowed me to do what I do.”

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It is the stuff of nightmares, the scenario every would-be CPA dreads: You watch the lectures, sit in on the review classes and join a study group. You skip out on the family vacation and put your on-again-off-again relationship on hold just so you can focus. But after weeks of

preparation and hours spent in a stuffy room, you’re hit with the bad news: you’ve failed the CPA exam. Maybe you just barely came up short or maybe you bombed big time; either way you don’t get to sail off into the sunset.

The truth? This happens to more of the test’s takers than you might think; a sizable number of CPAs have, at one point or another, failed the exam. According to the National Association of the State Boards of Accountancy, only about 1 in 5 people who take the Uniform CPA Examination pass all four parts on the first try. Indeed, last year, as the AICPA reports, the passing rates for each of the four individual sections of the test typically hovered below 50 percent; just one, Business Environment and Concepts, regularly climbed above that mark. However, failing is just one part of the story; what comes next, according to CPAs who’ve been there, depends on both your willingness to get back in the saddle and your readiness to learn from your mistakes.

Four professionals speak candidly about what they learned from their disappointing test scores—and how they staged their comebacks

Joseph Viola, a Nassau Chapter member, was certified in October 2012, after spending two years trudging back and forth to test centers. “I sat a total of 17 times before I passed all the sections,” he said.

For Viola, part of the problem was that he underestimated the exam—and overestimated how well he’d prepared for it. (Walking out the door after his first section, auditing, he felt pretty good, he said; that feeling dissipated when he learned that he scored a 67.) Looking back, he also realized that he had been distracted by major life events that were competing for his time and energy: in addition to studying for the CPA exam, he was also planning a wedding and buying a house.

Viola’s original plan was to take the four sections back to back, over the course of six to nine months and, once he became certified, move on to the next level of his career. But whenever he got a bad grade, he said, he was tempted to give up. “It was so discouraging,” he recalled. “I thought to myself, ‘this is it,’ and ‘at what point do I say I can’t afford this anymore?’ I was done and I wanted my life back.”

Still, he tried to remind himself of the light at the end of the tunnel: the piece of paper, his CPA certification, that would carry him through the rest of his career. The

“BY CHRIS GAETANO

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(and I’m okay.)

“ ”According to the National Association of the State Boards of Accountancy, only about 1 in 5 people who take the Uniform CPA Examination pass all four parts on the first try.

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thought of it spurred him on. In examining what worked and

what didn’t when it came to study habits, Viola saw that he had been taking “a very high school or college approach” to exam prep, meaning that he would confine his efforts to sitting through classes. But after failing the first time, he knew that he needed to do much more self-study. This meant that, instead of simply watching lectures, he took practice test after practice test, grinding away at the multiple-choice questions.

“Self-study was the thing for me,” he said. “I think I did 100,000 multiple choice questions over time.” It also helped that he took a job closer to home, which gave him more time each night to study.

When he finally did pass, “it was such a weight lifted off my shoulders,” Viola said. “I knew I needed my certification—and that I couldn’t stop until I got it.”

Like Viola, Justin Francis, a Rockland County CPA who took the test 10 times before passing it, realized he would have to change his study methods if he wanted to see improvements. “The first time around, I watched a lot of lecture videos,” he said. “I think that’s where I went wrong.”

Francis, too, found that practicing with multiple-choice questions was an effective method. He also joined a review class. “When I first walked into the exam room, I didn’t feel like I was prepared enough,” he said. “I realized that there was no way

I could do this on my own, from a self-study standpoint.” He also knew, he said, that by shoring up the weak spots in how he prepared for the test, success was in reach. “I knew I was just making some mistakes and my study habits needed to change,” he said.

Missed by a hairMagda Reyes, a Mid Hudson Chapter member who earned her certification in September 2012, said she didn’t take the exam seriously enough in the beginning—and even after she did decide to buckle down, she missed a passing score on her first section,

business environments and concepts, literally by one point.

“It was heartbreaking,” she said. “That one point.”

Reyes said that, for her, scheduling was a big issue the first time she sat for the test: she had arranged to take the four sections on dates that were “way too close together.” In addition, she said that her main mode of studying, listening to lectures, simply wasn’t working for her, since she didn’t seem to be retaining

the information that she was supposed to be picking up.

“I don’t know whether it was because I was overly tired, but listening to the CD-rom lectures was ineffective for me,” she said. In the end, what worked, she said—like Viola and Francis—was doing sample multiple-choice tests over and over.

Though she too felt discouraged at points, she was already seeing how the lack of certification was affecting her work, and it provided the motivation she needed.

“The first year [at my job] I didn’t have any of my parts done, so I didn’t get a promotion,” she said. “The second year, I got one, because I had three parts,

but they were still a little hesitant because I didn’t

quite have the fourth finished,” she said. When she did finally pass, she said, “it was the best feeling in the world.”

A success story in the making

Not even NYSSCPA President-elect Scott Adair, who was certified in 2000, was immune to CPA-exam blues; he failed some 12 times, a fact he shared at the NYSSCPA’s Young CPA conference last June.

“Every May and November, I would trudge off to Buffalo, sit in the convention center all day, drive back home that night and go, ‘I don’t know what I just did,’” he said.

This went on for four years, until he reached a point where, “I thought to myself, ‘I love accounting [but] I’m probably never going

FOR MORE ABOUT THE CPA EXAM, VISIT—

nasba.org about the exam application process

aicpa.org/cpa-exam about the content or scoring of the exam

prometric.com/cpa about scheduling the exam

“I thought, ‘at what point do I say I can’t afford this

anymore?’ I was done and I wanted my life back.”

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New!

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If you’ve been struggling with the CPA exam, ask yourself these three questions:

to be a CPA,’” he said. As a result, he stopped trying. Though he remained in the profession, he spent his time working in areas that didn’t require certification.

Still, he could see how it was costing him career-wise. He said that while he had the core competencies that were required for the job, his lack of a CPA designation meant that “I missed out on promotions and watched younger people pass me by.”

“I knew I could be supervising these people and doing the same work they were doing, but I just couldn’t get this exam out of the way,” he said.

It wasn’t until a close friend intervened two years later that he made a breakthrough. That friend, who was preparing to take the test herself, urged him to retake the exam, bringing him into her study group and giving him the push he needed. It was then that

Adair, who had initially relied on self-study to prepare for the tests, realized that he needed the more guided study that classes can offer. He took the test a few more times before acing the exam.

Adair recalls his passing as a proud moment that ultimately became a launch pad for his overall career: as soon as he told a partner at his firm that he’d

passed, that partner immediately made some calls to promote him to manager, “and everything’s been wonderful as far as career progression goes since that moment,” he said.

Is there another form of study that might work better for me? Some of the CPAs we talked to benefitted from self-study and sample tests; others needed the formal atmosphere

of a classroom, or a combination of both. If your preferred method hasn’t been getting you the results you need, perhaps it’s time to consider another route. (FYI, neither the AICPA nor the NYSSCPA endorses any one review method or course, but they do suggest that test takers ask faculty members or colleagues for recommendations.)

Have I given myself enough time to prepare? As a general rule of thumb, the AICPA recommends 400 hours of study time to prepare for the exam, or about 100

hours per section.

Am I taking the test seriously enough? The thought of the exam shouldn’t send you into cold sweats, but your approach should be purposeful and deliberate.

Walk in underestimating how tough it might be, and you’ll walk out having to retake it.

NYSSCPA members receive

a discount for exam prep

services from the Society’s

affinity partners, including

Becker Professional Education

and Yaeger CPA Review.

Quick Tip!

The takeaway...

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Fed up with a supervisor? You’re not the only one. Within the past year, a handful of polls have highlighted just how much employees are dissatisfied with their higher-ups. That includes a survey of 1,000 U.S. employees by the research firm Kelton, in which just 38 percent said their managers had established an effec-tive working relationship with them; a survey of some 2,000 adults by Harris Interactive Inc., in which one in five respondents gave his or her boss a negative grade; and a poll of more than 1 million workers by the venerable Gallup Inc., which determined that the primary reason why people quit their jobs is a bad boss.

Part of the problem, according to Robin Reshwan, founder of the career development and job placement firm Collegial Services, is that some managers aren’t, well, management material, no matter how skilled they may be in their area of expertise. “Sometimes, people end up in management positions based on the strength of their technical skills rather than people skills, because there’s a linear structure in the organization, or simply because there’s no one left to do the job,” she said.

But even if a manager does have top-notch people skills, there’s no guarantee that the road will be smooth. Your supervisor, for example, might be too distracted with the demands of his or her own job—or dealing with his or her own persnickety boss—to give you the kind of attention you’d like. “Many managers are so busy that they don’t always stop and think, ‘how does so and so need me to manage her,’” she said.

How to manage your manager

PRACTICAL WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR RELATIONSHIP

WITH YOUR BOSS

BY NICOLE SAUNDERS

The good news: While you can’t necessarily change your manager’s behavior, you can ad-just your own and make it easier for the boss to give you what you need to get ahead. “The employee who makes it easy for someone to give them direction or feedback is the employee who’s going to excel,” Reshwan said.

She offers these tips for getting the most out of your interactions with your boss—and ensuring better outcomes for yourself.

UPGRADE

Crib Sheet

1UNDERSTAND YOUR MANAGER’S PRIORITIES. Two of the most important questions an employee should ask are, “what is my manager trying to accomplish?” and the natural follow-up, “how can my role support that?” “This helps you to understand how your efforts align with your manager’s,” Reshwan explained, which is key for a few reasons. For one, you’ll have an easier time anticipating and wrapping your head around your superior’s day-to-day decisions. What’s more, since priorities often change, it will spare you from getting caught up in busy work that lands on your desk but isn’t mission critical.

2ESTABLISH CHECK-IN PATTERNS AND OTHER NORMS. Reshwan noted that it’s a good idea to ask managers what issues they’d like you to come to them with and what questions they would rather you take to other members of the team. Not only will this help you to work more efficiently together, but you won’t have to feel like you’re bugging your boss unnecessarily. “It’s a good direct question to ask, even during the interview or when you’re first hired,” she said.

3MASTER THE ART OF FOLLOW-UP. You’re the type who likes to have everything in writing (a smart move, according to Reshwan), but your boss typically spouts off orders on the fly. Or perhaps you prefer step-by-step direction, when your boss expects you to simply fill in the blanks. The solution? Use timely follow-up to get information delivered clearly and in a manner you can use. Reshwan suggests that you bring paper and a pen along whenever you walk into your supervisor’s office, so that you can jot down notes, and then send an email clarifying what tasks and deadlines were discussed, in a format that you find easy to make sense of (for example, a bulleted list of next steps). “You might say, ‘if I understood you correctly, you need me to one, two and three,’” Reshwan said. “Number things and put a time frame to it.” As a bonus, Reshwan added, this will also help your boss to see what he or she is actually asking of you, since, sometimes, managers give you an assignment without realizing how it fits in with the rest of your workload.

More than 500 CPAs have already pledged their support to the New York CPA Political Action Committee this year. By supporting

candidates that support the profession, the New York CPA PAC helps ensure there are people in Albany willing to protect your hard-earned

license and the future of your business.

THE NEW YORK CPA POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE

To find out more about the CPA PAC or to make an online donation, visit: nysscpa.org/page/government-affairs/cpa-pac

Who is looking out for the Accounting Profession in Albany?

Who is making sure your firm’s future is protected

from harmful legislation or regulations?

CPAPAC

LIFESAVERS

Ask an expert

By Pei-Cen Lin

The ability to find common ground with other professionals is a skill that will serve you well as you move forward in your career—every senior executive must master it—so consider this an opportunity to practice the art of leading conversations. If a colleague presses the issue, you can respectfully express your lack of interest in conversing about political topics. On the other hand, you could also try an alternate approach and, instead of avoiding political conversations, find a different way to engage in them.

We don’t all have to agree with each other, but we do have to respect each other. If you can learn to listen to what other people have to say even if you don’t agree with it or like it, and then respond in a way that’s measured but still respectful of the individual, you’ll not only get through the night drama-free, but you’ll leave a positive impression on your colleagues. Think of it as gaining insight into an opposing view.

QLong answer: It’s understandable—and even wise—to want to proceed with caution when talking about politics or social issues with co-workers. After all, there’s a reason why experts advise against bringing up those topics on dates or at the dinner table: They can be explosive subjects. And the last thing you need at the office is to make a colleague feel uncomfortable or even have him or her avoid you because of a political discussion gone wrong.

Still, the whole point of after-hours events and company socials is to give employees the time and space to bond and build camaraderie. You’d be missing out—and putting yourself at a career disadvantage—if you shut yourself off from mingling with colleagues. Realistically, you have a few choices. For one, you can steer conversations away from politics and, instead, focus on more neutral topics that offer common ground—say, for example, an interest in sports, foreign languages, travel or community service. Think beforehand of some topics that you would feel comfortable discussing.

Since my political and social views are the complete opposite of my colleagues, I worry about socializing at after-hours events or company functions. How can I get past that?

Short answer: Communicate

Smar

t solutions for career dilemm

as

Pei-Cen Lin, CPA, SPHR, is a strategic talent management and organizational development professional in the human resources field. She can be reached at pei-cen.lin@nysscpa.org.

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Long answer: It sounds like you need to be more mindful of how you’re spending your time as the day progresses—rather than looking up at 5 p.m. and wondering where it all went. First off, if you don’t regularly keep a checklist of what you want to accomplish, start doing so—on paper, on your phone, in an Excel spreadsheet or in Outlook. Where you keep the list doesn’t matter, so long as it’s easily accessible. What’s more im portant is that you prioritize it, so that you’re devoting your energy to the items that are truly urgent, and also that you’re realistic about what can reasonably be accomplished in a day. Consider this list your game plan, something you can reference in order to stay on course. Once you’re clear on what you have to do, monitor yourself as you go about doing it. There are several apps and websites that will help you keep tabs on how you spend your time.

If you see that an hour has gone by and you haven’t done much more than chatted by the water cooler, you can recalibrate to make the next hour more productive. It’ll help, too, if you’re proactive—rather than reactive—about curbing distractions. If your team can access your calendar, block off time for yourself so that people know in advance not to disturb you while you’re

working on a project. In fact, you should treat whatever you’re working on as if you were in a meeting. Turn your IM notification to “Busy” or “Do Not Disturb”; place a sign on your desk that says, “Come back at x hour”; don’t answer the phone when it rings; and ignore your emails, for the time being. People will respect your requests.

Plus, you are better able to attend to them when your mind is not in 10,000 places and you’re free from the anxiety that comes with not getting things done. Finally, I have to caution you against multitasking. Though it can make you feel like you’re accomplishing so much more, it actually hinders—not helps—productivity, by forcing you to break your concentration and waste time reassimilating information later. Being productive also doesn’t mean being chained to your desk. Anxiety and stress hinder your focus, so take a few minutes to get up, stretch or even meditate. These are just a few tips to help you along. But since so much depends on your work style and personality, I encourage you to ask around and see how others minimize distractions and increase productivity.

I’ve only been with my firm a year, and am already thinking about leaving it. What’s the ideal amount of time to spend in a position, especially at the start of your career?

Short answer: Unless you’re really miserable, don’t leave until you’ve gotten all that you can from the experience

Short answer: A simple, but well-planned checklist might be enough—but the bigger challenge is changing your mind-set

Q

Q

Long answer: It’s not difficult to hop from one CPA firm to another, but I wouldn’t recommend doing so until you first ask yourself a few questions. Why are you thinking of leaving? What is it that you find lacking in your current employment? (Or, on the flip side of the coin, what are you looking for in your next job?) Is there anything else you can learn at your firm that would increase your market value? And when you hop to that next job, are you going to be doing the same grunt work as you would have been doing at your last job? If so, how is that helping your career advancement? Em-ployers still prefer candidates who have a steady employment track record. For one, they want assurance that their investment—i.e., the time and money they spent on recruitment, onboarding and training—will bear out. To a certain degree, they also want assurance that there’s nothing wrong with a candidate. Needless to say, employments of short duration tend to make people wonder.

My recommendation is to spend a few years with an employer for the sake of your own career development and marketability. You will often

advance more quickly at your current firm, since you’ve already estab-lished your credibility. For example, if you spend your first year building your knowledge and skills, you could spend the second year growing a bit more—doing your job like the back of your hand, but seizing opportunities to get involved with ad hoc projects and gaining the exposure that comes with that. The other benefit of staying at your current firm a little longer is that it gives you a bit more time before you have to learn the ropes again and figure out how other firms operate.

However, if you truly feel that the firm you are with is not a good fit for you and for what you want for your career, move on. Don’t stifle your happi-ness or potential just because somebody said the ideal time to stay with an employer is X number of years. You may end up being an entrepreneur one day, where a steady employment history won’t make much of an impact. Whatever your path may be, ask yourself, Am I learning what I must learn to grow in the areas that I want to grow in? Then, act accordingly.

With so many in-office distractions, I sometimes get through a day accomplishing much less than I’d hoped to. Are there any tools you can recommend to help me increase my productivity?

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3

DO WHAT YOU LOVE, NO MATTER WHAT.Pendergast began her career path in the 1960s, after taking accounting

classes at the University of Albany. But in those days, the “glass ceiling” was more like concrete, with women largely confined to roles “as either secretaries or, if they were lucky, a teacher or nurse.” Becoming a CPA, she said, was practically unheard of—at the time, girls simply didn’t go into accounting.

Pendergast didn’t get any warm-hearted encouragement from her college professors. “More than one said, ‘There’s no sense of you [pursuing] this because they don’t let women do that,’” she recalled. She did, however, have parents who’d always told her that if she worked hard, she could do whatever she wanted, and, more importantly, a role model in her mother. “My mother always worked when my sisters and I were growing up. Because of her, I never questioned that I couldn’t do something—I just did it.” Pendergast completed her education and taught school while applying for jobs at accounting firms. Two years later, she was hired as an auditor at what would eventually become UHY LLP, a firm she works for to this day. The year was 1966, and out of the 25 people at her firm, two of the partners were women.

Since then, she has worked in numerous areas within the profession, after becoming an audit partner in 1974.

“My goal was to have a job to support my family and do something I liked to do,” she said. “That’s important, because you’re going to be working for a long time.”

UNDERSTAND THAT EVERYONE MAKES MISTAKES, AND FIND PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE IN YOU.

For Pendergast, it was important to realize that she shouldn’t be shy about asking questions, and that she also shouldn’t obsess over her mistakes. Everyone makes them when they’re starting out, she said; for example, she once found that she’d made a mistake on a tax form a year after she had filed it. What’s important, she said, is to recognize and learn from those errors. Also a huge plus—finding someone within the profession who can serve as a mentor. Pendergast said that having the support of good people within her company helped her to ignore naysayers who “absolutely would not have a woman in their place of business, period.”

AIM TO BE WELL ROUNDED.Though top-notch accounting skills helped her up the ladder, Pendergast found that it was just as important to have a wide base of knowledge outside her specialty. “You never know what information will be useful later on,” she said. For example, while she hadn’t been involved in international accounting, she’d made it a point to stay on top of developments in that area, foresight that, she said, has paid off now, given that convergence—efforts by standards setters to develop unified international accounting standards—and an increased emphasis on International Financial Reporting Language are under way. “You have to know about other things besides tax and accounting,” she said. “You don’t have to be an expert, but you do have to have an awareness of what’s going on.”

In 1994, Marilyn A. Pendergast made history when she became the NYSSCPA’s first female president. As the Society prepares to mark the 20th anniversary of that milestone, we spoke with Pendergast about lessons she learned throughout her career and her advice for young professionals today.

BY CHRIS GAETANO

Mas

ter C

lass

3things I’ve learned

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KEEPCALM

AND

DREAMBIG

Live your dreams out loud and join the New York State Society of CPAs (NYSSCPA).

As a student member, you’ll make instant connections with peers and other members who’ve been practicing in the accounting profession for years.

For more information on all the benefits the NYSSCPA can provide, visit www. nysscpa.org or contact the NYSSCPA Student Recruitment Department at 212-719-8300.

8 Networking events

8 Community outreach

8 Committees and task forces

8 Professional education and CPE

Every chapter of the New York State Society of CPAs has a Young CPA committee, and extends membership to young CPAs throughout the state.

Find out how to become involved by contacting Tekecha Morgan at tmorgan@nysscpa.org or call 212-719-8425.

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